Eagle Men Start Hoops Season This Weekend

Eight sophomores are returning from last year's Eagles' men's basketball team that made it into the state playoffs for the first time in a decade. Five of them were regulars in the rotation and are a big reason why this year's team won't be sneaking up on anybody.

The sophomores include first team All-Golden Valley Conference guard Dylan Neufeld and forward Cole Bernius, who was a GVC All-Defense pick. They're joined by 11 freshmen for a season that has "no show-up-and-win teams" on the schedule, according to head coach Kyle Heath.

After 10 weeks of practice that included several scrimmages, the Eagles are scheduled to play their first three games this Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Tony Costello Classic in Las Positas. Like the rest of their pre-conference schedule, Thursday's first foe, Columbia, is a tough one, starting the season ranked No. 6 in NorCal and No. 11 in the state.

Last year, the Eagles finished 16-13 overall and finished third with a 5-5 GVC record. This year, Heath said one media source has picked the Eagles to rise up to second place in conference.

"I like my group. We have the components to be successful," said Heath, the Eagles' head coach since 2010. "We'll be trying to find our culture identity early in the season. We want to outwork everybody, defend, share the ball, and execute."

The Eagles have a good group of guards and some size inside. Unlike the teams they scrimmaged, including Columbia and Oregon Institute of Technology, Heath said they don't plan to shoot "a million threes." Instead, "Our style is to get the ball inside and kick it out for threes."

Time will tell how the team responds to higher expectations and a challenging schedule. Last year's team stayed healthy for the most part and never lost two games in a row while winning 11 of their 18 pre-season games. Already this year a couple key players have lost time to injury including sophomore Josh Allen, a 6-1 guard from Toowoomba, Australia, who is just now coming back after missing a month with a knee injury.

Heath said Neufeld, a 6-foot guard from Grants Pass, OR, scores a lot of points and is doing a good job while being challenged by the coach to be more of a leader.

Heath describes Bernius, a 6-6 forward from Portland, OR, as an "inside-out" player. "He's a good post and can shoot the three. He can put it on the floor and plays above the rim."

Allen was the team's best perimeter defender last year and good at driving to the basket.

Sophomore Landon Ellis, a 6-1 guard from North Medford, is also good at getting to the rim, a talent he showed while going up against high level players in the scrimmage against OIT.

Heath sees sophomore Nick Dore, a 6-3 third year forward from Palo Cedro, as "the heart of the team… He's got a football player's body and plays hard. He shoots threes, scores inside and takes charges."

Returning guard Cameron Collard, is a 6-2 guard from Mount Shasta. "He had a good spring and earned an opportunity to play more," said Heath.

Also returning are Daniel Yancey, a 6-3 guard from Klamath Falls, OR, and Starz Saavedra, a 6-2 guard from Cave Junction, OR.

Among the freshmen, 6-9, 245-pound center Bryce Rollins, a lefty from the small town of Ione, OR, has improved by leaps and bounds since becoming an Eagle. "He's a sponge and has a lot of upside," said Heath. "He's strong, can run, and he has some quickness."

Heath compares Tanner Jolley, a 6-3 guard from Cave Junction, OR, to Zane Lueth, a sophomore on last year's team. A 20-year-old who took a couple years off after high school, Jolley is "super athletic and plays hard."

The list of freshmen on the roster includes Alex Padilla, a 5-9 guard from Chico; Cian Campbell, a 6-2 guard from Lane Cove, Australia; Matthew McEwen, a 6-0 guard from Yreka; Pablo Macias, a 5-7 guard from Klamath Falls; Ajay Hodge, a 6-5 guard from Creswell, OR; and Logan Westwater, a 6-2 guard from Chico.

Heath is again being assisted by Adrian Russell, his best friend and former college teammate and roommate, with whom he shares "twenty years of trust."

Fans, unfortunately, will only be able to see the Eagles in action on their home court once during the next two months, Nov. 20th against Umpqua College. The next home game after that is Jan. 17th against Butte.

By Steve Gerace