The 2013-14 Season

by DoubleDipper Thu Aug 01, 2013 2:31 pm

Well, this is a good way to start out the upcoming school year....

UP Sports wrote:Greek Junior National Team player Stefania Sideri has signed with the women's basketball program at the University of Portland and will join the Pilots as a freshman for the upcoming 2013-14 school year. Sideri is a 5-10 guard from Athens who averaged 20.2 points per game with her Das Ano Liosion club team in 2010.

"Stefania is a tremendous shooter and we're excited about what she will bring skill-wise to our program," assistant coach Sean Kelly said. "We wanted to add another scorer to our roster and she has been putting up a lot of points in Greece. We're also excited about the extensive playing time she has received in the Greek National Team system."

Sideri has played with the Greek U-14 National Team, the U-16 National Team and the U-18 National Team. Both the U-16 squad and the U-18 team won a European Championship.

Sideri helped lead her club team to a national championship in both 2010 and 2012, nabbing National Championship MVP honors both years. Along with her team-best 20 points per game, Sideri averaged 5.2 assists and 2.5 steals. In 2010 she put up averages of 19.3 points, 3.5 assists and 2.1 steals.

by DoubleDipper Tue Aug 20, 2013 1:24 pm

The WCC women’s schedule is apparently to be released soon, but now that we’ve seen the men’s schedule, and know the UP Men are home for 7 of the first 9 games…..it points to a tough start to the season for a young Pilots Women’s Team to be on the road for an extended period playing 7 of their first 9 WCC games on the road. But at least they’ll have a chance to bond while traveling and playing together for a potential for 5 straight games on the road to start the regular season before classes even begin.

by cw80 Fri Sep 13, 2013 2:12 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:Well, this is a good way to start out the upcoming school year....
UP Sports wrote:Greek Junior National Team player Stefania Sideri has signed with the women's basketball program at the University of Portland and will join the Pilots as a freshman for the upcoming 2013-14 school year. Sideri is a 5-10 guard from Athens who averaged 20.2 points per game with her Das Ano Liosion club team in 2010.

"Stefania is a tremendous shooter and we're excited about what she will bring skill-wise to our program," assistant coach Sean Kelly said. "We wanted to add another scorer to our roster and she has been putting up a lot of points in Greece. We're also excited about the extensive playing time she has received in the Greek National Team system."

Sideri has played with the Greek U-14 National Team, the U-16 National Team and the U-18 National Team. Both the U-16 squad and the U-18 team won a European Championship.

Sideri helped lead her club team to a national championship in both 2010 and 2012, nabbing National Championship MVP honors both years. Along with her team-best 20 points per game, Sideri averaged 5.2 assists and 2.5 steals. In 2010 she put up averages of 19.3 points, 3.5 assists and 2.1 steals.

Another guard? Another European player? Let's hope she doesn't leave at the end of the season... And what about the other European, Hernadez, who we have yet to see on the court... Is she staying or going home?

by DoubleDipper Fri Sep 13, 2013 10:20 pm

The schedule has been released:

