2017–18 Eastern Washington Eagles men's basketball team

The 2017–18 Eastern Washington Eagles men's basketball team represented Eastern Washington University during the 2017–18 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. The Eagles were led by first-year head coach Shantay Legans and played their home games at Reese Court in Cheney, Washington as members of the Big Sky Conference. They finished the season 20–15, 13–5 in Big Sky play to finish in a tie for third place. At the Big Sky Tournament they defeated Portland State and Southern Utah to advance to the championship game where they lost to Montana. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they lost in the first round to Utah Valley.

2017–18 Eastern Washington Eagles men's basketball
CBI, First round
ConferenceBig Sky Conference
2017–18 record20–15 (13–5 Big Sky)
Head coach
Associate head coachNick Booker
Assistant coaches
  • David Riley
  • Bobby Suarez
Home arenaReese Court
2017–18 Big Sky men's basketball standings
Conf  Overall
TeamW L PCT  W L PCT
Montana †16–2 .889  26–8  .765
Idaho14–4 .778  22–9  .710
Weber State13–5 .722  20–11  .645
Eastern Washington13–5 .722  20–15  .571
Northern Colorado11–7 .611  26–12  .684
Idaho State9–9 .500  14–16  .467
Portland State9–9 .500  20–14  .588
Montana State6–12 .333  13–19  .406
North Dakota6–12 .333  12–20  .375
Southern Utah5–13 .278  13–19  .406
Sacramento State4–14 .222  7–25  .219
Northern Arizona2–16 .111  5–27  .156
† Big Sky Tournament winner

Previous season

The Eagles finished the 2016–17 season 22–12, 13–5 in Big Sky play to finish in second place. As the No. 2 seed in the Big Sky Tournament, they defeated Sacramento State in the quarterfinals before losing to Weber State in the semifinals. They were invited to the College Basketball Invitational where they lost in the first round to Wyoming.

On March 29, 2017, head coach Jim Hayford left Eastern Washington to take the head coaching job at in-state rival Seattle and was replaced by top assistant Shantay Legans.[1]

Offseason

Departures
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownReason for departure
Julian Harrell0G6'5"195RS SeniorLos Angeles, CAGraduated
Michael Wearne5G6'2"175FreshmanCroydon, AustraliaTransferred
Jacob Wiley24F6'7"220RS SeniorNewport, WAGraduated/Went undrafted in 2017 NBA draft
Geremy McKay40F6'7"225RS SophomoreMelbourne, AustraliaTransferred
Mario Soto42G6'6"205RS SophomoreIrvine, CAWalk-on; didn't return
Felix Von Hofe44F6'5"200SeniorMelbourne, AustraliaGraduated

Incoming transfers
NameNumberPos.HeightWeightYearHometownPrevious School
Tyler Kidd0G5'11"JuniorSeattle, WAJunior college transferred from Skagit Valley College.
Benas Griciūnas15C7'0"244RS JuniorŠilutė, LithuaniaTransferred from Charlotte. Was eligible to play immediately since Griciūnas graduated from Charlotte.
Steven Beo25G6'3"180SophomoreRichland, WATransferred from BYU. Under NCAA transfer rules, Beo was required to sit out the 2017–18 season. Will have three years of remaining eligibility.

2017 recruiting class
US college sports recruiting information for high school athletes
Name Hometown High school / college Height Weight Commit date
Brendan Howard
SF		 Great Falls, MT Great Falls High School 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) 200 lb (91 kg) Sep 14, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Tanner Groves
PF		 Spokane, WA Shadle Park High School 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m) N/A Oct 26, 2016 
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Jack Perry
SG		 Melbourne, Australia Camberwell Grammar School 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Kim Aiken
SF		 Redlands, CA East Valley High School 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) N/A  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Richard Polanco
SF		 San Diego, CA Army and Navy Academy 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) 215 lb (98 kg)  
Recruiting star ratings: Scout: N/A   Rivals: N/A   247Sports: N/A    ESPN grade: 0
Overall recruiting rankings:
  • Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height and weight.
  • In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale.

Sources:

  • "2017 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved 2017-09-04.

    Preseason

    In separate preseason polls of league coaches and media, the Eagles were picked to finish in seventh place (coaches) and sixth place (media) in the Big Sky.[2] Senior forward Bogdan Bliznyuk was named to the preseason All-Big Sky team.[3]

