Freddy J Getting Some Media Love!

Excerpt taken from the article: http://easterneronline.com/2012/11/30/athletes-recruited-from-all-over-the-globe/

"Although he may not have sun or a beach in his hometown of Korschenbroich, Germany, freshman basketball player Fredrik Jorg can relate to the feelings of homesickness.

“It’s tough being far away from home,” Jorg said. With a nine hour time difference, Jorg also said that contacting his family can be difficult. “Skype is an option. It’s hard to find time for me and my family, but we find a way to work it out.”

Originally, one of the reasons Jorg said he came to play at Eastern was because of the level of interest expressed in him by the coaches. Jorg also said that head coach Jim Hayford visited him and his family at their home in Germany. “Coach Hayford met with me and my parents, and we decided he was a good guy,” Jorg said. “It was important to my parents that they sent me with someone they could trust.”

For Hayford, there are two elements to recruiting players. “The first key is you recruit where you have relationship,” he said. “The second principle is we’re not going to out-recruit Pac-12 schools.”

By going to both Germany and Australia to recruit players, Hayford was able to experience less competition. Nevertheless, Hayford emphasized that it is also his goal to recruit players in the nearby areas. “We’re very committed to getting local players,” he said. According to the team roster, six of the 16 players were recruited from either Germany or Australia."

http://easterneronline.com/2012/11/28/basketballers-use-height-to-their-advantage/

BASKETBALLERS USE HEIGHT TO THEIR ADVANTAGE

WRITTEN BY KELLYMANALO ON NOVEMBER 28, 2012. POSTED IN SPORTS

Photo illustration by Easterner Graphics

The height gap between the shortest and tallest player of the men’s and women’s basketball team is two feet.

Freshman forward Frederik Jörg is the tallest man in EWU’s basketball history, standing at 7 feet 1 inch.

Sophomore guard Kylie Huerta has a 5-foot-1-inch frame.

As a forward, Jörg feels his height is advantageous for defense and easy rebounds since he is close to the basket.

According to Jörg, he cannot always compete with teams that are smaller and quicker because he is not quick and flexible. Jörg claimed that sometimes he does not play because of his height.

Last year, in Huerta’s rookie season, she had 43 points, 30 assists and 13 steals, according to her biography.

Huerta mentioned being strategic because of her height.

Huerta, as a shorter player, said she uses her height to be sneaky. “When tall people bring it down, that’s when small people sneak it in,” said Huerta.

“There’s definitely advantages and disadvantages [to being 5 feet 1 inch], but from my point of view I have a bigger advantage because that’s how I’ve always been playing,” said Huerta.

“There are definitely disadvantages for being tall too. In basketball, sometimes people switch on people. I’m so much quicker than taller people so it’s easier to get by them,” said Huerta.

Huerta claims that she is at a disadvantage when a taller person is guarding her because it is harder to push someone bigger than her out.

Talking about his height, Jörg said, “What I like is that there’s probably more advantages than disadvantages.”

Huerta compensates for her size by being strong, claiming, “I’m able to push them out when they drive [down the court]”.

Huerta said she does not let players go past her because she is quick and keeps her opponents in front of her.

“I’m the player I am today because I’m smaller. I find ways to get my shots off,” said Huerta.

“For me, I want to use my size better and get more athletic, faster, quicker,” said Jörg.

When Jörg plays he claims he has a disadvantage in the foul court because of his height. “Always say I’m tall I gotta make it. When a foul is called they don’t send me too often to the free-throw line,” said Jörg.

Jörg says he wants to get used to the American way of playing basketball and get more experience in the game.

According to Jörg , Europe does not have college sports, just club teams. That’s why Jörg came to the states, for an opportunity to get a college education while playing basketball.

Jörg said he could not imagine his life without basketball.

Happy Thanksgiving

Our team spent the day in Palo Alto and enjoyed a crazy good meal together. Wishing you and yours a very happy thanksgiving. We all have a lot to be thankful for!!

Snack Time

Hanging Out in the Claremont

Before checking into our rooms, some heated games of checkers took place.

Martin Seiferth named Big Sky Player of the Week

The Big Sky has announced that Martin Seiferth is the first Big Sky Player of the Week for the 2012-13 season. Martin was given the honor after a dominating performance at Cal-State Northridge in which he recorded 27 points, 17 rebounds and 7 blocked shots. After sitting out last season because of NCAA red shirt transfer rules, it is so great to see all of Martin's hard work being rewarded! Congratulations Martin!

New Video Board Installation

The process of mounting our new video board has begun! The board will be up and running for our first home game against Cal-State Fullerton!

Don't Sleep On The Eagles!!

See you in Pullman :)

Eastern Washington vs. Washington State this Saturday, November 10th!

Eagles Open Season at Washington State

After 26-point exhibition win over Concordia, games start to count for second-year head coach Jim Hayford

Upcoming Games

Saturday, Nov. 10 - Friel Court (11,671) - Pullman, Wash.
4:30 p.m. - Eastern Washington at Washington State

Monday, Nov. 12 - The Matadome (1,600) - Northridge, Calif.
7:05 p.m. - Eastern Washington at Cal State Northridge

Coaches Show

Tuesdays (Starting Nov. 27) at 6 p.m. at The Swinging Doors in North Spokane . . . 700-AM ESPN, www.700espn.com & via iphone app. (search for “Spokane Radio” and download app). Shows are each Tuesday from Nov. 27-Dec. 18 and from Jan. 15 to March 12, and feature head coach Jim Hayford and host Larry Weir. The Swinging Doors is located at W. 1018 Francis in Spokane.      

