Pariseau, Nelson, and Henkle transfer from E. Washington

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mslacat
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Pariseau, Nelson, and Henkle transfer from E. Washington

Post by mslacat » Wed Mar 23, 2005 8:01 pm

This was published in the Spokesman review. I had heard over a month ago Henkle would be transfering (possibly to Carroll), but Pariseau,and Nelson were starters. That has got to hurt.

Eastern starters decide to transfer, but newcomers give hope for next year

EWU basketball

Dave Trimmer
Staff writer
March 22, 2005

The bridge between Eastern Washington's first-ever appearance in the NCAA Tournament last season and a return to the upper echelon of the Big Sky Conference men's basketball standings next season continues to crumble even though the disappointing 8-20 season ended more than two weeks ago.

Though only one senior starter – record-breaking Marc Axton – graduates, three other players, including two starters, decided to leave the program.

Sophomore post Matt Nelson, the second-leading scorer and top rebounder; junior point guard Danny Pariseau; and sophomore off-guard Eric Henkel are transferring, by choice.

"We wish all three of those young men well in their future endeavors," coach Mike Burns said. "We're sorry to see them go but this creates an opportunity for other players in the program to step up. It also allows us to potentially add some new components for next year."

The three departing underclassmen combined for 45 starts.

Nelson, a one-time BSC Freshman of the Year, started 17 games and missed six with an injury, averaging 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds. Pariseau, who started 24 games, averaged 6.4 points and had 119 assists. Henkel had four starts, averaging 2.1 points.

Burns is excited about the four players on campus who should be in uniform next year. They include 6-5 redshirt Matt Penoncello, and, should they finish up the year in academic good graces, 6-3 guard Rodney Stuckey from Kent, 6-foot guard Nick Livi from Sammamish and 6-4 Kellen Williams from Seattle. November signee, 6-8 Brandon Moore, led Bethel to the State 4A championship.

"We add a great deal of ability and talent and I think we add some toughness and character to a group that is very, very close to being good," Burns said. "I'm extremely optimistic where we're heading.

"Philosophically, it's still going to be for us about doing things with toughness and intensity at the defensive end of the floor. Because of our depth we will have the ability to defend in more of a full-court fashion than we were able to this year. I think we will be a better offensive team on the perimeter."

Burns knew his first year as a head coach would be difficult as he had to replace four key players from that historic 17-13 team that won the school's first BSC regular season title and league tournament championship.

Though staying at that lofty perch was a daunting task, Burns didn't expect the Eagles to crash and burn, losing eight of their last nine, the last coming in the first round of the league tournament after four straight appearances in the championship game.

"It's disappointing how we ended our season," Burns said. "We did not end it in a fashion we thought we would end it when we started. That being said, I think the players and the staff learned a great deal about things we need to do to have success in the future. Sometimes your greatest blessing is a curse and visa versa. That might be the case with this."

That remains to be seen.

How much did the players learn from the first 20-loss season in nine years?

"We lost a lot of close games," Burns said. "When you lose a lot of close games, it's splitting hairs at that point. Ultimately losing close games and an 8-20 record, the responsibility for those things fall in my lap. That's going to be my approach in the off-season."

Though the Eagles led the Big Sky in defense, they struggled mightily on offense. Eastern gave up 62.9 points a game but went 0-14 when allowing 70 or more because they averaged 62 points a game, even with Axton.

The 6-foot-8 forward played in more games than any Eagle in history, 119, the last 99 as a starter. The only Eagle who averaged in double figures (16.2), Axton set school records with 184 3-pointers made and 499 attempted and finished with 1,319 points, seventh all-time in school history, second on the Division I list. He was the second Eagle and 18th player in league history to earn All-Big Sky honors three times, after being the league Freshman of the Year.

No one really stepped up to compliment Axton on a consistent basis, the reasons ranging from inexperience to injuries. Overall 13 different players started in 12 different combinations with only Axton starting every game.

Yet, there were flashes from a variety of players.

Deuce Smith, a 6-3 wing from junior college in Tyler, Texas, was the only player other than Axton to have a 20-point game. Freshmen Jake Beitinger, a 6-8 post from Snohomish, and James Loe, a 5-10 point guard out of Oregon, also had their moments. Redshirt freshmen Henry Bekkering, a 6-6 Canadian, and 6-10 sophomore Paul Butorac from Medical Lake made some spectacular plays. Tim Scheffler, a 6-4 sophomore JC transfer from Wyoming, showed promise as a shooter.

"One of the things we talked about is next year is we'll have the ability to have greater depth," Burns said. "Because of that we'll play more people. This year we played a lot of people but we did not spread the minutes around. Next year we'll do that.

"We're going to get back to the mentality (that) it's a little bit of a dog fight to get out on the floor. It's going to be earned. I think the guys look forward to that."
Last edited by mslacat on Wed Mar 23, 2005 8:02 pm, edited 1 time in total.



HelenaCat
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Post by HelenaCat » Wed Mar 23, 2005 9:26 pm

Henckel did not look good at al the game I saw in Bozeman. Even though pariseau started, he was also not anything great that game and does not appear irreplaceable. So the only one I think that hurts a lot is losing Nelson. On top of losing Axton to graduation, though , I agree that this has to hurt EWU to lose at least the two starters.

I could see the writing on the wall with Henckel-he just does not look Div. 1 material at all right now. So it does not surprise me that he is leaving. However, he may have a hard time starting at Carroll next year-they are loaded and only lose Andy Brown.

Anyone know why Pariseau and especially Nelson are leaving?? There must be some issue with the new coach?



mslacat
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Post by mslacat » Thu Mar 24, 2005 5:39 pm

I have heard that Nelson 1st choice for a new school would be Utah for the obvious reasons, but more than likely he will end up at Boise State



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Post by BleedsBlue&Gold » Thu Mar 24, 2005 10:37 pm

Henkles games against the griz were not very impressive either. He didn't look like he had any confidence in anything he was doing. With only 2 years of eligibility, hopefully he can get something accomplished at Carrol, or wherever he ends up.



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