Everett, WA – The 2023-24 Trojan basketball season tipped off on Friday at the Walt Price Center in front of a solid crowd, and for the first time in seven years with a new head coach, Daniel Thompson. Thompson however is no stranger to the program, having served the past nine seasons as an assistant coach and played for the Trojans under legendary head coach Larry Walker. In those years, the program has seen incredible success, especially in the past six years while Thompson was an assistant under Mike Trautman (another Trojan Alumni). In that span the team won four consecutive North Region Title's, and last year made an incredible run all the way to the NWAC Championship game.
The new season with new faces (only one returner from last year's NWAC 2nd place finishing team) and new coaching staff perhaps presented some nerves in the opening game of the season against Wenatchee Valley College and the Trojans started out 0-11 from the field falling behind by as many as 16. EvCC finally got some rhythm and climbed back to within 8, finishing the first half shooting 31% from the floor and down 38-30. Ethan Martin led EvCC with 8 points.
Out of the break, EvCC got the first couple of buckets and cut the lead to four, but at the 15-minute media break found themselves still trailing 47-42. Wenatchee was led by Michael Afrakoff who single handedly kept the Knights in front and had 27 points.
By the ten-minute media EvCC tied the game at 51 after a three from Ben Ackerley and then knocked down a pair of free throws. Wenatchee continued to hit from downtown but the Trojans got their first lead of the game with 7:22 remaining on a Derek Smith three to go up 58-57.
It might have been a new year, with a new team, and a new coach, but it was a familiar late game, down to the wire Trojan basketball finish. With four minutes to play it was a one point game, but EvCC got stops on the defensive end and held Afrakoff scoreless in the final seven minute of the game. Smith, Ackerley, and McEnroe all scored down the stretch and the Trojans won 77-67.
Despite shooting 36% from the field for the game, EvCC pressed the tempo and got up nearly 20 more shots than WVC, and that ended up being the difference. Everett also forced 20 turnovers which led to 12 fast break points. Transfer sophomore Derek Smith led the way for EvCC with 22 points, and another transfer sophomore Ben Ackerley added 13 with 6 rebounds. Local true freshman Jailin Johnson from Mariner High School finished the game with 12, and another local true freshman Ethan Martin from Arlington High School scored 8 with 4 assists.
Everett was back at it on Saturday, this time hosting south region opponent Mt. Hood CC. The Saints featured a big lineup but the Trojans were not intimidated and started the game off much better than the previous day shooting over 50% from the field.
The Trojans led by 9 through the first ten minutes of action and built the lead out to as much as 12, but Mt. Hood generated some fast break point opportunities and capitalized on 20 points inside the paint to stay within striking distance. The Trojans were out-rebounded and shot seven fewer free throws than Mt. Hood but managed to keep the lead going into the half, up 41-37. It was a balanced scoring attack for EvCC with 8 different scorers, led by Nate Harding's 8 points, Ben Ackerley with 9, and Derek Smith with 10.
Mt. Hood came out with energy in the second half and tied the game at 44, three minutes in, but the Trojans held composure and outscored the Saints 25-16 to the 10:00 minute media timeout and held onto a nine-point lead.
The final five minutes would be action packed as the Saints climbed back into the game and each team exchanged leads. With one minute to go, Everett had a two-point lead on Derek Smith's three. After a stop on the defensive end, Ethan Martin hit a three to seal the game and the Trojans would go on to start the season 2-0. Derek Smith led the way for EvCC with 23 points on 10-15 shooting. Four other Trojans scored in double figures, Jailin Johnson with 15, Ethan Martin and Raefe McEnroe each with 12, and Ben Ackerley with 11. Jailin Johnson also had 10 assists and also went 8-8 from the free throw line.
Everett will play next on Friday after Thanksgiving, and will match up once again with Mt. Hood. This time the two evenly matched teams will face each other on a neutral floor at the Lower Columbia Red Devil Classic in Longview, WA. That game is scheduled to start at 3:00pm.