Coverage

TV: The WSU game is televised on the Pac-12 Networks.
Radio: All Eastern games are on 700-AM ESPN in Spokane. Larry Weir returns for his 20th season calling the play-by-play, starting 20 minutes prior to tipoff. Dennis Patchin will fill-in for Weir at Washington State because of EWU's football game that day.
Internet Radio: www.700espn.com or www.tunein.com
Radio iPhone App: Search for “Spokane Radio” and download app. An app is also available for tunein radio.
Live Stats (home games): ewulive.statb.us (web) or ewustats.com (mobile phones)

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Although he received a better preseason look at his squad than most years, second-year Eastern Washington University men’s basketball coach Jim Hayford never knows what the season opener will be like. Especially when facing a Pac-12 Conference opponent in the first of six-straight road games to open the year.

The Eagles officially open their 2012-13 season this Saturday (Nov. 10) when EWU plays at Washington State at 4:30 p.m. Pacific time at Friel Court. The game is being televised by the Pac-12 Networks.

The radio broadcast of this week’s game will be joined in progress after the conclusion of Eastern’s football game versus UC Davis that starts at 1:35 p.m. Veteran announcer Dennis Patchin will be in Pullman and fill-in for Larry Weir, who will be broadcasting the football game but will return as EWU’s full-time play-by-play announcer for basketball. The radio broadcasts may be heard on 700-AM ESPN, via the web at www.700espn.com and via iPhone application (search for “700 ESPN” and download the free app). The broadcast is also available via www.tunein.com and tunein’s mobile phone app.

“We’re trying to build a winning program, so you put the uniforms on, the lights are on, the refs are out and the fans are there, so winning is always a good thing,” said Hayford of his team’s 96-70 exhibition victory over Concordia (Ore.) last Sunday (Nov. 4). “You hope that becomes contagious. But at the end of the day, those exhibition games are just like a practice. But now everything counts and it gets a lot more intense. We are eager to take the challenge on down in Pullman.”

A year ago, Eastern finished 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.

Four seniors were lost to graduation from Hayford’s first Eastern team, and his 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. One guard and three players 6-7 or taller were lost from last year’s team.

The Cougars were 19-18 a year ago and 7-11 in the Pac-12 Conference. Washington State played in the College Basketball Invitational Tournament, and lost to Pittsburgh 89-69 in the championship game. The Cougars lead the all-time series 54-11, including a 75-49 win over EWU in Pullman a year ago. The 26-point setback was easily the worst defeat EWU had in Hayford’s debut season.

“When you look at that all-time series, it is definitely heavy in Washington State’s favor,” said Hayford. “Our players feel like we really let our fans down and ourselves down last year – we felt like that was maybe our worst game of the year. We’re going to come focused. We might be the underdog, but we embrace the role and we are looking at going down to Washington State and get the win.”

Following Saturday’s game, Eastern continues on the road to face Cal State Northridge on Nov. 12. The Matadors finished 7-21 overall last season and 3-13 in the Big West Conference. The Matadors, who were a member of the Big Sky Conference from the 1996-97 to 2000-01 school years, are coached by Bobby Braswell. He is currently in his 17th season at Cal State Northridge, having started there in CSN’s initial year as a Big Sky member.

Eastern doesn’t play at home until Cal State Fullerton visits on Nov. 30.

“We’re going to try to come back from that road swing with a team that is cohesive and together,” said Hayford. “Obviously, it is going to be hard to take a young team who hasn’t played much together and ask them to win on the road with six straight games. I feel the adversity can pay off in the long run. We embrace the challenge, but obviously it is a big challenge.” 

6th Man Club Season Preview Night

On November 5^th, the Eastern Washington Men’s Basketball 6^th Man Club had their annual Season Preview Night at Masselows, located at Northern Quest. It was a great evening, filled with unbelievable food, wine, and company. Over 90 people came to the event, a substantial increase from last season.

Coach Hayford started out the night by introducing our team via the following video: http://youtu.be/xptnMQ4PGfY?hd=1 Coach then spoke candidly about each individual, and his vision for their role on the team this season.

Attendees heard from Eastern Washington University President Dr. Arevalo about the growth and progress made at EWU in the past few years and how he feels basketball is contributing to the long-term vision for sustained growth.

Echoing these sentiments, Athletic Director Bill Chaves talked about the facility upgrades to Reese Court, including new chair-back seating behind the benches, and a new videoboard that will be installed before the first home game on November 30^th.

EWU 6^th Man Club President Irv Zakheim spoke specifically about progress being made within the 6^th man club, and shared a few goals the club has set for this season to help EWU Men’s Basketball compete fiscally with the other teams in our conference.

Coach Hayford concluded with some insight into team strategy, most specifically against Washington State, and his vision for short-term and long-term success within the program.

It was a fantastic night, and so great to see all of the support we receive from so many different people. We would certainly not be able to do what we do without the support of our 6^th Man Club!

If you have an interest in supporting the Eagles, hearing about the benefits that our club members receive and becoming a member of our 6^th Man Club… click here: http://goeags.com/sports/m-baskbl/2012-6thmanbasketball.pdf