EOU Men’s Basketball Season Comes to a Close

For the first time since 2011, the No. 17 EOU men’s basketball team earned a win in the NAIA Division II National Championship. The Mountaineers finished 24-9 and 15-5 in the Cascade Collegiate Conference (CCC) for a second place finish in the regular season.

It was only one year ago when EOU finished a combined 15-16 while earning sixth place in the CCC. Looking for a change, the Blue and Gold brought in former men’s basketball coach Isaac Williams, who led the program to a No. 1 ranking in 2013 the last time EOU made the tournament. Despite his success this season and in the past, Williams believes it’s his student-athletes that are key.

“I truly believe that you win with good people,” Williams said. “If I have done anything right, I have always tried to fill our roster with kids that would put the team before themselves. Whatever success our team had this season can be directly attributed to the efforts and abilities of the student-athletes. One of our mottos is that this is a ‘Player’s Program,’ and I am proud and humbled to have been a part of what they accomplished.”

Aside from going 24-9 and 15-5, the Mountaineers won 14-straight home games, going 14-2, 6-6 on the road, and 4-1 on neural court games. The players faced teams from seven different states and Canada.
“Over the years we have had amazing support from our community, and while it took our fans a little time to fall in love with this year’s team, by the end of the year Quinn Coliseum was one of the best atmospheres in the CCC.”

Between November 25 and January 8, EOU won 10 games in a row, including double-digit wins over Corban, No. 14 College of Idaho, and No. 9 Northwest Christian, all NAIA tournament teams. Over the 10-game span, EOU won by an average of 13 points.

The team posted two CCC All-Conference players in senior guard Bryan McGriff and senior guard Kentrell Washington. The dynamic pair combined for nearly 40 percent of EOU’s offense and over 40 percent of the squad’s total rebounds.

By the end of the season, EOU finished third in the NAIA with total three-pointers made (367), fourth in three’s made per game (11.12), and eighth in points per game (90.2).

“I have always tried to utilize the three-point shot and figured that we could generate open looks if the guys bought into playing unselfishly,” Williams said. “To the credit of the players, they were completely unselfish and guys stepped up and made shots.”

EOU earned the second seed in the 2016-17 CCC Tournament presented by U.S. Bank, taking down seventh-seeded Warner Pacific (84-58) before falling to No. 8 Corban (100-90).

The Blue and Gold earned an at-large bid in the NAIA National Championship and drew fifth-seeded and then-ranked No. 17 IU Southeast, the River States Conference regular-season champion. Despite being down 19 points in the first half, EOU found a way to persevere, winning the thrilling contest 92-90 with a last second shot from Washington. Against the Grenadiers, McGriff recorded 33 points, Washington bagged 20 points and McCullough netted 12.

After moving on to the round of 16, EOU once again played a team from the state of Indiana, this time first-seeded and then-ranked No. 3 Bethel. The Pilots took off from almost the start of the contest, shooting a combined 56.3 percent en route to a 104-71 victory over EOU.

At the end of the 2016-17 season, both McGriff and Washington garnered All-American status. McGriff earned a second-team placing, while Washington carded honorable mention. In their respective careers, the pair racked up over 1,000 career points apiece (McGriff with 1,377 and Washington with 1,091). McGriff and Washington also dominated on the boards, scooping up a combined 1,233 total rebounds.

During his tenure at EOU, Williams has now coached five NAIA All-Americans.

“There is no higher individual award than being referred to as an All-American,” he said. “It’s something they can hold onto for the rest of their lives, and I’m just humbled to have been a part of it.”

For the third time in three seasons, Michael Hillman earned the Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, which is awarded to student-athletes with at least a 3.5 grade-point average on a 4.0 scale and of junior academic standing.

“Michael Hillman’s story is one of my favorites during my coaching career,” Williams said. “He’s obviously an excellent student with an incredible work ethic. However, he is so much more than that. He is an extraordinary person who has always, and will no doubt continue to, get the most out of life.”

The Mountaineers graduated four seniors in McGriff, Washington, Hillman and Meeker. In two seasons for the Blue and Gold, Meeker played in 48 games and etched 389 points, shooting 45.3 percent, with 152 rebounds and 115 assists. Despite only being a freshman, McCullough was a major weapon for the EOU offense, recording 409 points and a 44.8 three-point field goal percentage.
On the coaches’ side of things, Williams said the staff is looking toward next season.

“We have been busy recruiting for the class of 2017, so we are focused on finishing recruiting and making sure our current players finish strong in the classroom.”