By Cory McKendrick, USU Eastern Sports Information Contributor
In preparation for the upcoming 2020-21 men’s basketball season, the Eagles have a new leader at the helm. Coach Bill Evans was announced as head men’s basketball coach at Utah State University Eastern on April 27. Coach Evans was formerly at Southern Utah University as well as Idaho State University.
This summer, as different of a recruiting time that it is with the world still recovering from COVID-19, will be Evans’ first opportunity to assemble the right players to fit the program. As mentioned in a previous article, Evans said, “My philosophy is pretty simple. I’m going to bring in good guys and try to develop a relationship with them. We’re going to win some games and we’re going to graduate guys. It’s a pretty easy philosophy.”
To recap some of last season and keep basketball top of mind for you fans out there, we will share some notable statistics. The Eagles averaged 77.3 points per game, outscoring their opponents by a 2.6 points per game margin. They slightly edged opponents in 3-pointers made with 240 compared to the 235 of their opponents. However, they shot a far better percentage at 36% compared to the opponents 31%. An Achilles heel for the Eagles was the free throw line, specifically the number of attempts allowed by opponents per game.
Christian Haffner led the way in scoring for the Eagles with 12.7 points per game. 297 of his 381 total points game from 3-point land. Turahn Thompson averaged 9.4 points per game, 5.7 rebounds per game and 1.7 steals per game.
Hopefully talks of an NBA season around the corner will get you excited for some USU Eastern basketball this fall. We hope to see you in the home opener and the subsequent home games next season. Go Eagles!