Greg Allen in sickness and in health

Healthy or not, Greg Allen continues to come through:

Allen's late surge lifts Loggers past McKinleyville
Neil Tarpey
The Times-Standard
2/12/2009

EUREKA -- One thread in the story involves a kid fighting the stomach flu.

Although this kid was throwing up hours before game time, he scored 17 of his game-high 26 points in the fourth quarter to bust open a one-point contest.

Another thread in the story line entails three of the sick kid's teammates. The trio, although not known for their offense, tossed in a collective 26 points while controlling the paint.

Those two threads combined in Eureka's 71-62 defeat of McKinleyville on senior night Wednesday.

”I wasn't feeling that good but I had to get in there and get some rebounds. Then it was a one-point game and that was a wake-up call. I got some energy and hit few shots,” said Eureka's Greg Allen -- the sick kid -- who also finished with 12 rebounds and eight assists...

Go here for the remainder.

Don Verlin for governor, no, make that president -- Mark Fox for !$*&%#

Don Verlin is certainly the toast of Moscow and other Idaho towns at the moment. It's 'funny' how a win and a close game in league play can so quickly elevate the status/coaching ability/IQ of a coach? Some Vandal-ites are calling for Verlin to receive a raise and a contract extension. Pretty soon there will be a rush of new-born babies named Don (or possibly Dawn).

Nick Jezierny is on to this momentum.

New coach Verlin has Vandals winning games
Idaho has beaten Nevada on the road and is one win away from matching last season's total. Idaho has beaten Nevada on the road and is one win away from matching last season's total.
Nick Jezierny
Idaho Statesman
1/07/09

There were moments in November and December when first-year coach Don Verlin and the Idaho men's basketball program showed that this year was going to be different:

The Vandals beat UC Irvine 101-47, setting a record for largest margin of victory against a Division I team.

They grabbed a 72-58 victory at Sacramento State, snapping a 16-game losing streak in nonconference road games.

They went 5-1 at home in nonconference play. The five wins were more than the Vandals had achieved in each of the entire 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.

Those moments, though, mostly flew under the radar outside of the Gem State...

Go here for the remainder.

On the other hand, here's yet another example of how quickly 'they' turn -- the fickleness of fan-dom -- and why coaches understand that any appreciation they are presently getting can oh so quickly evaporate. The following Chris Murray article has generated an avalanche of comments -- thankfully some rightfully pointing out that Coach Mark Fox hasn't suddenly forgotten everything he knows and that criticism of him is simply fair weather fans letting their frustration turn into memory loss. How quickly people forget!

Backcourt in a bind
Chris Murray
Reno Gazette-Journal
January 7, 2009

Before the start of the college basketball season, Boise State coach Greg Graham was asked why he thought Nevada was chosen by the coaches and media to finish first in the Western Athletic Conference.
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Glancing at the Wolf Pack's roster, Graham pinpointed one area that put Nevada atop the WAC.

"I think the experience of their backcourt sets them apart from everybody at this point," Graham said at the time.

That experienced backcourt -- thought to be one of the Pack's main strong points heading into the season -- has struggled much of the year as Nevada has posted a 7-7 overall record and 0-1 mark in conference play.

Preseason all-conference selections Armon Johnson and Brandon Fields have both had difficulties finding their shooting stroke, while Lyndale Burleson has also had trouble adding offense to a team shooting 41.6 percent on the season.

"I've been disappointed in our backcourt play," Nevada coach Mark Fox said...

Go here for the remainder.

Greg Allen scores 35 but Eureka falls

Greg Allen's high school team lost last night despite getting 35 from him.

Loggers Denied: Ayers, Crusaders pull off upset over Eureka
Nick Wilson, for the Times Standard
1/07/2009

The contest featured arguably two of the best teams in their respective leagues, but this time it was the Little Four crew that came up big.

Ayers dropped a team-high 24 points to lead St. Bernard's to a 63-61 victory over Eureka, pulling off a huge upset in the Loggers' house Tuesday night.

”I can't describe how good this feels,” Ayers said. “We've had a couple of cracks at them in the past, but to come in here and to pull off the win tonight means everything to us as a team...”

