It appears the
Lewis-Clark State
College men’s basketball
team has the right
roster balance. Six of
the 12 players who will
take the court this
season return from a
year ago, including two
starters.
The roster also features
three seniors, six
juniors, a sophomore and
two freshmen, so there
is a strong upperclass
presence.
“I think the group has a
great attitude and will
work hard,” fifth-year
Warrior coach Tim Walker
says. “We’ve got a
little bit of everything
on this team. We’ve got
some shooters, players
who can take the ball to
the basket and some
players who can post-up
and score inside.”
Now the trick is for Tim
Walker and his staff is
getting all of that to
come together for the
2009-10 season.
After winning
back-to-back Frontier
Conference regular
season and tournament
titles in 2007 and ’08,
the Warriors came up
short in their bid for a
three-peat last season.
The team lost one of its
top players to a
season-ending injury
early and things never
quite came together
despite losing by only
two points to eventual
national champion Rocky
Mountain late in the
season.
Walker says there is a
new excitement this
season as the team
enters another exciting
and challenging year.
The key will be how well
the Warriors play
defense, a trademark of
Walker, who always has
the Warriors ranked
among the NAIA national
leaders in defensive
categories.
“We could be a really
good defensive team,”
Walker says. “We have
good quickness on the
perimeter and good size
underneath. I would just
like to see an
unbelievable work ethic
and toughness on the
defensive end. We need
to be a good defensive
team.”
Leading the returners
are sophomore point
guard Terrell Wallace
(Beaverton, OR) and
senior forward Tanner
McIntosh (Imbler, OR).
Wallace led the team in
assists, was second in
3-pointers made and
third in steals a year
ago, while McIntosh was
second in rebounding and
fourth in scoring. He
also led the team in
field goal percentage
and was the only player
to start every game last
season.
Also returning from last
year are senior post
James Craft (Glen Allen,
VA), senior guard Daniel
Williams (Los Angeles,
CA), and junior post
Andrew Packwood
(Lewiston, ID). The
three combined to start
eight games a year ago
and made strong
contributions. Craft and
McIntosh tied for the
team lead in blocked
shots, while Williams
showed the ability to
both shoot from the
outside and drive to the
basket and draw fouls.
Packwood continues to
improve and has played
in every game his first
two seasons.
Also back is junior
guard Jared Giammona (
Santa Rosa, CA/Mendocino
JC), freshman guard
Joel Kohlstedt (Loon
Lake, WA), and freshman
forward Greg Shepard
(Portland, OR). All
three were
redshirts last season. Giammona led Mendocino
with 15.7 points per
game in 2006-07.
Leading the group of
newcomers are four
junior-college
transfers. Guard Markus
Monroe (Monrovia, CA)
was a first-team
all-state selection at
Glendale Community
College. Forward Alex
King (Tacoma, WA) put up
impressive numbers at
Lower Columbia Community
College, while Derek
Gianukakis (Republic,
WA) will play both guard
and forward as he did at
Community Colleges of
Spokane. Guard Shedrick
Nelson (Tacoma,
WA/Highline CC) led his
team in scoring last
year and should help
provide an instant
scoring punch for LCSC.
The Warriors actually
signed eight players for
the season, but junior
forward Ray Stout
(Genesee, ID) and
freshman guard Ryan
Parks (Eagle, ID) are
both expected to
redshirt this season.
LCSC’s schedule features
three exhibition games
against NCAA schools on
the road – Montana,
Washington State and
Idaho. The Dec. 30
contest against Idaho is
the night after LCSC
plays host to
Wisconsin-Stout, an NCAA
Division III school. The
Warriors also will play
host to two four-team
tournaments in November
and will travel to face
Azusa Pacific and Point
Loma Nazarene.
