Re: Pilots vs. Cal State Bakersfield (Monday, Dec. 17 @ 7:00)

by ShipstadPilot11 Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:40 pm

DeanMurdoch wrote:Some weird hijinks at the end with CSUB walking off the floor following the Nicholas FTs after he got tied up with the Roadrunner player. Anyone see what exactly went down there? My wireless was pooping out for the entirety of the second half.

I know Ryan's shirt got pulled big time when he was going up (for a rebound, I believe) though I'm sure that isn't the full extent of what happened and it had likely been building up all game. It was very out of character for him which leads me to believe it was likely well deserved. He had another quietly brilliant night tonight. I love what he brings to this team.

by **PilotNut** Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:49 pm

The flagrant foul was appropriate. The CSUB player (#44?) didnt just lightly pull on Nicholas' jersey--he had a full on grip of the back of Ryan's jersey and was trying to pull him down (out of frustration for the board Nicholas just grabbed). It was not a light or accidental tug--it was intentional and appropriately called.

It got a little interesting when the Pilots surrounded Nicholas to make sure it didn't escalate, and for a second I think he thought it was the other team, but he quickly calmed down and was laughing with Rev by the time he walked to the other end of the floor.

I'm not sure what the CSUB coach was protesting--it all happened right in front of him. scratch

by **Rob's Jacket** Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:53 pm

PilotNut wrote:I'm not sure what the CSUB coach was protesting--it all happened right in front of him.

I was sitting about four rows up from press row, and the conversation between the Bakersfield coach and the ref happened right in front of me:

Coach: "What's the call, ref? What's the call?"
Ref: "Flagrant 1."
Coach: "Come on, look at it. Just look at it for me."
Ref: (Looks at the replay) "Yep, it was a flagrant."
Coach: (Walks to midcourt)
Ref: "No coach, you can't look at it. You asked me to look at it."
Coach: "Just let me look at it."
Ref: "No." (Walks away)

Favorite moment of the night.

by **PilotNut** Mon Dec 17, 2012 9:55 pm

What a defensive performance tonight--we dominated. Did we set a record for blocked shots tonight?!

Only 10 turnovers... a great improvement, especially when facing that much pressure.

If we hit a couple 3's, and make more free throws Mad

, this game would have been over much sooner.

I liked the energy on the floor all night, and hope we can bring it again on Wednesday. I feel better about this team and our prospects than I did a few weeks ago (but that's not saying much! Rolling Eyes

).

by dholcombe Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:15 pm

Rob's Jacket wrote:
PilotNut wrote:I'm not sure what the CSUB coach was protesting--it all happened right in front of him.

I was sitting about four rows up from press row, and the conversation between the Bakersfield coach and the ref happened right in front of me:

Coach: "What's the call, ref? What's the call?"
Ref: "Flagrant 1."
Coach: "Come on, look at it. Just look at it for me."
Ref: (Looks at the replay) "Yep, it was a flagrant."
Coach: (Walks to midcourt)
Ref: "No coach, you can't look at it. You asked me to look at it."
Coach: "Just let me look at it."
Ref: "No." (Walks away)

Favorite moment of the night.

I think line 3 was more like:
Ref: (Looks at the replay screeen) "Yep, completely obvious."

I forget the exact wording, but he used the word obvious in there somewhere.

by PurplePrideTrumpet Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:20 pm

DeanMurdoch wrote:Well the pre-game predictions held up with the Pilots going to the line 37 times (I think?).

Some weird hijinks at the end with CSUB walking off the floor following the Nicholas FTs after he got tied up with the Roadrunner player. Anyone see what exactly went down there? My wireless was pooping out for the entirety of the second half.

Crawling back towards .500 mark. North Florida got hammered by Colorado State tonight.

