Northwest Notes: April 4, 2024
Coeur d'Alene Press | UPDATED 2 years, 5 months AGO
NIC ATHLETICS Student-athletes from North Idaho College pose with the Bintelli Golf Cart that the school's booster club is raffling off in order to purchase new weights and exercise equipment. The raffle will be held on Sept. 5.
Genesis Prep star Murekatete to
play in All-Star Game Saturday
Washington State women's basketball senior Bella Murekatete will participate in the 2024 Women's College All-Star Game on Saturday, joining other seniors from across the country in a nationally televised contest on ESPN2 at 12:30 p.m. PT at the Wolstein Center on the campus of Cleveland State in downtown Cleveland.
The Women's College All-Star Game will provide 20 players one final opportunity to represent their programs and be recognized against the backdrop of the sport's championship weekend. Intersport, an award-winning Chicago-based agency that first launched a national women's college basketball all-star event alongside the WBCA 25 years ago, will host the event.
Murekatete, who played at Genesis Prep Academy in Post Falls, appeared in all 36 games for the Cougars this year, and averaged 11.7 points, 7.3 rebounds, and 1.1 blocks per game. During the 2023-24 season, she became the all-time program leader in career rebounds (990), blocks (188), games played (153) and games started (145). She finished her WSU career with 1,552 points, good for fifth all-time in program history.
Before the season, she was named to the 2024 Lisa Leslie Award Watch List, and was also named to the 2023-24 Preseason All-Pac-12 team.
Fortier earns Coach of the Year
honor from Her Hoop Stats
Gonzaga women's basketball coach Lisa Fortier was named the 2024 Kathy Delaney-Smith Coach of the Year presented by Her Hoop Stats. The award, which is in its first season, recognizes the most outstanding mid-major head coach in the country.
Since taking over in Spokane in 2014-15, Fortier has led the Zags to a 265-63 record, an 80.8% winning percentage that is the best in program history. Through those 10 seasons, she is already closing in on the title of the winningest coach in program history, just 51 wins behind Kelly Graves who did so in 14 seasons.
This season, she led Gonzaga to the winningest season in the program's history, finishing with a record of 32-4 and making the team's fifth Sweet 16 appearance all-time. They did so even after scheduling a difficult non-conference slate.
Yvonne Ejim Named Becky Hammon Player of the Year
Gonzaga senior forward Yvonne Ejim has been named the 2024 Becky Hammon Player of the Year presented by Her Hoop Stats. The award, which is in its fifth season, recognizes the best mid-major player in the country.
Ejim, who will use her fifth year of eligibility to return to Gonzaga, put together a career year and was a big reason for the Zags' ascension to the status of the nation's top mid-major program. The Calgary, Alberta, native posted career bests almost across the board, including scoring, rebounds, assists, and steals while setting career lows in turnovers and fouls per game. Ejim was a plus rebounder on both ends of the court, ranking in the top 3% nationally in offensive and defensive rebounding rates. She also stacks up with the nation's most dominant inside scorers, as only one player in Division I averaged more makes per game from 2-point territory.
This season, Ejim and the Zags earned a No. 4 seed in the NCAA Tournament, becoming the first mid-major since Elena Delle Donne and Delaware in 2012 to be given one of the top 16 seeds in the tournament and the chance to host first and second-round games. The team made a Sweet 16 run before being knocked out by No. 1 seed Texas in the Sweet 16.
NIC softball games
rescheduled this weekend
North Idaho College has moved the location of softball games against Wenatchee Valley on Friday to Central Valley High in Spokane Valley due to anticipated poor field conditions at Memorial Field in Coeur d'Alene.
Saturday's games against Yakima Valley were also moved to Central Valley.
Friday's games are scheduled for 2 and 4 p.m., with Saturday's games at noon and 2 p.m.
NIC boosters holding raffle
for new equipment
The North Idaho College Booster Club is currently holding a raffle for a Bintelli Golf Cart, with proceeds to be used to purchase weights and exercise equipment for North Idaho College athletes.
These street-legal golf carts can be found on college campuses, military bases, resorts, commercial properties and are equipped with headlights, brake lights, turn signals, seat belts and mirrors, making them legal on the streets.
The raffle will be held on Sept. 5.
Tickets are $25 each, or five for $100.
Information: www.nicboosters.org/golf_cart_raffle.html