    Roster
    2017–18 Eastern Washington Eagles men's basketball team
    PlayersCoaches
    Pos.#NameHeightWeightYearPrevious schoolHometown
    G 0 Tyler Kidd  5 ft 11 in (1.8 m)180 lb (82 kg) JrO'Dea HS
    Skagit Valley College    		 Seattle, Washington
    G 2 Ty Gibson 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)190 lb (86 kg) JrIssaquah HS Issaquah, Washington
    G 4 Sir Washington 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) RS SrClark HS Las Vegas, Nevada
    F 5 Richard Polanco 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)225 lb (102 kg) FrArmy and Navy Academy Santiago de los Caballeros, DR
    G 10 Jacob Davison 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)175 lb (79 kg) RS FrCantwell-Sacred Heart HS Montebello, California
    G 11 Jack Perry 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m)175 lb (79 kg) FrCamberwell Grammar School Melbourne, Australia
    G 12 Grant Gibb (W) 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS SoMark Morris HS Longview, Washington
    G 13 Luka Vulikić 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m)190 lb (86 kg) SoNone Belgrade, Serbia
    F 14 Mason Peatling 6 ft 8 in (2.03 m)220 lb (100 kg) SoBeaconhills College HS Melbourne, Australia
    C 15 Benas Griciūnas 7 ft 0 in (2.13 m)244 lb (111 kg) RS SrFindlay Prep
    Auburn/Charlotte    		 Šilutė, Lithuania
    G 20 Cody Benzel (W) 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m)175 lb (79 kg) RS JrFerris HS Spokane, Washington
    F 23 Brendan Howard 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)225 lb (102 kg) FrGreat Falls HS Great Falls, Montana
    G/F 24 Kim Aiken 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)215 lb (98 kg) FrEast Valley HS Redlands, California
    G 25 Steven Beo (I)  6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)180 lb (82 kg) SoRichland HS
    BYU    		 Richland, Washington
    F 32 Bogdan Bliznyuk (C) 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m)215 lb (98 kg) SrTodd Beamer HS Lutsk, Ukraine
    F 34 Jesse Hunt 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m)210 lb (95 kg) JrSir Francis Drake HS Geraldton, Australia
    F 35 Tanner Groves 6 ft 9 in (2.06 m)235 lb (107 kg) FrShadle Park HS Spokane, Washington
    G 42 Joshua Thomas 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)185 lb (84 kg) RS FrCentral Valley HS Spokane, Washington
    Head coach
    Assistant coach(es)
    Legend
    • (C) Team captain
    • (S) Suspended
    • (I) Ineligible
    • (W) Walk-on