Ryan got grabbed from behind by the jersey as CSUB was trying to foul. He was not very happy about that but the rest of the team surrounded him and got him away quickly. I didn't see him retaliate. He might have said something but who wouldn't have? Flagrant 1, two shots and the ball, easy and 100% correct call. Not sure what the Roadrunners didn't like about it since it seemed cut and dried to me.

by Guest Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:23 pm

I like that they finally got a decent screen for the refs to review plays from. That little 6" box they were using was ridiculous.

by **Rob's Jacket** Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:28 pm

dholcombe wrote:
I think line 3 was more like:
Ref: (Looks at the replay screeen) "Yep, completely obvious."

I forget the exact wording, but he used the word obvious in there somewhere.

You're right - and it was.

I was really pleased with how Carr, Rodgers, Bailey & Co. were able to consistently break CSUB's press. That's something we could see a lot of against some of the more athletic teams in the WCC (e.g. LMU and Gonzaga), and tonight was a great demonstration of how to get it done.

I also really liked seeing Thomas be a little more assertive offensively. If we can't knock down any shots from the outside, we're really going to need the type of interior play that Thomas and Ryan provided tonight, along with Kevin Bailey's trademark slashes.

by DoubleDipper Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:43 pm

Yes, and it was a HD flat screen....I'm just guessing what they had before was an old oscilloscope left over when the engineering building was remodeled. I am glad the refs at least acted on the Coach Barnes request to look at the F-1….they are supposed to be kinder and friendly this year, but as to some of their calls……….

I’m going to give the Roadrunners coach a pass on his pulling his team from the court with 18 seconds to go….something I didn’t do at the time it happened as I rained boos on him and told him to catch a bus to Bakersfield.

In retrospect, I think it was just his way of acknowledging the game was out of reach and the team had to catch a flight to Ft. Collins…..well, maybe Denver. Regardless, it didn’t look good to anyone. I had a chance to speak with Bill Johnson after the game, and he too had never seen that done at a Pilots game

by DoubleDipper Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:47 pm

Difference makers tonight besides the obvious: Bryce Pressley, David Carr, and Riley Barker.

Bryce came into the game at a critical junction, just as CSUB was closing to within 6, and through his steady and athletic play righted the ship and the Pilots pulled away. (Man, he and KB together looked marvelous).

David worked so, so hard tonight and was so gassed at the end of the game he could hardly reach the rim with his free-throw attempts, AND he only turned to ball over once against a team the wins by forcing turnovers.

Riley was an absolute animal in the first half, and after his third block he was gasping so badly (he’s asthmatic) Rev told him to stay in the defensive end of the court during a breakaway.

BTW, as we hung around after the game, David and Thomas came out and practiced free-throws…good for them).

by Geezaldinho Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:48 pm

Carr had an easy layup he didn't take. It would have forced CSUB back onto the floor.

by DoubleDipper Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:58 pm

Totally agree with PilotNut (as usual), tonight was probably one of the best TEAM defensive efforts I’ve seen from the Pilots over the last 20 years….and it really helped to have Coaches Reveno and Wolfe at the defensive end of the court in the first half; it was like we had a sixth or seventh man on the court.

I have never seen the team talk so much on defense as they did tonight. Their play was night and day over just a month ago…and it’s so obvious that team-leader Ryan considers everyone to be his boys, and they all appear to enjoy playing together.

by DoubleDipper Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:12 pm

I want to give a shout out to one of the CSUB players. This game would not have been even as close as it was without the angular senior wing out of Jefferson High School, Tyrone White. I imagine he just didn’t have the grades to get into UP, or any other D-1 school, as he went to College of Idaho for two years before ending up in Bakersfield….but that’s only a guess, but why else would someone with his talent go to COI?

