Northwest Notes June 3, 2026

Egypt National Team to hold open training session at Gonzaga ahead of FIFA World Cup

SPOKANE — The Egypt National Team will hold an open training session for a select group of ticketed fans at Gonzaga University’s Luger Field on June 10 at noon, as the Pharaohs prepare for FIFA World Cup 2026.

The event is for a limited number of fans and community members to watch the team train in Spokane before beginning group-stage play. This is a free event for fans, but tickets through the City of Spokane are required. Due to FIFA and Egypt regulations, tickets are extremely limited for the training session, distributed through random selection, and will be limited to a maximum of two (2) tickets per claim. The ticket claim form, located by visiting https://tinyurl.com/y4p9yays, will go live today at 9 a.m., and close at 9 p.m. Additional details, including gate times, parking information and event policies, will be included in the ticket claim.

The City of Spokane and Gonzaga University were selected as Egypt’s Team Base Camp Training Site for FIFA World Cup 2026. Team base camps serve as a “home away from home” for national teams throughout the tournament, providing a centralized location for training sessions, player workouts, team meetings and staff operations.

Egypt will make its fourth World Cup appearance in 2026. The Pharaohs are seven-time Africa Cup of Nations champions and are led by head coach Hossam Hassan and a talented squad featuring Premier League standout Mohamed Salah.

Egypt’s FIFA World Cup group-stage schedule includes matches against Belgium on June 15 in Seattle, New Zealand on June 21 in Vancouver, British Columbia, and Iran on June 26 in Seattle.

Gonzaga’s Luger Field will serve as the team’s training site during its stay in Spokane.

Attendees for 2026 Big Sky Football Kickoff Weekend announced 

The Big Sky Conference announced Tuesday the official student-athlete attendee list for the 2026 Big Sky Football Kickoff Weekend, presented by Northern Quest Resort & Casino. 

The Big Sky Football Kickoff Weekend begins on Saturday, July 25 and runs through Monday, July 27 in Airway Heights, Wash.

Monday will feature over four hours of live coverage from the Northern Quest Resort & Casino beginning at 9:00 a.m. PT on ESPN+ and Scripps Sports. The Big Sky’s Meghan Robinson and Scripps Sports’ Kyle Hansen will co-host coverage for the day, with interviews from all 13 football teams, Commissioner Tom Wistrcill and special guests throughout the day. Watch times for all interviews on Monday will be released at a later date. 

2026 Big Sky Football Kickoff Weekend Attendees

Cal Poly: Tim Skipper (HC), Leif Magnuson (OL), Mikey D'Amato (LB)

Eastern Washington: Aaron Best (HC), Malik Dotson (RB), Isaiah Perez (DL)

Idaho: Thomas Ford Jr. (HC), Joshua Wood (QB), Cruz Hepburn (LB)

Idaho State: Cody Hawkins (HC), Jordan Cooke (QB), Nathan Reynolds (LB) 

Montana: Bobby Kennedy (HC), Eli Gillman (RB), Peyton Wing (LB)

Montana State: Brent Vigen (HC), Taco Dowler (WR), Caden Dowler (DB)

Northern Arizona: Brian Wright (HC), Ty Pennington (QB), Ammon Allen (LB)

Northern Colorado: Ed Lamb (HC), Levi Johnson (OL), Blake Weslin (DL)

Portland State: Chris Fisk (HC), Terence Loville (WR), Jaxton Helmstetler (LB)

Southern Utah: DeLane Fitzgerald (HC), Will Burns (QB), Lincoln Tuioti-Mariner (LB)

UC Davis: Tim Plough (HC), Samuel Gbatu, Jr. (WR), Andrew Cofield (DB)

Utah Tech: Lance Anderson (HC), Asa Chatman (RB), Fasitootai Sagapolu (DL)

Weber State: Eric Kjar (HC), Devin Brown (QB), Trevian Tribble (DB)

The 2026 Big Sky Hall of Fame Gala will also be part of the Kickoff Weekend, with festivities beginning at 6:30 p.m. PT, on Saturday, July 25 from the Northern Quest Resort & Casino. The ceremony will highlight all eight inductees from the 2026 class. The gala will be held at the Pend Oreille Pavilion building located on the north side of the Northern Quest Resort & Casino property. 

Tickets for the gala, which have sold out the past three years after reaching full capacity, can be purchased at BigSkyConf.com/HOF. Each ticket is $85, plus fees, which includes admission to the gala, a commemorative poster, and a meal. Purchasers will get to choose from among three options for their meal; those options can be found as well at BigSkyConf.com/HOF

2026 Big Sky Hall of Fame Class (Alphabetical Order) 

Dennis Erickson, Idaho/Montana State (Football Student-Athlete/Head Coach)

Frank Hawkins, Nevada (Football Student-Athlete)

Eric Heins, Northern Arizona (Cross Country/Track and Field Head Coach)

Amber Henry, Weber State (Cross Country/Track and Field Student-Athlete)

Pam Parks, Eastern Washington (Volleyball Coach/Administrator)

Michael Ray Richardson, Montana (Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete)

Jackie Ross Mattox, Idaho (Track and Field Student-Athlete)

Willie Sojourner, Weber State (Men’s Basketball Student-Athlete)

More details about the entire Kickoff Weekend will be announced in the coming weeks. 

Vandals sign JUCO pass catcher Taylor

Idaho football coach Thomas Ford Jr. announced the signing of wide receiver Markel Taylor out of Sacramento City College.

The 6-foot-2 native of Sacramento spent the 2025 season close to home at Sacramento City College, where he was teammates with one of the Vandals' spring signees in linebacker Davon Donaldson. Taylor appeared in nine games for the Panthers, notching 25 receptions for 425 yards and three scores. Against Foothill College in September, he had five grabs for 94 yards and the game-winning TD in the final seconds of SCC's 14-10 win.

At Sacramento High, Taylor 32 catches for 521 yards and four TDs in 12 varsity games.

Taylor joins a receiver room that just added Zack Card from Oregon State the week prior and features notable returners from the 2025 season in Ryan Jezioro, Tony Harste, and Nolan McWilliams. 

EWU men’s basketball adds Swedish guard Homelius

CHENEY — Eastern Washington University men's basketball head coach Dan Monson announced the addition of guard Isak Homelius to the Eagles’ roster.

A native of Huskvarna, Sweden, Homelius joins Eastern Washington after one season at Western Texas College. As a freshman, Homelius started 18 games and appeared in 26 contests while averaging 17.3 points per game. He totaled 451 points on the season while shooting 41 percent from the field, 36 percent from 3-point range, and 78.9 percent from the free throw line.

He also had 59 rebounds, 54 assists, and 17 steals as a freshman.

"His shooting ability and basketball IQ will immediately translate to this level and we feel confident he has all the intangibles to earn a big role for us,” Monson said.