    Roster

    Schedule and results
    Date
    time, TV    		 Rank# Opponent# Result Record Site (attendance)
    city, state
    Exhibition
    Oct 29, 2017*
    5:00 pm    		 at Portland
    Hurricane Maria relief charity game    		 W 76–70 
    		Chiles Center (500)
    Portland, OR
    Non-conference regular season
    Nov 10, 2017*
    1:05 pm    		 Walla Walla W 82–61  1–0
    		 Reese Court 
    Cheney, WA
    Nov 12, 2017*
    5:00 pm, P12N    		 at Washington L 69–79  1–1
    		 Alaska Airlines Arena (5,609)
    Seattle, WA
    Nov 14, 2017*
    8:00 pm, P12N    		 at Stanford W 67–61  2–1
    		 Maples Pavilion (2,799)
    Stanford, CA
    Nov 17, 2017*
    7:00 pm    		 at UNLV
    MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game    		 L 76–91  2–2
    		 Thomas & Mack Center (8,900)
    Paradise, NV
    Nov 20, 2017*
    1:30 pm    		 vs. Georgia State
    MGM Resorts Main Event Middleweight semifinals    		 L 50–68  2–3
    		 T-Mobile Arena 
    Paradise, NV
    Nov 22, 2017*
    11:00 am    		 vs. Eastern Kentucky
    MGM Resorts Main Event Middleweight 3rd place game    		 W 83–62  3–3
    		 T-Mobile Arena 
    Paradise, NV
    Nov 24, 2017*
    5:00 pm, P12N    		 at Utah
    MGM Resorts Main Event campus-site game    		 L 69–85  3–4
    		 Jon M. Huntsman Center (13,264)
    Salt Lake City, UT
    Dec 3, 2017*
    1:00 pm    		 at Seattle L 65–84  3–5
    		 KeyArena (1,487)
    Seattle, WA
    Dec 7, 2017*
    7:00 pm    		 at San Francisco L 71–81  3–6
    		 War Memorial Gymnasium (1,137)
    San Francisco, CA
    Dec 10, 2017*
    11:00 am, ESPN3    		 at South Dakota L 73–75  3–7
    		 Sanford Coyote Sports Center (1,998)
    Vermillion, SD
    Dec 12, 2017*
    6:00 pm    		 at Wyoming L 88–93 OT 3–8
    		 Arena-Auditorium (4,363)
    Laramie, WY
    Dec 17, 2017*
    2:05 pm    		 Cal State Northridge W 86–58  4–8
    		 Reese Court (1,279)
    Cheney, WA
    Dec 20, 2017*
    6:05 pm    		 Providence (MT) W 94–66  5–8
    		 Reese Court (1,056)
    Cheney, WA
    Big Sky regular season
    Dec 29, 2017
    6:00 pm    		 at Northern Colorado L 75–88  5–9
    (0–1)    		 Bank of Colorado Arena (1,047)
    Greeley, CO
    Dec 31, 2017
    2:00 pm    		 at North Dakota W 77–64  6–9
    (1–1)    		 Betty Engelstad Sioux Center (1,548)
    Grand Forks, ND
    Jan 4, 2018
    6:05 pm, SWX    		 Portland State W 81–74  7–9
    (2–1)    		 Reese Court (1,375)
    Cheney, WA
    Jan 6, 2018
    2:05 pm    		 Sacramento State W 82–67  8–9
    (3–1)    		 Reese Court (1,464)
    Cheney, WA
    Jan 12, 2018
    7:30 pm, SWX    		 Idaho L 51–58  8–10
    (3–2)    		 Reese Court (2,334)
    Cheney, WA
    Jan 18, 2018
    5:30 pm    		 at Northern Arizona W 81–76  9–10
    (4–2)    		 Walkup Skydome (1,017)
    Flagstaff, AZ
    Jan 20, 2018
    11:30 am    		 at Southern Utah L 62–66 OT 9–11
    (4–3)    		 America First Events Center (2,229)
    Cedar City, UT
    Jan 25, 2018
    6:05 pm    		 North Dakota W 95–71  10–11
    (5–3)    		 Reese Court (1,679)
    Cheney, WA
    Jan 27, 2018
    2:05 pm, ELVN    		 Northern Colorado W 67–65  11–11
    (6–3)    		 Reese Court (1,674)
    Cheney, WA
    Feb 1, 2018
    7:05 pm    		 at Sacrmento State W 74–54  12–11
    (7–3)    		 Hornets Nest (568)
    Sacramento, CA
    Feb 3, 2018
    1:00 pm    		 at Portland State L 81–94  12–12
    (7–4)    		 Pamplin Sports Center (527)
    Portland, OR
    Feb 9, 2018
    7:30 pm, SWX    		 at Idaho L 64–66  12–13
    (7–5)    		 Cowan Spectrum (3,192)
    Moscow, ID
    Feb 15, 2018
    6:05 pm    		 Montana W 74–65  13–13
    (8–5)    		 Reese Court (2,354)
    Cheney, WA
    Feb 17, 2018
    2:05 pm, ELVN    		 Montana State W 84–79  14–13
    (9–5)    		 Reese Court (1,804)
    Cheney, WA
    Feb 22, 2018
    6:00 pm    		 at Weber State W 75–70  15–13
    (10–5)    		 Dee Events Center (6,425)
    Ogden, UT
    Feb 24, 2018
    6:00 pm    		 at Idaho State W 74–69  16–13
    (11–5)    		 Reed Gym (1,911)
    Pocatello, ID
    Mar 1, 2018
    6:05 pm    		 Southern Utah W 74–51  17–13
    (12–5)    		 Reese Court (1,637)
    Cheney, WA
    Mar 3, 2018
    2:05 pm    		 Northern Arizona W 85–68  18–13
    (13–5)    		 Reese Court (2,032)
    Cheney, WA
    Big Sky Tournament
    Mar 8, 2018
    8:05 pm, ELVN    		 (3) (6) Portland State
    Quarterfinals    		 W 78–72  19–13
    		 Reno Events Center (1,078)
    Reno, NV
    Mar 9, 2018
    8:05 pm, ELVN    		 (3) (10) Southern Utah
    Semifinals    		 W 82–70  20–13
    		 Reno Events Center (1,236)
    Reno, NV
    Mar 10, 2018
    5:05 pm, ESPNU    		 (3) (1) Montana
    Championship game    		 L 65–82  20–14
    		 Reno Events Center (1,378)
    Reno, NV
    CBI
    Mar 13, 2018*
    6:00 pm    		 at Utah Valley
    First round    		 L 65–87  20–15
    		 UCCU Center (997)
    Orem, UT
    *Non-conference game. #Rankings from AP Poll. (#) Tournament seedings in parentheses.
    All times are in Pacific Time.

    Source[4][5]

    See also

    References
    1. Allen, Jim (March 29, 2017). "Jim Hayford leaves Eastern Washington for Seattle U.; top assistant Shantay Legans named new basketball coach". The Spokesman-Review. Spokane. Retrieved July 18, 2017.
    2. "Idaho Favored to win Big Sky Men's Basketball Championship". Retrieved 2017-11-10.
    3. "Hall Recognized as Preseason MVP". Retrieved 2017-11-10.
    4. http://www.espn.com/mens-college-basketball/team/schedule/_/id/331
    5. "EWU Athletics - 2017-18 Men's Basketball Schedule (as of August 28, 2017)". www.goeags.com. Retrieved 2017-09-04.
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