Go here for the remainder.

The background on Mac Hopson

Here's a great article on now Idaho point Mac Hopson -- sure wish most writing and level of insight could equal this (and yes, we are also aiming that broadside at ourselves). A 10-gallon hat tip to Jo-Jo for this marvel.

Plus, here is yet another 'article' with even more on Hopson's departure from WSU.

Greg Allen doesn't sign with Idaho

Greg Allen of Eureka (CA) High gave a verbal earlier to Don Verlin and the Idaho Vandals. But when the November letter-of-intent signing period rolled around, Allen decided to 'test the waters' and see who is interested come the next signing period in April. He did play football in the fall but is still committed to playing college basketball. We hope to have an Allen article for you in the near future.

The third player on our 'Getting No Love' WAC tour

Here's our third segment on the 'Getting No Love' players in the WAC this season.

Mac Hopson is a 6-2, 196 junior this season at Idaho and a transfer from Washington State who played prep ball in Oregon. We expect him to pan out this season as the top Vandal player, the leader scorer and assist man on the team.

Here's some background on Hopson followed by the why of our opinion.

While in Pullman for his only year, Hopson played 16 minutes a game in 21 contests. He averaged 4.2 points and 2.0 assists overall, shooting 39% from the floor and 45% from 3-point range.

Hopson was a starter for seven of WSU's first eight games and put up these numbers during that time: 7.8 points, 3.6 assists, and 2.9 rebounds in 24.8 minutes a game while shooting 50% from the floor, 64% from the 3-point line and 83% from the foul line. He played the point for Tiny Bennett.

But he played sporadically after those initial eight games. One report indicated it was due to lackluster practice habits, which we have no way of verifying. This time on the proverbial led to his eventual transfer to Idaho, then coached by George Pfeiffer.

Montana, Montana State, Portland, Portland State, and San Diego were the other schools wanting Hopson once he decided to depart from Pullman.

Prior to his time at Washington State, Hopson was at North Idaho College as he wasn't considered a top prospect coming out of high school. He earned first team all-Region 18 honors and first-team honors in the Scenic West Athletic Conference while at NIC, averaging a team-high 13.7 points along with 3.8 assists, 4.4 rebounds, and 2.1 steals per game.

Curiously, Hopson had committed to Idaho after his sole year at North Idaho College but the Pullman/WSU/PAC-10 offer was too strong a lure even though his father starred as a Vandal years before.

The firing of Leonard Perry as Idaho's coach after the 2005-2006 season also contributed to his change of allegiance from Idaho to Washington State. Besides Idaho and WSU, Utah State, Denver and Illinois State also made offers.

Now Hopson is 20 pounds heavier than his earlier playing days which should be beneficial in taking the pounding and pressure he'll face as the go-to guy for the Vandals. He is also theoretically entering what should be his senior season so there's also a solid level of maturity.

This year, Hopson will be teaming up with:

*** 6-4, 190 junior Kashif Watson

*** 6-3, 170 senior Terrence Simmons

*** 6-1, 205 senior Brandon Brown.

Watson is a junior college transfer supposedly more known for his defensive play, Simmons is in the point guard vein but more a reserve and Brown has the rep as a shooter even though his percentages need to be upped dramatically.

Thus Idaho will need points, points and more points in 2008-2009 so the opportunity to put up shots is almost all Hopson's, whether it be in freelance mode or as designed by Coach Don Verlin.

Next year will be different though. Hopson will be joined by:

*** Pacific transfer Steffan Johnson, a 6-1 senior who averaged 14.5 points, 4.9 assists, and 1.5 steals per game while shooting 46% from the floor and 41% from three-point land.

*** 5-10, 180 junior Marcus Lawrence will also be eligible in 2009-2010 after sitting out a season due to his transfer from UNLV. He's strictly a point.

So Hopson's numbers will be best -- at least in scoring and passing -- this season. He has the chance to land a spot on the All-WAC Second Team but that may be dependent upon how many wins the Vandals can earn in 2008-2009. But don't let a poor W-L record disparage his accomplishments.