Northwest Notes Dec. 21, 2021

Idaho basketball game at UC Riverside canceled

With UC Riverside deciding to pause activities in its men’s basketball program due to COVID-19 concerns, Idaho’s scheduled basketball game at UC Riverside on Wednesday in Riverside, Calif., has been canceled.

The Vandals will return to play when they travel to face Northern Arizona on Thursday, Dec. 30 at 5 p.m. PST. The Big Sky Conference matchup will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

Interim coach Parson named NIC women's soccer coach

Kellsi Parson, North Idaho College's interim women's soccer coach for the past two seasons, has been named the Cardinals' head coach, new NIC athletic director Shawn Noël announced.

“Kellsi has proven over the past few years that she has the ability to recruit quality student athletes to NIC, and it has translated to success on the pitch,” Noël said in an NIC news release. “She was the clear choice out of a group of highly qualified candidates.”

This year Parson was named coach of the year for the Northwest Athletic Conference Eastern Region. Her team finished second in the East Region (8-4) and had an overall record of 12-6 as the Cardinals made it to the second round of the NWAC playoffs.

Parson, a Lewiston native, played soccer at Lewiston High where she was a starter for all four years. She was also named to the all-league team each year of high school, and as a junior, she was named most valuable player of the Inland Empire League. Parson was a part of the first team in Lewiston High School soccer history to make a state tournament appearance.

Following her high school career, she played as a midfielder for NIC from 2012 to 2013. Her team in 2012 finished 9-4-2. After her two years at NIC, Parson returned to Lewiston where she coached the high school soccer team and completed her bachelor’s degree at Lewis-Clark State College.

Few to join USA Basketball staff as assistant coach

USA Basketball made it official on Monday, naming Gonzaga coach Mark Few as an assistant coach for the men's national team.

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr will be the head coach for the 2022-24 cycle. Few, Miami Heat head mentor Erik Spoelstra and Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams will be assistant coaches.

"I feel this is as high of an honor as you can get when you're coaching," Few said in a Gonzaga news release. "To represent your country and to be able to do it with the greatest players and coaches in the world is truly special. I've worked with USA Basketball all these years; they are incredible group of people, and I'm so grateful for this opportunity. Being a part of USA Basketball is something I've really enjoyed doing. It's been a great professional development piece for me, and I am very excited for this."

As head coach, Kerr will lead the USA National Team in 2022-24, which will include all USA Men's National Team training camps, and, if the USA qualifies, the 2023 FIBA World Cup that is scheduled to be held in the Philippines, Japan, and Indonesia from Aug. 25-Sept. 10, 2023, and the 2024 Summer Olympic Games that are scheduled for July 26-Aug. 11 in Paris, France.

Few was an assistant coach to the Team USA Select Team at the USA Basketball Men's National Team Training Camp in Las Vegas this past summer. Spoelstra was the Select Team Head Coach.

Few served as an assistant coach with the 2019 Select Team and was one of nine assistants at the national team's 2018 minicamp in Las Vegas. He was the head coach for the United States team that took third place at the 2015 Pan American Games, and he was an assistant coach when the U.S. won a gold medal at the 2012 FIBA Americas U18 Tournament.

Zags' Nembhard named WCC Player of the Week

SAN MATEO, Calif. – Gonzaga’s Andrew Nembhard was named the West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, the league office announced Monday.

Nembhard played all 40 minutes and led then-No. 5 Gonzaga to a 69-55 win over No. 25/24 Texas Tech at the Jerry Colangelo Classic in Phoenix, Ariz. Nembhard totaled 16 points, four rebounds, six assists, three steals and one block. For Nembhard, his 40 minutes and four made 3-pointers were season highs.