Tuesday, February 6, 2018

PORTLAND, Ore. – Insider welcomed a pair of individuals, new to the Great Northwest Athletic Conference and a seasoned veteran in her respective sport. Joining Tuesday's segment was Saint Martin’s men’s basketball junior guard EJ Boyce, Montana State Billings women’s basketball senior guard Rylee Kane and newly-hired Simon Fraser head football coach Thomas Ford. Insider kicked off Tuesday at 7 p.m., Pacific, and was hosted by Rob Lowery.

In his first season with the Saints, Boyce has been a steady contributor and has started all 22 games. Shooting 42.4 percent from the floor and 45.6 percent from beyond the arc, Boyce is second on the team and 19th in the GNAC with 12 points per game. The Saints are one of the hottest teams in the conference right now, as they have won their last seven games. Their last loss came in a 79-71 affair to Western Oregon on Jan. 11, who they will play this Saturday at 7:30 p.m.

Consistent throughout her entire career, Kane is tied for sixth in GNAC and second in MSUB history with 500 career assists. Her career matured immediately, starting all 28 games during her freshman season. She ranks fifth all-time in GNAC history with 112 career starts and is seventh with 3,494 minutes played. At 16-8, 9-5 GNAC, she leads a Yellowjackets team vying for its second GNAC Championships appearance in three years. The Yellowjackets take on two of the league’s hottest teams this week, visiting Central Washington on Thursday and Northwest Nazarene on Saturday.

Ford joins Simon Fraser as the 11th head coach in program history. He joins the Clan after four seasons as the head coach of Stadium High School in Tacoma, Wash., where he led the program to its only two postseason appearances. Ford was a four-year letterman in football and track at Linfield College, where he was a two-time all-conference selection and the captain of the Wildcats’ 2004 Division III national title team. Ford also served as the defensive coordinator at the Univ. of Puget Sound for two years after spending four seasons as the recruiting and special teams coordinator at Southeastern Oklahoma State.