NORTHWEST NOTES June 29, 2016
Rathdrum 3v3 hoops
tourney set for July 16
RATHDRUM — Rathdrum’s annual 3v3 basketball tournament, put on by Rathdrum Parks and Recreation and taking place in conjunction with Rathdrum Days, is scheduled for July 16 at the Stein’s market parking lot.
Registration is underway; space is limited.
In addition to the tournament there, will also be a lowered-rim dunk contest, as well as a free-throw contest.
Court sponsors are also being sought.
Information: Rathdrum Parks and Recreation, 687-2399
NIC to hold summer
volleyball camps
COEUR d’ALENE — North Idaho College volleyball staff and players are offering volleyball camps this summer for grades 1 through 12 in July and August at NIC’s Christianson Gym.
Volley Tots Camp will be offered July 7-8 for players entering grades 1 through 4. Register as soon as possible. There will be four hours of instruction from 9 to 11 a.m. The cost is $40.
Youth Skills Camp No. 1 will be offered July 11-12 for players entering grades 5-8. Registration deadline is July 2.
Youth Skills Camp No. 2 will be offered July 13-14 for players entering grades 5-8. Registration deadline is July 2.
Both Youth Skills camps are $95 and include lunches.
The High School Skills Clinic will be held Aug. 8-9 for participants entering grades 9-12. Registration deadline is July 30.
Camp instruction will be led by NIC volleyball coach Kelsey Stanley as well as other former and current NIC coaches and players. All campers receive a camp T-shirt, free admission to NIC home volleyball matches, and other camp prizes.
For a registration form and full schedules, visit www.nicathletics.com, then click “Camps.”
Information: 769-3218
Empire make final moves before IFL roster freeze
SPOKANE — The Spokane Empire signed defensive lineman Donte Rumph before the Indoor Football League playoffs roster freeze which went into effect Tuesday at 2 p.m. PDT.
Rumph (6-4, 320, Kentucky) joins the Empire for his first season as a member of the IFL. Before joining the Empire, Rumph spent time as an undrafted free agent with the Atlanta Falcons following the 2014 NFL Draft. During his collegiate career as a Wildcat, Rumph was a three-year starter where he recorded 126 total tackles and seven sacks.
Rumph played two seasons at Fork Union (Va.) Military Academy before attending Kentucky. He played his prep career at Calhoun County High in St. Matthews, S.C.
To make room for Rumph, the Empire placed D.J. Yendrey (DL, 6-3, 285, Texas Christian) on the season-ending injured reserve list.
Spokane takes pair of
Czech teammates
in CHL import draft
TORONTO — The Spokane Chiefs selected teammates Ondrej Najman (first round, 22nd overall) and Pavel Kousal (second round, 82nd overall) Tuesday in the 2016 CHL import draft. Both players are from Jihlava, Czech Republic.
Najman, a 1998-born forward, stands at 6-foot-1 and 187 pounds. He was the leading scorer for HC Dukla Jihlava of the Czech U20 Extraliga, scoring 18 goals and 26 assists for 44 points in 38 games, including four multi-goal performances. Najman competed for the Czechs at the 2016 IIHF U18 World Championship in Grand Forks, N.D., scoring three goals and three assists in five games.
“Najman is a skilled player with a heavy shot and good instincts,” said Chiefs General Manager Tim Speltz. “He plays with his head up and sees the ice well, creating plays for his teammates. He also has the size and strength to compete physically in our league and play a complete 200-foot game.”
Kousal, a 5-foot-11, 158-pound forward, scored 20 goals and 23 assists in 38 games with the same Dukla Jihlava U20 team, including a stretch in which he scored a point in 11 of 12 games. He added three assists in the Czechs’ five games at the U18 World Championship. Kousal has a late 1998 birthday (November) and will be eligible for the NHL Entry Draft in 2017.
“Kousal is a quick, tenacious forward with a lot of upside. He produced at a high level offensively last season and works hard for the puck.”
Forward Dominic Zwerger, who will be 20 years old on July 16, will also be in the mix for the Chiefs. The three-year WHL veteran led the team with 27 goals scored last season. Spokane will have until a date TBD to get under the CHL-mandated limit of two import players.
The Chiefs were one of seven Western Hockey League teams to make two selections in the draft. Five teams did not pick.