Part 2…WCC scores, news, and more...

Part 1 was about the WCC teams playing against preseason opponents, but now with only GU and PU each having a preseason game remaining, it’s time to concentrate on Part 2, the WCC regular season.

As a starting point, here’s how the WCC teams stand in the four major rating scales today, and by any measure, UP is last…

Ken Pomeroy:
3. GU (12-2)
43. SMC (9-6)
44. USF (12-2)
84. BYU (8-7)
90. USD (11-4)
123. LMU (12-2)
162. UOP (10-5)
210. SCU (8-6)
216. PU (6-7)
288. UP (7-eight)

Jeff Sagarin:
2. GU
43. SMC
44. USF
87. BYU
88. USD
131. LMU
165. UOP
220. SCU
222. PU
306. UP

RPI:
18. GU (Down 7 spots after their win over North Alabama)
43. USD (Up 6 after beating Grand Canyon)
87. USF
103. LMU (Dropped 51 spots after their loss to Cal Riverside!)
131. UOP (Up 29 spots)
135. SMC
144. BYU (Gained 3 spots after losing to very good Mississippi St.)
278. PU
285. SCU (Up 21 after defeating WSU)
295. UP (Down 23 spots after losing to Fullerton)

NCAA’s NET (supposedly the final determiner (we’ll see) to decide which 36 teams will join the 32 automatic qualifiers in the Dance):
7. GU (Up 4)
39. USF (Down 14 and possibly out of Tournament position after losing to UCSB)
63. SMC (Up 12)
83. USD (Down 5)
112. LMU (Up 4)
113. BYU (Up 2)
165. UOP (Up 15)
217. PU (Up 1)
225. SCU (Up 25 after defeating WSU)
282. UP (Down 14)

UP nemesis and two-time All-WCC selection, senior point guard KJ Feagin of Santa Clara, is out for the remainder of the season due to a foot injury.

Feagin, who has played only two games this season after injuring his wrist earlier, had surgery on his foot two days ago.

With the medical redshirt this season, Feagin could return to SCU next season or, if he's on time to graduate, could grad-transfer. Averaging over 17 points and 4 assists per game last season, I would imagine quite a few schools would be interested in him.

DoubleDipper wrote:UP nemesis and two-time All-WCC selection, senior point guard KJ Feagin of Santa Clara, is out for the remainder of the season due to a foot injury.

Feagin, who has played only two games this season after injuring his wrist earlier, had surgery on his foot two days ago.

Feagin only played in their first two games, both bad losses. They have won their last five, including two Pac-12 teams, without him. I think they'll be OK.

This is Terry's third season. I kinda recall his plan for a sixth place finish last year and even better this year. Any idea how long his contract runs? I think he has recruited good talent, but has failed to mold them into a confident and winning team. I keep wondering what any one of the assistants could do as head coach.

UCLA was 7-2, including beating LMU 82-58, and losing only to two top 15 teams, Mich. St. and No. Carolina. Then they lost four in a row, including two mid-majors, and they fired coach Steve Alford.

bullwinkle wrote:This is Terry's third season.  I kinda recall his plan for a sixth place finish last year and even better this year.  Any idea how long his contract runs?  I think he has recruited good talent, but has failed to mold them into a confident and winning team.  I keep wondering what any one of the assistants could do as head coach.

He also indicated a goal of a .500 record this season, which some of us thought was too low of a goal, especially with the weak pre-conference schedule. It would take a miraclous turn-around to get a .500 record at this point, let alone .500 vs. D-I competition.

bullwinkle wrote:This is Terry's third season.  I kinda recall his plan for a sixth place finish last year and even better this year.  Any idea how long his contract runs?  I think he has recruited good talent, but has failed to mold them into a confident and winning team.  I keep wondering what any one of the assistants could do as head coach.

I don't know how long Porter's contract runs, but the "standard" contract is five years, which would coincide with Malcolm's final year of eligibility.

We often hear, "the WCC is so much stronger this year," but that does not excuse the Pilots pathetic standing nationally.  Yes, UP has recruited very good talent, but there has been close to zero leadership on the floor or apparently in the locker room, and I too question the leadership from the bench.

Coach Porter is surrounded by the best group of assistants UP has ever had, and one would think their combined experience and input would be an immense help in molding a confident and winning team...but how accepting is Porter of their input.  Like Steele and Holton before him, Porter has wonderful NBA credentials, but we are yet to see how that is of any benefit on the floor beyond "sealing the deal" when it comes to recruiting.

