WNCC men go to 4-0 on the season with 63-58, Cougar women defeat Colby by 21 points

A day after earning his 100th victory, Western Nebraska Community College men's basketball coach Brian Joyce garnered his 101st victory as the Cougar men registered a 63-58 win in the second day of the Ambassador Classic over Ft. Scott Community College Friday in Colby, Kan.

The Cougars, now 4-0, were paced by four players in double figures. Kelvin Franklin led the team with 12 points followed by Drew Eisinger with 11 points and Daniel Smith and Deivadas Busma each had 11 points.

The Cougar women also had a successful second day defeating Colby Community College 69-48. In fact, the women never trailed, racing to a 10-0 lead to start the game and a 29-17 halftime lead. WNCC then poured in 40 second-half points for the win.

SeLina Ysac, Dana Iverson and Jenna Colwell led the women's team with 12 points each.

WNCC will finish out the tournament in Colby on Saturday. The men will play at 5:30 p.m. against Neosha County Community College and the women will face Dodge City Community College in the afternoon.

WNCC men open season with 92-69 win over Colby

The Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team used a tenacious first-half defense to open the season with a thundering 92-69 win over Colby Community College in the first day of the Cougar Classic at Cougar Palace.

“I think our guys played very hard in the first half,” first year coach Cougar coach Brian Joyce said. “We played with a purpose from a defensive standpoint. I don’t think offensively we played smart at times. You expect that with a younger team. But, I thought our intensity in the first half was really good.”

Just like the Cougar men, Eastern Wyoming College opened the season with a win as they blew past the Nebraska All-stars in the first game of the Cougar Classic. The Nebraska All-stars were a replacement team for Air Force Junior Varsity, who backed out at the last minute.

Action continues today with Eastern Wyoming facing Colby at 5 p.m. followed by WNCC looking to pick up its second win against the Nebraska All-stars at 7 p.m.

Both opening games featured plenty of offense and defense. Western Nebraska placed four players in double figures, led by Tearon Hill with 19 points. Hill also pulled down eight rebounds and recorded three steals.

The Cougars also saw Drew Eisinger get 16 points followed by Kelvin Franklin with 14 and Daniel Smith with 13. Smith also collected six assists and four steals in the win.

“We don’t run an offense that is directed to one person; it is a balanced offense. We have an offense that multiple guys can do and with it we should have balanced scoring through the year,” Joyce said. “This offense makes it a little bit more difficult to scout and play against. Hopefully, we can continue to play like a team like that and hopefully our guys won’t care who is putting the ball in the hole.”

WNCC was impressive in the season-opening win. What really jump-started the offense was a 11-0 run over a four minute period in the first half that was the telling story. The Cougars trailed 6-5 after Colby’s Koance Davis nailed his second 3-pointer.

WNCC then went on the run, which was highlighted by Hill. Hill started things with an old-fashioned 3-point play with 16:21 left in the opening half. Hill slammed home two dunks to push the lead to 16-6 before Colby scored again with 12:06 in the half.

The Cougars kept the margin near or over the double-digit mark the rest of the half. Hill was the workhorse in the first half, scoring 17 of his 19 game-high points. Hill showcased plenty of talent on the court as he put down a reverse layup for a 28-18 WNCC lead. Moments later, he nailed his third dunk of the half and then knocked home a shot over a assist by Smith to double up Colby 46-23 late in the half.

Colby never managed to slice the lead to single digits in the second half, even though the Trojans Andrew Engel nailed three straight 3-pointers to cut the lead to 65-47. Smith re-ignited the Cougars with five points for a 70-47 lead. Moments later, Drew Eisinger dribbled down the paint for a clutch basket and then Devon West slammed home the Cougar’s fifth dunk of the game en route to the 92-59 win.

Joyce said the dunks and the fast breaks are all part of this year’s offense.

“I think we have some athletic guys and they are exciting to watch,” he said. “As long as we are playing the game the right way, that is fine that we have that many dunks. That always is exciting for the crowd.”

Another key for the Cougars was their physical presence in the middle. The Cougars out-rebounded Colby 64-37 and collected 14 steals to the Trojans 7.

Just like the Cougars, the Lancers had a balanced scoring attack putting four players in double figures. George Williams paced the Lancers with 28 points, including five 3-pointers. Also netting double digits were Scotty McRae with 18 points followed by Casey Robinson and Anunais Simanavicius with 14 points each.

EWC coach Casey Jones said this was a good season-opener warm up for tomorrow’s encounter with Colby.

“It is always nice to play a game that you can get a lot of guys in and work on a lot of things we have been trying to work on in practice,” Jones said. “The group that came out to play us tonight, played hard and I thought we were able to get some things down.”

The Lancers ran out to a 55-31 halftime lead on 46 percent shooting from the floor, including nailing 5 of 14 3-pointers. EWC kept that torrid shooting up in the second half hitting on 44 percent of their shots with six 3-pointers. The Lancers finished with 11 treys for the game, led by Williams five.

