Re: Gonzaga -- Thursday @ 8 PM

by **PilotNut** Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:48 am

Thanks for sharing, bdaddy! What a great story! I hope the raised spirits after last night's performance help your Dad to recovery even faster!

GO PILOTS!

by pilotram Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:01 am

PurpleGeezer wrote:
pilotram wrote:Priest on the bench? Isn't that a Jesuit thing?

Nah, we do it in the Catholic Church, too.

by Guest Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:22 am

Watched this beauty at our favourite watering hole but with no sound, so I didn't get a good sense of the crowd. Obviously a packed house, but from what I could tell it didn't seem as much pro-Gonzaga as I've seen in recent years - any thoughts here? (the student section looked unreal - there was crowd surfing at one point)

by ShipstadPilot11 Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:24 am

DeanMurdoch wrote:Watched this beauty at our favourite watering hole but with no sound, so I didn't get a good sense of the crowd. Obviously a packed house, but from what I could tell it didn't seem as much pro-Gonzaga as I've seen in recent years - any thoughts here? (the student section looked unreal - there was crowd surfing at one point)

I would have called it about 50/50 crowd split. The GU fans weren't as vocal as in past years - even at the start. For example, the students started a "Let's Go Pilots" chant shortly after tip-off and, to my surprise, they weren't drowned out by a competing "Let's Go Zags" chant. Perhaps that was a sign of good things to come.

by NoPoNeighbor Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:34 am

oh brody wrote:I remember thinking at work this afternoon "be sure to set the DVR before leaving for the game"... I forgot

I so want to join you guys and watch it all over again

Not to worry! The replay of the entire game can be seen for free on WatchESPN! Here's the link:

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/id/1447728/size/condensed/

by Guest Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:38 am

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Not to worry! The replay of the entire game can be seen for free on WatchESPN! Here's the link:

http://espn.go.com/watchespn/player/_/id/1447728/size/condensed/

Welcome to my world -

Gonzaga -- Thursday @ 8 PM - Page 3 RRXj7fI

by Geezaldinho Fri Jan 10, 2014 12:12 pm

Yeah, welcome to mine:

Gonzaga -- Thursday @ 8 PM - Page 3 83c782061cb9fa6e6e424eb2a5cc7be1

Sort of like the PAC12 network.

by Stonehouse Fri Jan 10, 2014 3:32 pm

Just for fun, for those who want to re-live it: the Top Ten Moments when the Pilots Beat the Zags.

We've had lots of great wins over ranked teams between 1996 and now, but this one was a bit different. Lots of pent up frustration was released. I think the UP fans tolerate our gym being 50/50 with Zag fans for these games very well, but it gets my goat every time I have to hear cheering when the buzzer sounds and the Pilots lose. Especially when jerks like Rob Sacre (I'll never forgive him for this) stomp on our logo, taunt fans, pop jerseys, and generally disrespect the Pilots and our fans multiple years in a row.

So yes, this felt freaking great. And it meant a lot to the fans too... the amount of stuff being posted on social media was incredible. FOUR different things relating to this game were trending on Twitter in Portland, and my Facebook was completely overwhelmed with posts from alumni... I'm not even exaggerating, I bet there were close to 100 different posts from my friends after the game, not to mention all the text messages I got.

Yes, it's one game and I don't want to make too big a deal of it, but the last time I saw this sort of explosion of pride in the Pilots was that tournament in Anaheim a few years ago when we blew UCLA out of the water and then beat a ranked Minnesota team, which resulted in us getting ranked AP poll for the first time in 50 years.

Just a reminder of the power our basketball team has in getting alumni engaged with the school and in feeling proud of their alma mater.

by oh brody Fri Jan 10, 2014 4:22 pm

bdaddy wrote:I have a personal account related to last night’s game. It is a bit wordy but I am hoping you will humor me by allowing me to share.

My dad has been taking me to Pilot basketball games since 1998 when I was 10 years old. It started as a way for us to hang out while also watching some good local basketball. At first we would make it to a few games a year. As our pilot fandom grew we eventually became season ticket holders. I remember being impressed at how enthusiastically my dad would root for the Pilots even against his alma mater, the Gonzaga Bulldogs.

When it became time for me to select a college, I eventually settled on the University of Portland. The fond memories of attending those Pilot basketball games probably had more to do with this selection than even I would like to admit. I graduated from UP in 2010. Soon after, my wife joined my dad and I as season ticket holders and the tradition continued.

We learned earlier this year that my dad was diagnosed with stage 3 throat cancer. He is currently more than halfway through a 6 week chemo/radiation regiment. He has responded remarkably well to the treatment and has a very positive outlook despite the advanced stage of his cancer.

