Re: 2021 WCC Games

by GoPilots19 Mon Jan 11, 2021 3:11 pm

Not at all trying to down play the impact of Aussies in the WCC because throughout the history of the conference it is evident.

And I appreciate you providing examples and those are good ones. Also, I don't want to imply that I don't think Zac should play at all because I do, just not a massive work load of minutes straight away.

Three clarifying points as I see them:
1. Correctly or not it seems the plan from the coaching staff was to lean on older more experienced players to try and save their job
2. I think Zac should stick around and see who they hire because it may be someone who has more genuine plans for him
3. I know this isn't the only thing but both Williamson and Bannan, from what research i just did both seem to be more physically built than Zac which I know has no effect on shooting but does have some effect on defense and rebounding

Bottom line, I think we can all agree that this era of Pilot basketball has been disastrous but at the same time I can't say i'm surprised that they are playing the older players to try and win as opposed to developing younger ones. As I said before I hope Zac first gets more opportunity and then decides to at least see who UP hires before making a decision to uproot and move as I watched some friends make moves in the transfer portal several times in their college careers

by StudentPilot Mon Jan 11, 2021 4:05 pm

Face it, we all want to see the Pilots win, and TP is currently entrusted with that responsibility...despite all the grumbling about the lineup on PilotNation.

To most, including me, it is obvious the majority of JUCO transfers that arrived this season have more physical attributes (read stronger, quicker, bouncier) than the newly arrived freshmen, and the jump to D1 basketball is often a struggle unless a player has a "mature" body.

From the little we've seen of Zac, he's a shooter, but the coaches see the players every day, and they are paid the big bucks to make the most informed decision on what they see in practice...and apparently they see that others are ahead of Zac, regardless of his ability to shoot the ball.

I don't have much contact with the team anymore, but when I return to UP later this month, after a long absence, I will talk to the players to get a better sense of team/player attitude and if anyone is already talking of leaving.

From what we've seen online and on tv, no one is hanging their head, and I don't think anyone should.

by Geezaldinho Mon Jan 11, 2021 9:25 pm

Aussie Baller wrote:He could SP, but why would he, sold a lie, and treated terribly by a coach who is 1-33 in conference play in 2 and a bit years. What would you do ?

He wasn’t blindsided. UP was 1-31 before he came.

And the Zags don’t really play defense like other teams in the league. They never have. They just outscore you. Zack is going to get a rude awakening when other teams come in. They try to make up for talent below Gonzaga with physical play.

by Aussie Baller Mon Jan 11, 2021 11:37 pm

Blindsided, because Porter told him he would play freshman, ( looks like he is, NOT) and if you think the number 1 team in the country dont play defence, you couldnt draw me a basketball.

Rude awakening, that would be a no, Zach has played against men in Australian pro leagues, and spent 6 months with Melb United, and FYI, they are men, professionals, not high school kids, but lets not let the facts get in the way

nothing against the jucos, but from what i have seen, they are not taking portland up the ladder, time will tell

And Go Pilots, if the zach i coached is still the same Zach, he will be loved by his team mates,train harder than all of them, and the info im getting is the assistants and players absolutly love him,the bloke with the worst record in history doesnt, i will await your apology when you talk to your people

by DoubleDipper Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:07 am

Aussie Baller wrote:And Go Pilots, if the zach i coached is still the same Zach, he will be loved by his team mates,train harder than all of them, and the info im getting is the assistants and players absolutly love him,the bloke with the worst record in history doesnt, i will await your apology when you talk to your people

Honestly, I am just trying to sort out what you are saying:

1. "I will await your apology when you talk to your people."

That left me scratching my head. Who are "your people," and who are you awaiting an apology from, and what is the apology for?

2. You repeatedly spell his name, Zach.

We have always written and listed his name as Zac, but as you apparently know him well, and coach him and spell his name Zach, have we been getting it wrong all this time and your spelling is correct?

Everyone on this forum is rooting for Zac/Zach, and most are simply giving their opinion why he is not a starter as a freshman. From my perspective you have begun to take these opinions personally and have begun lashing out at long suffering Pilot fans who are now fans of Zac/Zach and wish him only the best.

Have you communicated with Coach Porter? After all, he is "the bloke with the worst record in history" who needs to be convinced to give Zac/Zach more minutes.

by Geezaldinho Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:14 am

I didn’t say they don’t play defence, I said they don’t play the pressure defence other teams do.

Watch through the season how the assist/to and steals stats go and which teams are better at it.

