Few coaches in the Big Sky Conference have been tasked with replacing an NBA Draft pick. If the challenge was not tall enough on its own, Eastern Washington head coach Jim Hayford had to battle through a brutal early schedule and an injury to a key cog while trying to navigate life after Tyler Harvey.
In an unlikely story, Harvey transformed himself from a walk-on to the leading scorer in Division I basketball to early entry NBA Draft pick during his time at Eastern Washington. Last season, Harvey led the nation by averaging 23.1 points per game. Harvey earned his degree and entered the NBA Draft a year early. He was a second-round draft pick by the Orlando Magic.
Former EWU guard Tyler Harvey
“Love Ty, so happy for him,” said EWU senior power forward Venky Jois, the Big Sky’s preseason Player of the Year. “I don’t think anyone would judge that move in any sort of negative way. Anyone who actually cares for the guy realizes that after an incredible year, he had the opportunity to graduate and he did. After a sensational year, when the opportunity comes around, that’s everyone’s dream, NBA. I’m really happy for him.”
Harvey was a shooting machine, drilling 128 3-pointers as a junior to top the 109 shots from beyond the arc he drilled as a sophomore. Harvey averaged 4.0 3-pointers per game and made 20 more triples than anyone in the Big Sky. Harvey was a second-round draft pick by the Orlando Magic. He is currently in the NBA Developmental League.
“Part of trying to replace Tyler is letting this year’s team be this year’s team,” said Hayford, whose Eagles make the always difficult road trip through the Treasure State to play Montana State and Montana this weekend. “We have actually done a good job of it. We are playing better offensively than we did last season even though we lost an NBA Draft pick and the nation’s leading scorer. I think part of that is we are using Venky (Jois) a little better and Felix Van Hofe has developed really well. And Austin McBroom has exceeded all expectations and is playing outstanding basketball for us.”
Last season, the Eagles sprinted to 26 wins and a bid in the NCAA Tournament. This season, EWU’s up-tempo attack is scoring with even more prevalence. Eastern enters Thursday night’s matchup with suddenly reeling Montana State averaging 82.1 points per game on 49.6 percent shooting. The Eagles are shooting 40 percent from beyond the 3-point arc as a team.
EWU senior guard Austin McBroom/by EWU Athletics
McBroom, a senior transfer from Saint Louis, is leading the league in scoring at 19.4 points per game. Jois is averaging 16.3 points per game on 69.1 percent shooting. Van Hofe has parlayed a strong finish to last season to become one of the league’s top 3-point threats. And Bogdan Bliznyuk, the Big Sky’s Freshman of the Year last season, is averaging 10.6 points per game despite enduring what Hayford calls a sophomore slump.
Despite the offensive production, Eastern has been trying to find traction early on. The Eagles played 11 of their first 15 games on the road. The 3 a.m. wakeup calls and the four-hour bus rides are a trade off for learning to play in hostile environments, Jois said. But EWU stumbled to a 6-8 non-conference record that included losses at Davidson and Pitt. The road woes continued as EWU started Big Sky Conference play 0-2 with losses at Northern Colorado and North Dakota.
“Early in the season was tough, we have to be patient because with a new team comes forging new identities and building new chemistry,” Jois said. “Lately, we are clicking. I have no doubt we will get there.
To complicate the issue, starting forward Julian Harrell, a transfer from Penn, broke his hand before the season, an injury that required surgery and cost him the non-conference schedule. Since his return, Harrell is averaging 10.5 points per game.
EWU forward Venky Jois
Lately, Eastern Washington has been rolling. The Eagles got on track with a 74-60 win over Idaho. Last weekend, EWU averaged 103 points in back to back wins over Southern Utah and Northern Arizona. The Eagles are currently shooting 51 percent from the floor and 44.3 percent from beyond the arc through five league games. Jois is averaging 19.2 points on 72.4 percent shooting against Big Sky opponents.
“They are a well put together team,” Montana State head coach Brian Fish said. “They have a bull in a china shop big man with Venky Jois and then they spread it out with four guys who can really shoot. (MSU freshman) Tyler Hall has shot the ball well and he’s made 48 3s. They have a guy who has made 60 (McBroom) and a guy who has made 55 (Van Hofe). They have some guys who can really stretch the floor and keep them spaced.”
Despite Harvey’s defection, the graduate of Parker Kelly and the transfer of last season’s third-leading scorer Ognjen Miljkovic, EWU continues to be the top scoring team in the league. Much of it has to do with Jois’ elite talent and EWU’s ability to run isolation plays consistently with the threat of always spreading the floor simultaneously.
“You can’t go double him because you die by the sword there,” Fish said. “Which one do you choose to live with? You can’t let them get comfortable because he is shooting 70 because you have to stay spaced and he’s getting single coverage in there. We have to make sure we are coming off the right guys to help and staying locked in on the guys who can shoot it.”
Venky Jois and Felix Van Hofe celebrate last season’s Big Sky Tournament victory
Hayford’s up-tempo offense highlights isolations early in possessions and gives every player on the floor the offensive green light at all times. It also requires a scoring guard that can stop on a dime for a pull-up shot or get to the hoop. McBroom fits that bill. The 6-foot senior was a solid player for the Belikans but has transformed into a lethal scorer who has totaled more than 25 points on five different occasions this season. He is leading the league with 60 made 3-pointers and he is shooting 45.1 percent from beyond the arc. He has made half of his 42 3-point attempts in league play.
“He wanted an opportunity to be able to lead a fast-break offense and we are pretty free and open with how we play and want to shoot the ball, so the offense has been a great mix for him,” Hayford said. “He’s actually shooting the ball at a very high level. Him and Felix are two of the top 15 3-point shooters in the country when you look at volume and percentage.”
Over the last 20 years, Eastern Washington’s Rodney Stuckey (2007) and Weber State’s Damian Lillard (2012) were the only players from the Big Sky to hear their names called in the NBA Draft. Despite their elite talent, neither led their respective teams to the Big Dance. Eastern is trying to become the first team in a generation to return to the NCAA Tournament a year after losing an unforgettable talent.
“We are looking at stat sheets and watching games and he’s doing the same for us,” Jois said. “It’s great to see him go to that next level. And hopefully he can get a chance to watch us repeat what we did last year. I know he would like that and so would we.”
Photos by Brooks Nuanez or noted. All Rights Reserved.
