Beginning Monday, June 21st, 2004 CHN began unveiling 144 Team previews in 144 Days. CHN ranked the nations top 144 teams, and is unveiling one per day leading up until the opening day of the 2004-05 Season.

Bookmark the 144 Teams in 144 Days home page, and check back each day to see which team is previewed next.

Head coach Ray Giacoletti led the Eagles to a Big Sky championship and a trip to the big dance before heading to Salt Lake City to take over the Utah program. Mike Burns is the new leader at Eastern Washington. Burns spent three years as an assistant at EWU before heading to Washington State as an assistant last season. The transition back to the Eagles shouldn’t be tough for Burns or the program.

Who’s Out: Leading scorer Alvin Snow will be the biggest loss for the Eagles. Snow was the heart of the team last year, scoring 14.7 points and grabbing 5.1 boards per contest. Brendon Merritt averaged 11 points and three assists per game. Josh Barnard added nearly nine points per game. Also on the way out is sparsely used Gregg Smith.

Who’s In: Junior College transfers Kenny Smith and Jamal Holden will add some more experience to the backcourt. Both guards come from winning traditions at their Junior Colleges and should see some time on the floor because of their experience. A trio of freshmen guards will bring even more depth. Nick Livi, Rodney Stuckey and James Loe should see some minutes off the bench, but being a major impact player is still a couple years away for this bunch. Small forward Matt Penoncello will see few minutes off the bench this year. At 6-6 and only 190 pounds, he may need some time to get the feel of playing in DI hoops. Jake Beitinger is the freshman with the best chance of making a significant ompact this year. The 6-8 power forward is active under the basket and will be a force in the Big Sky before his collegiate career is over.

Who to Watch: Marc Axton will be the senior leader and the big name coming out of Cheney, Washington. ‘Ax’ can do it all. He scored 12.9 points, nabbed 4.6 boards and dished out 2.6 assists per game as a junior last season. He is a solid shooter and will hit the 3-pointers with consistency. At 6-7, Axton can also go into the post. On the defensive end, he is no slouch either. He can steal, block and is a resilient defender. Last year was Alvin Snow’s team. This year it will be Marc Axton’s.

Projected Conference Rank: Last year six of the other seven teams in the Big Sky finished with either a 7-7 or 6-8 record. Another team will have to come out from the middle of the pack to challenge the Eagles. There are some other quality teams in the conference, but this will be Eastern Washington’s year once again. Anything but a 1st place finish and a second straight trip to the NCAA Tourney will disappoint the fans in Cheney, Washington.

Projected Post-season Tournament: NCAA

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Email Joel Welser: jwelser_chn@ameritech.net

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