When you think of Cheney, college basketball probably isn't the first thing that comes to mind, but these days maybe it should be. That's because the Eastern Washington University Eagles have found a consistent formula that's turning high-octane offense into success in the win column.
The Eagles are 17-9 on the season and an impressive 11-2 in Big Sky Conference play. Their record is no fluke. Under third-year head coach David Riley, Eastern Washington has built a culture that allows players to have fun on the basketball court and, in turn, encourages them to stay and develop within the program. These Eags are old and experienced, and it shows in their results.
"I think our development track record kind of speaks for itself. We had five of the last seven [Big Sky] MVPs. We've kind of done all this success with developing our own guys," Riley says. "I think that's lost nowadays where people transfer from school to school and they just kind of work on what's right in front of them. We try to have a long-term vision for each of our guys."
That long-term vision can only pay off if the players are willing to stick around. At Eastern, the top-five leading scorers are upperclassmen, all averaging over 10 points per game.
Ethan Price and Casey Jones have spent their entire careers at Eastern. Cedric Coward and Dane Erikstrup are in their second year in the program after transferring up from the D-III and D-II levels respectively. Of those five, only Jake Kyman is a first-year transfer (UCLA to Wyoming to EWU).
When you take an experienced core like that and let them loose on the offensive end, you wind up with some electrifying basketball.
"It's a fun way to play, and it allows you to be yourself out there" Riley says. "Our guys get to play to their strengths. They don't have to fit into some box, which is nice, and it's just a fun group. We've got a really low-ego, goofy group. It's fun to root for."
He's not wrong. As of Feb. 16, the Eagles are averaging a shade under 80 points per game behind one of the more uptempo offenses in the entire sport. They're shooting 49.8 percent from the field, the eighth-best mark in the country. If not for a brutal start to the season that saw the Eagles go on the road to face power conference team after power conference team, those numbers would be even higher.
After reigning Big Sky MVP Steele Venters transferred to Gonzaga in the offseason, EWU wasn't tabbed by coaches or the media to be Big Sky favorites. The Eagles opened the season with a 1-6 record and losses to Utah, Mississippi, Cincinnati, Stanford, Washington State and USC, all on the road. Their only win in November came in their only home game that month, against non-Division I Walla Walla.
"I felt like every game [in November] taught us a different lesson, and the beauty of it is it forces you to live in reality, those big games against really good teams," Riley says. "Because sometimes against lesser teams, if you make a mistake, they're not going to make you pay for it."
The Eagles scheduled those games knowing that it would be tough but that they'd be able to learn from them. It's not the kind of schedule you'd want with a young team, but with an older team like he has this season, Riley's group wanted the challenge.
"We kind of had a choice between a non-Division I team and Stanford, just the way it worked out. We talked to our veterans that were returning and they were like, 'Let's go see where we're at, let's get another Power Five game.'"
While all the Power Five games resulted in a loss, it helped lay a foundation for the success that the Eagles are having in Big Sky play. Eastern's running away with the league race in conference play, multiple games clear of all challengers as the team enters its final five games of the regular season.
Unfortunately, at the Big Sky level, to make the NCAA Tournament you have to win the Big Sky Tournament — in its 60-year history, the league has never sent multiple teams dancing. Last season the top-seeded Eagles fell victim to a 1-point upset in the first round of the conference tournament, which despite an incredible regular season, dashed their NCAA Tournament dreams.
This season's Eagles, for the most part, were also last season's Eagles. They certainly remember what happened a year ago.
"I think it definitely shaped our goals and our vision for the year. We talked about how we have one main goal and then a bunch of secondary goals. So the main goal is to win in [the Big Sky Tournament]. That's the No. 1 goal. We talked about that on June 20, our first day," Riley says.
One of the secondary goals, he says, is to win the Big Sky regular season as well. They're on track to do that with just five games remaining, including two at home next week against rivals Montana and Montana State, the latter of which defeated Eastern in league play this season.
When asked what people around Spokane should know about his team this season, Riley mentions their appealing style of play, the program's success in having the most wins in the Big Sky over the past 10 seasons, and specifically the quality of this year's squad. But he twice noted where Cheney is relative to Spokane.
"We're 20 minutes away to watch some great hoops and come support these guys." ♦
Eastern Washington vs. Montana • Thu, Feb. 29 at 6 pm • Reese Court • ESPN+
Eastern Washington vs. Montana State • Sat, March 2 at 2 pm • Reese Court • ESPN+