“No question about it, he can shoot the basketball,” Jones said about his freshman guard from Orderville, Utah. “The neat thing about him is his game goes by how he plays defense. He really gets into the stance and guards. And, that is going to be the story of our team this year, where the defense end will get us going. Offensively, I think we can score, but we have to hold teams down.”

Jones said the Lancers showed plenty of hope for the season. One area that stood out was EWC’s 3-point shooting, where they canned 11 long-range shots. The Lancers were also 14 of 18 from the charity stripe and forced 28 Nebraska All-star turnovers.

Leading the Nebraska All-stars in scoring was Tory Schwartz with 15 points and nine rebounds followed by Rich Williams with 10 points.

Nebraska All-stars (0-1) 31 22 – 53

Eastern Wyoming (1-0) 55 58 – 113

NEBRASKA ALL-STARS

Ryan Guzman 7, Chris Guzman 3, Rich Williams 10, Jon Darnell 2, Cle Phillips 2, Tory Schwartz 15, Rico Gonzalez 2, Loren Gutwein 2, Issac Gonzalez 8, Fernando (Bonfim) Wilson 2.

EASTERN WYOMING

Chris Daniels 8, Paulius Cibulskis 6, Dane Hills 2, Edsel Vila 5, Matt Pritchett 6, Leo Morris 2, Arunas Simanavicius 14, Scotty McRae 18, Jordon Johnson 5, Geroge Willams 28, Caleb Moore 7, Casey Robinson 14.

Colby CC (0-1) 23 36 – 69

Western Nebraska (1-0) 49 43 – 92

COLBY COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Andrew Engel 17, Mikey Doll 5, Tashaun Kelly 1, Mike Boyd 14, Erick Peguero 4, TJ Schmidt 3, Everson Lacerda 2, Milos Bucalo 1, Koance Davis 12.

WESTERN NEBRASKA CC

Jamie Eisinger 8, Daniel Smith 13, Kelvin Franklin 14, Lloyd Hickinson 5, Drew Eisinger 16, Deividas Busma 4, Chris Hamblin 4, Doradji Wilson 4, Devin Weset 5, Tearon Hill 19.

WNCC men's basketball opens season at home Friday

Cougar Classic
@ Cougar Palace
Friday’s Schedule
5 p.m. – EWC vs. Air Force JV
7 p.m. – WNCC vs. Colby
Saturday’s Schedule
5 p.m. – EWC vs. Colby
7 p.m. – WNCC vs. Air Force JV
Radio: KOZY, 101.3 FM
Internet: kozy1013.com

Western Nebraska Community College’s Brian Joyce is looking forward to Friday’s season opener at Cougar Palace.

“I think we are ready to go,” Joyce said. “We need to play against some other teams. We could use another week of practice, but we need to see where we are at against other teams. I think we are as ready as we could be at this point.”

The Cougar Classic kicks off at 5 p.m. with Eastern Wyoming College facing Air Force Junior Varsity followed by WNCC meeting Colby Community College at 7 p.m. Saturday’s schedule pits EWC against Colby at 5 p.m. and the Cougars against Air Force Junior Varsity at 7 p.m.

Joyce is also excited to start his coaching career at WNCC.

“It was exciting to come here. The future is bright,” the first-year coach said. “We are going to be good eventually. At what point that happens, you knows when you have a young team. I think our guys will continue to work hard, get after it and good things will happen.”

WNCC will face a stiff test in their season-opener against a Colby Community College team that features Koance Davis, a 6-8, 265-lb freshman from Saginaw, Mich., and 6-11 Everson Lacerda of Betim, Brazil.

“They have some big kids and they have some good guards,” Joyce said. “Coach [John] Woods has been in this league and he understands what our league is all about. I used to be at Colby and I know they play against some good teams, so we expect a tough game.”

The Cougars, though, will not be a slouch either. This year’s team features plenty of high-energy play, and Jones expects that style to be on display tonight.

“I hope we have an offense that has our players unselfish with the guys sharing the ball,” he said. “I think it [the offense] will be exciting to watch because everybody gets to do what they are capable of doing. That part is fun. But, when you run an offense that is pre-determined, sometimes you will end up in a position that is bad. I think we have good pieces and eventually it will look pretty good and I think the fans will enjoy watching it.”

While the team has talent on the offensive side, Joyce also sees his team to be strong defensively as well.

“I think we will have good intensity and we will be excited to play,” he said. “But you never know. Sometimes you are over zealous and too excited, sometimes that leads to a little bit more gambling-type defense, which leads to easy baskets. We will have to respond.”

The Cougars, though, will field a young squad with just three players returning from a year ago. They include 6-foot-11 Deividas Busma of Klaipeda, Lithuania; 6-6 Doradji Wilson of Najamena, Chad; and 6-3 DaRon Kirkendoll of Dayton, Ohio.

Joyce said that the freshmen class has plenty of talent and has made picking playing combinations difficult.

“It’s been difficult trying to find who is the best guys that work together and play together, but the guys have been great. They care about each other and play together. They want each other to be successful and with it, whoever we put out there we will have a combination that plays well together and with that, I think they will have depth as well.”