I know the coaching staff was concerned about White hurting the Pilots tonight, and he did with 23 points and 8 rebounds, but his supporting group of players did not live up their advance billing.

by DoubleDipper Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:21 pm

I already mentioned the impact players in addition to Rhino and KB, but the player who regressed the most from the game just three days ago is Tanner Riley. Totally lost on defense, he just fouled as Roadrunners whizzed by him, and his only field goal attempt in 6 minutes of play was an absolute brick from beyond the arc. Very disappointing for him I’m sure after playing Europe this summer and starting the exhibition season so strong. Oh, and Oskars was a bit lost again tonight...FRESHMEN!!

by DoubleDipper Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:44 pm

One last thought before calling it quits on this thread tonight:

It seemed like some very spotty officiating tonight….I mean there were some REALLY bad calls, but I think they began to even out in the end. Funny, all the games prior to this, Kevin was being called for offensive fouls virtually every time he went toward the hoop with any athletic move, but not tonight….and he ended up going to the line 12 times because of his aggressive play and the opinion of the officials.

During the UNLV game the WCC head of officials was in attendance; tonight we had the WCC Commissioner sitting in the expensive seat with our AD and his family. Funny thing that; our AD used to work for the commissioner, but now the commissioner really works for the AD, essentially. Very Happy

by Geezaldinho Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:59 pm

I think they both work for the president. The commish just works for more of them.

by **PilotNut** Tue Dec 18, 2012 12:44 am

Nicholas, Bailey Lift Pilots over CSU Bakersfield

PORTLAND, Ore. --- Ryan Nicholas scored 21 points and Kevin Bailey added 18 as the Portland Pilots defeated the CSU Bakersfield Roadrunners 69-51 Monday night in the first game of the Continental Tires Classic. Portland improved to 5-1 at the Chiles Center this season with the win.

The Pilots (5-6) put the clamps down defensively and held the Roadrunners to 31 percent shooting for the game. Bakersfield came into the game forcing teams into more than 17 turnovers per game, but the Pilots managed the pressure defense and committed just 10 turnovers on the night.

Portland also gained a 39-31 rebounding advantage and 28-16 edge in points in the paint.

Nicholas finished 8-for-13 from the field and grabbed nine rebounds, just missing his fourth double-double of the season. Bailey scored 11 second half points and made 10-of-12 free throws for the game. Sophomore center Thomas van der Mars also finished in double figures with 12 points.

The Pilots allowed just four points over the first 6:25 of the game to jump out to an 11-4 lead and would never look back. A van der Mars layup with 20 seconds left in the first period gave Portland its first double digit lead, but Tyrone White drilled a three-pointer before the halftime buzzer to make it a 29-22 deficit.

A Nicholas three-point play gave Portland a 40-28 lead, but the Roadrunners (4-7) would briefly pull within five at 51-46 on a layup by Stephon Carter. The Pilots quickly answered with four straight points from Nicholas, and then Bailey stole the ensuing inbounds pass and found van der Mars for a dunk. Bakersfield would not cut the deficit to single digits the rest of the way.

White, who attended Jefferson High School in Portland, finished with a game-high 23 points for the visitors. Carter added 15 points, while only five Roadrunners scored on the night.

Portland will continue the Continental Tires Classic on Wednesday when North Florida (3-7) visits the Chiles Center. Tip-off is set for 7 p.m. and tickets are still available through all Ticketmaster outlets. The bracketed portion of the tournament continues this weekend at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, when the Pilots take on Colorado State on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. The tournament final rounds will be on Sunday with the championship pitting Saturday’s winner against the winner of Virginia Tech and Bradley.

by Geezaldinho Tue Dec 18, 2012 1:19 am

I liked the report from the automated site, Pilotreports.com

StatSmack! Portland is better than Cal State Bakersfield
You'll do better on next semester's exams, right? Portland currently has a higher Academic Progress Rate (990 to 910) than Cal State Bakersfield, per the NCAA.
The Portland rebounding leader (Ryan Nicholas) has more rebounds than the Cal State Bakersfield rebounding leader (Adam Young).
Portland is bigger. The average weight of the top 8 players on Portland is 203 lbs compared to 193 lbs for Cal State Bakersfield.
More violent crime happens per capita in Bakersfield so be careful if you visit (when compared to Portland -- according to the FBI).

