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SECTION Sonics lay egg Pistons win, hold C to franchise-low 65 Monday,Friday, MarchJuly 4, 8,2001 2004 points. /Page C3 The Spokesman-Review Spokane, Wash./Coeur d’Alene, Idaho Sports NHL/C2 Classifieds/C6

‘‘He wants the Coach is master of deflection spotlight COMING UP shined on us. EWU’s Giacoletti wants spotlight on his players, not himself Big Sky But obviously By Jim Meehan ‘‘He wants the team to be recognized more he’s the brains Staff writer than himself,’’ junior forward Marc Axton said. At Reese Court in Cheney behind the Ray Giacoletti probably won’t like this ‘‘He believes in us and wants the best for us. Semifinals, Tuesday article. The subject matter bothers him. He wants the spotlight shined on us. 6:05: Northern Arizona vs. Idaho St. operation.’’ ‘‘Can’t you do something on one of the ‘‘But obviously he’s the brains behind the 8:15: Eastern vs. Weber State kids?’’ he asks a reporter. operation.’’ Marc Axton Eastern Washington’s fourth-year men’s EWU’s operation is humming along quite Championship, Wednesday 6:05: Semifinals winners (ESPN2) on his coach, coach is comfortable on the nicely at present. The Eagles, outright regular- Ray Giacoletti sideline, diagramming plays, breaking down season champions for the first time, are poised tape, visiting a recruit’s family, trading stories to host the Big Sky tournament Tuesday and with coaching buddies, chatting in his office. Wednesday at Reese Court. EWU is searching for its first NCAA berth When the topic turns to Giacoletti, he Eastern will face fifth-seeded Weber State in after three consecutive runner-up finishes in squirms a bit and tries to deflect attention back the semifinals at approximately 8:15 Tuesday. the Big Sky tournament. Jed Conklin/The Spokesman-Review toward his players. No. 3 Idaho State meets No. 2 Northern Ray Giacoletti led the Eastern Washington Eagles to their first Big Sky title. That’s typical, his players insist. Arizona at 6:05 p.m. Continued: Giacoletti/C6

Now it’s Gonzaga’s turn to carry conference, says John Blanchette. WCC has always been top-heavy The Spokesman-Review

