Explosive Big Bend NWAC East contenders

MOSES LAKE — On Oct. 30, Big Bend assistant coach Spencer Pingel posted a video of a scrimmage in Spokane on social media.

The clip opened with sophomore guard Jai Jai Ely rising for a breakaway one-handed dunk. Next, Dixie State transfer Jacob McCord gave a pump fake and drove for a two-handed flush in traffic.

One thing is for certain, the Runnin’ Vikes are athletic.

“I don’t think we have very many guys that can’t dunk,” Ely said. “I think everybody can dunk and so it’s just a matter of positioning when you’re getting the ball and stuff and we have a lot of good plays and options for us to be able to show our athleticism.”

Ely — who was all-league and scored 16.86 points per game last season — and Leo Behrend are the two returners from Big Bend’s 2015-16 NWAC East champion and NWAC Tournament third place team.

“Leo came off the bench for us last year,” head coach Mark Poth said. “We look for him to have a better year.”

Despite the roster turnover, there was an infusion of talent. The 6-foot-8-inch McCord transferred from Division-II Dixie State.

“He’s going to be a monster on the boards,” Ely said. “Monster scoring ‘cause nobody can stop him already and if we just go through him first then we’ll be fine. He’s going to create a lot of things for us.”

Big Bend also added knockdown shooter Zach Shepard, a transfer from Angelina College. Shepard shot 46 percent from three-point range, leading Angelina’s conference.

Josh Erickson, a 6-foot-6-inch wing out of Enumclaw, is another addition with tremendous athleticism.

North Idaho will join the NWAC East this season, adding an unknown but undoubtedly talented team to the mix.

“North Idaho’s going to be a very strong team in the NWAC,” Poth said. “I look for them to be the first year dropping down they’re going to be very, very good. For the most part they have a pretty new team. I think they only have two players back from their last year’s team and we’ve got two players back from our last year’s team.

“We know North Idaho’s going to be right there in the NWAC and probably a strong team. We don’t know what to expect from them ‘cause we have absolutely no idea who they have and what they’re doing.”

Spokane and Yakima Valley appear to be two more talented teams that will vie for the East championship. The Sasquatch upset Big Bend in the semifinals of the NWAC Tournament and return second-leading scorer Levi Taylor.

Yakima Valley also returns its second-leading scorer — Davis standout Max Jones.

But the two-time defending NWAC East champs have the determination to win a third regional championship and contend for an NWAC championship.

“We set goals in the beginning of the year and we just focus on our goals and focus on the things that matter,” Ely said. “The essential things like on defense. If we focus on defense then our scoring is going to come ‘cause our offense is so good.

“So if we just focus on defense we should go pretty far this year and hopefully get it all.”