Cautious optimism for CWU men

YAKIMA — There are not that many similarities between the Central Washington men’s teams of 2006-07 and 2008-09, and for that Wildcats fans can be thankful.

Though both were picked to win GNAC championships in a preseason vote of conference coaches, the current edition seems better suited for such an accomplishment.

Central Washington’s Matt Penoncello looks to pass the ball during the Wildcats’ game against Western Washington in January in Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg. (Sara Gettys/Yakima Herald-Republic)

While the earlier team had a bonafide superstar in Lance Den Boer, who became the No. 5 career scorer in the program’s storied history, it did not have enough in support of him to make the Division II playoffs.

This team, with both veteran help and new faces who figure to bolster the returning tandem of Jake Beitinger and Matt Penoncello, seems deeper and more versatile.

Still, coach Greg Sparling is cautious in his optimism.

“I don’t put much stock in those things,” he said of the poll. “It’s great for the program and it’s great for the university, but there are 27 games between now and the end of the season. We as a staff think we’ve put a nice team together. But we still have to play the games.”

Central played three since Sparling was interviewed, and will take a 2-1 record into this weekend’s Shilo Invitational at Northwest Nazarene in Nampa, Idaho.

And while the two biggest guns will probably be the 6-foot-8 Beitinger and the 6-5 Penoncello, both seniors, this squad seems to have more firepower than last season’s, which reached the regional playoffs.

It also has more size, with 6-9 sophomore Chris Sprinker transferring in from Tacoma Community College. Sprinker, Beitinger and Penoncello are all former Eastern Washington Eagles, and came to Ellensburg due in part to CWU assistant G.E. Coleman, who was an Eastern aide.

And with defensive specialist Johnny Spevak, inside-outside scoring threat Brandon Foote and guards Gio Woods and Colton Monti back to go with newcomers such as point guard Chris Scott and swingman Riley Sivak —  the latter a former Ellensburg High and Columbia Basin College standout who redshirted last season — the Wildcats can come at opponents in a number of ways.

Central Washington’s Jake Beitinger holds the ball during a game against Western Washington in January at Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg.

“As a team we can go small and shoot it better than a lot of other teams I’ve had,” said Sparling, who’s in his 14th season as CWU’s head man. “But if teams try a box and one on Penn, we can go big and ram it down their throats. Pretty much all our scorers can post up if they get a mismatch inside, and pretty much all of them can shoot it and have a nice mid-range game.

“We have really nice balance. But we still have to go out and play.”

CENTRAL WASHINGTON MEN’S ROSTER

Jon Clift, 5-10, Jr., G, Ferris HS/CCs of Spokane; Gio Woods, 6-3, Sr., G, River Ridge HS/Evergreen State/San Jose City College; Colton Monti, 6-0, Sr., G, North Thurston HS; Chris Scott, 5-8, Jr., G, Las Vegas/South Puget Sound CC; Ryan Snowden, 6-4, Fr., G, Auburn HS; Matt Penoncello, 6-5, Sr., G, Moscow, Idaho/Eastern Washington; Shane Miller, 6-4, G, Moscow, Idaho/Treasure Valley CC; Johnny Spevak, 6-3, Sr., G, Puyallup HS; Brandon Foote, 6-3, Sr., Bellingham HS/Whatcom CC; Jake Beitinger, 6-8, Sr., South Kitsap HS/Eastern Washington; Ted Nelson, 6-11, Fr, C, Hoquiam HS; Riley Sivak, 6-5, Jr., G-F, Ellensburg HS/Columbia Basin; Chris Sprinker, 6-9, So., F-C, Curtis HS/Eastern Washington/Tacoma CC.
Head coach: Greg Sparling. Assistants: G.E. Coleman, Karl Albrecht, Chris Bannish, Jason Buffum.

REMAINING SCHEDULE

December — 5-6, at Northwest Nazarene Shilo Inn Tounament, vs. Colorado-Colorado Springs, vs. Colorado Mines; 13, #Shaw University; 16, at Dixie State; 18-19, Great Western Shootout, Las Vegas, vs. Cal Poly Pomona, vs. Cal State Stanislaus; 29, #Cascade College.

January — 8, *at Alaska Fairbanks; 10, *at Alaska Anchorage; 15, *#Seattle Pacific; 17, *#Saint Martins; 21, *at Montana State Billings; 24, *#Western Washington; 29, *#Northwest Nazarene; 31, *at Seattle Pacific.

February — 7, *#Western Oregon; 12, *at Northwest Nazarene; 14, *at Saint Martin’s; 19, *at Western Oregon; 26, *%Alaska Anchorage; 28, *%Alaska Fairbanks.

March — 5, *#Montana State Billings; 7, *at Western Washington; 13-16, NCAA Division II West Regional; 25-28, NCAA Division II Elite Eight, Springfield, Mass.

* — GNAC game, # — 7 p.m., % — 7:30 p.m.