The 2013 Offseason

No surprise here: Wiltjer is headed to Spokane.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:No surprise here: Wiltjer is headed to Spokane.

As you say, no surprise.

Gonzaga will be very tough this coming year, but the probable starting lineup in 20114-15 will be a killer:

1-Kevin Pangos
2-Gary Bell Jr.
3-Gerard Coleman
4-Kyle Wiltjer
5-Przemek Karnowski

UP's starting lineup in 2014-15?

1. Alec Wintering
2. David Carr
3. Kevin Bailey
4. Volodymyr Gerun
5. Thomas van der Mars

A more immediate question: What will UP's starting lineup be for 2013-14?

1. Carr?
2. Riley? Sharp? Pressley?
3. Bailey
4. Nicholas
5. van der Mars

I notice another recent high school grad has been denied his release from his LOI.  Isaac Hamilton signed with UTEP last November, but with an ill grandmother (seems to be a lot of that going around) close to his southern California home, he’s decided he’d like to attend USC instead.

“He had two choices -- one, not to sign the letter of intent or two, to file an appeal. I'm not releasing him,” UTEP Coach Tim Floyd said. “We have made our schedule based on having Isaac. People have bought season tickets based on our having Isaac. It's too late. He can appeal and we'll wait to see what happens. If he is allowed out, we might as well not even have letters of intent.”

Hamilton is appealing to the National Letter of Intent Steering Committee….if he wins his appeal, he can choose another school and suit up immediately. If he loses his appeal, he will either have to play at UTEP or transfer to a different school and sit out a season.  I doubt he’ll ever play at UTEP!

So, in mid-summer this might not generate much discussion, but my question is your opinion of the fairness of the LOI rules to the student/athlete….especially at the big-time basketball schools.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:A more immediate question: What will UP's starting lineup be for 2013-14?

1. Carr?
2. Riley? Sharp? Pressley?
3. Bailey
4. Nicholas
5. van der Mars

Tough to speculate on the starting five for 2013-14…but I really only see one sure starter right now....Ryan Nicholas. There are just too many variables as to who starts, but I will be disappointed if we don’t see lots of minutes from Wintering right away!

Yes, Thomas will probably start….but don’t be surprised if Riley Barker doesn’t reach a level of defensive play that exceeds that of van der Mars and pushes him for the starting 5 spot.

What about Voldy?  Does he merely relieve Rhino, or do we see a lineup that includes the two of them on a semi-regular basis? It’s unlikely, considering the work that was done to make Voldy instantly eligible, but is there a possibility he’ll redshirt and fill-in for Rhino next year?

How long will it take for David Carr to get up-to-speed and show confidence after blowing out his knee?  Will Bryce have a breakout year and exceed the play of an inconsistent KB to win a starting spot at the wing?  What about the other two seniors, Korey and Tanner?  I would love to see them rise to a level that will allow Bobby Sharp to redshirt while improving his defense and also learning the offense….it can take any transfer a while to learn it all.

If Xubi were not from overseas, I believe he would redshirt…but as it is, I think he and JB will get a lot of bench time unless they show remarkable development early in the preseason.

Any insight into the preferred positions for the guards? (Preferred by the players themselves, and by the coaches...)

Wintering seems to be the only true PG on the team. My impression is that both Carr and Sharp are better at the 2 spot. But one of those guys, or both, will probably have to play a lot of minutes at PG. And is Xubi more likely to play the 1 or the 2?

I doubt that Sharp is a redshirt candidate. It has been explicitly stated by Reveno that he was brought in to meet a very immediate need for a consistent outside shooter.

Also unlikely that Gerun would redshirt. With Cason and Ehlers gone, he's the only 4 left to come off of the bench. I agree with DD that he and Nicholas could play together. At 6'-10" he's big enough to handle the post against most WCC big men.

DD: Why would Xubi being from overseas make him less likely to redshirt? We've got several guys at the 2 guard now (Carr, Sharp, Riley... +Pressley and Thieleke can play there if needed).

Can you even rule out Pressley at PG, especially if Carr isn't back for the start of the season?

Agreed there's no way Sharp or Gerun redshirt. This program needs to put some Ws on the board this year and having these two guys in street clothes at the end of the bench won't help at all.

p.s. my five for the UC Davis game are Bailey, Nicholas, Pressley, Thieleke, and van der Mars.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:DD: Why would Xubi being from overseas make him less likely to redshirt? We've got several guys at the 2 guard now (Carr, Sharp, Riley... +Pressley and Thieleke can play there if needed).

Oh, just because he'll be homesick as heck with the complete change in his life, and it will take about a year to fully adjust.  If he were to redshirt I think he become disillusioned about being so far from home, family, and friends and not playing.