You could see why I wasn’t expecting much when I called my dad earlier this week to ask him if he was going to be feeling up for the Pilot/Zag game on Thursday night. I was pleasantly surprised by his reply.

“Hell yeah son! I wouldn’t miss it!”

I share all that with you so you have the background to understand what I mean when I say this.

I have a lot of great memories of going to Pilot basketball games with my dad. That game last night has immediately become my favorite. I feel so blessed and thankful to have been able to share that with him and I will never forget it.

GO PILOTS!

bdaddy, some of my fondest childhood memories are also going to the local college basketball games with my father so I feel like I can at least partially relate to how special of an experience that can be. You have my prayers and best wishes that you and your father can enjoy many more Pilot victories over the Zags together!

by martymoose Fri Jan 10, 2014 5:13 pm

Nice win!

by Geezaldinho Fri Jan 10, 2014 5:27 pm

martymoose wrote:Nice win!

Thanks Marty. We figured if you could do it in Spokane, we could do it here.

by DoubleDipper Fri Jan 10, 2014 5:42 pm

Stonehouse wrote:Just for fun, for those who want to re-live it: the Top Ten Moments when the Pilots Beat the Zags.

Thanks, Stoney, loved it....especially about the fans/players having to go back to Spokane.

I too have been inundated with calls and emails (no twitter or facebook in this man's life) from people who knew there were a lot of long-suffering Pilots fans who needed this kind of win.

All the way from Franz Hall:
Gonzaga -- Thursday @ 8 PM - Page 3 Gu_710

Gonzaga -- Thursday @ 8 PM - Page 3 Gu_710

by DoubleDipper Fri Jan 10, 2014 6:05 pm

From Vince Grippi, the Spokesman-Review (edited):

When the final buzzer sounded on Portland's 82-73 win over visiting Gonzaga last night, the ESPNU cameras kept rolling. After all, they had to document the Portland students rushing the court. On and on they came, until at least half the floor was covered in a celebration. There were smiles, there was jumping, there was a party. The Pilots had done something no other University of Portland team had done in more than a decade. Heck in this century. They had defeated the hated Gonzaga Bulldogs at home.

(As an aside, the cameras happened to catch something I really love about college athletics. In the midst of the scrum on the floor, one of the Portland players shared his happiness with a guy from the stands. The player had high-fived his teammates, sure, but his conversation with a student at least 6-inches shorter than him showed they were good friends. The joy of two friends sharing something special was easy to see. Sometimes we forget college athletes are students too and their circle of buddies extends beyond the athletic department.)

Gonzaga -- Thursday @ 8 PM - Page 3 Gu_1010

by Guest Fri Jan 10, 2014 6:10 pm

bdaddy, my dad started bringing me to games 50 years ago, and he still comes. Glad you could enjoy that one with your dad.

Looking at the GU board, a lot of their fans state that they like Coach Rev. I bet if he beats them another time or two, they won't like him so much. Laughing

by Geezaldinho Fri Jan 10, 2014 7:10 pm

Mark Few wrote:"They were flying around and beating us to pretty much every ball that was available," Bulldogs coach Mark Few said. "I thought they outplayed us on offense and they outplayed us on the defensive end. We didn't execute very well until there at the end and they deserve a lot of credit.

by Stonehouse Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:00 pm

Just watched the replay on ESPN3.

WOW WOW WOW was Bryce Pressley good. I think I got too caught up in the euphoria and excitement to appreciate what he did. He was incredible, from start to finish.

Especially great was a stretch midway through the second half... UP is up by 11, and Bryce gets a steal in the paint and sends a beautiful loooong pass, hitting Korey in stride for a big dunk. Gonzaga gets two back, then Bryce responds with a three. On the next possession, he blocks a shot, gets possession, and then gets an assist to Bobby for a three. Boom. Pilots up by 17 and the game is effectively over.

It was a beautiful thing to watch.

by Geezaldinho Fri Jan 10, 2014 9:28 pm

Stonehouse wrote:Just watched the replay on ESPN3.

WOW WOW WOW was Bryce Pressley good. I think I got too caught up in the euphoria and excitement to appreciate what he did. He was incredible, from start to finish.

Especially great was a stretch midway through the second half... UP is up by 11, and Bryce gets a steal in the paint and sends a beautiful loooong pass, hitting Korey in stride for a big dunk. Gonzaga gets two back, then Bryce responds with a three. On the next possession, he blocks a shot, gets possession, and then Bobby hits a three. Boom. Pilots up by 17 and the game is effectively over.

It was a beautiful thing to watch.

