Pilots on Fox's "Under the Radar" List

LINK

9. Portland

Portland doesn't usually get a lot of national attention due to the fact that Gonzaga has dominated the West Coast Conference for the past nine years, although that could finally change this season. After all, the Pilots finished third in the WCC a year ago behind the Zags and Saint Mary's, and they bring back a go-to scorer in Nik Raivio, who led the team with 16 points and 6.5 rebounds per game last year as a junior. Add junior Jared Stohl — the nation's top 3-point shooter last season at 45.6 percent — to the mix and another long-range bomber in diminutive point guard T.J. Campbell, and head coach Eric Reveno has a veteran group that could undoubtedly surprise a few folks this year.

I really hope we learn to play with a target on our backs and on the road... we aren't sneaking up on anyone this year...

How do you, as a coach, get over that hump?

Hard to be both "under the radar" and have a "target on our backs."

I am sure nationally we are still not perceived as a strong contender, but the west coast seems pretty aware, especially the NW Pac-10 schools. A big chance to change that national viewpoint when we face UCLA.

Go Pilots!

I think we were pretty fortunate to get UCLA in the first round of the 76... compared to some of the other teams, UCLA is less expereienced, and a W over UCLA would send shockwaves up and down the West Coast (moreso than a W over Butler or Minnesota, for example).

up7587 wrote:Hard to be both "under the radar" and have a "target on our backs."

I am sure nationally we are still not perceived as a strong contender, but the west coast seems pretty aware, especially the NW Pac-10 schools. A big chance to change that national viewpoint when we face UCLA.

Go Pilots!

Ok, point well taken... hard to be both. But I think we are.

And to clarify, I certainly hope you meant: UCLA ---><--- Portland

Nationally, and maybe regionally we are still considered under the radar, but once we get in to conference play, there certainly will be a radar on our backs. Especially if we can make a decent run at the 76 Shootout.

Love to see stuff like this. Just having our name out on these types of national publications is great press. It puts us into the national concsiousness, which we haven't been on for a looooooong time (ever?).

That being said, I don't think we're under the radar at all in the WCC. I think everyone expects us to be a strong second and potentially challenge the Zags.

We simply won't sneak up on any WCC opponents this year. All the teams have been lit up by at least 1-2 members of our backcourt and we are no longer being predicted to finish in the bottom half. It is time to play WITH expectations!

It's time to get rid of the "aw shuck's" Gomer Pyle type attitude. Those last 5 plus games where the Pilots "shipwrecked" it wasn't something I'm sure Rev wanted the boy's to have or it happened because they were getting more respect from quality teams. There was a pleorea(sp) of reasons, they cranked off that Losing streak. The very least of was "A TARGET ON THEIR BACK" OR another f@@k@d up attitude like that.

My guess is that UCLA,Butler and/or Minnesota are not spending a whole lot of time more in scouting sessions on UP then if they were playing any other tourney. I'm sure Pewy' up in Spokane is not any more concerned about Portland than he is St Mary's or one of the other WCC contender's Consequently, why all the "WORRY" about target on back. I doubt very seriously that Rev put that type of sillyness on the chalkboard at the begining of the season. If someones real worried about being the "target" of the NCAA college basketbaLL world ask Rev in his Rev Report's, I'm sure he needs a good chuckle .Por Favor can we STICK TO TALKING ABOUT ....BREAKING THE PRESS,TEAM DEFENSE,FOUL TROUBLE and try to act like UP was once a great team and has been a good team albeit not so much in the recent past for many of you young alumni.

Oh some of you guys , I understand if you've never played major sport's in College.....Football,BB,etc. But as fan's whe can at least act like whe supported a university ONCE in our life that had a chance to finish out of the cellar.. IT'S CALLED BEING CONFIDENT, NOT COCKY. IT'S CALLED MOVING THE PROGRAM TO THE NEXT LEVEL , NOT 'running' scared. (Because Pooh's team could'nt do it,etc,,,sic, etc.) Wow am I glad the Pilot's head coach looks at things with the glass half full mentallity.If this is what winning does at UP to the Fans and I was Rev would I ever, ever ,want to stay around for a "down" season. Or take the money and run at a BCS school,without all of this indiferrence and "polarism" at a small school.



