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Brimhall has IV riding high Cougars are undefeated in Skyline Conference play heading into tonight's game at Phoenix By FRANK SILOW Mail Tribune Jeff Brimhall has returned Illinois Valley to Skyline Conference basketball prominence in his fourth season as coach. Brimhall along with a trio of talented seniors � Justin Graven, Daniel Houston and Beau Brown - has helped Illinois Valley to a 7-0 record after the first round of league play and a 13-3 overall mark. Illinois Valley completed its first-half run with a 67-50 home victory over Phoenix on Tuesday and begins the second round of league competition at 7:15 tonight against the Pirates. The Cougars' improvement under the 30-year-old Brimhall is undeniable. When he began the 1998-99 season, he inherited a team that went 5-19 the year before. His first team was 11-13, and his second made the conference playoffs and finished with a 16-10 mark. Then last year, IV finished second in the conference, won a Class 3A state playoff sub-round contest and opened the state tournament with a 60-53 victory over LaSalle. The Cougars completed the season at 20-8. What: Illinois Valley boys basketball went undefeated in the first-round of Skyline Conference play and leads the league with a 7-0 record, one-game ahead of second-place Mazama. Who: Jeff Brimhall took over a team that was 5-19 the year before he became Illinois Valley coach four years ago. With seniors Daniel Houston, Justin Graven and Beau Brown leading the way, the Cougars are 13-3 this season and have a 12-game winning streak. Houston leads the team with a 19-point average, Graven averages just under 19 points a game and six assists and Brown averages 14 points and 10 rebounds. Up Next: Illinois Valley begins the second-round of league play at 7:15 tonight at Phoenix. Brimhall came to Illinois Valley after working as an assistant coach at a pair of larger high schools in Utah and Arizona. A 1997 graduate of Brigham Young University, he is married with three children and teaches Spanish at IV. Seventh-ranked Illinois Valley is presently on a roll with a 12-game winning streak, but it was three straight loses early in the season that really shaped this team's destiny. After dropping close decisions to Reedsport and Gold Beach, the Cougars were shocked when Class 2A Oakland defeated them on a buzzer-beater. "You could see the Oakland loss was very disheartening," says Brimhall. "The players said, 'That is enough.' It humbled them." The Cougars haven't lost since. "We're excited to be where we're at, but we're not satisfied," says Brimhall. "The kids are starting to believe in themselves. Confidence goes a long way." Illinois Valley is not a program with a long, rich basketball tradition. True, the 1996-97 team finished third at the state tournament, but in the late 1980s, the Cougars went a combined 1-39 in back-to-back seasons. Brimhall's message to his players when he first arrived was simple: "It's not OK to lose. You're here to do a job." Graven and Houston are returning starters from last season's team that advanced to the state quarterfinals. Both played secondary roles on that squad. Brown, who grew about 21/2 inches from his junior year to over 6-foot-4 now, has made a successful transition from the junior varsity. The 6-2 Houston is a strong, slender, athletic front-court player, who leads the team in scoring at 19.7 points a game. He also accounts for nine rebounds a contest. The 6-1 Graven is averaging just under 19 points and is the team's top assist man with six a game. And Brown averages 14 points and almost 10 rebounds. Not only are Houston and Brown effective close to the hoop, they have demonstrated a long-range shooting touch -combining for 23 3-pointers. Graven is the most fiery of the big three. "He scores from all over, distributes the ball and has transition skills," says Brimhall. Graven has a team-high 35 treys. Mazama coach Randy Rose is not surprised the Cougars appear to be his team's top rival for the conference championship. Illinois Valley's 66-65 home overtime win over Mazama is the Vikings' only conference loss. "This isn't Jeff's most talented team, but it's his best team," says the third-year Mazama coach. "They play better together and they're better defensively than the last three years. In the past, they tried to outscore you. Now they don't have to get into a shooting match." Rose calls Houston one of the best big men in the league, and Hidden Valley coach Randy Kirkland concurs. "Houston is a different style of player," says Kirkland. "It never looks like he's putting out a lot of effort. He's just real smooth." The Cougars present certain match-up problems for opponents with three players who can post big numbers. "They're a three-headed monster," says Kirkland. "We thought, if you stop one of them, it would slow them down. But Jeff has them working real well together." Brian Paul, a 6-2 junior forward, and 6-1 guard Tyler Mikels are the Cougars' other starters. In their 59-48 win over Hidden Valley, Mikels was the difference with a 15-point performance. That seems to be the story of the IV season so far. Different players have come up with key contributions on different nights. This resolve has led to four overtime victories. "Jeff has them playing super hard," says Kirkland. "They're right at you in their man-to-man defense. He has the team playing with its heart and with the right attitude. He has really turned things around." An ambitious summer program has helped Brimhall accelerate the learning curve. Three years ago, he took a group of players to Mike Krzyzewski's camp at Duke University in Durham, N.C. The last two summers, a contingent of players has attended the one-week Lute Olson camp at the University of Arizona. "Most (high school) programs that are successful, you can look at their summer programs," says Brimhall. The summer activity in 2001 didn't end with the weeklong instruction. From Tucson, Ariz., Brimhall piled nine players, an assistant coach and gear into a van for a tour that included stops for informal games at high schools in Arizona and Nevada. The team finished off playing against larger schools at the 32-team Great Basin Invitational in Utah. The trip turned into a 19-day, 3,200-mile bonding experience and was in addition to playing in Oregon summer tournaments and a weight-room regimen back home. "The best aspect of the trip is the players get to know each other," says Brimhall. "We try to mix in some culture and other things about life. We hope to develop them not only as players, but leaders." Brimhall has developed the school into a leader, too - the Skyline Conference leader. Reach reporter Frank Silow at 776-4480, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.