Player Interview: Collin Chiverton

Collin Chiverton enters his senior season for Eastern Washington. A junior college transfer from San Francisco City College, Chiverton was named the Big Sky Newcomer of the Year in the 2011-2012 season for the Eagles, despite a nagging foot injury that lingered throughout most of the season. Collin has been a winner at every level of basketball. Teams that Chiverton has played on since his junior year of high school have won 129 out of 163 games for a winning percentage of .791.

When you're not playing basketball, what do you enjoy doing?

Playing Playstation, either NBA 2K or Red Dead Redemption... I love watching movies, I'm a huge movie buff. I love to relax and watch TV when I'm not doing stuff with basketball or school. I also love to cook, I'm a great cook. My mom used to be a chef and she taught me everything she knows.

If basketball wasn't in your professional future, what would you want to do after this season? 

I'd figure out a way to start my own business. Even if I have to start from the bottom, working for someone else... I would work my way up to the top until I could branch off and do my own thing. At the end of the day, I want to run my own company and/or become a college head coach.

If you could sit down with anyone, who would it be, and what would you ask them?

It would probably be Carmelo Anthony. I met him once before and I know about his trip to the NBA and how hard it was and all the hard work he put in. I know he's one of the best work out people in the league as far as getting up extra shots and getting in extra workouts and stuff like that to work on his individual game. I would love to ask him about what he does to prepare for games, how does he keep his body in great shape and rehab sort of stuff. I really want to find out what types of things he does in his workouts, and find out what it takes to be an elite NBA player.

What person in your life gives you the greatest inspiration?

In all reality, I have three. But I would just say, all of the women in my life which is my grandma who passed when I was eleven, my mom and my older sister. All three of these women have taught me a lot of life lessons that I wouldn't have learned from anybody else. When you have women as the central part of your life, looking back on it, it's great to see the different perspectives that they have shown me. When you talk to guys, you're usually only getting the same perspective that you have, but in my experience, women have a more complex understanding about what's going on. I take pride in my family and how much they love to help me and see me grow as a person.

What are your thoughts about practice so far?

Practices have been going great. You can tell the team is really gelling day by day. We have film sessions to get better as a team. We usually focus on a certain theme every day at practice as an area to improve on. Each theme builds on one another. Everything that is happening with practice and this program is going in the right direction. Everybody is buying into the system. I'm excited for this season!

Peak Condition

EWU Basketball players have been conducting preseason practices while being hooked up to heart monitors. This allows our strength and conditioning coach to monitor our player's heart rate, to adjust his coaching in order for our guys to be in peak physical condition during the season.

We also use it to evaluate who is working hard in practice and competing!!

Media Picks Eastern Washington Men's Basketball Third in Big Sky Conference

http://goeags.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-13/Releases/12mbNov18BSCPolls

Media Picks Eastern Third in Preseason Poll

Eagles are chosen by the coaches to finish sixth as the Big Sky Conference preseason picks are announced

The Eastern Washington University men’s basketball team, under the direction of second-year head coach Jim Hayford, has been picked to finish as high as third in the 2012-13 Big Sky Conference preseason men’s basketball polls released Thursday (Oct. 18).

The media have picked the Eagles to finish third, and the coaches selected Eastern sixth. Defending Big Sky champion Montana has been selected first in both polls.

Eastern finished the 2011-12 season 15-17 overall and was 8-8 in Big Sky Conference play to finish fourth, and the Eagles hosted and won their first Big Sky Conference Tournament game since 2006. Eastern improved by five victories from the year before, as the Eagles equaled their most wins since Eastern made its first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance in 2004.

“We want to stand by the same goal we put out there last year – we want to be a perennial postseason team,” Hayford said. “When you look at the Big Sky Conference and you talk of teams in the postseason mix, we want Eastern Washington to be in it.”

The 2013 Big Sky Championship will consist of the top seven teams from the regular-season standings. The championship will be played March 14-16 at the site of the regular-season champion. The No. 1 seed will receive a bye to the semifinals. There will be three first-round games on Thursday, March 14.

Teams will play 20 conference games this season in a true double round-robin format. While some schools begin their seasons Nov. 9, Eastern opens the next day at Washington State. The Eagles also play an exhibition game against Concordia (Ore.) on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 3:30 p.m.

After losing four seniors to graduation from his first Eastern team, Hayford’s 2012-13 squad will return two starters and four other returning letterwinners. His team also includes three players who redshirted last season – featuring a pair of NCAA Division I transfers – with six newcomers rounding out his squad.

“Whether it’s a rebuilding year, a strong year or a team with a young roster, we want to be a part of the postseason and that hasn’t changed,” said Hayford. “Last year the team and fans were excited to host and win a postseason game for the first time in a long time. That goal remains the same.”

The Grizzlies received eight first-place votes and 98 total points in the coaches’ poll, and 24 first-place votes and 344 points in the media poll. Weber State, which lost to Montana in the Big Sky Championship game, was selected second in both polls. Randy Rahe’s Wildcats earned three first-place votes from the coaches and 92 total points. Eight media members selected Weber State first, and the Wildcats earned 318 points from the media.

Northern Colorado was selected third by the coaches and fourth by the media. League newcomer North Dakota could make a splash -- the coaches selected UND fourth, while the media picked it sixth. North Dakota played in the Great West Conference last season and finished 17-15.

Portland State was picked to finish fifth in both polls, and Sacramento State was picked to finish seventh in the coaches’ poll and eighth in the media poll. Montana State was picked seventh in the media poll and eighth in the coaches’ poll. Rounding out both polls were Idaho State, Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. All three teams feature new coaches this season.

 

2012-13 Preseason Men’s Basketball Polls

Media Poll1. Montana (24) – 344
2. Weber State (8) – 318
3. Eastern Washington – 2314. Northern Colorado – 221
5. Portland State – 218
6. North Dakota -173
7. Montana State - 171
8. Sacramento State – 166
9. Idaho State -106
10.Southern Utah – 98
11. Northern Arizona - 67

Coaches’ Poll1. Montana (8) – 98
2. Weber State (3) – 92
3. Northern Colorado – 74
4. North Dakota – 67
5. Portland State – 61
6. Eastern Washington – 537. Sacramento State – 51
8. Montana State – 48
9. Idaho State – 25
10. Southern Utah – 23
11. Northern Arizona - 14

Eagles In The Community

On Thursday- members of the EWU Men's Basketball team helped collect food items for the local Cheney Food Bank!

Picture Day

Our guys came into Reese today looking GOOD for the media guide pictures!

Eagles in the weight room!

1 week before the official start to the season! Our guys were getting after it early in the morning!