Back to the medicine cabinet, sorry I'll have to miss the well thought intellectual post's that obsesse on 96-2007 past player's ,and coaches....


MesaPilot1

Ha ha... oh, Mesa!

Of course I'm confident heading into this season. We are returning every player from a 19 win team. This is the most excited I've been about a season of UP basketball ever.

Maybe it's just a matter of expectations, but jeesh... cut us some slack here. I'm pretty sure every poster here believes: we'll win 20+ games, finish at least 2nd in the WCC, have a chance to beat teams like UCLA and Minnesota, and could be a legitimate March Madness Bubble Team. And we're all posting stuff like that.

That's confidence, my friend! Nothing wrong with taking a wait-and-see approach to it. One game at a time... it's the oldest cliche in the book, but I can guarantee you that's how Reveno and the players are treating this season.

Mesa, no better time than the present. How about starting some threads about breaking the press, team defense and/or foul trouble?

I'll leave the tuff stuff (Breaking the Press,zone defense,perimeter passing) to Rev and the staff. Unless you would like to send me an extra 160 thousand a year to add to my work salary. But, believe me Mesa will have plenty of sharp critiques of Rev and Staff this year. I'm afraid this or next year will be his last(unless Williams pulls his head out of his you know where and rewards him handsomely) so might as well enjoy it while we can.However nut I do remember much dismay and dilemas over our ability to "break the press" last year. So I do believe talk of such things we somehow were able to do last year, WHOPPEE>.....which was solved by benching Ito in favor of the vastly more talented TJ Cambell are alot more pertinent. Ramming "the target on our back" theory down my throat that you and Athletic James suport to the end of the earth doesn't wash well with me.THE WHOLE POINT OF THIS PRE'SEASON GOBBLY GOO IS TO POINT OUT GOOD TEAMS, NOT MATT BOULDIN"CHOKING UNDER PRESSURE" TEAMS. WINNING IN FRONT OF HOSTILE CROWD MAKES A HECK'A LOT MORE sense TO ME AS A TOPIC,YOU START....ILL RESPOND MULTIPLY TIMES.I'm just glad the players don't read this board , and I've told mine not to, and looked at other relatives with blank looks when they inquire about it. Contrary to most boards, this is a good one, now it's time for some original posters to stop walking around on egg shells even if we get pummeled in Spokane or Disneyland,at the Huskies or the Ducks come to Chiles and beat us by 45 pts.This is not a good year in Pilot's men BB to suffer from "doubting thomasittis" with 4 of our top 7 player's returning with WCC honors. Our possibly best big comming off the bench with a few new moves from his father....one of the best big men to play the game in the 1980's. Maybe timidity is one of the core corse's at UP I don't know, maybe PP13 or Shipstad could verify that they have taken it off the grad.requirements a few years ago.
It's time for some of us to grow a pair, and take a stand on them and buck up and take some pride in the program. It's time for some of us to be the "whipping boy's" of the WCC. Which one to YOU choose to be??? I'll give the Zags their credit untill the cow's come home in Spokane. Regardless what USF like's to say Hank Gathers(LMU) and Gonzaga Basketball collectivelly have done more for WCC sports than that cranky old "I don't give autograph's" Bill Rusell ever has done. I don't ever recall predicting anything as of this season, as far as I"M gonna go in response to somebody's smart guy response to me. I'm just glad I wasn't in the armed forces with some of you......wait....you never were thats right.


Stoney , I'm so glad youv'e have joined us on your alma'maters BB message board again. I was getting ready like last year to send you a green and gold UP basketball jersey,lol. I know NUt and Geez,and others here are not nearly as gifted and wealthy as your friends over on that "other" site.But personally I've found them more well-rounded individuals,and more knowledgeable sports fans. I guess old habits like posting mega times over there are hard to break. I would think the rise of the BB teams , the soccer teams, harriers , and new bell tower would keep a guy on borrowed internet busy. But not you good ol Stoney , How's that WCC site you were going to start years ago coming along??? [b], I"M WAITING........


