Posted by
Anthony Baugher
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Thu, Jul 24, 2008
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Men's Basketball
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Portland, OR. - Cascade men's basketball coach Anthony Baugher officially announced the Thunderbirds' 2008-2009 schedule today.
Non-conference contests at Western Washington University, Pacific Lutheran University, Lewis-Clark State College, Central Washington University, and Seattle University highlight Cascade's 2008-2009 schedule. "This is an extremely tough non-conference schedule for our team," said Baugher. "Following these games we will know what is needed to improve so we can compete nightly in the Cascade Collegiate Conference."
Cascade's home opener is with Simpson University on October 30th. Contests in November include home games with Multnomah Bible College on the 6th, Holy Names College on the 8th and Pacific Union College on the 15th.
On November 17th Cascade travels to Haggen Court at Sam Carver Gymnasium to face Western Washington University. The NCAA Division II school is led by coach Brad Jackson who is in his 24th season at the helm and has collected 424 victories. The Vikings are coming off a 15-12 record for the 2007-2008 season.
"We want these games to prepare our players for our conference schedule," added Baugher. "I know that we will be thoroughly tested after this stretch. These schools have rich basketball traditions and quality programs, but it is needed if we want to turn our program around." On November 20th Cascade travels to Walla Walla University.
Following the Thanksgiving break Cascade travels to Olson Auditorium to face Pacific Lutheran University on December 2nd. On December 5th Cascade hosts Northwest Christian College for their first Conference game of the season. Northwest Christian was 10-21 (7-13 conference) last season and qualified for the conference playoffs. Cascade hosts Walla Walla University on December 7th and Kwantlen University on December 12th.
Following a break for final exams Cascade travels to Eastern Oregon University on December 19th and College of Idaho on December 20th for two conference games. Eastern Oregon, the 2007-2008 Cascade Conference champions, were 26-6 (17-3 conference) last season and made it to the 2nd round of the NAIA Division II tournament. This was the schools first ever appearance in the tournament. EOU's head coach, Ryan Looney was named CCC coach of the year for the 2007-2008 season.
The College of Idaho Coyotes finished with a 13-18 (10-10 conference) record last season, just the third time since 1981 that The C of I failed to reach the .500 mark. However, the team earned votes in the NAIA Division II national poll for the 16th-straight season and advanced to the post-season for the 26th time in the last 27 years.
After a brief Christmas break Cascade travels to Lewiston, Idaho on December 28th to face Lewis-Clark State College. LCSC, a member of the Frontier Conference, finished last season with a 22-10 (10-4 conference) record.
The next evening Cascade will travel to the Nicholson Pavilion in Ellensburg, Washington to play the Wildcats of Central Washington University. Last season the NCAA Division II Wildcats were 21-7 (15-3 conference), and they finished 2nd in the Great Northwest Athletic Conference.
January finds the Thunderbirds entering full swing into Conference play. Cascade hosts the first three conference contests, Evergreen State, Northwest, and Warner Pacific; and then travels to Corban on the 9th and Concordia on the 10th.
Evergreen State is coming off a very successful year under Coach Jeff Drinkwine. In Drinkwine's first season, the men's team finished their 2007-08 season with their most successful record in six years. "Evergreen State was 21-8 overall and 14-6 in conference play," said Baugher. "They play a similar style to ours and are very explosive offensively; I look for them to improve on their 3rd place finish."
Northwest is looking to return to NAIA tournament form under Coach John Van Dyke who is in his 9th year with the program. "Northwest finished 14-16 overall and 10-10 in conference last season," said Baugher. "6th place in the toughest NAIA Division II conference in the country is impressive; we look forward to the challenge of playing such a well-respected program."
Warner Pacific is fresh off a trip to the national tournament last season. "Year in and year out, Coach Valentine does an amazing job at Warner Pacific," said Baugher. "They tie for third in the regular season and then go on to win the CCC tournament. Bart has his guys ready at the right time of the season; his staff will have them prepared nightly for conference play."
Cascade hosts four more games after the brief road trip, Oregon Tech, Southern Oregon, College of Idaho, and Eastern Oregon; finishing up the month of January with road games at Warner Pacific on the 27th and Northwest Christian on the 31st.
In the month of February Cascade has two conference games; Southern Oregon on the 6th and Oregon Tech on the 7th. "Coach Brian McDermott has built a quality program at Southern Oregon University," said Baugher. "Southern finished 10-20 overall and 6-14 in conference last season; they will be in the hunt for a playoff berth this year."
Oregon Tech won their 2nd National Championship this past season, finishing with a 31-6 record. "During my first week on the job here at Cascade, I received a letter from OIT coach Danny Miles congratulating me on the job and welcoming me to the CCC," said Baugher. "Coach Miles has a program at OIT that everyone in the league should attempt to emulate; he is a quality individual of high character and his players reflect it on and off the court." Oregon Tech will try to defend their National Championship after losing only 1 starter from last season's team.
Cascade takes a break in conference play to travel north to play Seattle University. "We are extremely excited about playing Seattle University," said Baugher. "This will be a great test of our program's character by playing a division one school on the road."
After Cascade's trip to Seattle they enter back into conference play as they host Concordia on the 13th. The 2007-08 Concordia team finished the season with a 15-15 overall record and a Cascade Collegiate Conference mark of 11-9 to finish fifth in the CCC race, making their 12th consecutive trip to the Cascade Collegiate Conference playoffs.
The Concordia game will be held on "Coaches vs. Cancer" night at Cascade. "This game means a lot to me, my family, my players, and our coaching/athletic staff," said Baugher. "We are happy to assist the American Cancer Society and raise money for such a worthy cause."
Coaches vs. Cancer is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. The program leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of basketball coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.
Following the "Coaches vs. Cancer" night Cascade hosts Corban on February 14th. Corban was 10-20 overall and 5-15 in conference play last season. "I have a lot of respect for the program Coach Sherwood has built over the last seven years," said Baugher. "He wants his players to have a quality Christian education and excel on and off the court; this is our approach also."
Cascade concludes the regular season with two road games; at Northwest on the 20th and at Evergreen State on the 21st. The Cascade Collegiate Conference tournament begins with the Quarterfinals on Wednesday Feb. 25. The CCC Semi-finals are on Saturday Feb. 28, and the Championship game will be played on March 3. The NAIA Division II National Championship will be held at College of the Ozarks, March 11th - 17th.
Cascade Men's Basketball schedule is posted online at:
Cascade College is a four-year, private, co-educational liberal arts college emphasizing spiritual growth and career preparation. Cascade College offers a close academic community within a vibrant metropolitan area. Cascade is a branch campus of Oklahoma Christian University. The 12-acre campus is located within the beautiful city of Portland, Oregon just ten minutes from Portland International Airport, near the Metropolitan Area Express train system (MAX) and a short drive from stunning natural attractions such as the Columbia River Gorge National Scenic Area, Mt. Hood, Multnomah Falls, and the Oregon coast.