I’ve heard it said that “Coach Porter will probably be around as for as long as he wants,” but will he want to stick around beyond Malcolm's graduation...and will his stellar staff, all of whom would be excellent head coaches, stay with him that long?

LMU LIons Roar wrote:"Coach Terry Porter’s team is near the bottom in most offensive and defensive categories even though he has managed to coax them to a 6-7 non-conference record.  Winning some early games is a good foundation, but the Pilots won’t win if they can’t score or defend."

"Will Terry Porter tire of this job or lose it first?  If UP decides it needs basketball to be a marquee sport for fundraising purposes, but continues to win few games, Porter will lose it first."

http://lmulionsroar.com/?p=3800&page=2

Side note: I was out and about in Vancouver, USA, today while wearing my Pilots ball cap, and on two different occasions I'm approached by guys who have seen the Pilots play this season.

One says, "I don't think Porter is much of a coach," and the other says, Porter is a pretty bad coach, do you think he'll quit when his boys are gone?"

My reply was something along the lines of, "Well, he's got excellent assistants!"

One factor for consideration is what he does for his players re preparing them for life. That was an aspect of Jack Avina's tenure that was underappreciated by some. His former players demonstrated that by how many came for his memorial. I don't know how Coach Porter does in that aspect. We probably need more history to get a good read on it, since there has been so much roster turnover.

He does have excellent assistants, which I always felt was the weakest part of Coach Reveno's program. If Reveno had had the quality of assistants (and the budget for them?) that Porter has, I think he would of been more successful. Just my

Power Rankings: latest edition, same old story.
wcc-power-rankings

And an article from the same writer about Zag fans.
https://www.midmajormadness.com/2018/12/31/18162464/dear-gonzaga-bulldogs-fans-zags-usf-san-francisco-dons-wcc-power-rankings-history-twitter

bullwinkle wrote:This is Terry's third season.  I kinda recall his plan for a sixth place finish last year and even better this year.  Any idea how long his contract runs?  I think he has recruited good talent, but has failed to mold them into a confident and winning team.  I keep wondering what any one of the assistants could do as head coach.

6th place finish! That's remarkable. To be honest, if they win more than 3 games in conference I will be shocked. Home games against Pacific, Pepperdine, LMU and Santa Clara are the only games I can see being competitive and hard to win all 4.

Avoiding last place would be a victory to me. I'm also puzzled by the lack of development as the players have gotten more experience, especially Diabate. I can't believe he's not more of a force.

It appears that most other teams in the conference have been able to implement their improvement plans quicker than UP has.  What is not known is if the other teams' improvements are sustainable, or if UP will be able to catch up and surpass with slow and steady progress.

But 6th place this year is not remotely looking realistic.

up7587 wrote:It appears that most other teams in the conference have been able to implement their improvement plans quicker than UP has.  What is not known is if the other teams' improvements are sustainable, or if UP will be able to catch up and surpass with slow and steady progress.

But 6th place this year is not remotely looking realistic.

If things break right I could see 7th at best. Ahead of Santa Clara, Pepperdine, and maybe Pacific- but that's best case, and most likely is 3-15 and last place.
I would also guess he's on a 5 year deal. Very puzzled at this as the recruiting has been pretty good. Players just don't seem to be getting better- or they're improving at a much slower rate than other teams' players and it's making them look worse in comparison.

Santa Clara has two wins over Pac-12 teams in the last two weeks and is currently in the process of absolutely dismantling San Diego in their opener. I think they have just a good of a chance as any to avoid the first day in Vegas.

My guess is LMU/Pacific 7th and 8th (flip a coin) and Pepperdine/Portland 9th and 10th (flip a coin).

I will say that I think the Pilots are as talented as any of these teams, but have yet to come close to putting it all together as a cohesive unit. Shot selection and overall intensity are frustrations currently, and the massive rebounding deficiency is baffling to me given that the Pilots normally have a size advantage out there. I truly believe there's some strong pieces on this team and it's my hope that they can use the start of conference play as a fresh beginning and start to play up to their potential.

LMU is relying on Batemon, a SR guard who is JC transfer, and 7'3" JR Markusson, who they found in Sweden.

UOP has 5 guys doing all their scoring: a SR guard JC transfer, a 4 year SR forward, a JR in his 2nd year, and a SO and a FR guards. FYI, they don't have an active big man.

USD has a transfer SR power forward, two 4 year SR guard, and a transfer SR guard, plus a three year JR big.

