Dave Boling: As Dan Monson is welcomed home, the Inland Northwest hoop scene grows further intertwined

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Apr. 15—With Dan Monson’s hiring at Eastern Washington, the Inland Northwest basketball environment further closed into a flat circle, a hoop, perhaps, with common elements woven and connected like nylon netting.

This collective excellence, with men’s and women’s programs flourishing at the region’s schools, is good for the players, the programs, and the fans.

Monson’s return further enhances that providential interconnectedness. Monday, at his introductory press conference at EWU, he gave additional evidence that he is among the most sincere and relatable coaches in the country.

It’s a results-oriented business, but also one that, in the best of cases, is built on relationships. Monson is as genuine and caring as it gets, with the roots of his family tree intertwined with his coaching tree.

So, now the new EWU coach has strong Gonzaga connections, with Monson having been head coach during the Zags’ unprecedented national emergence.

Washington State’s new coach, Dave Riley, has moved to Pullman from Cheney, where he recently led EWU to a pair of conference titles. Riley also played for Whitworth.

And, with the recent conference shakeups, Gonzaga and Washington State are now West Coast Conference lodge brothers.

A fair percentage of Monson’s presentation Monday was outlining his history in the region, most of which has been examined in recent days, except the fact that, as a child, he used to play in a nearby park that his father, Don, helped supervise while he was coaching at Cheney High.

And, also, that his wife, Darci, was once a Spokane “Lilac queen.” Nowhere in his bio does he divulge that he was married to royalty.

Don, who took Idaho to its highest national prominence (the NCAA Sweet 16 in 1982), kicked in $5,000 to the EWU athletic coffers since his son’s hiring.

All that helps explain Monson’s roots. What is of more relevance to the basketball product is Monson’s connections to local hoop power-brokers.

On Sunday, he spent two hours on the phone with GU coach Mark Few, the…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/dave-boling-dan-monson-welcomed-020100492.html

Author : The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Wash.

Publish date : 2024-04-16 02:01:00

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