Just look at the assist/to ratio against the zags. It’s positive. I’ll wager that will be in the top third performance in those stats this year..
Against USF the stat was negative.

by Aussie Baller Tue Jan 12, 2021 8:20 am

nothing personal Dipper towards the long lasting loyal pilots fans, from an Aussie very far away, with a super keen interest in Aussie ballers in the US, its extremely frustrating watching a team play as they do, yet the pieces to the puzzle are right in front of them.
The when you talk to youre people comment was refering to Student Pilot said he would talk to the players, and then get a better understanding of the dynamics/future of the players.
Its not my place to reach out to the coach, im sure Zacs ( yes it is Zac, with no H, MY BAD ) have.
im giving my opinion, which what a fanpage/forum is, and if i was Zac i would be seriously considering my options. This year is a free year, and to be given 12 minutes finally and to do what he did, well he did what everyone back here knew he would do, it wasnt a suprise to us.
Porter believes they are a good shooting team, obviously he knows a heap more than me and everyone back here who i have spoken too.

Lets see what the rest of the season brings, in my opinion, untill he gets the mix/balance right, i cant see to many Ws, with 2 super talented freshman why wouldnt you build around them with the older boys rather than use them at the death when you are 30 down.

again my opinion, 3am here i need to get back to sleep
Go Portland Pilots

by DoubleDipper Tue Jan 12, 2021 9:46 am

Geezaldinho wrote:I didn’t say they don’t play defence, I said they don’t play the pressure defence other teams do.

Geezer, nice to see you have begun spelling defense as defence in deference to Aussie Baller and Dean Murdoch...very United Nations of you to do so.

As a long time observer of college basketball, it seemed clear to me that Coach Few told his guys to "just go out there and have fun and practice getting the ball inside."

And that's what they did. In what seemed like a carry-over from their pregame layup drills, GU scored 80 points in the paint, which has to be an all-time record of some sort, they played defense as if they were playing a pick-up game at tiny Audubon Park in Spokane, and they had no trouble helping Joel Ayayi come away with the first Triple-Double in Gonzaga history....in addition to his 12 points and 13 rebounds, he had FOURTEEN ASSISTS and ZERO TURNOVERS!!

To quote Coach Rev, "yea/no," if GU were to play defense/defence in the NCAA Tournament like they did against UP, they'd be bounced in the first round...

by DoubleDipper Tue Jan 12, 2021 10:09 am

Aussie Baller wrote:nothing personal Dipper towards the long lasting loyal pilots fans, from an Aussie very far away, with a super keen interest in Aussie ballers in the US, its extremely frustrating watching a team play as they do, yet the pieces to the puzzle are right in front of them.

I don't think it would be an exaggeration to say ALL UP Mens Basketball fans are frustrated, and have been frustrated for many years, none more so than the last four.

Like you, I hope UP can eke out a win, or maybe two, when the staff gets the mix/balance correct, but for most loyal, long-suffering Pilots fans, a coaching change cannot come soon enough.

In the meantime we do our best to support all the players, including our two walk-ons, Wyatt and Miles who work every day to make their teammates better; the injured Quincy, who was at one time a part-time starter; Hunter, who is also a great teammate, but is getting close to zero playing time as he continues to develop his D1 skills; and our freshman, Zac and Hayden, who will one day get their chance to show why they were recruited to UP...

by Geezaldinho Tue Jan 12, 2021 11:26 am

DD wrote: Geezer, nice to see you have begun spelling defense as defence in deference to Aussie Baller and Dean Murdoch...very United Nations of you to do so.

You haven’t been paying attention. I’ve spelt it defence ever since Stoney told us Scarey was a spelling mistake, mostly just to piss him off.

I may start spelling colour the Brit way.

Very Happy

by DoubleDipper Tue Jan 12, 2021 12:27 pm

Geezaldinho wrote:I may start spelling colour the Brit way.

I am sure that many of us who are Anglophiles will find that very neighbourly and would look upon your spelling favoroubly...although our spell-checkers will want us to use a rubber to correct our mistakes as their centre of the universe is American English.

After descending in a lift wearing my Wellingtons and a jumper on this drizzly day, I plan to fit a large trunk into the boot of my car, but will probably have to put my spanners on one of the wings or on the bonnet in front of the windscreen to make room for my petrol can before driving on the dual carriageway only to wait in a queue.

Of course if my silencer were to fail on the way to my flat and my saloon began sounding like a lorry, I would probably be pulled over by a constable which would require me to hire a barrister. Oh well, that's the way the biscuit crumbles...at least I don't (yet) have to wear a nappy, although without braces it difficult to keep up my trousers. Evil or Very Mad

(Sorry, I've obviously gotta get out more).

by Geezaldinho Tue Jan 12, 2021 1:28 pm

Endeavor to not manoeuvre the saloon into somebody’s salon. You’d have some explaining to do to the bobby and delay your endeavour

No need to apologise, though. I spent my formative years in a British infant and primary school in Buenos Aires and tend to lapse in-between.

by Geezaldinho Tue Jan 12, 2021 2:30 pm

one of the Indians had on a roab made of 2 Sea Otter Skins the fur of them were more butifull than any fur I had ever Seen both Capt. Lewis & my Self endeavored to purchase the roab with different articles at length we precured it for a belt of blue beeds which the Squar—wife of our interpreter Shabono wore around her waste.…

The beeds Lewis and Clark stole from Sacajawea were never reimbursed, at least in the journals.