USF has maybe the best coach, plus a four year SR PG, four year SR Aussie big, a three year JR fwd, and a SO SG.

PU has two SRs, a super SO, and a FR big.

SCU must have mirrors; their leading scorers after a lot of injuries are two SO and two FR.

By comparison, UP is led by two SO guards, a second year JR fwd, and a bunch of other guys who contribute now and then, none of whom are seniors.

My conclusion is that most of the other teams are playing more experienced players, whether they grew up in their program, transferred from another school, or came from the JC ranks. SCU is the only outlier. When the majority of the Pilots are juniors and seniors, we'll know more about whether this coach can get them to play winning basketball.

USF just beat SMC at home 76-72. Four guys in double figures, led by two seniors.

7-7 PU is blowing out 12-2 LMU by 18 at home, with 4 minutes to go. Was up 4 at half.

11-4 USD was unable to come back at 8-6 SCU, lost 68-56. Home teams holding up tonight so far.

Final PU 77-62 over LMU.
BYU is bucking trend, up 12 at UOP at half.

I didn't see the USD/SCU game, but from the other three games on tv tonight, it is pretty obvious the WCC has a number of very mature players, many with mature bodies, and there's a lot of athleticism on the court, especially at PU.

What is striking about USF, SMC, and BYU is their tough, but skilled insides game....something that UP is going to have to match or compensate for if they are to win any games this season.

The other thing that is obvious is the on court leadership and the mature play of the teams without constant direction from the bench.

I think it is too much to ask of Crisshawn to instantly add that much needed leadership upon his return, but after watching tonight's action, UP is certainly a 10th place team unless of number of inside and outside players step-up their game and someone takes control on the court....

BYU was up 21 at one point, UOP came back to tie in the 2nd half, but BYU survives on the road 90-87.

up7587 wrote:BYU was up 21 at one point, UOP came back to tie in the 2nd half, but BYU survives on the road 90-87.

Yeah, what a great game!  Coach Stoudamire has done a great job at UOP with limited scholarships, and his young team's athleticism and free-throw shooting (31-38) almost pulled it out.

Typical "entitled" BYU crowd in Stockton yelling at the refs for every call that went against the Cougars, but it was a great basketball environment with BYU and UOP fans, split about 50/50, trying to outdo one another.

Based upon what I saw tonight, UP's chances of beating either of these two teams are very slim....

Hard to complain after 38 free throws, but I thought our old buddy Nick Emery stole a possession with a flop to draw a late offensive foul.

DoubleDipper wrote:I think it is too much to ask of Crisshawn to instantly add that much needed leadership upon his return, but after watching tonight's action, UP is certainly a 10th place team unless of number of inside and outside players step-up their game and someone takes control on the court....

Clark could have been providing more leadership on the bench for this team throughout the season, potentially making a transition to on-court leadership more smooth when the time comes, but at every home game he is sitting by himself 10 feet behind the bench in the regular stands, looking bored or playing with his phone. Any idea why he's not on the bench with his teammates?

I had to chuckle at this line from UP's press release in advance of tomorrow's WCC opener:

"Tryon was in the starting lineup to open the season, but missed 10 games with a foot injury. A stretch-four, he is one of Portland's top offensive threats."

This "top offensive threat" is currently shooting 7-24 from the field (.292) and 2-14 on three-pointers (.143).

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Clark could have been providing more leadership on the bench for this team throughout the season, potentially making a transition to on-court leadership more smooth when the time comes, but at every home game he is sitting by himself 10 feet behind the bench in the regular stands, looking bored or playing with his phone. Any idea why he's not on the bench with his teammates?

I've wondered this myself, but I believe I did see him on the bench the last home game I watched (either Grambling or Seattle). I know FIBA rules dictate how many players + personnel can be on the bench at once, but I don't think it's an NCAA rule.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:I had to chuckle at this line from UP's press release in advance of tomorrow's WCC opener:

"Tryon was in the starting lineup to open the season, but missed 10 games with a foot injury. A stretch-four, he is one of Portland's top offensive threats."

This "top offensive threat" is currently shooting 7-24 from the field (.292) and 2-14 on three-pointers (.143).

He's struggled for sure and I'd like to see him assert himself more on the glass. One thing to keep in mind is he's only played 75 minutes of ball in his NCAA career to this point, though. The coaching staff would have had a significant amount of time to evaluate Tryon in practice and they considered him a starter at the beginning of the year...hopefully we'll start to see why in the coming games.