Early tests will do the Cards good
While the North Idaho College men’s basketball team won’t be home for the holidays this December, it’s going to be well worth a few days in Arizona.
The same could be said for a early season road trip to Iowa for the NIC wrestling team.
To be the best, you’ve got to face the best.
AFTER HOSTING the Coeur d’Alene Inn-vitational over the Christmas holidays — at least the version featuring college men’s basketball for the past five years — NIC has moved the tournament up to Nov. 29-Dec. 1 at Rolly Williams Court.
But there’s a good reason why.
The Cardinal men were invited to the Fiesta Bowl Junior College Shootout, scheduled for Dec. 27-29 in Mesa, Ariz.
“It’s definitely a worthwhile switch,” NIC athletic director Al Williams said. “We were always committed to the Inn-vitational, and couldn’t play (in the Fiesta Bowl tournament) in previous years. But we decided to switch it this year.”
The Fiesta Bowl event features some of the top programs from the NJCAA.
“Two of the teams that played in the semifinals (South Plains and Southern Idaho) played in the NJCAA national title game,” Williams said. “It’s pretigious to just be invited to this tournament. Last year’s semifinals was a preview of the national title game (won by South Plains). The Fiesta Bowl is usually one of the best holiday tournaments in the nation. We wanted an opportunity to play against some of the top Division I (NJCAA) teams in the nation. It’s going to be good for recruiting to play in this tournament.”
As for the Inn-vitational in Coeur d’Alene, NIC will face fellow Northwest Athletic Conference teams Grays Harbor and Shoreline, as well as Medicine Hat in the three-day tournament. Northwest College of Powell (Wyo.) is also scheduled to appear.
“By moving the tournament, it made it easier for teams to get here,” Williams said. “This gives us an opportunity to get a team from Wyoming, so moving the tournament up wasn’t a hard decision at all. It worked out best for all of us as it was harder to get teams here during the holiday break.”
The NIC men’s basketball team opens the season at home against Peninsula — the team the Cardinals defeated for the program’s first NWAC title in March — on Nov. 17 at 7:30 p.m.
“It’s kind of by accident that we scheduled it that way,” Williams said. “They wanted a tough opponent to start the season, and so did we. They wanted to play us to see where they stacked up, so it will be fun to see. It’s going to be a nice night to give the kids their championship rings.”
THE COMING season for NIC wrestling team has the potential to be a big one.
Five wins from 700 in program history. Chasing a 15th national title as a team.
They’ll find out how close they are following duals against Iowa Central (Nov. 8) and Sierra (Nov. 9), followed by the Grand View Open in Des Moines, Iowa, on Nov. 10.
“That’s a way to see some of the teams and powers in Iowa,” Williams said. “(NIC wrestling coach) Pat (Whitcomb) wanted to see Iowa Central (the third-place finisher at nationals in February) and we wanted to find a tougher schedule to see where we need to improve on from that point. It’s going to be a pretty good level of kids that they’ll see that weekend.”
To get back to the NJCAA tournament, to be held in Council Bluffs, Iowa, March 1-2, NIC will host the West District Championships Feb. 10.
“The West Region has became one of the tougher regions with Clackamas and Southwestern Oregon turning into title contenders in recent years,” Williams said. “We’ve left some third-place finishers at home in recent years, and now we have a chance to get a full roster back to nationals. It’s tougher to get out of the region now, but the last time we hosted regionals, we finished in the top two at nationals.”
Something that, with a loaded schedule, could happen again if they learn from these early tests.
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 jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JECdAPress.