New CBC head coach makes plans to ‘play fast and have an attack mindset’

The Columbia Basin College men’s basketball program has found its new leader.

It’s Anthony Owens, who has most recently been an assistant coach at the University of Texas-Tyler.

Before that, Owens was the head coach at University of Great Falls in Montana (now called the University of Providence), and before that Owens had been an assistant coach for Portland State University.

“With stops in his career at the NAIA, DII and DI levels, he has extensive college experience both as a coach and as a recruiter,” said CBC athletic director Scott Rogers. “He’s been in a lot of different environments and we’re excited to have his wealth of knowledge at Columbia Basin College.”

Rogers had been searching for a new head coach for a while.

Just after the first weekend of the 2019-20 season, then-head coach Rolando Garcia came into Rogers’ office and said he needed to resign immediately for personal reasons.

Rogers was able to convince Bryan Edwards — who was going to be an assistant coach at Pasco High School — to come over on short notice to the CBC campus and become the interim head coach for the Hawks.

Edwards led the Hawks to an 8-20 record (3-13 in East Region play). But he also helped three CBC players, to this point, move on to four-year schools.

Anthony Owens is pumped to be coming to Pasco.

“I am excited to begin here at CBC,” said Owens in a CBC news release. “The Tri-Cities area is full of talent that allows us to be successful, and getting a chance to coach a group of guys that want to get better and move on is a great opportunity.”

And Edwards stays on staff as a lead assistant.

Edwards wanted the interim tag taken off his job title, but Rogers and CBC have made a major effort in getting all CBC head coaches full-time positions on campus.

Edwards has a thriving personal training business.

That didn’t stop him from recruiting some strong local players for the men’s program this past month — Southridge’s Tristan Smith, Richland’s Cody Sanderson (via Central Washington University), Pasco’s Ethan Legard and Nick Gutierrez, and Hanford’s Connor Woodward (by way of Green River Community College).

“I want to play fast and have an attack mindset,” said Anthony Owens, “but I also want take the great recruiting class and sophomores Coach Edwards has brought in and put them in the best situation to be successful.”

Americans’ WHL Bantam draft

The Tri-City Americans ended up taking 10 players from Wednesday’s Western Hockey League bantam draft.

That included three players alone from the Delta Hockey Academy in British Columbia. The list also includes teammates from two other squads.

DHA defenseman Lukas Dragicevic, from Richmond, British Columbia, was selected by Tri-Cities in the first round, fourth overall pick in the draft.

Lucas, the son of former Tri-City American Milan Dragicevic, already has signed a standard WHL player agreement with the team on Monday morning.

Dragicevic’s teammate, right wing Deagan McMillan, was the Ams’ next pick, this one coming in the second round and 25th overall.

The Americans’ third pick was right winger Tanner Gould of the Calgary Bisons program.

Gould was grabbed in the third round, at No. 47 overall.

Tri-City wasted little time in going back to the Bisons, grabbing Gould’s teammate, right winger Benjamin Stokes, in the fifth round.

Then the third Delta Hockey Academy player was picked by the Ams in the sixth round, when defenseman Carter Savage heard his name called.

Tri-City also grabbed two teammates from the same team out of Anchorage.

Team Alaska’s 14U defenseman Max Lightwood went in the eighth round, while his teammate, forward Luke Anderson, was an 11th-round selection.

The remaining three draft picks are: Calgary Jr. Flames right wing Drew Freer, in the sixth round; Dallas Penguins 14U forward Slava Tugolakov, in the ninth round; and Chicago Mission 14U forward Payton Nelson, in the 10th round.

Notes

• Relief pitcher Jeb Callaghan (Columbia Basin CC) had thrown 6.1 innings for the 8-8 George Washington University baseball team this season.

Callaghan had struck out 3 batters and had an earned run average of 8.53.

• Maloree Calzadillas (Kiona-Benton) came off the bench this winter for the 12-15 Tacoma Community College women’s basketball team.

Calzadillas played in 19 games for the Titans, averaging 2.6 points and 1.2 rebounds as a freshman.

• Sophomore Dylan Grogan (Stanfield) averaged 9.0 points and 4.6 rebounds this season for the Blue Mountain Community College men’s basketball team. The Timberwolves finished the season with a 7-22 record.

• This winter indoor track season for Washington State University included a high jump lead of 7-foot-1 for Mitch Jacobson (Walla Walla), making him No. 1 among the Cougars.

Teammate Jared McAlvey (Walla Walla) was No. 2 for the Cougars men in the 400 meters, clocking in with a time of 48.30 seconds.

• Freshman Nyenuchi Okemgbo (Hanford) has easily made the adjustment from high school to college track.

Okemgbo placed third in the Big Sky Conference women’s 60-meter hurdles final for Eastern Washington University in the conference indoor championships in February. Her time of 8.63 seconds is the top time this season for an Eagle.

• Sprinter Katie Petsch (Kamiakin) finished the winter indoor track season strong for Eastern Washington University.

Her 7.77 seconds time in the women’s 60 meters was the best time by any Eagles sprinter this season. Petsch also ran a 25.44 in the women’s 200 meters for the top EWU women’s time of the season.

Both times by Petsch were recorded at the Big Sky Conference Indoor Track Championships.

• Dixie State University’s softball team was 19-7 before the season was stopped last month.

Kirsten Quigley (Othello) played shortstop and was batting .292 (14 for 48) with 3 RBIs, while teammate Emma Sweet (Walla Walla) was 2-for-7 for a .286 batting average.

• Reliever Abraham Rheinschmidt (Kiona-Benton) had made three appearances this season for the 8-4 Southwestern Oregon Community College baseball team.

Rheinschmidt had fanned 8 batters in 6.1 innings of work.

Teammate Aiden McMurdo (Hanford) had not yet pitched this season.