Tell in' ya. If he doesn't get Player of the Week, I want to se the performance of the guy who does.

by oh brody Fri Jan 10, 2014 10:53 pm

Any of you well informed PilotNation'ers out there know who the recruit was at last night's Gonzaga game and Coach Rev tweeted about taking to breakfast this morning?

by jumpstop Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:46 am

For those of us without ESPNU, I came across this link. The entire game is now posted on youtube.

https://youtu.be/lahULfLXrUY

by Geezaldinho Sat Jan 11, 2014 12:21 pm

DeanMurdoch wrote:Such a great game to watch. Can't remember if it was Sharp's three from the parking lot or Bailey's and-one putback off his own miss that moved me into "holy crap, they're gonna win this" mode but either way, what a win for the guys.

I'll be the first to say it - Reveno outcoached Few tonight. I think the Pilots came in with a game plan that they hadn't seen yet - namely, playing off Stockton and letting him shoot should he choose to take it - and couple that with the players executing and working their ASSES off put this in the win column. Can't say enough good things about the 9 guys that got in tonight.

Just watching the replay. According to the announcer, Bobby's shot wasn't from the parking lot. It wasn't even from Franz Hall. It was from Vancouver ( Blvd?, BC?)

Bobby clapped his hands asking for it, too.

by NoPoNeighbor Sat Jan 11, 2014 3:16 pm

The most impressive thing to me about the GU game was the Pilots' ability to maintain the lead at the end of the first half when Bailey went to the bench with 2 fouls. We were in a similar situation against Saint Mary's, and when Bailey went out with foul trouble we couldn't get anything going on offense. Bailey spent a lot of minutes on the bench against Gonzaga, and we kept the offense rolling!

by NoPoNeighbor Sat Jan 11, 2014 10:27 pm

PurpleGeezer wrote:Tell in' ya. If [Pressley] doesn't get Player of the Week, I want to se the performance of the guy who does.

That would be Tyler Haws. 35 points against Pepperdine, 31 against LMU.

by GoZags Sun Jan 12, 2014 9:14 am

Stonehouse wrote:FOUR different things relating to this game were trending on Twitter in Portland, and my Facebook was completely overwhelmed with posts from alumni... I'm not even exaggerating, I bet there were close to 100 different posts from my friends after the game, not to mention all the text messages I got...............

.................... Just a reminder of the power our basketball team has in getting alumni engaged with the school and in feeling proud of their alma mater.

Thought about you and your buddies as this was all going down. I've always maintained that there is no shame .... ever .... in losing. Particularly losing to a better team. And that's what happened on Thursday .... the better team won.

Doesn't mean I enjoyed any of it (I didn't) .... but I certainly respected (and appreciated) what happened to my guys at Chiles.

I'm just grateful that the Zags didn't parlay the "Portland" week bye in to a cross country Saturday night ESPN game to further complicate their week. Not having a game last night was good for Zag fans (i.e. able to fully enjoy the big Seahawks win).

GoZags

PS .... re: Coach Reveno. He IS well liked and well respected .... by Zag fans and, I believe .... around the league. That respect wouldn't diminish if Portland continued to beat Gonzaga more frequently. At least that's my opinion.

by DoubleDipper Sun Jan 12, 2014 1:01 pm

BEFORE the GU game:

DeanMurdoch wrote:Following the "water under the bridge" strategy DTLegend talked about in his blog -

• 8 wins will give a team a decent chance to avoid Day 1 of the conference tournament (that's .500 basketball the rest of the way)
• Considering opposition, 3-2 over the remaining five home games is a good goal
• There's four trips to California upcoming. If they can split each of those roadies, there's a 4-5 road record and 8-10 overall
• If the Pilots are feeling real ambitious and want to end up with nine wins, that will essentially seal a top-six finish and could very well get them into the 4/5 game

So yeah, there's your glimmer of hope for today - despite the start, it's not even close to an insurmountable task to get back into the thick of things. Tonight would be as good a time as any to get this thing rolling!

AFTER the GU game, the WCC standing as of 1/11:

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

Looking ahead at all the ROAD games yet to be played, it’s going to be tough for UP to attain the all-important 6th place….but certainly not impossible if the Pilots can play with the same intensity they displayed against GU last Thursday.

by Guest Wed Jan 15, 2014 7:49 am

DeanMurdoch wrote:
@jimrome wrote:.@ZagMBB HC Mark Few tomorrow on ROME, 6pm ET on @CBSSportsNet. DirecTV 221, Dish 158 Cable: http://on.fb.me/z1yZTb

"So Mark, how about that tough loss last night at Portland?" - Rome to Few tomorrow night?

p.s. I don't mean to blow my own horn, but I posted this 23 minutes before tip-off. Just saying!