910 is below the 930 APR required for tournament play.

by NoPoNeighbor Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:39 am

Good performance all around last night, for all of the reasons mentioned already. Even when Thieleke has an off-night offensively, we are a much better team with him in the starting lineup than we were with T. Riley out there. It was good to see Pressley get some more minutes tonight. I hope that trend continues. Also, it was great to see the starting 5 get a lot of time as a cohesive unit. I was not at all disappointed that J. Bailey didn't get into the game.

As for downsides... obviously the free throw shooting was worrying. Also, the three-point shooting was atrocious. And, yet again, we are missing so many layups.

I loved K. Bailey's aggressive moves to the hoop, which resulted in a lot of free throws. He even had a couple of 'and 1s.' But he should be able to convert a few more of those layups. He only shot 4-11 from the floor.

Thieleke also missed a few easy shots from close in.

My favorite coaching moment was when van der Mars was fouled while going up for a lay-up. He badly missed the shot, and Reveno yelled at him, "Finish that!" That is one of the things we need to see from the TEAM (beyond just Nicholas) if we are going to get to the next level. Strength and commitment to fight all the way through to the end of the play. Don't be content to just get fouled. Fight through the foul and make the basket!

by Geezaldinho Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:44 am

I think Rev wanted a stronger move and dunk.

Thomas went for the soft layup when he was fouled.

by **PilotNut** Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:49 am

NoPoNeighbor wrote:My favorite coaching moment was when van der Mars was fouled while going up for a lay-up. He badly missed the shot, and Reveno yelled at him, "Finish that!" That is one of the things we need to see from the TEAM (beyond just Nicholas) if we are going to get to the next level. Strength and commitment to fight all the way through to the end of the play. Don't be content to just get fouled. Fight through the foul and make the basket!

Absolutely... you could see that Thomas was a little taken back by the passion/volume with which Rev was imploring him... but that is the fire and skill that we now need to see. Thomas has been picking up his game recently, and would love to see him take the next step.

On the post-game show, Coach Jackson assured the listeners that FT's would be a focus of today's practice. Kevin Bailey's interview was entertaining as well... he and Bill were discussing Carr & van der Mars being back on the floor shooting FT's after the game.

3-point shooting... just woeful when Tanner is "off"... and talk about being off last night. His inconsistency is unsettling, for sure.

by DoubleDipper Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:50 am

PurpleGeezer wrote:I think Rev wanted a stronger move and dunk.

Thomas went for the soft layup when he was fouled.

You are correct, Geezer. And did you notice, on the next opportunity Thomas flushed it and gave a swing on the rim for good measure! tongue

by Geezaldinho Tue Dec 18, 2012 10:56 am

DoubleDipper wrote:
PurpleGeezer wrote:I think Rev wanted a stronger move and dunk.

Thomas went for the soft layup when he was fouled.
You are correct, Geezer. And did you notice, on the next opportunity Thomas flushed it and gave a swing on the rim for good measure!

Yeah, and he also made a really strong move to the bucket on a break, was fouled, and hit his free throws.

by Guest Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:11 am

NoPoNeighbor wrote:As for downsides... obviously the free throw shooting was worrying.

I am not so worried about FTs as a team, just for David Carr. He was 3 of 8. If he makes 7 of 8, as a good shooter should, then the team percentage would have been 75%, which is acceptable. Some of David's attempts were not even close, e.g. hitting the underside of the rim.

PilotNut wrote:3-point shooting... just woeful when Tanner is "off"... and talk about being off last night. His inconsistency is unsettling, for sure.

Tanner's first 3pt attempt was badly off target, and he never tried another shot from the floor. What happened to the "shooter's conscience" he used to have?

by NoPoNeighbor Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:58 am

up7587 wrote:Tanner's first 3pt attempt was badly off target, and he never tried another shot from the floor. What happened to the "shooter's conscience" he used to have?

In the Portland Bible game, Tanner's first bucket was a short-range jump shot for 2 points. I thought that helped him gain confidence. More often he does what he did last night: miss his first shot from 3-point range and than play scared and tentative. If it's not falling from outside, he needs to find other ways to create offense.