There was a special feeling around Rolly Williams Court last Saturday.

Not just because it happened to be the rivalry men's and women's basketball games between the College of Southern Idaho and North Idaho College.

It also marked the return of a coach that had compiled 221 wins and sent the Cardinals to their first No. 1 ranking in school history from Nov. 2010 to Jan. 4, 2011.

EARLY IN the first half of the women's basketball game between the two schools, some members of the third-ranked CSI men's basketball team began to walk into the gym and head straight to the locker room.

CSI men's basketball Jared Phay - who was the head coach at NIC for 2004 to 2014 - didn't quite have the same luck.

Everywhere he turned, another fan approached to talk, welcome him back, and wish him luck before the game began.

"It was unbelievable," Phay said. "Just how nice everyone was. I have a lot of people I've missed and some that are really good people. It was a really special weekend. It made me feel great to have that many people come out and say hi. There's a lot of good people here."

The game, which CSI won 80-72, was a second win for Phay over his longtime assistant coach Corey Symons, who was hired as NIC coach in June. CSI beat NIC in December in Twin Falls.

"It's great," Symons said of his friendship with Phay. "Jared's an unbelievable guy and got me into this business. I've got everything to thank him for and probably wouldn't be here without him."

When the final buzzer sounded, instead of the customary handshake, Phay and Symons hugged and moved on to their next opponent.

"We've got a great friendship," Symons said. "Up until the game, it's all that stuff, but once they threw the ball up in the air, he's coaching to win and I'm coaching to win. Once the game is over, we're back to being friends. If it's not us to win the league, I want to do anything to help CSI out and want the best for him in the 27 games they play, but just not the three that we play them."

WITH THE win on Saturday, CSI improved to 21-0, 6-0 in the Scenic West Athletic Conference. Of those conference wins, five have came on the road.

"This is a really special group," Phay said. "They work hard and compete. You don't get to 21 wins without a loss without being a tough, competitive group. And that's what they are."

Even CSI women's coach Randy Rogers has noticed some changes in the CSI men's program. Phay is the sixth CSI men's coach since Rogers started there in 2002.

"Jared's a great guy and easy to work with," said Rogers, who is in his 13th season at CSI and is the program's all-time winningest coach (330-117). "Almost too easy. He's probably just being nice to me early on, but I've been watching him and how he does things - I always watch our men's teams - for different styles and he's brought another for me to watch and try to emulate a little bit."

Something that might not be emulated at Rolly Williams Court for a while - the atmosphere of a near-capacity crowd of 1,400, many who also saw the NIC women romp 90-59 over CSI in the first game on Saturday.

"People showed up a little early and they (NIC) found the energy," Rogers said. "Chris (Carlson, the NIC women's coach) and his girls coming back home, it just felt like a home game and there was an energy in that gym today. I know Jared was excited to get back here, and everyone else was too."

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d'Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter at JEPressSports.