2016-17 Season Predictions

Hey let's get some more chatter going about this upcoming season! I invite everyone to join me in making the following predictions for the season. And please add other categories for everyone to prognosticate about.

Opening Night Starting Line-Up
Wintering, Johnson, Tyson, Taylor, Hartwich

WCC Opening Night Starting Line-Up
Wintering, Johnson, Jackson, Maker, Taylor

#2 leading scorer
Johnson

leading rebounder
Taylor

Redshirts
Malcolm Porter

Non-conference record
6-7

• 2-1 vs UCR, SJSU, L&C;
  
• 1-2 at Thanksgiving tourney;
  
• 1-2 vs Colorado, UTRGV, Boise;
  
• 2-2 vs South Dakota, OSU, PSU, Fullerton
  

Conference record
7-11, 7th place

Opening night: Wintering, Jazz, Tyson, Marshall, Taylor
WCC Opener: Wintering, Jazz, Tyson, Marshall, Taylor

#2 Leading Scorer: Wintering
Leading Rebounder: Marshall
Redshirts: Smoyer, F. Porter

Non-conference: 7-6
3-0 vs UCR, SJSU, L&C
0-3 at Wooden Legacy
1-2 vs CU, UTRGV, BSU
3-1 vs USD, OSU, PSU, CSF

WCC: 7-11, 6th place

Dean Murdoch wrote:Opening night: Wintering, Jazz, Tyson, Marshall, Taylor
WCC Opener: Wintering, Jazz, Tyson, Marshall, Taylor

#2 Leading Scorer: Wintering
Leading Rebounder: Marshall
Redshirts: Smoyer, F. Porter

Non-conference: 7-6
3-0 vs UCR, SJSU, L&C
0-3 at Wooden Legacy
1-2 vs CU, UTRGV, BSU
3-1 vs USD, OSU, PSU, CSF

WCC: 7-11, 6th place

I don't see us going small ball for the WCC. I have Wintering, Tyson, Marshall, Taylor and Hartwich for our starting five. If Maker is better than he showed in the scrimmage, I see him starting instead of Marshall.

Opening Night starters: Wintering, Tyson, Marshall, Taylor & Hartwich

WCC Opener Starters: Wintering, Jackson, Marshall, Taylor & Hartwich

#2 leading scorer: Taylor
Leading rebounder: Hartwich
Redshirts: F. Porter, Ferguson

Non-conference: 8-5
WCC: 9-9 5th place

When will Chier Maker be eligible to play in a game? Is he on track to be eligible? What is that dependent upon... his first semester grades?

NoPoNeighbor wrote:When will Chier Maker be eligible to play in a game? Is he on track to be eligible? What is that dependent upon... his first semester grades?

Exams until the 14th, grades for "degree candidates" due the 16th, grades for "others" due the 20th.

So I'd guess definitely by Portland State game on the 20th, and possibly by the South Dakota game on the 16th?

up7587 wrote:No radio show next week, or you could ask how Maker is progressing.

I did ask...

A month ago it seemed Coach Porter was quite disappointed in Chier's performance in practice and called him, "very, very rusty....he's got a lot of work to do."  But just this week, he commented that he's looking forward to working him into the rotation, "giving the Pilots more lineup options."

Chier is both excited and nervous about finally getting onto the floor for the Pilots.  He's been anticipating this moment for almost two years (he's not alone there), and now that it is about to finally happen, he's been checking and double-checking to make sure he's filled all the squares to get himself onto the court.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:When will Chier Maker be eligible to play in a game? Is he on track to be eligible? What is that dependent upon... his first semester grades?

Both Coach Porter and Chier expect him to play on Friday December 16th in the Moda Center vs. South Dakota after satisfactorily completing his finals for the fall semester a day or two prior.

Many of us who graduated from UP struggled with certain classes to some extent, so it is no surprise that someone without a formal education in his formative who speaks English as a second language also has some struggles with his studies, but he tells me he's, "doing good" and expects to play as soon as finals are over.

Among the basketball things Chier and I talked about this week was where he saw himself in the lineup....and he felt the "3 or 4 were options, but definitely not the 5."  His eyes really lit up when I mentioned the possibility of 1. Alec; 2. Jazz; 3. Jarrel; 4. Chier; and 5. Gabe.  "Small ball," he said, "I think that would be fun and we'd be good."

The Pilots have a short bench, but if Chier can get himself up-to-speed in his four game before the beginning of WCC play, that bench could all of sudden be a whole lot longer.

What would PilotNation be without DoubleDipper?

Cheers, DD.

Haha. Lord knows I don't pull my weight around here.

It might look like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XBZ9qYDxFs

dholcombe wrote:It might look like this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2XBZ9qYDxFs

Haha, that's a great video....it reminds of doing takeoffs and landings in Eloy, Arizona during AF pilot training in the 60's...

Thanks for all the encouragement to keep posting fellow PN people, but I'm really just marking time waiting for StudentPilot to pick up the slack with a younger view and firsthand tidbits!

It's time for WCC play. Any predictions or insights at the outset?

After the non-conference slate, I think these factors will loom large in the Pilots' WCC fortunes:

- Avoiding injuries (and exhaustion) for Wintering, Johnson and Taylor
- Chier Maker's ability to become an offensive threat. If Maker progresses to the point of joining the starting lineup, I think that bodes well for the team.
- Limiting opponents' offensive rebounds and our own turnovers

Earlier in this tread, during the pre-season, I predicted a 7-11 WCC record. I'll stick with that. I'm guessing we'll see 4 wins in the Chiles Center, and 3 on the road.

7-11 seems about right... but if we can get a few road wins and figure out a way to get some rebounds, I would not be surprised to see us at 9-9, which would be a solid result.

I will project the conference standing very similarly to how I would have in October:
1-GU
2-SMC
3-BYU
4-USF
5-UP
6-LMU
7-SCU
8-Pac
9-Pepp
10-USD

I'm confident about the top 2, and pretty sure BYU will still get 3rd place. After that, it seems much less clear. USF has done well of late, so I move them to the top of the 4-10 jumble. I would have ranked Pepp higher early on, but they have not impressed. USD was my lock for 10th place before, but I'm less confident of that now. 5 (and really even 4) through 8 is still a toss-up, IMO.

We pay you to make these decisions. Do you job.

12-19, 5-13 in conference.

I am still feeling really optimistic about this team for the future. Considering that Coach Porter is doing what he is so far with almost none of his "own guys" is pretty impressive. Correct me if I am wrong, but everyone who has seen the court this season has been a Reveno recruit.

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:I am still feeling really optimistic about this team for the future. Considering that Coach Porter is doing what he is so far with almost none of his "own guys" is pretty impressive. Correct me if I am wrong, but everyone who has seen the court this season has been a Reveno recruit.

Andre Ferguson would be the one recruit by the new staff, but yeah...everyone else was brought in by Rev.

It's hard not to be a little optimistic especially considering the Hoop Scoop report on the recruiting class a couple weeks ago. And the team composition between Porter's second year and Reveno's second year will be completely different. Rev had the foundation in place in 2007-08 for the three solid years that would follow, but only had one contributing upperclassman (Sherrard Watson). Coach Porter will have five (Jazz, Taylor, Tyson, Hartwich, Jackson) plus Austin Stone.

Still looks like 5-13 WCC this year to me. Expecting big improvement next year with 9-9 or 10-8 quite possible.