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26-27 Outlook

E

EagSpectator

Active member
Football is my first love and honestly, these next two games I may not even watch a single minute. Who am I kidding, I'm the ultimate definition of insanity!

Anyway, lets talk a little basketball since EWU has their first game this Sunday. Here are my thoughts on the team and the season.

Preseason Pick:
-3rd in both Coach's Poll and Media Poll - surprising at first

First 8 games that are not Exhibition games: tough schedule to start, again.
-Stanford - major roster turn over with a strong freshman recruiting class
-Oregon -Dana Altman just retired October 7th and have 10 newcomers
-Oregon State -new coach and all but 1 player is new
-Corban - Solid NAIA school with experience
-Utah - Significant roster turn over. I like EWU's chances at this point.
-UNLV - 11 newcomers
-LMU - Tough mid-major matchup
-Wyoming - Most likely better than LMU and Oregon State

Win/loss prediction:
Overall Conference
-Best Case 21-11 15-5
-Most Likely 18-14 13-7

My prediction is that EWU finishes 3rd and has a legitimate chance to win the conference tournament and go dancing. With Cook, Hamilton, and Griffith (transfer) as proven scores and Marquardt's perimeter shooting, we have the making of a high scoring offense.

I feel that the key will be the defense and not the offense. If Monson can get this team to defend consistently, I would not be surprised to see EWU competing for the Big Sky Championship.

Quick Player Breakdown: (I'll try my best)

Andrew Cook - Graduate Senior Guard - 6'5" 220lbs | Returning
Key returning guard and Pre-Season All Big Sky
Cook is a legitimate All-Big Sky-caliber scoring guard and potentially Eastern's most important offensive player. His value comes from attacking the basket, scoring efficiently inside the arc, getting to the foul line and creating pressure on opposing defenses. This is if he can regain his pre-injury explosiveness and develop enough perimeter shooting to keep defenders honest.

Alton Hamilton IV — Senior Forward - 6'9", 235 lbs | Returning
Key returning big man and Pre-Season All Big Sky
Brings size, experience and a physical interior presence. I expect him to be a major part of Eastern's rebounding and inside game. His consistency will be important against the better Big Sky frontcourts.

Jalen Griffith — Senior Guard - 5'10", 160 lbs | Western Michigan transfer
Potential leading scorer
Averaged 11.9 points and 3.4 assists last season, shooting over 41% from three. A proven scorer and playmaker who should immediately strengthen Eastern's backcourt. His smaller size could create defensive matchup challenges.

Tavi Jackson — Senior Guard - 6'2", 180 lbs | Southern Utah / Colorado State
An experienced transfer who should provide ballhandling, athleticism and another perimeter option. He could be a significant part of Eastern's guard rotation.

Cole Scherer — Sophomore Guard - 6'2", 185 lbs | Returning
One of the younger returning guards. Familiarity with Monson's system gives him an advantage, and I expect him to compete for significant minutes.

Emmett Marquardt — Redshirt Junior Forward - 6'10", 225 lbs | Returning
Averaged 5.5 points last season, making 35.8% of his three point attempts. His ability to shoot from outside at 6'10" could be particularly valuable for spacing the floor.


Jamil Miller — Redshirt Sophomore Forward - 6'6", 210 lbs | Kennesaw State transfer
A Spokane native and Gonzaga Prep product. Provides wing size and athleticism. He's one of the newcomers I'm most interested in watching develop.

Malachi Richmond — Freshman Guard - 6'2", 187 lbs | Edge Prep, British Columbia
Freshman breakout candidate
Averaged 24.2 points and 5.3 assists in the NPA National Championship Playoffs, shooting 47.8% from three. A highly regarded Canadian prospect with exciting offensive potential, although college competition will be a significant adjustment.

Lance Horntvedt Jr. — Freshman Forward - 6'7", 185 lbs | Richland High School
Averaged 23 points and eight rebounds during his junior season. Has size, shooting ability and versatility. Could contribute early, but his long-term potential may be even more exciting.

