The schedules are finalized and the rosters are close to following suit for the College of Southern Idaho men’s and women’s basketball teams.

The CSI men, who open the season Nov. 4 at Phoenix (Ariz.) College, added two signees this week, leaving just two roster spots open for the 2010-11 season.

Combo guard Darius Smith out of John Marshall Metropolitan High School in Chicago will arrive in Twin Falls today, while Serbian player Nemanja Grujicic, a 6-8 forward, is expected to arrive Saturday.

CSI men’s head coach Steve Gosar said the 6-foot-3 Smith can play either guard spot and will be valuable on the defensive end.

“Defensively, he gets his hands on a lot of balls,” said Gosar. “He’s just got a great nose for ball. Seems like he’s always a pass ahead of the play.”

Grujicic is an outstanding shooter, something demonstrated in a You Tube video.

“When we watched his video, he shot it so well, we thought ‘No way this can be real,’” said Gosar.

While Gosar is working to fill his final roster spots by Sept. 3, he’s grateful to have the schedule in place.

“This schedule was really hard to put together,” he said. “We had it done earlier and a few teams backed out on us because of their budgets.”

While CSI’s 2009-10 schedule was rated the nation’s toughest at the JUCO level, this year’s slate appears more manageable on paper. After playing two road games in Arizona, CSI will play 11 consecutive nonconference games at home as part of four tournament weekends.

The 15-game Scenic West Athletic Conference schedule also shapes up nicely, with the Golden Eagles getting two homes games and just one road date against both defending SWAC regular-season champ North Idaho and defending Region 18 Tournament champ Eastern Utah.

CSI does have to visit rival Salt Lake Community College twice, hosting the Bruins for the only time on Jan. 22.

The other good news is the Eagles host the Region 18 tourney March 3-5, with the winner earning the coveted trip to the NJCAA Tournament in Hutchinson, Kan., something CSI hasn’t done since 2007.

“Obviously hosting the tournament is a huge advantage,” said Gosar. “Hopefully we can stay healthy, get better, and keep developing as a team. We’ve got a lot of new faces — everybody has a lot of new faces in the league.

“One thing we know is this league recruits well, it’s well coached and it’s going to be a dogfight every single year to get to Hutch.”

The CSI women also have two players joining the squad this week in Kyler Parai of New Zealand and Guilhermina El-Mir of Australia. Head coach Randy Rogers had finalized a roster earlier this summer, but four players departed the program in recent weeks.

Sophomore Devan Matkin, a former Twin Falls High star, signed with Tallahasee Community College, while 6-foot siblings Brigette and Rachael Spinks of St. George chose to play at Dixie State College.

Point guard Camille Washington was dismissed from the team after being charged with felony grand theft. Her preliminary hearing is scheduled to continue Sept. 1 in 5th District court in Lincoln County.

French center Fanny Cavallo filled one of the roster voids for the CSI women, who tip-off the season Nov. 11, hosting Eastern Arizona College to open the three-day Coca-Cola Classic. The Eagles will face tough tests the following week at the Midland NIT Tournament in Texas where some of the NJCAA’s top squads will tangle for three days. CSI opens against host Midland College.

The CSI women return All-American post Laurel Kearsley and look to return to the NJCAA Tournament in Salina, Kan., after a two-year hiatus.