Cougar men improve to 3-0 with 77-72 win over Colby

Submitted by Star-Herald Sports Reporters Jeremy Woznick and Kevin Klaman

COLBY, Kan. - The Western Nebraska Community College men's and women's basketball teams both registered wins Thursday in the opening day of the Colby tournament in Colby, Kan.

The WNCC men improved to 3-0 on the season under first-year Cougar coach Brian Joyce by picking up a 77-72 win over Colby Community College, while the Cougar women snapped a two-game losing skid with a 71-48 win over Pratt Community College.

For the Cougar men, it was their second victory of the season against Colby.
Daniel Smith scored 25 points to pace the Cougars in the contest. Smith also added seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals as the team rolled to an early lead.

"We took the lead in the first half and expanded it in the second half," WNCC coach Brian Joyce said. "We were up close to 20 at one point. But they closed the gap at the end."

The Trojans stormed back to within four with 5 minutes to play. But Joyce said the Cougars remained strong under pressure.

"It was a tough game down the stretch," Joyce said. "We got a couple of stops and made a couple of plays - hit some important free throws."

WNCC shot 27 for 63 from the field and dropped in 4 of 16 3-pointers in the game. The Cougars also scored 19 of 32 from the charity stripe. They led at halftime by a score of 40-30.

Kelvin Franklin finished with 19 points and two assists in the win. Drew Eisinger added 16 points, including a pair of 3-pointers. Eisinger also brought in five rebounds. Tearon Hill scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds. Colby connected on nine 3-pointers but only went to the free-throw line eight times, hitting five.

"It was a big victory for us," Joyce said. "Road wins are really important at the beginning of the season."

In the women's game, WNCC flexed its muscles on the defensive end early in the contest by holding Pratt to just 17 first-half points, en route to building a 34-17 advantage at the half.

"Defensively we were a lot better," WNCC assistant coach Jennifer Pedersen said. "We were a little scrappier and we need to build on that."

Sophomore Alison Cheney poured in 13 points to lead the Cougars in the scoring column. She was the only Cougar to score in double figures. Dana Iverson, Emma Beddome, and Jena Colwell all added nine points each while Scottsbluff High School graduate SeLina Ysac totaled eight points.

Ysac led the Cougars from behind the 3-point line as she knocked down a pair of treys. Iverson and Beddome each added one 3-pointer in the game. Ysac, Shaquilah Davis and Tawny Drexler all pulled down six rebounds to lead WNCC on the glass. Drexler also chipped in with seven points.

The Cougars finished the contest shooting 34 percent from the field and 61 percent from the charity stripe. WNCC was 50 percent from downtown.

"We still didn't play up to our potential and we have a long way to go," Pedersen said. "But it's always good to come out with a win. It's good for the kids' attitude."

Both WNCC teams will be back in action at the tournament today. The men will take on Ft. Scott at 1:30 p.m. and the women will battle Colby at 5:30 p.m.

Men's Game
WNCC (3-0) 40 37 - 77
Colby 30 42 - 72
WNCC
Daniel Smith 25, Kelvin Franklin 19, Drew Eisinger 16, Tearon Hill 13

Women's Game
WNCC (2-2) 34 37 - 71
Pratt 17 31 - 48
WNCC
Cheri Palmer 5, Dana Iverson 9, Emma Beddome 9, SeLina Ysac 8, Shaquilah Davis 4, Alison Cheney 13, Tawny Drexler 7, Jena Colwell 9, Eli Cosme-Gonzalez 6, Carly Glisan 1

Brian Joyce takes over men's basketball program

A familiar face to Region IX will guide the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball program next season.

Brian Joyce, who was the head coach at Northeastern Junior College from 2002-2006 and spent last year as an assistant at Colorado State University, will take over a Cougar program that has had three head coaches since 2000. He will also teach criminal justice classes at the college.

“I am ecstatic about the opportunity, excited about the future and I am ready to get going,” Joyce said Friday at a press conference. “Having been in the region before, I understand what it takes to compete for a national championship. That is why I am here because I think there is a commitment from the administration, the community and the other sports in the department to excel at a high level and I want to be part of something that is special. I expect to do some great things here, but I know it takes a lot of support from a lot of people to make that happen, and to balance between the athletic and academic side. I expect great things from our program on and off the court.”

Joyce comes to WNCC with an impressive track record. On the court, he served has only the third head coach in NJC history, guiding them to a 97-38 record, including a national tournament berths in 2000 and 2005. His teams were ranked six of seven years in the top 20, and received Street and Smith’s Magazine top 15 rankings in three of the last five years.