Totally agree that Gerun and Sharp have to play.  

Hard to say who the better PG is besides Alec....but if David's not ready, I think Bryce is the most likely backup.  If Alec plays as expected, he'll start the preseason and gain experience and confidence before WCC play starts......IMO.

Basically this all comes down to which combination of players give us the best chance of winning. Considering there are a total of 200 player-minutes to divide my thoughts would be that the 80 minutes for the post players can be divided pretty evenly. I could even see Ryan playing a little 3 if he's not too much of a liability on defense, but play some zone and you can solve that problem.

No chance Voldy redshirts, their just isn't enough depth or patience for that to happen. Rev has to have some sense of urgency to win now.

I don't think Xubi redshirts as the looking toward the future, balance of recruiting classes needs to be evened out so if he adds anything to the team, he'll play. That goes for everybody on the team really.

But really there is a lot of playing time up for grabs at this point. My thought would be that Alec gets plenty of time running the point. Whoever the most consistent shooter is (Carr, Sharp, Riley) they will get minutes. Shooting is key for spacing, which will only help KB's game. He'll see a lot of floor time and will be relied on to carry the offense. Also, Presley will see a lot of time, as will Korey, if the spacing is there.

According to Verbal Commits, B.J. Porter has transferred from UP.

Thanks, VC! Tomorrow's news - Darren Cooper to transfer from Eastern Washington.

I am surprised no one has mentioned this nugget yet... A tweet from Coach Wolf:

@CoachMikeWolf wrote:4am in Riga and the journey home begins. Can't wait to see my family and dig in to 10 days of training camp!

An_Undergrad wrote:I am surprised no one has mentioned this nugget yet... A tweet from Coach Wolf:quote="@CoachMikeWolf"]4am in Riga and the journey home begins. Can't wait to see my family and dig in to 10 days of training camp!

Coach has been in Europe, including England, for close to two weeks, as I recall.

I too was heartened to see Riga mentioned in his tweet.....Oskars has traveled a lot since leaving UP, and I don't know if he's now at home, but it would be nice if they are staying in touch.  Not just to help Oskars get back to UP, but also just to help ensure he's keeping his life on track.....

https://wordpress.up.edu/purplepride/

Hey, take a peek at the new UP website...Purple Pride.  

Purple Pride’s mission is to increase student involvement in Pilot Athletics, create a fun and exciting atmosphere, bolster our home field/court advantage, provide opportunities to meet new people through an interest in athletics, and represent the University of Portland with integrity and sportsmanship.

It would appear to be a good site to bookmark as it's the OFFICIAL site to find info about upcoming games and promotions. The website is clearly for STUDENTS...but others can find good info there too.

You've got to like the first edition of the new Portland Pride website.....it includes the updated T-shirt logo that combines the traditional with the new.....something many of us have been lobbying for.

That t-shirt is awesome. Not quite as great as the PN t-shirt 2.0 coming out this fall will be, but still great!

PilotNut wrote:That t-shirt is awesome.  Not quite as great as the PN t-shirt 2.0 coming out this fall will be, but still great!  

 

I like that shirt!

Ossie Schectman passed away today (7/30)…..but on November 1, 1946 he scored the first basket ever made in NBA history (then known as the Basketball Association of America) when the Toronto Huskies played his New York Knickerbockers.

No, I wasn’t there, but the video of the basket showing a great give-and-go followed by the underhanded layup is very reminiscent of my days at UP....the "set-shot," shown after the layup, was however almost a thing of the past in the 60's!  

That was a very good find DD, in fact I have never even asked myself the question as to whom scored the first ever basket.
This DD is why I love reading your posts. Keep em coming!

Did I see Spike Lee sitting courtside in that video?

DoubleDipper wrote:I too was heartened to see Riga mentioned in his tweet.....Oskars has traveled a lot since leaving UP, and I don't know if he's now at home, but it would be nice if they are staying in touch.  Not just to help Oskars get back to UP, but also just to help ensure he's keeping his life on track.....

It is my understanding that Oskars is now enrolled at Pensacola State College, a two-year JC, and last week committed to transfer to Troy University in Alabama.

Troy is a D-1 school and plays in the Sun Belt Conference.

Portland Pilot Updates: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly

David summarizes the Pilots offseason @ West Coast Convo….so far

http://westcoastconvo.com/2013/08/27/portland-pilot-update/

I have a nice poster I might make up for TV...

Hey WCC!

SchedulE
...........Screwed
...........Portland
...StudeNTs

Maybe FaNs. might work better.

How about grey cardboard sillouettes to put in the seats in the Student section?

Geezaldinho wrote:How about grey cardboard sillouettes to put in the seats in the Student section?

If it's grey you want, I'm pretty sure up7587 can get us 1500 of these: