Oct 8 Scrimmage

Great to be back in the Chiles Center on Sat., Oct 8 to see both the men & women scrimmage. The girls question is, who will be the point guard be while Haylee Andrews is recovering. My guess is Michelle Meeks or Kelsey Lenzie who I was impressed with.

On the boys side there is going to be a battle on who starts. I see Meadows, Robertson, & Wood as starters. The rest are up in the air. Joey St. Pierre is a beast. He outweighs every other player by 30 pounds.

New seats are in. Arm rests lift up. Go Pilots!

Oldguyfan wrote:
New seats are in. Arm rests lift up. Go Pilots!

Seats are less deep than the old ones.
Seat back is more upright.

We are really impressed with Vukasin Masic. See him as a starter or first off bench. Speed, leaping ability - great defensive swat on breakaway - and shoots well. Tenacious on defense. Also, love Chika - he is a force. And yes, Joey St Pierre. A beast on the boards!
Overall, great afternoon for boys and girls although we were late for the girls - several of who stayed for boys scrimmage. Kudos.
There were more fans watching the scrimmage than I have seen in some games I. Past seasons. Shantay watched most of the scrimmage but at the end couldn’t help himself and went over to white shirt team and started mapping out plays!

The scrimmage, and later gathering at Chill N Fill on Lombard for 6th Man Club** members, gave us the opportunity to meet with all the players and the many parents who attended the scrimmage from as far away as the East Coast.

Chris Austin, tired and beat up physically, will take a medical redshirt year and is looking forward to at least two, "maybe three," more years at UP while he gets his MBA+.

Until he strolled over to talk to me, I mistook Jack Perry for a student manager or ball boy now that he has a high-n-tight buzz cut.  Jack, who finished his MBA last season, says he should be ready to go full speed within another month while taking "a few more classes."

Always concerned about international players hitting D1 ball and college for the first time, both Bol Dengdit and Juan Gorosito tell me they are doing well in the classroom, and both know they can expect to see limited action this coming season.

Another international, Vasilije Vucinic, looked much stronger than just 8 months ago, and told me he but on 25 pounds of muscle over the summer.  He also told me former Pilot and fellow countryman, Nikola Milosevic, is now just down the road in Eugene at Bushnell University, but I think he is taking a year off from basketball to concentrate on academics.

Former Bushnell player, Jarrett Bryant, looked good yesterday while his parents watched, and so did freshman Drew Stack with a couple of steals and baskets while his father, all the way from New Jersey, looked on.

Wyatt Lowell, with his wife and parents in attendance, looked very strong and healthy after many physical setbacks in his college career, now in its fourth chapter.  

Vukasin Masic tells me he may not play this year due to NCAA eligibility rules.  Apparently, he has been declared ineligible, but UP has filed for a waiver.  

Mike Meadows, coming off back problems at the close of last season, took a couple of awkward hits and falls, but with all of us holding our collective breath, he seemed to bounce back okay and said he felt good at the soccer match later.

Most impressive player for me was Kristian Sjolund. Kristian and Moses Wood each have two years of eligibility remaining, but I can see both moving on to the professional ranks after this season because of their play.

I have been watching Pilots basketball for way too long to make any predictions on how the season will go, and it is customary to be optimistic before the season begins, but this year there is just a bit more optimism than I have seen before...

**The 6th Man Club, officially known as "Men's Basketball Special Fund" can be joined for as little as $2,000 this season.  Here's the link:

https://securelb.imodules.com/s/1797/interior_1col.aspx?sid=1797&gid=2&pgid=659&cid=1665&dids=98&bledit=1&sort=1&source=direct_your_gift_6man

You'll have to scroll down the page about halfway.

I am not sure of all the perks of being a member besides some free tickets and postseason priority ticketing and some game day apparel, but if yesterday's gathering was a sample, it is well worth the price of admission.

Oldguyfan wrote:Great to be back in the Chiles Center on Sat., Oct 8 to see both the men & women scrimmage. The girls question is, who will be the point guard be while Haylee Andrews is recovering. My guess is Michelle Meeks or Kelsey Lenzie who I was impressed with.

Oh, oh...girls have invaded the boy's section of this forum...

Good question, and I think your hunch is correct, but I also think impressive freshman Melika Samia from New Zealand could get some work at the 1 after being recruited as a 2/3.

I was very impressed with her toughness and court vision during the scrimmage.  I won't call her a star in the making, as that would be premature, but she looks like she could run the team...eventually.

I asked Coach Meek if he agreed the team will be better in the long run by others getting a chance while Haylee is out, and he did agree.

Thanks for the great updates!

DoubleDipper wrote:...Nikola Milosevic, is now just down the road in Eugene at Bushnell University, but I think he is taking a year off from basketball to concentrate on academics.

Correction:
Actually, Nik is going to school and playing basketball just a short distance down I-5 at NAIA Corban University in Salem.

Snus Junction wrote:We are really impressed with Vukasin Masic. See him as a starter or first off bench. Speed, leaping ability - great defensive swat on breakaway - and shoots well. Tenacious on defense.

The NCAA has declared Vukasin ineligible to play this season.  Something to do with transferring twice, I guess.

Vukasin will have to sit a year before he can play and will have three years of eligibility after he returns to action, but as he will graduate in two years, you just never know how long he'll stick around

DoubleDipper wrote:The NCAA has declared Vukasin ineligible to play this season.  Something to do with transferring twice, I guess.

Yeah I'd bet the farm that if it was Kansas, Auburn, or Texas Tech submitting the waiver then he'd be good to go. What a pile of crap.

I don't even disagree with the Masic ruling given that it's his second time transferring. It's the inconsistency with which it's applied that gets me. How can Rocket Watts play for Michigan State in 2020-21, Mississippi State in 2021-22, and then get a waiver to play for Oakland in 2022-23? Literally the exact same situation as Masic, two transfers in two years.