LA GRANDE, Ore. – The Eastern Oregon University men’s basketball team begins the 2011-12 regular season Saturday at Walla Walla University.
The Mountaineers open the new season ranked No. 10 in the NAIA Div. 2 preseason ranking. The rating is the second highest preseason ranking in school history, behind the 2008-09 No. 6 ranking. That team climbed to the school’s highest-ever ranking at No. 3.
Eastern continues to thrive in its golden era of basketball. EOU has had five consecutive 20-win seasons. Before the five-year streak, there had been only four 20-win seasons in the program’s 82-year history. Eastern Oregon has been ranked in 23 straight Top 25 polls, the longest streak in school history. The Mountaineers also crack the Top 10 for the 16th time in program history.
Isaac Williams enters his third season as head coach at EOU, and is one win from being the coach fastest to 50 wins in school history. Williams has amassed a 49-16 record over his two seasons while at the helm.
Last season, Eastern finished its season with 26 wins, equaling the highest total in school history. EOU broke or equaled 17 school records in 2010-11. The Mountaineers made the second round of the national tournament for the fourth consecutive year, before falling to No. 7 Oklahoma Wesleyan. EOU ended the season as the nation’s No. 10 team.
The Mountaineers welcome back nine players from last season’s roster, but lost three key figures to last year’s success. EOU will need to replace two outstanding outside shooters in Thomas McCarthy and J.C. Cook, and point guard Josh Cottle. Eastern will attempt to fill those voids with nine new players.
“With this class we wanted to make sure that we added terrific students, athletes and of course people,” Head Coach Isaac Williams said. “We have worked hard to recruit quality players that not only help improve our team, but people our alumni and community can look forward to cheering for.”
BACK COURT
Last year’s record breaking three-point shooting will look to be duplicated with the help of Jamar Johnson. The Portland, Ore. native returns for his senior season after averaging 12.67 points per outing his junior year. Johnson was named to the All-Cascade Collegiate Conference preseason team, receiving the second-highest total of votes among the 15-member team. He was named to last year’s postseason All-Conference team as well. Johnson added 5.27 rebounds per game in 2010-11 and had the ninth best three-point shooting percentage in the country at 44 percent.
Anthony Brown joined the Mountaineers last year after transferring from NCAA Div. 1, Washington State University. What the Cougars lost, EOU gained. Brown averaged 8.23 points per game, and led Eastern in rebounds per game (6.14), steals per game (1.46), and blocks per game (0.86). Brown was named preseason All-Conference as well.
Eastern welcomes back Cody Thurmond as a point guard for the third consecutive season. The junior provides vital experience to the important position. Thurmond’s 3.46 assists per game was fifth in the conference, and his total of 114 was fourth. The Poulsbo, Wash. native had a 1.65 assist to turnover ratio.
Travares Peterson returns after averaging 8.88 points, 4.73 rebounds, and 1.46 assists per game in 2010-11. The senior was named a conference player of the week last season and was integral for EOU off of the bench. The El Paso, Texas native is one of three players on the roster that transferred to Eastern from Pima Community College in Tucson, Arizona.
Trent Roos comes to EOU after a standout sophomore season at Chemeketa Community College, helping his team compete at the NWAACC tournament. Roos averaged 19.3 points, 2.3 assists and 3.7 rebounds and was one of the top scorers in the NWAACC. Originally from Salem, Ore., Roos attended Sprague High School and will be a junior at EOU.
JaMier Morris will be a junior for the Mountaineers as he too transfers from Pima Community College in Arizona. Morris, a 5-11 point guard and Oakland, Calif. native, was an outstanding point guard for Pima Community College. As a sophomore he averaged 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds and 4.4 assists in helping the Aztecs to their first ever trip to the NJCAA National Tournament where the team placed seventh.
FRONT COURT
Jeff Ranstrom returns for his senior season. The Eagle, Idaho native averaged 7.03 points and 4.90 rebounds a game last season, and shot 55 percent from the field. Ranstrom joined the Mountaineers after excelling at Big Bend Community College. He scored in double figures six times last season, including a 23-point performance against Pacific Lutheran.
