Cd'A's Orlandi signs with Lewis-Clark State

The Lewis-Clark State College women's basketball team has added Coeur d'Alene High senior guard Caelyn Orlandi to the Warriors' 2013 recruiting class, head coach Brian Orr announced.

Orlandi will join Post Falls guard Brooke Litalien, Lapwai's Natahnee Spencer, Megan Risinger of Tigard, Ore., as freshmen at LCSC in the fall.

"We are very excited to be able to add Caelyn's name to next year's roster," Orr said. "As a team we needed to get more athletic and that's the first thing you notice about her; she's extremely fast and can really elevate off the dribble."

Coeur d'Alene didn't finish lower than third at state during Orlandi's prep career, with the Vikings winning the state title in 2010.

The 5-foot-9 Orlandi helped the Vikings to a berth in the state 5A championship game this season and was a second-team All-Idaho selection. As a junior, she was an honorable mention All-Idaho selection and has played on the Spokane Stars AAU team that won a tournament championship in Seattle last summer and was a three-time captain of the Coeur d'Alene High soccer team and three-time state participant in track and field.

"Offensively, Caelyn brings an array of skills to the floor," Orr said. "She is a good ballhandler who can get to the rim and finish. Her pull-up jump shot is nearly impossible to defend and she has become a very effective 3-point shooter. We like the fact she can play several positions, including point guard, but more importantly she can defend several positions. It's her toughness and defensive ability that makes her a special player."

Orlandi received academic achievement awards in each of her four years at Coeur d'Alene and was a member of National Honor Society and will graduate in the top five percent of her high school class.

"Caelyn has the full package," Orr said. "She's a talented athlete who is extremely competitive. She has the ability to make big plays on both ends of the floor, and she is an outstanding student as well. Today, our team got better."

Vandal football team alters practice schedule

The University of Idaho football practice schedule has been changed this week.

The team will practice today and Thursday at 4 p.m., with the scrimmage originally scheduled for Friday afternoon now on Saturday morning at 10:45 a.m.

Idaho's Barone recognized for efficiency by ESPN

Idaho senior Kyle Barone was named the 14th most efficient player in Division I men's basketball, according to ESPN's Hollinger Player Statistics.

"It's a great accomplishment," Barone said. "It reflects what I can do on the court and how well I can do it and that's important for me moving forward."

Barone earned Western Athletic Conference Player of the Year honors for the 2012-13 season after leading the league during the regular season in scoring (18.2 points per game) and rebounding (10.9 per game). He also earned recognition as an honorable mention All-American by the Associated Press.

He wrapped up his Idaho career as the best post player in school history by ranking No. 1 in games played (126), No. 2 in career rebounds (869), No. 3 in career field goal percentage (.585) and No. 4 in career scoring (1,433).

This month, Barone will be competing in the Portsmouth Invitational, where he'll play against the best seniors in the country for NBA and international teams.

Home dates announced for upcoming Chiefs series

The Spokane Chiefs will host Game 3 and Game 4 of the Western Hockey League Western Conference semifinal series on Tuesday, April 9 and Wednesday, April 10 at 7 p.m. at the Spokane Arena.

Tickets are on sale now.

The Chiefs' opponent has yet to be determined and is based on the outcome of the Seattle/Kelowna first round series. Seattle and Kelowna are tied in their best-of-seven series with Game 7 tonight at Kelowna.

Teams reseed in the conference semifinals based on regular season standings. Portland finished with the league's top record and will remain the No. 1 seed. If Seattle wins its series with Kelowna, Spokane will be the third seed and play Kamloops, which would be the second seed. Seattle would be the fourth seed and play Portland.

If Kelowna wins, the Rockets will become the second seed, Kamloops the third and Spokane the fourth. In that scenario, Spokane would play Portland.

In either scenario, Spokane will not have home ice advantage and open on the road either in Portland or Kamloops on Friday, with Game 2 on Saturday. Games 5, 6 and 7, if necessary, will be announced at a later date once the opponent is confirmed.

Whitworth men's coach finalist for national award

SPOKANE - After directing Whitworth to a second straight 26-4 season, Pirate men's basketball coach Matt Logie has been named a finalist for the Glenn Robinson Division III National Coach of the Year award.

The award is presented annually to the top Division III men's basketball coach and is named after the longtime coach of Franklin and Marshall. Robinson has over 800 wins and is currently 12th on the all-time wins list and reached the Division II tournament 22 times, including five Final Four appearances.

The 2013 award will be presented on Friday at the CollegeInsider.com awards banquet in Atlanta, site of the men's NCAA basketball championship.

Whitworth reached the Sweet 16 for the second time in Logie's second season as coach, winning a fourth straight Northwest Conference crown. The Pirates accomplished all this despite the graduation of three starters from the 2011-12 season, including All-Region honorees Felix Friedt and former North Idaho College standout Idris Lasisi.

Logie is 52-8 in two years at Whitworth.

Other finalists for the award are: Chris Bartley (Worcester Polytechnic Institute), Luke Flockerzi (Rochester), David Hixon (Amherst), Steve Howes (Catholic), Mike Maker (Williams), Mike Miller (Alvernia), Todd Raridon (North Central), Michael Schauer (Wheaton), Bob Semling (Wisconsin-Stevens Point), Jim Shaw (Rose-Hulman), Tom Spanbauer (Cortland State), Johnny Tauer (St. Thomas), Kevin Vande Streek (Calvin) and Bob Walsh (Rhode Island College).