Men's BB Summer Chatter

Hey everyone... this is the time of year when I usually get nice and starry-eyed thinking about the upcoming season for the Pilots (e.g.: we'll be 2nd place in the WCC for sure!!!), so I figured it might be fun to start talking about line-ups, expectations, etc.

Here's what I'm thinking as the starting line-up:

PG: Campbell
SG: Stohl
SF: Raivio
PF: Sikma
C: Knutson

I expect Ito, Niedermeyer, Smeulders and Hannibal to all see plenty of time. Not so sure about Mitrovic, Porter, or Hegarty. I am pretty sure Waterford will be redshirting.

Raivio... The thing I like about Raivio playing the SF is that it will give us more scorers out on the floor, something our team clearly had problems with last year. We know what Stohl can do, and from what I've heard on Campbell he is a good shooter who can get into the paint as well. Combine that with Sikma or Smeulders at the PF and with Knutson at C (who really started showing a nice scoring touch by the end of last year), and I think it would make the Pilots a bit tougher to defend and give us more options. But I also think that Niedermeyer will see plenty of time at SF, and when he does Nik will slide over to SG. I think Nik will lead us in minutes played for sure... we need his scoring ability out there, and I think he'll be much more comfortable not having to run the offense.

As for Ito... I am hopeful he can put last year behind him and bounce back. I know he works super hard and is very committed, and really there is no reason not to expect that he will start to develop into the player we all saw flashes of his freshman year. When you think about everything the poor guy went through last year: the pressure of being a team captain as a SO, his father's illness and death, his struggles with his shot... that's a lot for a kid to deal with. I'm not making excuses for him - clearly he didn't perform well last year and I'm sure he'd be the first to admit that - but I also think that given the context of a super young team and all of that going on, it's not surprising that he struggled. I definitely don't think we've seen the best of Taishi yet, and I'm hopeful we'll start to see that this year.

Sikma... he's the enigma. Amazing his first month. Then he hit a wall. But then he bounced back and played well by the end. I'm not sure if he's going to be a go-to scorer - he's more of an opportunistic scorer than the type of guy who can create stuff for himself - but his rebounding, passing, and basketball IQ make him so unique and valuable. And it's not like he can't contribute in scoring either - he's got some range, good footwork, and can kill you on putbacks. I think the big thing for him will be being able to play over the full season. But when I think about what he did the first month of last year... wow! He could become a truly special player.

Knutson... I love the guy. His toughness, his fire, his defense - he gives the Pilots something we lack (and have lacked for years) down in the paint. To think he started nearly every game as a freshman, usually up against guys a lot bigger than him... he really was thrown to the wolves, and he responded by steadily improving all year. I've heard he's bulked up considerably this summer, and that will definitely help him bang with the big guys down low. He's going to be a rock on the defensive end for the next three years and he is capable enough on offense to keep other teams honest. Gotta keep out of foul trouble though.

Stohl... the guy can shoot. No doubt about it. Defense and ball handling are issues, I know. And when other teams key in on him and stick a really athletic defender on him (like SMC and Pepperdine did at the end of the year), he can be taken out of the game. But no one on our team can fill it up like he can, and if Campbell can shoot and if we have Raivio out on the floor with him, that should help open up some space for him. If he gets his minutes, I think he's an automatic 10-12 points every night.

Hannibal... if you saw those pics of him this summer, you know how much work he has done. He is CUT. The Jasonn we knew at the beginning of last season is no more. He is fit and looks to be in terrific shape. Not only that, but I've heard second-hand reports that Jasonn has been really improving his game this summer, dominating pick-up games with other local D1 players. Now... what does that mean? I don't know. But if nothing else, it means that he is very focused on improving and committed to getting better. I think if our team is going to get to the level we and the coaches want it to, Jasonn has to be a big part of that. He's got tremendous potential and appears to have the right attitude. I am more excited to see him play than anyone else, just because I think he could be markedly improved. Sure he'll still have plenty of work to do, but still... it's exciting to think about what he could develop in to.

Smeulders... I feel like he gets lost in the shuffle sometimes, but he is our best post scorer. He's got nice range, good moves, and a lot of confidence (sometimes too much even). I think his role is best as the sixth man, since he can come in and provide a scoring lift off the bench. Hopefully he has bulked up some this summer, though I haven't heard any reports on that. I think he has the type of frame that doesn't really take on weight that well, but as long as he is lifting he'll be getting stronger. I think we'll need him in the 10-13 ppg range to be successful.

Niedermeyer... showed something with his shooting last year. If he picks and chooses his spots, he can be a nice addition to the team. He always provides the hustle and the effort, and every now and then he will always surprise you with his athleticism. If Nik doesn't work out at SF or if the coaches don't even try it (though I think they will give it a shot), Ethan will get the bulk of minutes there. I think he fits perfectly as a role player who can provide energy and can knock down shots when left alone. He's never going to amaze us, but guys like him are important to have, especially since he can help out down in the paint in a pinch.