The freshman class included 6-1 Bernie Agnew of Columbus, Ohio; 5-10 Greg Hinkle of Scottsbluff; 5-11 Jamie Eisinger and Drew Eisinger of Mill Creek, Wash.; 6-3 Terrell Eaddy of Bronx, N.Y.; 6-0 Daniel Smith of Baltimore, Md.; 6-3 Oscar Cartwright and 6-5 Ivan Johnson of Dallas, Texas; 6-1 Kelvin Franklin of Aurora, Colo.; 6-6 Lloyd Hickinson of Chandler, Ariz.; 6-2 Scott Bamforth of Albuquerque, N.M.; 6-5 Chris Hamblin of St. Paul, Minn.; 6-7 Devin West of Phoenix, Ariz.; 6-8 Terrell Price of Cedar Hill, Texas; and 6-9 Tearon Hill of Carrolltown, Texas.

After this weekend, the Cougars will hit the road for two straight weeks -- Nov. 8-10 at Colby, Kan., and then Nov. 16-17 at Air Force Prep -- before returning home for the Thanksgiving Classic Nov. 23-25.

WNCC men's basketball opens practice

After just one day of practice for the Western Nebraska Community College men’s basketball team, first-year coach Brian Joyce loves that enthusiasm and work ethic that he sees with his 17 players.

“No question it [the play of the guys] will be intense. That is what our teams have been known for in the past, and I don’t think that will be no different here,” Joyce said. “There will be natural adjustments that guys will have and everybody has to adjust to the new situation. In terms of the intensity, the effort and the energy, I am very confident that will be seen.”

The Cougar men and women officially started practice Monday in preparation of the coming season. And, for the first day, Joyce was pleasantly pleased with the performance his team put forth.

“I thought practice was great for the first day,” he said. “Obviously, there was a lot of teaching going on because there are not a lot of guys returning or what I am wanting of guys. So, the first day there is a lot of starting and stopping. I don’t like that, but that is the reality of the situation.”

The Cougar men are building for their season- and home-opener on Nov. 2 and 3 when they host the Cougar Tournament. “They are excited for the season,” Joyce said. “I think they are tired, even now, of playing against each other and that is a challenge. When you always go against each other, you start to get frustrated with each other.”

What this year’s team will bring to the court is a passion for the game. Practices have been intense with an up-beat atmosphere. In fact, that is Joyce’s style of game and that style brought Joyce success when he was the assistant and head coach at Northeastern Junior College for seven years helping them to 171 wins, including two regional titles.

Joyce said the components are there to bring WNCC back to the top.

"I know this region from playing in it and I think our pieces are at a level that we need to be at right now to be competitive in the region,” he said. “How we put it together will be the difference in how good we will be.”

Joyce is also instilling plenty of positive goals among his team, such as building off the success of this year’s volleyball team.

“Obviously with volleyball and the fall sports like soccer and fall baseball and softball, I think people get rived up to what is going on here,” he said. “When your program in the fall is No. 1 in the country, how can you not get excited. I know it excites me and I have been talking to our team about that and how proudly we are of what they have accomplished and hopefully we can piggy-back off that in terms of the excitement enthusiasm and make it a team effort for everyone.”

WNCC returns just three players from last year’s team in Doradji Wilson, DaRon Kirkendoll and David Busman, while the rest of the players are all newcomers to the program.

The freshmen include 6-foot-1 Kelvin Franklin of Aurora, Colo.; 6-3 Oscar Cartwright and 6-5 Ivan Johnson of Dallas, Texas; 6-5 Lloyd Hickinson of Chandler, Ariz.; 5-11 Jamie Eisinger and 6-4 Drew Eisinger of Mill Creek, Wash.; 6-1 Bernie Agnew of Columbus, Ohio; 6-3 Terrell Eaddy of Bronx, NY; 6-9 Tearon Hill of Carrollton, Texas; 6-8 Terrell Price of Cedar Hill, Texas; 6-5 Chris Hamblin of St. Paul, Minn.; 6-0 Daniel Smith of Baltimore, Md.; 6-2 Scott Barnforth of Albuquerque, NM; 6-2 Devin West of Phoenix, Ariz.; and 5-10 Greg Hinkle of Scottsbluff.

Joyce said so far the community has embraced him and his players. He fields questions about how good the team will be and he tells them other teams will know who Western Nebraska is.

“A significantly number of people has asked me about the men’s team and that is exciting,” he said. “Obviously, everyone is excited but there are a lot of things that need to work out and that is a long way off to where we are right now. I don’t mind the lofty goals, but the reality is this is a new group, with very few returning, and it takes time to build each piece of the puzzle. I think we will move in the right direction.

“All we can worry about is us and not worry about those rankings, they take care of themselves as time goes on. Once we get going, people will know we are here and now Western Nebraska will be a tough game for them.”

Joyce, who was hired in May as the men’s basketball coach, after spending one year as an assistant at Colorado State University, believes the future is bright for Cougar basketball.

“I am excited to be here and hopefully we will put something out there that will be quality enough that people will want to take ownership in it,” he said. “It may take a little time, but we are putting things in place to try to get us there.”