Northwest Notes March 29, 2025
Former Viking Orlandi receives coaches under-30 honor
Lewis-Clark State women's basketball coach Caelyn Orlandi, a Coeur d'Alene High graduate, was named to the WBCA Thirty Under 30 class of 2024-25.
The WBCA Thirty Under 30 program was created to recognize 30 up-and-coming women’s basketball coaches aged 30 and under at all levels of the game. Each honoree has exemplified their involvement in community service, mentorship and impact on others, professional manner, and attitude and professional association involvement.
Orlandi, who recently completed her second season as LC State head coach, served as the team’s assistant and associate head coach for six years after a storied playing career. The Coeur d’Alene native was named the 2023 WBCA NAIA Assistant Coach of the Year in the same year she was inducted into the LC State Athletics Hall of Fame. The 2016-17 NAIA National Runner-Up team she played a key role on will be inducted in April.
Under Orlandi, the Warrior women tallied back-to-back 26-win seasons and advanced to the NAIA Second Round in both years. She holds a record of 52-13 in two seasons at the helm.
A graduate of Lewis-Clark State College in 2017, Orlandi was a two-time NAIA All-American guard, which includes first-team status her senior season — a season during which the Warriors finished 35-2 and second in the nation. She finished the season leading the NAIA in total assists (261), assists per game (7.05) and assist to turnover ratio (3.6:1). She broke the school record for most assists during a season and in a career (634). She averaged in double figures scoring all four seasons and 13.1 points per game in her career.
Orlandi finished her career with 1,766 points, which ranks fifth on the LCSC all-time scoring list. Her 13.1 points-per-game-average is fourth on the all-time list, and her 622 total field goals are fifth. She made 199 3-pointers (sixth all-time), 323 free throws (seventh all-time), and shot 84.8 percent at the free-throw line (third all-time). As well as leaving her mark on the court, Orlandi was feted for her work in the classroom. She earned both Frontier Conference and NAIA Scholar-Athlete distinction both her junior and senior seasons. She graduated in 2017 with a degree in exercise science.
Former Zag Timme signs with Nets
The Brooklyn Nets signed forward Drew Timme, the former Gonzaga star, to a multi-year contract.
Per team policy, terms of the deal were not released.
Timme (6 foot 10, 235 pounds) has appeared in 29 regular season games (28 starts) this season with Brooklyn’s NBA G League affiliate, the Long Island Nets, averaging 23.9 points (eighth in the league) on 57.0% shooting from the field, 38.5% shooting from 3-point range and 73.1% shooting from the free-throw line, 10.3 rebounds (fourth in the league), 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals in 35.6 minutes per game.
The 24-year-old is the only player in the NBA G League this season to average at least 20 points and 10 rebounds per game, and has tallied 17 double-doubles. Timme is the reigning NBA G League Player of the Week after averaging 35.7 points, 12.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 2.0 steals in 35.7 minutes per contest while leading Long Island to a 2-1 record. Timme capped off the week by scoring a career-high 50 points on March 22 at Motor City.
The Richardson, Texas, native went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft after spending four years (2019-23) at Gonzaga, where he was named a consensus Second Team All-American as a sophomore and junior and garnered First Team All-America honors as a senior.
Timme's former Gonzaga teammate, Coeur d'Alene native Anton Watson, recently signed with the New York Knicks after being waived by the Boston Celtics.