NIC volleyball team adds two more to 2013 roster

COEUR d'ALENE - North Idaho College volleyball coach Miles Kydd announced the Cardinals have signed a pair of foreign-born outside hitters in 5-foot-10 Larissa Claassen of Bad Essen, Germany, and 5-8 Brittany Aldridge of Coquitlam, British Columbia.

"Obviously, with Larissa being in Germany, all we have seen of her is on videotape, but what we have seen leads us to believe that Larissa will be able to come in right away and compete for a spot in the lineup," Kydd said.

Claassen played youth volleyball with SV Bad Laer, which finished second at Germany's 2012 U18 Volleyball Championships. She also played on her state team (Lower Saxony), leading her team to three third-place showings in three years. Claassen has extensive experience in beach volleyball as well, garnering a second-place finish at Germany's U17 beach volleyball championships in 2010, and a third-place finish with her state team at Germany's U17 beach volleyball championships in 2011.

"Larissa has shown herself to be an aggressive attacker with good overall skills," Kydd said. "She will have a relatively short period of transition since she has spent time in Denver visiting relatives and is a good student who speaks excellent English. I am very excited to work with Larissa and look forward to the contributions she will make to our team in 2013."

Aldridge was her high school's four-time MVP in volleyball. She was a first-team all-star at the British Columbia AAAA high school provincial championships, where her team placed fourth her senior year. She was also a 2013 member of the Fraser Valley Volleyball Club, which placed third at Canada's U-18 national championship this past May, and has been a member of Team BC Volleyball for the past three seasons.

"Aldridge is one of those rare athletes who can make fans and teammates alike say 'Wow!'" Kydd said. "Brittany will play a big role in our team's offense in 2013. She has explosive power and an ability to terminate the rally in all situations.

Aldridge also excels in track - particularly the sprints and jumps. Her brother played NCAA D1 soccer for Bowling Green State.

"Brittany is a good student who has her sights set on a D1 opportunity in the future and she certainly has the right combination of athleticism, academic habits and determination to make that a reality," Kydd said.

The Cardinal volleyball season is set to kick off training on Aug. 1. The women compete in their first scrimmages at the HUB in Spokane Valley on Aug. 23-24.

Olynyk averages 18.0 points, 7.8 rebounds in Orlando summer league

ORLANDO, Fla. - Former Gonzaga standout Kelly Olynyk totaled 12 points and seven rebounds in 15 minutes as the Boston Celtics beat the Orlando Magic 102-83 in the seventh-place game of the NBA Orlando Summer League.

Olynyk averaged 18.0 points and 7.8 rebounds in five games for the Celtics, who finished 3-2. Orlando (2-3), which rested rookie Victor Oladipo and two other starters, finished eighth in the 10-team league.

Oklahoma City beat Houston 85-77 in the championship game.

Bucannon named to Jim Thorpe Award watch list

OKLAHOMA CITY - Washington State senior safety Deone Bucannon has been named to the Jim Thorpe Award 2013 watch list, the Jim Thorpe Association announced.

Bucannon is one of 48 players included on the watch list for the award that honors the nation's best defensive back. The Fairfield, Calif., native was an All-Pac-12 second team selection last season after making a team-high 106 tackles, tied for second-most in the Pac-12 and was the highest total by any non-linebacker. Bucannon also made a team-best four interceptions including a two-interception performance against Oregon. Bucannon posted seven double-digit tackle performances, including a 17-tackle game at Arizona State.

Earlier this summer, Bucannon was named to the Preseason All-Pac-12 second team by both Athlon Sports and Phil Steele Magazine and was also named to the Preseason All-America fourth team by Athlon Sports.

The Jim Thorpe Award watch list is chosen by a screening committee who compile a list of 30-50 players. The list is not final, and players who have outstanding seasons are added as the season progresses. The Thorpe Award winner is selected from three finalists and will be announced at The Home Depot College Football Awards on Dec. 12 on ESPN.

Washington State opens the 2013 season Aug. 31 at Auburn.

EWU's Hill named to kickoff returner watch list

Just a few days before Big Sky Conference preseason predictions are announced, Eastern Washington sophomore kickoff returner Shaquille Hill has been selected to the watch list for the 2013 College Football Performance Awards Kickoff Returner Award in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.

This weekend, Eastern head coach Beau Baldwin and senior safety Allen Brown head to Park City, Utah, for the 2013 Big Sky Conference Summer Football Kickoff. On Monday, the preseason all-conference team will be announced, and on Tuesday the preseason media and coaches polls will be disclosed.

Previously this summer, four other Eagles were selected to CFPA watch lists, including Jake Miller, Ronnie Hamlin, T.J. Lee and Vernon Adams Jr. Miller was named to the watch list for the CFPA punter Award. Hamlin and Lee - both All-Americans for the Eagles a year ago - were selected to the lists for linebacker and defensive back awards, respectively.

Adams was selected to the watch list for the CFPA Quarterback Award after earning Freshman All-America accolades in 2012. Miller was a Freshman All-American in 2011.