Re: 2021 Offseason

by DoubleDipper Thu Jul 29, 2021 11:26 pm

Coach Pope's team finally looked like they were coming together in their last game, but now they face their toughest test yet against the #1 seed Golden Eagles (a Marquette Alumni team) on Saturday @ 11am PDT on ESPN.

Three wins in the book, they need three more to collect the $1,000,000.

by DoubleDipper Sat Jul 31, 2021 2:39 pm

Coach Pope's team started slow, but poured it on with a 21-6 run that saw them take the lead VERY late before beating the defending champions.

It is a quick turnaround for Boeheim's Army as they now take on Florida TNT at 9am tomorrow (Sunday) on ESPN.

Four wins down for both teams, and two more wins for the $1,000,000.

by Dean Murdoch Sun Aug 01, 2021 7:47 pm

Coach Pope and squad to the finals?? Crazy!

by DoubleDipper Sun Aug 01, 2021 8:58 pm

Dean Murdoch wrote:Coach Pope and squad to the finals?? Crazy!

It is fortunate the Syracuse alumni teamed picked up a Boston College grad and Coach Pope or they wouldn't have made it to the The Basketball Tournament Championship game. PG Tyrese Rice has been far and away the star for Boeheim's Army, and again today he hit the game winning basket after stealing the ball for a layup.

The Army led for only 30 seconds in this game prior the exciting Elam Ending, and was down by 5 when the game clock was turned off with 4 minutes remaining in the game.

Coach Pope's coaching style reminds me of Coach Legans...lots of instruction from the sideline, but with much less animation. Razz

Five wins and one to go!

The Championship game is on Tuesday (8/3) @ 6pm on ESPN.

by DoubleDipper Mon Aug 02, 2021 1:21 pm

Coach Pope:

It's gonna be an ugly game...

https://twitter.com/i/status/1422252758430720017

by DoubleDipper Tue Aug 03, 2021 9:13 pm

I doubt any of us thought UP Assistant Coach Jeremy Pope would win a championship or his team would win $1,000,000 in his first few months on the job...but he and his Boeheim's Army team did it!!

Next we see you Coach, you're buying! Razz

https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10009605-the-basketball-tournament-2021-boeheims-army-wins-1-million-prize-defeats-team-23

by DoubleDipper Fri Aug 06, 2021 12:06 am

DoubleDipper wrote:
Dean Murdoch wrote:
Sound Voltex wrote:Aiken has picked Arizona.

Well hold the phone now, Arizona just fired Sean Miller. Could that put Kim Aiken back in play?
Yes, it did put Aiken back in play...he has now committed to WSU!

And now Aiken has left Pullman and is headed to Tucson again, but the reason why may surprise you.

Here’s the story:
https://www.primepublishers.com/sports/national/wild-ride-leads-eastern-washington-transfer-kim-aiken-jr-back-to-arizona-wildcats/article_b1dc3ae9-6c54-5c5e-b7e4-ebb65688a5e1.html

by DoubleDipper Thu Aug 12, 2021 8:40 am

Dean Murdoch wrote:...I'd think the analytics sites won't like the Pilots for more than 8 or 9 given this schedule. barttorvik.com has the Pilots at #293 right now, and that takes into account all transfers while assuming minor supporting roles played by the recent European additions. Guessing the coaching staff will be hoping for a little more from Vucinic and Svetozarevic than what's projected there.

Summer team workouts ended last week, and the NCAA mandates the TEAM cannot return to the court for practice until September 30.

It is very difficult to give a summer scouting report on the Pilots during the period the team was getting to know one another while acclimating to a new school, a new coach, and in some cases a new country, but the following individuals showed they could be worthy starters in November:

PG: Grad-student Jack Perry (with junior Mike Meadows pushing him hard).
SG: Junior Chris Austin
SF: Junior Tyler Robertson
Wing: Grad-student Moses Wood
PF/C: Senior Kristian Sjolund or Freshman Vasilije Vucinic

Freshman Matija Svetozarević arrived later than the others, and I think he might have been injured for a while, but he was impressive and should get plenty of minutes as the season progresses.

by Fox Mulder Thu Aug 12, 2021 12:17 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:
Freshman Matija Svetozarević arrived later than the others, and I think he might have been injured for a while, but he was impressive and should get plenty of minutes as the season progresses.

Svetozarević didn't arrive on campus until the very last day of summer workouts. Coaches told him he didn't have to play right off the plane but he suited up and played in the scrimmage. I really thought he did some nice things despite some missed shots and he seemed physically ready to play.

Now let's get him some time to get acclimated to his new home on the Bluff

by up7587 Thu Aug 12, 2021 5:33 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:Summer team workouts ended last week, and the NCAA mandates the TEAM cannot return to the court for practice until September 30.

