BOISE, Idaho — The College of Idaho men's basketball team has been on a tear this season. The Yotes have won 12-consecutive games and rank No. 3 in the country in the latest NAIA Coaches' Poll.
C of I is a perfect 7-0 in Cascade Collegiate Conference play and 12-1 overall. The Yotes' lone loss of the season came on opening night at No. 1 Arizona Christian University back on Nov. 4.
Last weekend, the red-hot Yotes took it to their rival Lewis-Clark State, winning 82-58 on the road. In the victory, C of I shot over 50% from the field for the second-straight game.
College of Idaho is looking to keep its winning ways going this weekend at the J.A. Albertson Activities Center, as it hosts a pair of conference opponents Friday and Saturday night in Caldwell.
This week, C of I head coach Colby Blaine said the 12-game streak is the result of a teamwide effort. While it begins with the starting five, the Yotes' bench has been leading the way statistically.
"We bring our leading scorer, our leading rebounder and our leading assist-getter off of the bench," Blaine said. "So, I think it's a huge boost that when we bring in those guys from the bench, we're extending our lead, we're extending the pressure, we're extending the pace. Our starters are great at getting us started, playing great defense and rebounding, but it is a whole team effort."
Hailey native Johnny Radford currently leads the Yotes in scoring, averaging 13.2 points per game, while shooting 45% both from the field and behind the arch. As Blaine mentioned, the sophomore guard comes off the bench.
Straton Rogers, another Idaho native (Rocky Mountain High School), is pulling in an impressive 8.7 rebounds per contest off the bench, while also averaging 7.3 points.
College of Idaho has eight players averaging 18 or more minutes played per game, with six Yotes registering more than 21 minutes per outing.
Success has become somewhat of a tradition for the C of I men's basketball program during the Blaine era. He told KTVB the winning ways are in part to the legacy of the team.
Players on the Yotes' roster have learned from C of I teams from before they even arrived in Caldwell, and those lessons have made all the difference.
"One thing we talk about in our program a lot is storytelling and learning from our ancestors. You know, I've been here nine seasons now, and eight teams before us told great stories, and we've learned great lessons from them," Blaine said. "I'm impressed with the maturity of this team to take those stories – you know, most of them weren't here for them – and this team has really taken those to life and taken them to heart, hearing those stories and not letting those come into play for this season."
The Yotes welcome CCC opponent Evergreen to Caldwell on Friday at 7:30 p.m. MT. C of I then faces Northwest on Saturday at 5 p.m. MT at home.
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