He has also proven himself as a top recruiter. At Colorado State last season, he helped sign two junior college all-Americans, a commitment from Mr. Basketball finalist in Colorado, and two players the from No. 4-ranked junior college team in the nation. He has also sent 32 players onto Division I schools and 18 of his players have been starters at the Division I level.

Off the court, his resume is just as impressive. He has had four academic all-Americans and 31 of 33 sophomores have graduated with an associate’s degree.

“I am in this profession because I think you can utilize this game to impact their lives,” Joyce said. “I know that it is a cliché that a lot of people use, but my track record speaks for itself with the loyalty I have from past players. I was fortunate to be under some older coaches along the way that helped me understand the true root of teaching and how coaching fits into that.

“I want the players to know the bar is high and the expectations are there and they are going to have to fight me if they don’t want to achieve that high goal and high expectation both on and off the court. I am committed to them succeeding both on and off the court. We are going to have some struggles and stumbles a long the way, but that is the reality of dealing with college kids. I told them I will be there for them as long as they do what they are suppose to do in the framework of the institution and the framework of our program.”

Joyce has not only excelled on the coaching front, but he was a good player as well. Joyce was a first team all-state selection for La Cueva High in Albuquerque, N.M., where he led his team to a state championship.

He followed that up with two outstanding years at Northeastern Junior College, where he played for the legendary Lowell Roumph from 1991-93. During those years, he scored 801 points and made 108 3-pointers. He was also the school record holder for assists and steals, helping the Plainsmen to 43 wins in two seasons.

After that he played at Idaho State University for one year before transferring to Oklahoma Christian University, where he was nationally ranked in assists, 3-point shooting and free throw shooting.

Joyce said he expects the same passion for the game that he had and still has as.

“My programs have been known as tough, hard-nosed teams. That is how I played,” he said. “They will play with a lot of energy and passion because that is how I coach. I told the [returning Cougar players] last night is that the one thing you can count on me for throughout the whole year and the time you are here, is you are going to have energy and juice from me anything that I am involved in. I expect high energy and passion and that they will play real hard and people will know it will be a difficult game against Western Nebraska.”

Joyce met with returning players Thursday night and will start recruiting. He said they are a little behind in the recruiting cycle, but believes they will field a competitive team.

“I still think we are in a position to field a good team and I have high expectations of that,” he said. “I want to be in a position like I was at Northeastern to have a chance to win a national championship. I think the commitment from the administration is here, the support is here and the support from the campus and community. I want to embrace what is happening in the athletic department and the success the other programs are having and be on par with that and see what special things we can do.”

What attracted Joyce to apply for the head coaching position was WNCC’s rich heritage of success. In fact when he was at NJC, he measured the success of that program with what he did against the Cougars. Now, he will be the barometer measuring success to other programs.

“I understand how important it is to have a foundation and in the last 25 years, Western Nebraska has won more Region IX championships then anybody,” he said. “Knowing that and competing against that, that was the barometer when we were at Northeastern to comparing ourselves to Western Nebraska and how we compete and excel at the level. Having an opportunity to come back to the benchmark and the barometer for the region is exciting for me and I am excited to jump aboard.”

Finalists for WNCC men's basketball coaching position announced

Western Nebraska Community College has announced the three finalists for the position of general education instructor/head men’s basketball coach. The finalists currently represent institutions in Colorado, Oklahoma and Montana.

The finalists for the position Include:
Brian Joyce, former Northeastern Junior College men's basketball coach. Joyce is currently completing his Ph.D. program at Colorado State University and has experience in the field of criminal justice. He is currently the assistant men’s basketball coach at CSU in Fort Collins, Colo.

Shawn Neary. Miles Community College men's basketball coach. Neary holds a Masters of Education degree in counseling and guidance, and has taught physical education and health classes. He is currently the head coach in Miles City, Mont.

Adam Bohac. assistant coach at Southern Nazarene University. Bohac, a Kimball native and former University of Nebraska basketball player, holds a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) degree and is qualified to teach business administration and accounting classes. He is currently the assistant men’s basketball coach at Southern Nazarene University in Bethany, Okla.

The finalists were selected from a diverse group of highly-qualified candidates, and the applications were reviewed by the 9-member search committee representing many areas of the college and community. All interviews will be held the week of May 7.

“We were very pleased with the quantity and the quality of applications we received for this position,” said Co-Chair of the Selection Committee Tim Alvarez, dean of students at WNCC.

Co-Chair Garry Alkire, developmental education director and chairperson of language and arts division, further added that “The applications show WNCC has a strong reputation in community college academics and athletics.”

The committee hopes to complete the selection process by the third week of May, enabling the college to fill the position by June 1.