As for the newcomers (Campbell, Mitrovic, Hegarty, Porter, Waterford)... it's really, really tough to say. I think Campbell will see lots of time and will likely start. But if even he doesn't, he'll be among the first off the bench and probably get at least 20 minutes a game. Early reports I've heard say that he's a good shooter and good defender who can get into the paint, though he has some work to do catching up to the speed of D1 play and breaking some habbits from JC ball. But I think everyone expects him to be a major part of the team.

Mitrovic is the big mystery. All I really know about him is that he's 6'5", very smart, and can apparantly shoot the lights out. It's possible that he could see some time at the wing, since Nik doesn't really have the size to play a big wing and Niedermeyer can be limited offensively. I know he is on campus right now, but I haven't heard anything about how he's doing.

Hegarty... he's huge. He's on campus now, and I can guarantee you he's the biggest person in North Portland. He's got skill, but he needs to get in shape. It's as simple as that. I think he'll probably be on a similar path as to what Jasonn was last year - out of shape at the beginning, seeing some minutes here and there, but seeing more minutes as the fitness level increased. Still... he's got skill, and knowing Rev he might be tempted to throw him out there for a few minutes every game and use him like Santa Clara used John Bryant when he was a freshman.

Porter... hard to say. He's got tremendous athleticism but I think is still a work in progress. It will be fun to see him out there because he gives our team a different dimension, but whether or not he will really compete for minutes, I don't know. I still have never really seen him play, so it's really tough for me to judge.

Waterford... he's redshirting. At least I think. I think we're pretty well covered with guard play, but if the coaches feel like they might need him, they might be open to playing him. I think he'll get his fair chance, that's for sure.

So there you have it... a quick run down on my thoughts for the roster. I could get into the schedule and expectations, but I'm worn out!

Great post, Stonehouse! I agree with you on your thoughts.

Sikma, Knutson and Hannibal: I cant wait to see how these guys have progressed, with getting their conditioning down and spending time with Reveno... this season I am hopeful that we will really start to see Rev's "magic" start to show with the bigs...

Ito: I love this guy, and hope that he can perform well this year... having some relief/competition for the PG position should be good for him.

Hegarty will be interesting, no matter what! If nothing else, he should be able to get some minutes (fouls) to take up some space down low.

Raivio: Looking forward to seeing him play SF consistently.

Who will be captain this year?

I would like to see a lineup of:
Campbell PG
Ravio SG
Smeulders SF
Sikma PF
Knutson C.
I bet we could create a lot of mismatches with a big line up like that. I believe that Smeulders is more of a SF over with the Dutch national team so this could be more natural for him. It could be interesting to see. Keep in mind that I am in Montana and have not seen these kids play first hand, but creating mismatches is always a good thing.

re: caniparolint
What I am looking forward to seeing is the physical development of players such as Sikma, Knutson and Stohl
Hopefully Sikma and Knutson will put ten tofifteen lbs. and Stohl five to ten.
When youget to Hegarty I would hope to a melt down of twent to thirty by the time actual practice starts.
Smeulders may not gain any lbs. but I'll bet hes stronger.

Hello- New to the board just checking out things. Since the thread was B-Ball Chatter thought I would post a couple You Tube links of a SF/PF in Cali who is getting mid to high major interest including Portland.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MqXO7dcjLD4

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F9VsfDC34UE

Thanks, Stoney! All this Women's Soccer talk is understandable, but we need to get MBB talk rolling. (I've read enough discussion of sophomore high school girls' plans to last a lifetime. )

I agree that keys this year will be PG and SF. I am curious to see how quickly Campbell will adjust to this level. If it takes time, I am concerned. Ito will need to improve a lot to help the team get better.

I don't know about Raivio at SF. Seems like it puts us at match-up disadvantages too often. I prefer a line-up that requires defenses to adjust to us. If we have several quality big men, then I would like to see them on the floor. A lot of teams have great athletes, but good bigs are hard to find. We have a big-man coach; lets hope he can make that our strength that other teams have trouble matching.

I hear those that stayed for the summer have worked very hard on the weights and conditioning . Expect to see alot of improvement from those that are putting so much extra work to improve there game. I hear that Hannibal looks vastly improved and at times just dominates in scrimmages. This could be huge to a tournaround season . So far the Campbell-Stohl combination have been undefeated in scrimmages. Campbell penatrating,good shot, finding shooters. Stohl still stroking and looking stronger. Looking forward to more depth and experience,along with the dedication to improve over the offseason to a very exciting season ahead.

i also believe the team will grow closer over this summer. it's nice having a team that can conduct themselves off the court as well as on it. I also think that the team will learn a lot from those close losses last year. There was a string of four or five games that were within a few points. I agree with Smeulders and Ravio rather than Ravio and Stohl, but it also depends on the team we're playing and how the matchups work out. I'm looking forward to seeing Hannibal, i feel like last year he was the most improved player on the team, Hopefully none of the freshman from last year go through a sophmore slump, we'll have to wait and see. And it will be interesting to see how Porter is used if at all, i've heard a lot of good things, and i've seen him play in howard, and he's been amazing there but we'll see how coach uses him. Should be an interesting year