Alan Gballou - Redshirt Freshman Forward- 6'7" 270 lbs | Paris, France - Layton Christian Academy
One of EWU's more physically imposing players could provide a different dimension than the taller, leaner forwards on the team. It all depends on his development over the off season.

Maddox Monson - Redshirt Senior Guard- 6'2" 180lbs | long Beach State - Returner
Coaches kid
Provides experience and familiarity with the coaching staff, but his recent playing time has been limited. He averaged approximately 0.6 points per game last season.

Isak Homelius - Sophomore Guard - 6'5" 215lbs | Western Texas College
Homelius is interesting because of his size at guard. At 6'5" and 215 pounds, he gives Eastern a potentially a more physical defender on bigger guards. Coming from the Junior College ranks, I couldn't find much more.

Zach Trezant - Freshman Center - 7'2" 225lbs | Manchester, England - Myerscough College
Trezvant is the tallest player on Eastern's roster and it has been a minute sense we have had a big man this tall. His size is intriguing, especially for a Big Sky program. Most likely a developmental big this season.

Shaumba Ngoyi - Redshirst Junior - 6'8" 215 | Long Beach State - Returner
Ngoyi brings size and experience in Eastern's system. However, he saw limited action last season and averaged approximately 0.6 points and 0.9 rebounds per game.

Ayden Hamilton - Sophomore Forward - 6'5" 225lbs | Life Pacific University
He played in 28 games at Life Pacific, starting 14 and averaging 20.2 minutes per game. He recorded five double-digit scoring performances, including a career-high 17 points. He's also Alton Hamilton IV's younger brother, so Eastern will have both Hamilton brothers on the roster. Dan specifically praised his defensive intensity and rebounding ability when announcing his signing.


My very early stab at starting lineup: (really, I have no idea)
PG - Jalen Griffith
SG - Andrew Cook (as long as he remains available)
SF - Jamil Miller
PF - Alton Hamilton IV
C - Emmett Marquardt

6th man - Tavi Jackson and then Cole Scherer

Pros:
-Multiple scoring options - Cook and Griffith give Eastern experienced offensive production, while Hamilton provides an established inside option.
-Returning frontcourt experience - Hamilton and Marquardt provide continuity. Hamilton earned Second Team All-Big Sky honors after averaging 11.3 points and 5.7 rebounds in 2025–26.
-Momentum from last season - Eastern finished 11–7 in Big Sky play and reached the conference tournament semifinals despite a 14–19 overall record.

Cons:
-Defense needs improvement - Eastern allowed 79.0 points per game last season. Defensive improvement is likely essential to competing for the conference title.
-Cook's eligibility and health - The preliminary injunction is encouraging, but his eligibility case is ongoing, and he has not played a regular-season game since 2024–25.

I'm excited for this season and glad to see that they have 3 straight EX games before they play at Stanford. CSU Bakersfield this Sunday, then at Arizona next Friday, and at home vs Western Washington October 27th. Not your typical Ex games. I like it.
 
Good outlook. I'd actually give Cole Scherer the nod at starting PG. Once Monson put him into the starting lineup last year, we went into a tear of wins from what I can remember. I have admittedly not seen the transfer PG play at all, so grain of salt.
 
Getting Cook back for another year is absolutely huge. I have to admit, i don't really understand the legal process on how these injunctions work. Is there a chance that he could get pulled midway through the season? It's a very strange process.

I'm interested in seeing how the NCAA's new "5 for 5" rule effects basketball. With no more traditional redshirts there's no longer the eligibility advantage of sitting players for a year. I'm wondering if that will have any meaningful impact on how players are rotated into the lineup.
 
Well, it was a pretty rough exhibition game against a team from the California bus League. The Eags won 71-65.

Overall thoughts:

- It was a weird game in which a ton of different guys played.

- We maybe look a little more physical than last year but that didn’t seem to translate well into rebounding.

- Cook played well, although he looked really rusty in the first half. In the second half he basically took over the game, finishing with 24 points. All I can say is that we better hope he retains eligibility because there doesn’t seem to be an obvious scoring threat beyond him.

- Hamilton maybe played under half the game and looked a little rusty. He got into foul trouble early and didn’t play for long stretches of the game. Alton finished the game with single-digits, which is not where we need him to be.