It is very difficult to give a summer scouting report on the Pilots during the period the team was getting to know one another while acclimating to a new school, a new coach, and in some cases a new country, but the following individuals showed they could be worthy starters in November:

PG: Grad-student Jack Perry (with junior Mike Meadows pushing him hard).
SG: Junior Chris Austin
SF: Junior Tyler Robertson
Wing: Grad-student Moses Wood
PF/C: Senior Kristian Sjolund or Freshman Vasilije Vucinic

Freshman Matija Svetozarević arrived later than the others, and I think he might have been injured for a while, but he was impressive and should get plenty of minutes as the season progresses.

I was thinking about that the other day. Grad students should be ready to play immediately, or why bring them to the team. The roster you suggested should be very mature, just need to learn to work together.

by DoubleDipper Fri Aug 13, 2021 7:43 am

up7587 wrote:I was thinking about that the other day. Grad students should be ready to play immediately, or why bring them to the team. The roster you suggested should be very mature, just need to learn to work together.

Grad-student 6-2 point guard Jack Perry should be the ideal leader/captain of this season’s squad. He is steady, but not flashy, and I would not be surprised to see him on the court in 2022-23 as a grad-assistant coach for the Pilots as he finishes graduate school…but he will also have a pro career waiting for him Australia.

It is a more unique situation for grad-student 6-8 Moses Wood (with the red Mustang convertible) who could be around longer that one year because he has 3 years of eligibility remaining after transferring from Tulane and UNLV, and like Perry, getting an extra COVID year of eligibility.

As you might expect from two grad-students, both had more maturity, skill, and readiness than any other players on the court during summer workouts.

by Dean Murdoch Fri Aug 13, 2021 8:31 am

Great updates, DD.

I am hearing Sjolund is a shooter!

by DoubleDipper Mon Aug 16, 2021 12:08 am

Dean Murdoch wrote:I am hearing Sjolund is a shooter!

This was posted by CBB Europe this past February….

Sjolund can get above the rim on both ends of the court too…

If anyone can tell me what “Rim&3 Rate” is, let me know…

by up7587 Mon Aug 16, 2021 8:36 am

The #1 player on that poster Cameron Tyson is D'Marques' brother. Played at Houston last year. Signed with Seattle U. this spring.

by Dean Murdoch Mon Aug 16, 2021 9:04 am

DoubleDipper wrote:If anyone can tell me what “Rim&3 Rate” is, let me know…

The percentage of shots that come from either 3PT range or at the rim. Likely a relevant stat to the analytics-driven argument that teams should only be attempting 3PT shots or layups.

Tyson had 86 FGAs last year, 82 of which were from 3PT. Astonishing, really Shocked

by DoubleDipper Mon Aug 16, 2021 9:09 am

up7587 wrote:The #1 player on that poster Cameron Tyson is D'Marques' brother. Played at Houston last year. Signed with Seattle U. this spring.

Cameron and his mom often attended Pilots games, and she once told me she would love to have Cameron go to school at UP because D'Marques was enjoying the experience.

Cameron graduated from Bothell High School in 2018 and had no chance of coming to UP during the Porter era as he had the potential of being a better player than both the Porter boys. After one year at Idaho he transferred to Houston, and as up7587 wrote, is now home at Seattle U.

I forgot to mention that 6-8 Kristian Sjolund is a redshirt senior, but he could play this season and two more seasons should he decide to attend graduate school....

by DoubleDipper Mon Aug 16, 2021 9:16 am

Dean Murdoch wrote:The percentage of shots that come from either 3PT range or at the rim. Likely a relevant stat to the analytics-driven argument that teams should only be attempting 3PT shots or layups.

Thanks, Deaner!

I really like that stat and like the concept of either going beyond the arc or going to the rim...UP's current roster could be very good at that in a fast-paced way.

by up7587 Mon Aug 16, 2021 9:36 am

Dean Murdoch wrote:
DoubleDipper wrote:If anyone can tell me what “Rim&3 Rate” is, let me know…

The percentage of shots that come from either 3PT range or at the rim. Likely a relevant stat to the analytics-driven argument that teams should only be attempting 3PT shots or layups.

Tyson had 86 FGAs last year, 82 of which were from 3PT. Astonishing, really

Sjolund shot 80% of his attempts last year from 3PT range (66 of 82, or 80%). So 8 of his 16 2PT shots were at the rim ([66+8]/82=90%).

He completed 47% of his 3PT shots, and 56% of his 2PT shots. He made 31 3PTs and 9 2PTs.

FYI, Sjolund last year played with DD's friend from USF Souley Boum. Boum was the leader in points and minutes for the Miners.

by up7587 Mon Aug 16, 2021 9:42 am

DoubleDipper wrote:
Dean Murdoch wrote:The percentage of shots that come from either 3PT range or at the rim. Likely a relevant stat to the analytics-driven argument that teams should only be attempting 3PT shots or layups.
Thanks, Deaner!