Kyllian Wood will see his playing time increase this season. The sophomore showed significant progress throughout last season. Wood averaged 2.84 points and 3.25 rebounds per contest in 2010-11. The Springfield, Ore. native did have a total of 10 blocks in his freshman season, the second highest on the team.
Ervin Felder comes to La Grande as a sophomore transfer from Pima Community College in Tucson, Ariz. The 6-7 post from Hammond, La. will look to be a force on the interior. As a freshman, Felder averaged 6.3 points, 7.5 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game while helping the Aztecs to their first ever trip to the NJCAA tournament, in which they placed seventh overall.
John Buhler comes to La Grande after helping take Big Bend Community College to the NWAAC tournament as a sophomore. A player with wing and post capabilities at 6-5, he averaged 8.7 points per contest while grabbing 5.6 rebounds per game as well. Buhler will be entering his junior season at EOU.
SCHEDULE
Eastern’s 2011-12 slate features NAIA, NCCAA, and NCAA competition. The Mountaineers play in a pair of in-season tournaments. EOU has eight non-conference games on the schedule.
The Mountaineers open with Walla Walla University Saturday. EOU faces the Wolves twice this season, in the opener and during the Aramark Quinn Classic on Nov. 5. WWU welcomes back four starters from last season’s team under a new head coach.
Eastern opens the home schedule on Nov. 4 against a formidable opponent in Carroll College. The Saints open this season No. 23 in NAIA Div. 1. Last year, Carroll rallied to beat Eastern in Helena, 84-78. Brandon Veltri was named the Frontier Conference Coach of the Year after leading Carroll to the conference finals and the national tournament. Byago Diouf and Andy Garland were both named first team all-conference and both return this year. Diouf also garnered Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The Mountaineers travel to Caldwell, Idaho for the Wendy’s Classic on Nov. 11-12. EOU plays Frontier Conference opponent, Montana Tech first, and then Portland Bible College the following day. Tech begins this season, 3-0, after going 6-22 last season. The Mountaineers beat the OreDiggers, 86-66, last year. Montana Tech and Eastern have played in each of the last seven years, with EOU winning nine of the 12 meetings.
Eastern and Portland Bible have met two times, and the Mountaineers have won each of the meetings. EOU won in Portland last year over the Wildcats, 102-66, to open the regular season.
EOU plays a pair of game at New Hope Christian in Eugene, Ore. on Nov. 17 and 18. It will be the first time the NCCAA member in the Pacific Coast Athletic Conference and Eastern have ever met. The Mountaineers then travel to Lewis and Clark College during Thanksgiving weekend. It will be the 35th time EOU and the Pioneers meet all-time.
The Mountaineers open the Cascade Conference schedule on Dec. 2 at Concordia University. The CCC looks to one of the toughest conferences in NAIA Div. 2 again this season.
Three-time defending champion Oregon Tech is favored to win the conference the CCC coaches voted in the preseason poll. Oregon Tech, under the direction of veteran coach Danny Miles, is coming off a 30-5 campaign last season, when it captured CCC regular season and postseason tournament titles on its way to a ninth consecutive NAIA tournament berth.
Tech received seven first-place votes and 97 points total in earning the favorites’ tag for the 2011-12 season. Eastern Oregon picked up two first place votes and 88 points to place second. College of Idaho, which earned one first-place vote, totaled 77 points and placed third.
The Yotes were followed by Concordia (55 points), Corban (51), Northwest (51), Southern Oregon (50), Warner Pacific (50), Evergreen (20) and Northwest Christian (11).
The Hustlin’ Owls return three starters and six letterwinners from last year’s club, including first team All-CCC forward Kyle Gomez, senior guard Bryant Sentman, and junior guard David Clarke.
College of Idaho returns three starters and 10 lettermen from last year’s club, which went 10-8 in conference play. The Yotes, who are guided by second-year coach Rod Jensen, are expected to be led by senior guard Matt Ballenger. An NAIA honorable mention All-American a season ago, Ballenger averaged 15.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and made 74 3-point field goals in 2010-11.
Concordia returns four players who scored in double figures a season ago: senior forward Jourdan Sweeney (15.0 ppg), sophomore forward Adam Herman (14.1), senior wing Kevan West (12.7), and senior point guard Gage Aker (10.3). Herman led the NAIA in field goal percentage (.641).