Northwest Notes July 22, 2020

Lake City basketball standout

Rewers decommits from Duke

COEUR d’ALENE — Brooklyn Rewers, a 6-foot-4 post and rising senior at Lake City High, announced Tuesday via Twitter she was decommitting from Duke University.

Rewers verbally committed to the Blue Devils in May. Duke coach Joanne P. McCallie resigned in early July, and Kara Lawson, the former Tennessee and WNBA standout, was recently named coach.

“I would like to thank @CoachPDuke and the rest of the coaching staff that recruited me and gave me an amazing opportunity,” Rewers tweeted. “Due to recent changes in coaching staff I decided it was best for me to reopen my recruitment.”

Rewers was the co-Player of the Year in the 5A Inland Empire League, and a second-team 5A All-Idaho selection.

Washington moves high school football, other fall sports to spring

North Idaho high school athletic directors have already been scrambling to fill their football schedules, due to lost scheduled games vs. Washington schools due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Now they’ll have to adjust many of their other teams’ schedules as well.

The Washington Interscholastic Activities Association voted Tuesday to modify its 2020-21 sports season calendar by shortening seasons. The action includes moving fall sports like football, volleyball, girls soccer and 1B/2B boys soccer, which are considered moderate- to high-risk sports for contracting the COVID-19 virus, to the spring.

That season will now tentatively run from early March to late April/early May.

Some sports, including cross country, will remain in the fall. But if benchmarks for COVID-19 are not met by July 28, those sports will also be moved to early March as well.

North Idaho schools typically have events scheduled vs. Washington schools in volleyball, girls soccer and cross country in the fall.

Basketball and wrestling are tentatively scheduled to start in late December or early January, and end in early March. North Idaho schools typically play Washington schools in those sports in December.

The traditional spring sports in Washington, which include baseball, fastpitch softball, track and field, golf and tennis, would start a little later, in late April, and end in late June.

Idaho opted to try to play its seasons as traditionally scheduled in 2020-21.

Idaho basketball assistant Novsek promoted to

associate head coach

MOSCOW — Idaho basketball assistant Doug Novsek has been promoted to associate head coach, Vandals basketball coach Zac Claus announced Tuesday.

“I am so grateful to him for coming here a year ago to be a part of our staff,” Claus said. “I have had the good fortune of working alongside Doug for 10 years and I cherish my time with him.”

Novsek joined the Vandals during the summer of 2019 as an assistant coach, bringing 30 years of coaching experience to the Palouse.

Idaho, which was 5-27 in 2018-19, was 8-24 this past season following heavy turnover on the roster, including the coaching staff. Idaho had the third best 3-point shooting percentage during the league schedule.

Novsek also worked closely with Trevon Allen, who had a record-breaking senior season in which he finished the year second in the Big Sky and 15th in the country in scoring average (21.6 ppg), earning a spot on the All-Big Sky second team. Allen finished the season seventh in the conference in three-pointers per game (2.1).

Prior to Idaho, Novsek spent one season as a quality control consultant with Southern Illinois, his alma mater. The Salukis went 17-15 in 2018-19, including 10-8 in the Missouri Valley Conference.

Novsek also coached for three seasons at the University of Evansville. The Purple Aces went 58-41 during the three-year stretch, including a 25-9 mark and a trip to the MVC Championship Game in 2015-16.

Novsek spent three seasons as an assistant at Nevada before being elevated to associate head coach for his final six years. While in Reno, he helped Nevada to three Western Athletic Conference regular season championships and five postseason appearances.

WSU’s Woods named to

Bronko Nagurski Watch List

DALLAS — Washington State linebacker Jahad Woods was named to the 2020 Bronko Nagurski Trophy Watch List, the Charlotte Touchdown Club announced Tuesday.

Woods is one of eight Pac-12 Conference linebackers name to the watch list for the awards given to the National Defensive Player of the Year.

Woods, a two-time All-Pac-12 Conference honorable mention pick, enters 2020 with 287 career tackles and 25.5 tackles-for-loss in 39 career games.

Last week, Woods was named to The Bednarik Award Watch List, given to the College Defensive Player of the Year and Monday, Woods was named to The Butkus Award Watch List, given to the nation’s best linebacker.

WSU’s Lucas named to

Outland Trophy Watch List

DALLAS — Washington State right tackle Abraham Lucas was named to the 2020 Outland Trophy Watch List, the Football Writers Association of America announced Tuesday.

Lucas is one of 85 interior linemen (offense and defense) named to the watch list for the award given to the nation’s top interior lineman. The redshirt junior received the same recognition prior to the 2019 season.

Lucas, a two-time All-Pac-12 Conference second-team selection, started all 13 games at right tackle last season and was rated the best pass-blocking offensive tackle in the country by ProFootballFocus College. Lucas, who earned Freshman All-America honors by the USA Today in 2018, was rated the fourth-best overall offensive tackle in the country by PFF College last season.