ANTA CLARA, Calif. —There S is something in the neighborhood of 1,600 Gonzaga loyalists in town for the West John Coast Conference Blanchette tournament. Some of them even brought a change of Kennel Club T-shirts just in case too much beverage gets spilled on the good one. An eyeball estimate suggested there were as many as a thousand more in on this weekend a year ago. Which leads us to this obvious conclusion: The had better truck its basketball tournament up to Spokane and be quick about it, before we lose interest completely. Then again, maybe that’s what the other schools are counting on. If there is such a thing as an irrelevant errand, this tournament would seem to be it. Yes, there is a championship game to be played tonight with an automatic NCAA Tournament berth at stake, and perhaps one of the participants will even be Gonzaga, ranked fourth in the nation Associated Press and the WCC’s Rocky Marciano, if only President George W. Bush visited with NASCAR drivers before the start of the Daytona 500 on Feb. 15. basketball teams were allowed to retire undefeated. But from a practical standpoint, it matters not. The Bulldogs could stay in their hotel rooms and play XBox if they so desired and their Bracketville reservation would still be honored, if not with the same suite. He’s just one of the boys Likewise, if the Zags were to lose here, somebody else would get the trophy and the same respect accorded lottery winners. but he doesn’t want to have to worry about his base either,’’ Lichtman said. And if the Zags win as expected, well, President stokes regular-guy image with NASCAR, rodeo, other sports then it costs the conference a few hundred Activities such as throwing out the first thousand in NCAA booty. By Jennifer Loven family. That comes in handy particularly this sporting events reinforce the campaign’s pitch at the World Series and hosting major sports champions at the White House are So, aside from those aforementioned Associated Press year, as the president will almost certainly message that Bush identifies with regular face Democratic Sen. John Kerry, a wealthy folks in the places where they live and work longtime presidential traditions that well 1,600, it’s pretty obvious where the rooting predate Bush. interests are. RAWFORD, Texas — Until last Northeasterner the Bush campaign aims to and play. month, President Bush hadn’t been paint as out of sync with much of the country. An Associated Press poll taken last week And Bush’s credentials as a genuine sports This is as it always is in the WCC, which fan, who would rather turn on a game than to a NASCAR race since he was Allan Lichtman, a political scientist at showed Bush leading Kerry by almost 20 seems to be most content hatching one just about anything else and avidly reads governor of Texas and running for American University in Washington, said the percent among white men. terrific team to tow the rest of the C sports pages, aren’t in doubt. Early in his president. On Monday, he goes to a rodeo events call attention to Bush as ‘‘both the members into the big picture. If it isn’t But that doesn’t mean the president has no presidency, the former owner of the Texas USF of the 1950s or 1970s, it’s a Santa and livestock exhibition in Houston — again, macho guy and the regular guy.’’ work to do among that demographic. for the first time since he was governor. Rangers team even instituted a Clara in the 1960s, a Loyola Marymount ‘‘Despite all the charges that his Increasing loyalty among core supporters Sunday T-ball league on the South Lawn. in the ’80s or a Pepperdine in the ’90s. Such appearances at sports events this administration is a giveaway to the rich, this early in the election season is a classic And now GU. campaign strategy. But recent months have seen an increased election year help Bush shore up his standing shows President Bush as in touch with the emphasis. On the rarest of occasions, there are two with his core supporters: white men. concerns and the lives of ordinary Americans Furthermore, the entire election could turn Last month, he made a high-profile or three teams of relatively equal merit in all the ways the patrician, distant, former on a small number of votes in states such as They also show him as a plain-talking appearance at NASCAR’s most prestigious atop the standings and a conference hippie war protester John Kerry isn’t,’’ West Virginia and Missouri where white men boots-wearer with Middle America tastes — event, the Daytona 500, buzzing the crowd in tournament with some spontaneous Lichtman said. are a key bloc and the election was very close an image Bush has cultivated for years to Air Force One, looping the track in his drama. counter his background as an Ivy Leaguer A Republican official, who spoke on in 2000, Lichtman said. from an old, wealthy, New England-based condition of anonymity, said the stops at ‘‘He certainly isn’t hurting with his base, Continued: Bush/C5 Continued: Blanchette/C5 Gonzaga women fall short Chiefs clinch playoff berth PORTLAND — Bring on the Klassen com- By Steve Bergum Loyola Marymount berth in this year’s NCAA tournament, and left the playoffs. pleted his hat Staff writer Bulldogs (18-11) looking in from the outside once Chad Klassen had his second ca- trick with an captures WCC title, again. reer hat trick, and also added an empty net, short- SANTA CLARA, NCAA tourney berth assist, and the handed goal with Calif. — Loyola Mary- Afterward, Gonzaga coach said he clinched a 31 seconds re- was disappointed that his young team came up a win mount spared itself the indignity, Sunday after- playoff berth with a 6-3 win over the Chiefs 6 maining. noon, of becoming the last West Coast Conference short of making the NCAAs, but added he was still Portland Winter Hawks on Sunday hoping there might still be some basketball left — Winter Hawks 3 Braydon Co- women’s basketball team to make it to the NCCA night. burn, Darrell Tournament. like in the Women’s National Invitation Tourna- The teams were tied at two goals ment, perhaps. Wednesday: May and Kyle Instead, that unwanted distinction belongs to the each after the first period, but the Kelowna at Bailey scored for . ‘‘Listen, they’re a great team,’’ he said of the Chiefs held a 4-2 lead after the Spokane, 7 p.m. Portland Lions, who have reeled off 15 consecutive wins second. In a WCC tournament final featuring the only (32-28-6-3). since losing their WCC opener at Gonzaga back in Joff Kehler, Scott Lynch and Brad The Chiefs conclude the regular two conference schools without a trip to the early January. ‘‘I don’t think we’re going to get an Schell also scored for Spokane NCAAs on their resumes, the top-seeded Lions NCAA bid, but I think we have a good shot of (30-28-4-7), which moved to within season this week with home games on knocked off the second-seeded Zags 61-58 in front playing (in the WNIT). I would hope that’s in our two points of the Winter Hawks for Wednesday against Kelowna and of a crowd of 1,654. Brian Plonka/The spokesman-Review third spot in the U.S. Division. Schell Saturday against Kootenay, wrapped The win gave LMU (24-5) the league’s automatic Continued: GU women/C5 GU’s Ashley Burke fouls LMU’s Kate Murray, top. assisted on two goals. around a Friday date at Kootenay.

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