North Idaho College freshman guard Niko Bevens is a player to keep an eye on as the Cardinals take flight in the Northwest Athletic Conference men’s basketball tournament, which starts on Thursday at Everett Community College.

Not necessarily because he’s flashy on the court with his passing, or throwing down a dunk.

He’s capable of that.

But with the ball in his hands, give him a few seconds, and it might end up being a long day for the defense.

BEVENS RECENTLY verbally committed to continue his playing career at Montana next year, where he’ll have three more years of eligibility.

“I felt really comfortable going there,” the 6-foot-6 Bevens said. “The campus reminded me a lot of NIC, and also how much the community supports the sports programs. The coaches were really trustworthy and it’s just a winning program.”

Montana wanted Bevens out of high school, but did not have a scholarship for him for the 2016-17 season. NIC did, and Bevens signed with the Cardinals last spring.

“We’ve got a lot of connections at the Division I level, and Montana was the one that told us about him,” NIC coach Corey Symons said. “They were recruiting him and kind of helped getting him here. He’s a really good student, but they didn’t have a scholarship for him at the time, so he ended up at our place.”

Bevens is averaging 14.3 points per game, third on the Cardinals, and leads the NWAC in 3-point percentage (110 of 221).

“He’s been playing really well,” Symons said. “He’s always been able to shoot the ball really well. He’s got the ultimate green light and can shoot it whenever he wants — which if you’re a shooter, is a good feeling. He’s been playing really well on the offensive end and we’ve been working with him on the defensive end. He just continues to get better.”

Bevens added the appeal of playing in the Big Sky Conference was something that sold him immediately.

“From what I’ve been told, it’s a shooting conference, which really fits my game,” Bevens said. “And they’ve got some good programs like Weber (State) and Montana, so I’m definitely going to have some good exposure, and the same with the level of competition.”

“He went on a visit and absolutely fell in love with the place, the town and coaching staff,” Symons said. “They’ve got a great coaching staff. They’re losing their shooter and he’ll be able to come in and help them right away. He’ll have a really good chance to get in there and help them win some games.”

Bevens played three years at Westview High in Beaverton, Ore., before transferring to Beaverton High for his senior year.

“It’s been different,” Bevens said. “From high school, there was definitely some good shooters, but it wasn’t known as a shooting league. It was fast-paced and get to the rim.”

NIC is third in the conference in scoring offense with 90.9 points per game. The Cardinals allow 79.1 per contest.

“I can’t say I like playing defense, and know that it’s something I need to work on,” Bevens said. “It’s one of the faults in my game. But as the season has progressed, I’m getting better at it. Shooting the ball is my favorite thing. I’ve always been known as a shooter and really enjoy that part of my game.”

AND WHILE they’re “newcomers” to the NWAC tournament, NIC enters this weekend as the tournament’s top seed, facing Tacoma on Thursday at 10 a.m.

“We just need to stick together, because this is where the pressure starts,” Bevens said. “Pressure can change a lot of people and their mindsets. We’ve had some faults here and there, but we’re really good at staying together as a team.”

Last year, NIC finished 31-2 and advanced to the Sweet 16 of the NJCAA tournament in Hutchinson, Kan.

“It’s kind of the same format, but it’s two weekends,” Symons said, “so you don’t have to play all the games in one weekend. If we’re lucky enough to keep winning, we’ve got two this week and hopefully two next week. It’s a little different, but it’s good because it gives you a chance to get your legs rather than playing four in a row.”

Teams will play Thursday-Friday this week, with the semifinals March 18 and the championship game on March 19 in Everett. The NWAC women play Saturday and Sunday this week; NIC’s women did not qualify.

“The biggest thing is we’ve got to make sure we don’t play tight,” Symons said. “This time of year, you start to feel a little bit of pressure. And we’ve got a little more pressure on anyone being the new team in the league — from the national junior college — and being the No. 1 overall seed. We’ve got a little bit of pressure, but we’ve got to be sure we go out and play normal basketball and play the way we’ve been playing the last couple of weeks, and we’ll be fine.”

Jason Elliott is a sports writer for the Coeur d’Alene Press. He can be reached by telephone at (208) 664-8176, Ext. 2020 or via email at jelliott@cdapress.com. Follow him on Twitter @JEPressSports.