Northwest Notes: March 23, 2023

Lewis-Clark State coach Orr

retiring as women's hoops coach

After 22 seasons at the helm of Lewis-Clark State women's basketball, coach Brian Orr announced his retirement on Wednesday.

He wrapped up his career at LC State with an overall record of 538-176 (.754).

"I want to thank Brian for more than 20 years of outstanding service and dedication to LC State and our student-athletes," Lewis-Clark State athletic director Brooke Henze said. "For the last 22 years, Brian has led the women's basketball program with intensity, a competitive drive and has always pushed for the best opportunities for the program and its student-athletes. Brian's recruitment and retention are unmatched. He recruits great students, people and basketball players that know how to win. What Brian has accomplished and the level that he has taken LC State Women's Basketball to something that we are proud of. He is an extremely talented coach."

Orr finished the 2022-23 season ranked 10th in wins among active coaches in the NAIA and holds a record of 248-83 (.749) in conference play. LC State has finished the season ranked in the top 25 17 times under his direction and have checked in as high as No. 2 in a final poll.

Orr took over the program in 2001 and produced 21 winning seasons. His teams made 19 NAIA national tournament appearances, including eight straight from 2005-2012, and finished as national runner-up with local players Caelyn Orlandi and Brittany Tackett (Coeur d'Alene High) and Brooke Litalien and Sam Runkle (Post Falls) in 2017. Orr's Warriors captured three straight Cascade Conference titles, doing so in all three seasons in the conference, and won five Frontier Conference regular season titles and seven tournament crowns.

"Looking at all the games Coach Orr has won, it is easy to see that he is a phenomenal coach," Orlandi said. "What goes above all those wins and championships is the guy he is beyond the coach. He cares so much about his players and preparing them for a world after basketball. Coach has a way of bringing out excellence in each and every player he has coached. All it takes is one person to believe in you and when that belief comes from your coach, it is a remarkable feeling. I feel truly honored to have been by his side for the last 10 years and, although I am pretty sure golf won't be in his retirement future, I am happy that he will get to spend time with his family and take his dog on walks every day."

Before coming to Lewiston, Orr was the top women's assistant at Montana State University in Bozeman. Prior to his stop in Bozeman, Orr served as the first women's basketball coach at the University of Great Falls in 15 years. Brian also served as the top assistant coach at perennial NCAA Division II power Montana State University-Billings from 1996-98.

A national search for the next coach will begin immediately.

GU's Ejim, Truong named

region finalists for

WBCA All-America awards

Yvonne Ejim and Kaylynne Truong were named region finalists for the 2023 WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches' All-America, the organization announced Wednesday morning.

Gonzaga, Utah, and Stanford are the only schools in their region to have multiple players as a finalist. The 2023 WBCA NCAA Division I Coaches' All-America team will be announced later this month.

Truong was recently named an honorable mention AP All-American and the WCC Player of the Year. She dished out five assists a game this year to rank first in the conference and 32nd in the country. Overall, she has recorded 166 assists which is good for 29th in the nation. She has also scored in double figures in 29 games total this year. From beyond the arc, Kaylynne has made 94 three pointers this season to break the GU record of made threes in a season, which was previously 90 from Jessica Malone in 2001-02.

Ejim led the Zags in scoring with 16.8 points a game and has recorded eight double doubles this year. She scored at least 20 points in 11 games this season, including a career-high 32-point performance against Queens on Dec. 6. With her efforts so far this year, she has been named WCC Player of the Week three times, while she averages 27.8 minutes a game. She has also scored in double figures 29 times this season and was given First Team All-WCC honors.