The Whitworth men’s basketball team drove down to Walla Walla on Feb. 18, 2025, to face their biggest conference rival for the second time of the season. More popularly known as the “Battle of the Whits,” the term puts a label on the historical rivalry between the Whitworth and Whitman men’s basketball teams.
Whitman and Whitworth have been rivals since before Damion Jablonski came to Whitworth to coach basketball in 2012. “There was a good stretch in the mid-2010s where both programs had really, really good basketball teams… and it was the two of us at the at the top of the standings most years.” Explained coach Jablonski, “So, I think that really fostered in basketball, a great rivalry.”
In fact, for the last six out of seven years, it’s been a showdown between Whitworth and Whitman in the Northwest Conference finals.
Approaching the game on Feb. 18, Whitworth and Whitman were yet again ranked first and second in the Northwest Conference. Because of this history, the Whitworth men’s basketball team has developed a level of respect for Whitman, while still being competitive when it comes to game day.
“Every year, you look at the other teams, like who’s going to be good, and it’s always Whitman. They’re always at the top of the list,” explained junior Colton Looney. “They have some good players… It’s hard to guard them all at once, but we do our best to play as a team.”
The Whits battled against each other once already this season. On Jan. 19, Whitworth hosted Whitman at the Fieldhouse, where they battled it out until Whitworth won 69-64. This week, the Pirates hope to continue their winning streak as they beat Whitman every time they played them last season, too.
The basketball coaching staff takes pregame preparation very seriously. The team starts preparing a week before the next game, where they go over the other team’s plays and scout each team’s individual players. “Learning from the first game and then adjusting and telling us what needs to be done, that really helps. And then we just go out and we try to execute the game plan as best we can,” explained Looney. “The coaches definitely do a really good job preparing us, and it’s just up to us to execute what they prepare for us.”
The team prepares for their rivalry, but they also play into it. While a lot of the Whitman and Whitworth players are friends outside of the sport, they enjoy the rivalry and friendly competition.
Because the game is on Whitman turf this time around, the team won’t have as much crowd support. Though crowd support is always helpful and encouraging, Whitworth has had a lot of successful wins while on the road already this year. The team has a lot of enthusiasm on their own, and Looney explained that “being away is even more motivation. You know, beating them at their own place.”
Although the Whitworth team appreciates its historic rivalry with Whitman, Whitworth has big goals of playing in the national tournament. The team claimed the NWC title after they won against George Fox on Saturday, Feb. 15, then shifted their focus to winning the NWC tournament, which Whitworth hosted at the end of February.
