Could Eastern's Groves Brothers Have UW on Their Shopping List?
College basketball has turned into a continuous afternoon at the playground — you play a pick-up game to 15 and then you choose sides all over again.
Everybody is in the transfer portal these days, which is sort of like a tunnel that runs under and out of the arena.
This would include siblings Tanner and Jacob Groves.
Think Hanson brothers of hockey fame, only in basketball shorts.
They're former Eastern Washington University forwards from Spokane and most recently the NCAA tournament, a destination the University of Washington rarely puts on its itinerary these days.
The Groveses, within days of having their way with Kansas, are program shopping.
"Just looking at our options," Tanner Groves said.
It is unclear what rates high on their prospective lists. Or where they rate with everyone.
Could they be headed to Portland, where their Eastern coach Shantay Legans, the former California point guard, relocated within seconds of the buzzer going off in the Kansas loss?
Does Gonzaga like them?
Or could they be considering the UW, 275 miles from home?
And would the Huskies even consider them?
What you have here is a 6-foot-9, 235-pound junior in Tanner Groves, who averaged 17.8 points and 8.1 rebounds per game. He was the Big Sky Conference MVP.
The guy in the bushy beard and signature headband went off for a career-high 35 points in the 93-84 loss to the Jayhawks. He connected on 11 of 18 shots that game, 5 of 11 from 3-point range. He shot 56 percent from the field during the season.
Not sure if they're a package deal, but Jacob Groves is a 6-foot-7, 190-pound sophomore who provided a career-best 23 points plus 9 rebounds against Kansas.
The Napolean Dynamite lookalike was a Big Sky all-tournament pick. He averaged 9.3 points per game. He shot 55 percent from the field for the season.
If they don't end up at Portland, Washington, Gonzaga or, hey, how about Kansas, the brothers could even retreat back to Eastern and play for the Eagles' new coach David Riley.
A Legans assistant for four seasons, Riley was once a Whitworth basketball standout, an all-conference big man. He has coaching genes in him. His uncle Mike Riley was the football coach for Oregon State, Nebraska and the San Diego Chargers.
Where will these Groves brothers land?
With pandemic passes, they have two and three seasons of eligibility left.
Yes, there are still openings at Washington.
Follow Dan Raley of Husky Maven on Twitter: @DanRaley1 and @HuskyMaven
Find Husky Maven on Facebook by searching: HuskyMaven/Sports Illustrated
