One-point win gave Eagles a lift before holiday break

It might not have been a thing of beauty, but a 49-48 victory Dec. 17 at Merced was a very good thing for the Eagle men's basketball team. "We needed that going into the break," said head coach Kyle Heath.

Even for a team that plays most of its preseason games on the road, 350 miles was a long trip to play just one game. But it was worth it after the Eagles held on for their fifth win of the season and returned to Weed to start an eight-day holiday break.

Next up, they have two more games at a tournament in San Mateo, Dec. 30 vs San Mateo and Dec. 31 vs Ohlone.

With a rotation that includes just two sophomores, the early season has mostly been a trial by fire for these Eagles. Their 5-11 record includes losses to many upper level teams including Las Positas (13-0), Reedley (8-5), Cosumnes River (11-2), Allan Hancock (9-4), Sequoias (9-3), Columbia (9-4), and Chabot (10-3).

But they are 5-2 against mid-level schools, including that low-scoring game at Merced, where both teams tallied 30 points in the first half then couldn't find the hoop in a 19-18 second half. "It was ugly, but we'll take it," Heath said.

Through it all, the veteran head coach sees good potential from a group of guys who "keep battling and stay focused even if we're way down at the half. They play hard, play together, and listen."

So far, they've won all 5 games when holding opponents under 70 points.

The five players who have started every game are all averaging between 10 and 13 points. Six-foot-2 freshman guard Julius Blair from Portland, OR, tops that list with 12.8 ppg, followed by 6-6 freshman forward Eli Bryant (11.7) from Medford, OR, 6-3 freshman guard CJ Crane (10.9) from Meridian, ID, 6-7 sophomore forward Jeremy Gaut (10.6) from South Medford, and 6-2 sophomore guard Gavin McLean from Grants Pass.

Late in the game at Merced, Gaut made a post-up jump hook that proved to be the game-winner, even though Merced got two more good looks in the final minute but couldn't get either shot to drop.

Heath said the main issues the Eagles need to work on are too many turnovers that lead to opponents' points and too few second chance points of their own. "We're getting better every game, and I'm excited going into conference. Most teams will continue to press us until we stop making silly turnovers. We're searching for consistency. It's a process, and the guys are starting to figure it out."

Julius Blair leads the team with 25 three-point baskets while making 38 percent of his shots from beyond the arc. The athletic Eli Bryant and inside-threat Jeremy Gaut are both making more than 47 percent of their shots, while Gavin McLean leads the team in overall field goal percentage (52.7), three-point percentage (40.0), and free throw percentage (87.5). CJ Crane leads the team with 30 offensive rebounds, 89 total rebounds, and 39 assists. He also guards opposing team's best player. Gaut is second on the team with 24 offensive and 86 total rebounds.

"Good sophomore leadership" from Gaut, McLean, and guard Kyler Ellyson is a positive, according to the coach. Though Ellyson isn't part of the regular rotation, "He's the heartbeat of the team," Heath said. "He's vocal and loud. The freshmen respect him, and he helps me do my job."

Other freshmen who are gaining experience and showing potential include 6-2 guard Gannon Ysais from Kuna, ID, 6-foot guard Jojo Jointer from Fort Vancouver, WA, 6-foot guard Ili McCabe from Lahaina, HI, and 6-2 guard Jai Blair from Portland.

Heath expects the GVC race to be wide open. Feather River (10-6) and defending champion Redwoods (10-7) are the only conference teams with winning records in the preseason, while Butte is 8-9.

The Eagles are scheduled to open conference against two teams who have just 3 wins combined in the preseason. They play at Lassen (2-13) on Jan. 7 and at home against Shasta (1-15) on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 3 p.m.

Heath believes the key to a successful conference campaign is "winning your home games and stealing a couple on the road. If you can do that, you'll be 7-3."

He said he likes this group and sees some similarities with the freshman-heavy roster he had three years ago. First-year players got a ton of experience that year, then came back and won a conference championship the next year.