- Tavi Jackson played quite a bit. He seems like more of a distributor type PG than a serious scoring threat.

- #5 is an absolute load in the post. He’ll get significant minutes this year.

- #6 got decent minutes and looked like a decent backup at the #3 spot.

- Lastly the big man from the UK played a little in the first half. My man is a legit 7’1 or 7’2, He probably needs to put on some weight to not get pushed around in the post at the Division I level, but the good news is that he’s not one of these slow 7 footer types. He actually looks athletic and light on his feet, so of he can develop his skills EWU could have found a good grab here.

- We really, really, really, need to practice free throw shooting because if we’d had just hit half of them we’d have won the game.
 
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I actually caught the second half. Hadn’f ever been to one of these exhibition games, but maybe they were previously closed to the public? I dunno, but it felt more like a regular game than what I would have expected. I agree with most of what you noted, Hambone. Cook went off on a tear and that seems to have been what lit a fire under the rest of the team. If he can regain his 2024 form he’s going to be a real problem for the rest of the Big Sky.
 
I went to the exhibition game as well... Typical of what you expect for an exhibition game: everyone played, lots of fouls, poor shooting, sloppy play. Eags will look better by the end of the year, it is going to take time for them to gel and a lot of improvement can be made on the defensive end. Rebounding will be a challenge this year. We are missing a strong five man, Cal State Bus League exploited our lack of interior size and toughness and shot of lot of free throws due to it. Gballou will be a nice 4 man off the bench, dude is built, I can only imagine Coach not the Best thinking he could make a helluva lineman out of him. Marquardt looks to be about the same as the last two years, trips and falls down as much as Erikstrup did during his time here, out of position on rebounds and gets beat off the dribble, Gballou will get a lot of run as long as he stays out of foul trouble. I was wondering about Alton Hamilton, he seemed to be sucking wind most of the game, maybe he has been hurt as of recent and not practicing much or just needs to get in game shape (or had a wild/fun Saturday night). Al will get his buckets and be just fine, he is prone to foul problems, has to stay on his feet (shot fake is easy money to get to the foul line with him). Andrew Cook looked a bit leaner, second half they did a lot of iso for him, I was happy to see he was more willing to pass the ball, hopefully he can build trust with the new guys and not feel like he has to be on every night. Jamil Miller will come on after he gets more games under his belt with this team. He is pretty bouncy, soft touch on his shot, good length. Jalen Griffith started at the 1, he is quick, however, he was exploited with his lack of size, five foot nine is pretty generous and he is very light. I see him playing when his game is on the upside (hitting shots and not being taken down low by the other teams guards). Cole Scherer will be one of the first guys off the bench if Griffith is struggling or we are playing a team that likes to run. Cole looks confident, hunting his shot and plays pretty tough, just wish he was six foot three, not six foot one. Tavi Jackson will be coming off the bench, will be a good cog in the system, long arms, probably the 7th/8th man. Isak Homelius is in the same boat as Jackson, 7th/8th man, good shooter (needs to work on shot selection), can knock down the 3 and plays pretty tough. As for the freshman, Richmond looked like he will be able to play if we need him but with Jackson in front of him, he won't get a ton of run. Horntvedt, looked like a typical freshman, you could tell he was thinking more than playing, by the end of the year, we might need him, good length, I think he will be an important piece for next year. Trezvant, seven foot two guy, limited PT, needs to put on some weight, moves ok (he has five fouls to give, I would give him a minute here and there if I were Monson). Ngoyi, a tad bit better than last year, needs to slow down and play the game. He will be foul prone but can play a few minutes here and there and can help with some offensive rebounding (not a good defensive rebounder, gets pushed off his spot). A lot of basketball to be played, I am hopeful that this team can finish in the top 1/3 of the conference, it is really hard to prognosticate with so much movement in college basketball, every team is different each year. If this conference looked the same as last year, we would have a shot of finishing between 1st and 4th. Eastern has better depth 1-4, no real big man which is not a surprise, big guys are getting decent NIL to go to bigger programs.
 
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