I really like that stat and like the concept of either going beyond the arc or going to the rim...UP's current roster could be very good at that in a fast-paced way.

Dean, how does analytics calculate an effective shooting percentage for 2PT+3PT? If I credit 1.5 for each 3PT made, Sjolund's effective shooting percent was 67.7% last year. 31x1.5=46.5 46.5+9=55.5 55.5/82=.677 Is that how they do it?

by Geezaldinho Mon Aug 16, 2021 11:54 am

Points per shot attempt.

Points Per Shot Attempt is a player efficiency evaluation metric which is calculated by dividing the total points (2P made and 3P made) by the total field goals attempts.

https://www.nbastuffer.com/analytics101/points-per-shot-attempt/

Effective shooting percentage:

eFG% - Effective Field Goal Percentage; the formula is (FG + 0.5 * 3P) / FGA. This statistic adjusts for the fact that a 3-point field goal is worth one more point than a 2-point field goal. For example, suppose Player A goes 4 for 10 with 2 threes, while Player B goes 5 for 10 with 0 threes. Each player would have 10 points from field goals, and thus would have the same effective field goal percentage (50%).

https://www.basketball-reference.com/about/glossary.html

They tell you basically the same thing.

True Shooting Percentage includes making your foul shots.

TS% - True Shooting Percentage; the formula is PTS / (2 * TSA). True shooting percentage is a measure of shooting efficiency that takes into account field goals, 3-point field goals, and free throws.

TSA - True Shooting Attempts; the formula is FGA + 0.44 * FTA.

by DoubleDipper Mon Aug 16, 2021 4:25 pm

#13 Eddie Davis from Port Salerno, Florida, and arguably one of the two best players on last year's squad (remember his 22 points and 9 rebounds against OSU?), has finally found a new school...Tarleton St. in Stephenville, Texas.

I am told Coach Legans would like to have kept him on this season's roster if Eddie had been doing better in the classroom.

by Dean Murdoch Wed Aug 18, 2021 7:46 am

DoubleDipper wrote:#13 Eddie Davis from Port Salerno, Florida, and arguably one of the two best players on last year's squad (remember his 22 points and 9 rebounds against OSU?), has finally found a new school...Tarleton St. in Stephenville, Texas.

Not surprising that Coach Legans would have liked to keep him. Eddie was fun to watch with the Pilots. Great pickup for Tarleton and I hope he does well there.

by DoubleDipper Wed Aug 25, 2021 10:10 am

DoubleDipper wrote:
DoubleDipper wrote:
Dean Murdoch wrote:I shouldn’t be surprised you have a “word on the street” on this guy already, an hour after he hit the portal
The street word is Jakimovski got his 30 minute guarantee from Loyola...the one in Maryland, but I haven't seen it in writing yet.
Finally, two weeks later, it is in writing...Jakimovski has committed to Loyola-Maryland.

https://247sports.com/Article/Andrej-Jakimovski-commitment-Loyola-Maryland-transfer-Washington-State-167690783/

And now Jakimovski has left Loyola-Maryland and returned to WSU. Maybe the winters in the Paulose remind him of home... Rolling Eyes

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2021/aug/14/former-four-star-recruit-andrej-jakimovski-finds-w/

by DoubleDipper Thu Aug 26, 2021 4:33 pm

StudentPilot wrote:
Kevin wrote:Any word on if fans will be required to be vaccinated to attend games?
What a great idea!!

Not only would it be safer for everyone, including the student-athletes, but it would be a great incentive for fans to get their vaccine and a great incentive for UP to provide the COVID-19 vaccine to those coming through the door.

This weekend I saw the Timbers, Blazers, and Mariners, among others were providing vaccine sections as a means of being safer and allowing more people through the turnstiles…maybe UP can do that when the soccer season gets going in three months.

The first game of the basketball season is over six months away, so many things can change between now and then, but if people of a certain age, like my grandfather, could finally feel safe coming to games again, I would certainly welcome a vaccine for everyone.

I got mine, but for everyone else’s safety I will still be wearing a mask until everyone else gets theirs…it seems the right thing to do.

Now that virtually all the sports and performing arts venues in the Portland area are requiring proof of vaccination or a documented negative COVID test within the past 72 hours, it is inevitable the same requirement will come to UP unless there is turnaround in the worsening pandemic.

From what I am hearing, the largest hurdle for UP is the staffing required to check each tickets holder's status...otherwise it would be a requirement now.

by StudentPilot Thu Aug 26, 2021 6:09 pm

Most everyone I know just shows the picture on their phone of their vaccine card to the ticket taker and they are allowed to pass.

Granted, I can see why there would be a very long line to get into Merlo or Chiles where the entries are so narrow and the time it takes to view the card and to have those who do not meet the criteria turned away.

Sounds like a job for a moonlighting TSA agent...