10/29/2013 Concordia (Exhibition) Portland, Ore. 7:00 PM
11/8/2013 Eastern Washington Portland, Ore. 5:15 PM
11/12/2013 Oregon Eugene, Ore. 7:00 PM
11/15/2013 Washington Seattle, Wash. 2:00 PM
11/18/2013 Montana Missoula, Mont. 6:00 PM
11/24/2013 Seattle Portland, Ore. 2:00 PM
11/29/2013 Columbia Portland, Ore. 7:00 PM
12/6/2013 Oregon State Portland, Ore. 7:00 PM
12/8/2013 Boise State Portland, Ore. 2:00 PM
12/14/2013 Fresno State Fresno, Calif. 2:00 PM
12/18/2013 Cal Poly Portland, Ore. 7:00 PM
12/21/2013 Portland State Portland, Ore. 2:00 PM
12/28/2013 * Pacific Stockton, Calif. 2:00 PM
12/30/2013 * Saint Mary's Moraga, Calif. 6:00 PM
1/3/2014 * Gonzaga Portland, Ore. 7:00 PM
1/8/2014 * San Diego Portland, Ore. 7:00 PM
1/11/2014 * Brigham Young Portland, Ore. 2:00 PM
1/17/2014 * Santa Clara Santa Clara, Calif. 7:00 PM
1/19/2014 * San Francisco San Francisco, Calif. 2:00 PM
1/23/2014 * Pepperdine Malibu, Calif. 7:00 PM
1/25/2014 * Loyola Marymount Los Angeles, Calif. 2:00 PM
1/30/2014 * San Francisco Portland, Ore. 7:00 PM
2/1/2014 * Santa Clara Portland, Ore. 2:00 PM
2/6/2014 * Loyola Marymount Portland, Ore. 7:00 PM
2/8/2014 * Pepperdine Portland, Ore. 2:00 PM
2/13/2014 * Brigham Young Provo, Utah 6:00 PM
2/15/2014 * San Diego San Diego, Calif. 2:00 PM
2/22/2014 * Gonzaga Spokane, Wash. 2:00 PM
2/27/2014 * University Pacific Portland, Ore. 7:00 PM
3/1/2014 * Saint Mary's Portland, Ore. 1:00

Good schedule, IMO, but odd to have 4 WCC games on the road and then 4 at home, and then 3 on the road.....but we all know that was brought about because of the men's schedule.

The Eastern Washington game at 5:15 on November 8 is part of a double-header with the men playing UC-Davis at 7.

by DoubleDipper Fri Sep 13, 2013 10:32 pm

cw80 wrote:Another guard? Another European player? Let's hope she doesn't leave at the end of the season... And what about the other European, Hernadez, who we have yet to see on the court... Is she staying or going home?

Yes, you're correct, Sara (Ines Hernandez) played in only 4 games last year, but is in much, much better physical condition after a year working with the UP conditioning staff, and should see more action this year.

The team has a very strong nucleus of players....and under the strong leadership of the seniors, they are focused on a winning season.....

by DoubleDipper Tue Oct 01, 2013 12:19 am

Had a chance to drop in on the Pilots first practice today……and you can see and hear from the video that chemistry, energy, depth are the keys to any success the team may enjoy this year.

It will be great to have Cassandra Brown back for her R-Jr year after sitting out last season, but it doesn’t look to me like R-Fr Ali Ryan will be anywhere near ready to play after missing all of last year after blowing out her knee for the third time.

It would be a great help if Kaylie Van Loo can play this year after transferring from Idaho (where she did NOT play basketball, but threw the javelin), but I think UP is still working on getting a waiver to the transfer rule.

by wrv Tue Oct 01, 2013 7:15 am

An interesting comment that their “chemistry” is “way better.” One can imagine, but then it is a new season, apparently with fewer distractions. The coach was not the only one who noticed and encountered . . .

by DoubleDipper Thu Oct 03, 2013 7:44 pm

Watched the women practice again yesterday and was VERY impressed with Fairbanks freshman Hannah Mattson’s athleticism and intelligence….she probably won’t be a starter this year, but she’ll be a big contributor.

I like the way most of the players are communicating while on the court, but I have yet to see a natural team leader emerge…..something I believe has to happen for the team to have success.

by DoubleDipper Thu Oct 24, 2013 7:11 pm

From the WCC coaches today:

2013-14 WEST COAST CONFERENCE PRESEASON POLL
Team (First Place Votes), Points
1. Gonzaga (9), 81
2. San Diego (1), 69
3. Saint Mary's, 63
4. BYU, 62
5. Pacific, 46
6. Loyola Marymount, 38
7t. Portland, 27
7t. San Francisco, 27
7t. Santa Clara, 27
10. Pepperdine, 10

Zero Portland players were selected to the all-conference preseason team of 10.

by DoubleDipper Tue Oct 29, 2013 10:31 pm

It was wonderful to see Cassandra Brown back in action tonight after redshirting last year following surgery. The last time we saw Cassandra was in the WCC Tournament in 2012 when she really started to come into her own as a wing.