And they mentioned her by name 17 times, spelling it 8 different ways - never with a “J”. They as often referred to her as Janey.

Shabono is, of course, Toussaint Charbonneau. They butchered his name at least as many ways.

Remember Merriweather Lewis was Thomas Jefferson’s personal secretary before the expedition and presented Jefferson’s first state of the Union address before Congress.
( there was no insurrection that time). William Clark went on to become governor of Missouri territory and later held several government positions.

In that light, Zach doesn’t seem so egregious.

by DoubleDipper Wed Jan 13, 2021 12:42 pm

StudentPilot wrote:Pacific's game against UP scheduled for Saturday has been postponed

The UOP game in Stockton that was originally scheduled for January 2 will instead be played in Portland as the Pilots and Tigers will now play back-to-back games on February 20 and 21.

Thursday February 18 PU @ UP at 5pm
Saturday February 20 UOP @ UP at 1pm (TV NBC Sports NW)
Sunday February 21 UOP @ UP at noon

The game against LMU that was originally scheduled for January 7 has also been rescheduled:

Monday January 25 LMU @ UP at 2pm

Given the current conditions, it is difficult to imagine there won't be more postponements before the season concludes, but with these updates the Pilots are currently scheduled to play the entire 16-game WCC schedule.

by DoubleDipper Thu Jan 14, 2021 1:21 pm

One year ago the Pilots beat USF in the Chiles Center, 76-65, for the Pilots only WCC victory in two seasons.

This afternoon at 5pm UP hosts the Dons once again.

The Dons are favored by 13 after beating UP two weeks ago by 24 points on the Hilltop.

Did the coaching staff learn enough to make the right adjustments to keep it that close?

And the big question is, will Zac be in the starting lineup today?? UP needs to light it up from deep to have a chance!!

by Dean Murdoch Thu Jan 14, 2021 5:07 pm

Holy crap, Triplett gets the start!! Good for him.

by DoubleDipper Fri Jan 15, 2021 12:48 am

Geezaldinho wrote:I didn’t say they don’t play defence, I said they don’t play the pressure defence other teams do.

UP Stats:

GU game: 88 points; FG 28-67 (42%); 3PT 13-27 (45%); 16 assists/13 turnovers; FTs: 19-22 (87%)

USF game: 63 points; FG 18-53 (34%); 3PT 4-19 (21%); 11 assists/10 turnovers; FTs: 23-25 (92%)

by DoubleDipper Sat Jan 16, 2021 5:48 pm

Regardless of the outcome, the Pilots are a better TEAM with Chase at the point!

I'm not sure PU is any better coached than UP, but they have some very long talented athletes...

by StudentPilot Tue Jan 19, 2021 11:02 pm

Geezaldinho wrote:And the Zags don’t really play defense like other teams in the league. They never have. They just outscore you.

by DoubleDipper Thu Jan 21, 2021 1:46 pm

Oh boy, tonight's game in the Marriott Center will be on national television (CBS Sports Network) at 6pm PST.

Favored by 21 over the Pilots, the game is expected to result in another recruiting video for BYU.

BYU is now #32 in NET rankings and have never lost to UP in the Marriott Center (11-0).

Perhaps the Cougars will be overconfident... tongue

by Geezaldinho Thu Jan 21, 2021 7:30 pm

And now the wheels are coming off the clown car for the pilots”

Ouch

by Dean Murdoch Thu Jan 21, 2021 8:35 pm

The Pilots actually don't often lose the turnover battle on the stat sheet, but every game they seem to pile up more unforced, head-scratching, momentum-killing turnovers than the opposition.

I didn't really pay attention today. Ferebee back obviously, what was the deal with Chase and Isiah Dasher?

by DoubleDipper Thu Jan 21, 2021 9:57 pm

Dean Murdoch wrote:I didn't really pay attention today. Ferebee back obviously, what was the deal with Chase and Isiah Dasher?

A few players declined to travel to Malibu due to area COVID concerns, but I don't believe that was the case tonight in Utah for Chase and Isiah.

I heard they've suffered some sort of injuries...which makes it doubly difficult with two more games in three days coming up....USD on Saturday and LMU on Monday.

by DoubleDipper Sat Jan 23, 2021 8:14 am

Is today's home game against USD Coach Porter's chance to win a WCC game this season? When the schedule was posted I thought it might be, but it may depend upon the availability of Dasher and Adams.

The game is on NBC Sports Network at 2pm.

(It was announced yesterday that NBC Sports Network, the one network that has been broadcasting Pilots' athletics over the past few years, will cease operation at the end of 2021).

by Geezaldinho Sat Jan 23, 2021 2:41 pm

street ball won’t do it.