HOOPS: Coverage of basketball lacking

Editor's note: This letter was received before the NIC men lost two consecutive games over the weekend.

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Pathetic! Absolutely pathetic is the best way I can describe the miserable local sports coverage by The Press. The Post Falls boys' basketball team is the defending 5-A State Champion and ranked No. 1 this season and has defeated soundly two teams from Spokane, yet the best coverage The Press has given them is a few inches of coverage. None of The Press sports reporters have even been at a game.

The North Idaho College men's team is a 13-0 and No. 1 in the nation yet the coverage their three-game sweep in their December tourney deserved no attendance from one of The Press reporters and a few inches coverage in The Press.

The Coeur d'Alene girls' basketball is ranked No. 1 and the wrestlers are No. 1. In Thursday's Press there was one picture on the front page surrounded by big articles about Gonzaga and the Mariners and always big articles on national college teams and all those ridiculous box scores of NBA games. Who cares? Let the big papers give them the big coverage. The Press needs to concentrate big time on the great local teams.

For 20 years I covered local sports for three newspapers in Minnesota and we really gave them coverage and our newspapers sold like hot cakes. Our circulation continued to rise because of the big time local sports coverage.

It's time for The Press to revamp their priorities concerning local sports vs. publishing all those big articles on Gonzaga and other national stuff or get a whole bunch of new staff.

JOHN KOLB

Post Falls