The Pilots beat Concordia-Portland 81-47, but it was the return of Brown, the overall play of PG Alexis Byrd, and the rebounding performance of redshirt junior C Erin Boettcher (12 total/10 offensive) that set the tone for the evening….and we can only hope, for the season.

Tough start for freshman Hannah Mattson who hit on only 3 of 14 shot attempts and had five turnovers, but she’ll most likely settle down once she realizes she does not have to carry this team on her back like she did in high school.

Watching the Pilots can drive a serious basketball fan nuts with all the seemingly helter-skelter play that includes lots of shooting (32/76) and turnovers (22)….but that looks to be the continuing pattern again this year….we’ll just have to see how the team progresses against tougher competition.

by DoubleDipper Wed Oct 30, 2013 11:10 am

Some have asked why Greek Junior National Team player Stefania Sideri and redshirt freshman Aly Ryan did not play last evening…..

I don’t know the specifics about Sideri, but I believe she’s been fighting an illness and is not “game ready.”

As for Ryan, I’m skeptical she’ll ever play at UP after her 3 ACL surgeries….but I continue to root for her during her rehab, and just hope she continues to get better, regardless of her chances of playing basketball again. She’s a super kid!

by DoubleDipper Thu Dec 12, 2013 10:02 pm

Hearing Coach Sollars mention the strength of the WCC the other day made me curious on how the 10 schools are doing. What I found is, just like with WCC men’s basketball, there are four very strong teams, and six others fighting for position.

Here’s the current order based upon RPI:

1-GU/15 (8-1)
2-USD/32 (9-0)
3-SMC/36 (7-1)
4-BYU/40 (9-0)
5-PU/159 (3-6)
6-UOP/160 (4-3)
7-UP/179 (5-3)
8-LMU/275 (2-7)
9-USF/301 (4-5)
10-SCU/329 (2-6)

Except for the surprising play of Pepperdine, the conference is shaping up just about like the coaches guessed it would prior to the games beginning.

I’m not a big believer in basketball RPI, but until league play begins, it’s about the only way to rank the teams except by their win/loss record.

by DoubleDipper Sun Jan 12, 2014 12:45 pm

WCC standings as of Jan 11……

1-GU 4-1
2-USD 4-2
3-SMC 4-2
4-BYU 4-2
5-UOP 3-3
6-UP 2-3
7-USF 2-3
8-SCU 2-3
9-PU 1-4
10-LMU 1-4

It’s early, but in the quest for at least a 6th place finish, the Pilots have played the top teams in the WCC (GU, USD, SMC, UOP, and BYU) once each and won two of those five games, beating USD and UOP.

With the four teams below the Pilots yet to be played twice in the coming weeks, UP should have a good chance to at least attain or maintain 6th place….if they can win on the road! pirat

by PurplePrideTrumpet Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:11 pm

Now we know this season will be the last for Coach Sollars

http://www.portlandpilots.com/news/2014/1/13/WBB_0113144700.aspx

It's amazing and a tribute to his abilities and character that he's had such a long career at one school. Here's to a happy, relaxed retirement (with a lot of wins on the way out).

by Geezaldinho Mon Jan 13, 2014 4:25 pm

Wow. I guess it was inevitable. Jim is 5 years older than even this old carcase. I gave up my career in 2005.

I have watched his teams for more than 20 years now, though good and not so good seasons. In all that time he has been the absolute model of what you want a college coach to be - concerned about the growth of his players, fair and respectful about their abilities and strengths, and accepting when the players he recruited didn't quite measure up to hopes or expectations. All he ever expected of his recruits was that they be good students, try hard, and try to get better.

I hope the future coaches we get live up to that model. I'm saving a seat at the women's games for him.

by DoubleDipper Mon Jan 13, 2014 5:30 pm

At a time when life has become a bit more impersonal and college athletics have become more of a business....it has always been refreshing to just visit with Jim and enjoy his good humor and wisdom.

I have considered Jim, and his wife Pam, good friends over the last 22 years, and I imagine that friendship will continue as he joins me in retirement. Maybe now we'll have a chance to actually watch a basketball game together....but it's for sure we'll now be able to play more golf together. Very Happy

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