NIC men still climbing up the polls
While it is still a long way from finished with the season, the North Idaho College men’s basketball team seems to have settled in quite nicely to the new surroundings of the East Region of the Northwest Athletic Conference.
Ranked No. 1 in the latest coaches poll released on Jan. 11 with a 15-1 record, 3-0 in conference after Monday’s win over Big Bend Community College, the road is going to get a little tougher down sooner than later.
NIC HAS some regional competition nipping at its heels, as Big Bend and Spokane are tied for third with 40 points each. NIC has 80 points, including all eight first-place votes.
NIC has been led throughout the season by sophomores Sam Dowd and Zaequan Satterthwaite and freshmen Niko Bevens and Jalen Burkett thus far, with each averaging in double figures in scoring. Burkett had a team-high 26 points and 10 rebounds in Saturday’s 91-89 win over Treasure Valley at Rolly Williams Court.
“Those guys have been leading us on and off the court this year,” NIC coach Corey Symons said. “Jalen’s an extremely talented player, but also too much of a team guy. He just wants to help us win, so there’s times he’ll pass instead of shoot. We need him averaging at least 15 points a game to be successful, and he hit some big shots for us and won that game for us.”
NIC is averaging 91 points per game, allowing 80 a night so far.
“We didn’t play bad on defense, but it wasn’t what we needed to do,” said Symons of the game with Treasure Valley. “Still, to come out with a win is big for us.”
NIC is scheduled to visit Walla Walla tonight.
A LITTLE later on today, the Baseball Hall of Fame will announce its 2017 class for induction in Cooperstown N.Y., later on this summer.
What remains to be seen is if longtime Seattle Mariner designated hitter Edgar Martinez will get his call for induction. Martinez was one of the key pieces for the Mariners throughout his entire run with the team from 1987 to 2004, playing his entire 18-year career with the team.
Martinez was a seven-time All-Star selection, won the American League batting title twice (1992, 1995) and, to be honest, his double in the 1995 American League Division Series against the New York Yankees likely saved baseball in the Northwest and was a springboard to getting Safeco Field built.
Is that enough to warrant his induction into the Hall of Fame? That’s hard to say.
Martinez finished his career with a .312 batting average, 2,247 hits, 309 home runs and 1,261 runs batted in, far from numbers that guarantee his induction.
But the more you see the votes on social media, there’s a chance this could be the year.
Whether today is the day or not for Martinez, he deserves to be in the Hall.
Whether voters across the nation see it the same way, remains to be seen.
Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.