Back to back titles? Cards enter stretch run as overwhelming favorite to win it all

Last year at this time, the Cardinals Men’s basketball team sat in a precarious position as a team; sure they were a quality squad, but nothing out-of-this-world. As Coach Corey Symons puts it, they had to really fight and fix things just to make it to the postseason. As we all know, they did indeed clinch a spot in the tournament before going on an unbelievable run all the way to the program’s first NWAC Championship.

Fast forward a year later and the mantra and expectations have changed. Gone is the underdog label. Sitting at 17-2, the Cardinals have the number one scoring defense and the number two defense in the conference. Symons noted how things have changed since last season and alluded to his team’s dominance so far, saying that “We’re getting everybody’s best shot, everybody wants to beat us. We’re the number one team, we have a handful of Division 1 kids, and so, not trying to be arrogant, but we are kind of the talk of the NWAC.”

From L to R, Alphonso Anderson, Emmitt Taylor, and RayQuan Evans lock down defensively in their season-opening win over Peninsula College.

There have been a plethora of reasons why this team has been so special. The additions of Nate Pryor and Phillip Malatare might top the list. The two point guards have allowed last season’s NWAC Tournament MVP RayQuan Evans to move into a more off-ball role, and take the pressure off his shoulders to lead the offense and have the ball in his hands every possession. To put it in perspective, the offense has already topped 100 points in 12 of their 19 games played; Last year’s team reached the mark seven times total. Malatare pointed out why the three-guard lineup has turned the offense from good to great this season.

“We have three really unselfish guards who would rather win than pad stats,” he said. “All three of us can handle the ball so nobody is going to steal the ball. We break the presses so easily, that now teams don’t even press.”

Coach Symons alluded to that point. “All three of the point guards rebound the ball really well. So when they get a rebound, they just go; we don’t have to outlet the ball, don’t have to look to get it to somebody else. We just push. We get a lot more points in transition.

Pryor, out of West Seattle, currently leads the Cardinals in scoring at 17.5 points per game, as well as a hair under six assists per contest. Malatare isn’t known for his scoring necessarily, but his IQ and electric passing have really allowed this offense to take off.

RayQuan Evans and Drew Sheridan trap an opponent in their 124-50 win over Columbia Basin. Evans figures to play a pivotal role in the team’s quest for another NWAC title

The talent doesn’t stop there, however. Obviously the return of previously mentioned RayQuan Evans has given the Cards that leadership to look up to. And while Evans’ stats have dipped a little, his move to a more off-ball role has allowed the offense to average over 100 points per game up to this point. He is still an elite scorer, having dropped 15 a contest this year, and his rebounding has continued to be a strength, as he averages a solid seven boards a game.

In the paint, the return of big man Jarod Greene has provided NIC with a stabilizing force. He leads the league in field goal percentage at 73 percent and can always be counted on to dominate the interior defensively. Joining him are Forwards Alphonso Anderson and James Carlson. Anderson, a Utah State commit, is averaging a steady 15.6 points per game to go along with eight rebounds per contest. His ability to put the ball on the floor and hit the three-ball consistently has been a huge plus for the Cards. Carlson is top-15 in blocks in the NWAC and can shoot the ball from anywhere.

Speaking of shooting, the talk-of-the-town might be freshman Emmitt Taylor III. “ET3” has put his NBA range to good use this season. He has already set the school record for most three-pointers in one game (11) and when he gets hot, there might not be a better shooter in the conference. Averaging 15.7 ppg and 4 threes-per-game, the opposing defenses better know where the Lapwai product is on the floor before it’s too late.

Other contributors to the NWAC’S number-one ranked team include sophomores Iaian McLaughlin and Drew Sheridan, as well as freshmen Ish Valdez, Yusuf Mohamed, and Jaden Dewar. One of the deepest teams in the country, Coach Symons said that “Attitude and Effort” from everybody on the roster has allowed this team to be successful.

Looking ahead, the stretch run looms. Starting tonight on the road in Spokane, the Cards will continue to build toward bringing another title to Coeur d’Alene. They have all the pieces to get it done; they also have a big target on their chests as the NWAC’s clear-cut frontrunner. Pryor talked about the team’s mindset and what it’s going to take in order for the Cards to finish the job.

“We just try to take it one game at a time and try our best to prepare” Pryor told me. “The way we practice will tell us how focused we are.” Looking ahead, Pryor said, “I feel like the only thing we need to improve on is not giving up second chance points. If we rebound and stay solid on defense, we will have a great rest of the season.”

Only time will tell, but for now the Cardinals are relishing this opportunity and are taking it one day at a time. There is a mantra around here, one which Symons embodies as a coach and passes onto his team, and that is to go 1-0 every day. If they win every day enough, Symons notes, then they’ll accomplish the bigger goals down the road.

If the Cards keep playing like this, expect them to bring home the hardware come March. They can come at you from so many angles offensively, and their energetic defense can lock down anybody. The Cards will look to close the regular season strong, capture the East Region title, and then bring home back-to-back NWAC Championships when it’s all said and done.