Every "true" and hardcore Pilot BB fan have a good evening


BlackBarrt====1


PS-If you get all butthurt by this post , I'm sure there's plenty of dog's to kick(just a phrase , no nasty emails or pm's from any liberal hillary billary lovers please) in Portland or therapist's , and medical DR.'s to get over it

PilotNut wrote:I think we were pretty fortunate to get UCLA in the first round of the 76... compared to some of the other teams, UCLA is less expereienced, and a W over UCLA would send shockwaves up and down the West Coast (moreso than a W over Butler or Minnesota, for example).

Wow, really...fortunate to get a match-up against UCLA??? As much as I love our team, I don't like our chances in that one. Let's face it with us, the sum of the parts is still much better than the individual players. UCLA has a program that just reloads again and again; we're trying to have 2 consistent years back to back. Even an inexperienced UCLA team is a very tough draw.

Actually, UCLA is pretty depleted right now, they have no proven returning scorers and 13 underclassmen on the roster. They have been rocked pretty hard by players leaving early for the pros, so if you are going to ever see UCLA as a winnable game, this is most definitely the year.

I mean clearly us winning would be an upset over the most successful program in the sport, but when their feature athletes on the men's basketball site are Adam Keefe, Nicola Dragovic and Michael Roll?? Uhhhh I like our chances.

athleticjames wrote: Wow, really...fortunate to get a match-up against UCLA??? As much as I love our team, I don't like our chances in that one. Let's face it with us, the sum of the parts is still much better than the individual players. UCLA has a program that just reloads again and again; we're trying to have 2 consistent years back to back. Even an inexperienced UCLA team is a very tough draw.

Im not saying its not going to be a tough game... but I will take UCLA and the potential benefit of a Win over them, compared to Minnesota (Goodman's pre-season #20; LINK), Butler (Goodman's #14), Texas A&M (Goodman's 20 more to watch), Clemson (Also on the 20 more to watch) or West Virginia (#6)... UCLA was tied for #25, and as DTR mentioned, are very young. Long Beach St would have been a much easier game, but I am glad we are playing UCLA instead.

Compare the benefit, in terms of recruiting, exposure, etc of a win over UCLA vs. say, Minnesota...

DaTruRochin wrote:Actually, UCLA is pretty depleted right now, they have no proven returning scorers and 13 underclassmen on the roster. They have been rocked pretty hard by players leaving early for the pros, so if you are going to ever see UCLA as a winnable game, this is most definitely the year.

I mean clearly us winning would be an upset over the most successful program in the sport, but when their feature athletes on the men's basketball site are James Keefe, Nicola Dragovic and Michael Roll?? Uhhhh I like our chances.

Well, if he's half as good as Adam Keefe....I too like our chances.

I agree, this could be our best ever chance to beat UCLA. They are not the same team that went to three straight final fours and we are not the same team that lost 8(?) straight WCC tournament games.

Haha I went to high school with a James Keefe... Whoops...

DaTruRochin wrote:Actually, UCLA is pretty depleted right now, they have no proven returning scorers and 13 underclassmen on the roster. They have been rocked pretty hard by players leaving early for the pros, so if you are going to ever see UCLA as a winnable game, this is most definitely the year.

I mean clearly us winning would be an upset over the most successful program in the sport, but when their feature athletes on the men's basketball site are Adam Keefe, Nicola Dragovic and Michael Roll?? Uhhhh I like our chances.

Here is a SI review of the Bruins: LINK
The article mentions Mike Moser as the Most Improved player.

I don't know if a "most improved" label can really apply to a freshman... And if it does, I'm not sure what it says for the rest of the team...

http://www.latimes.com/sports/college/basketball/la-sp-ucla-basketball21-2009oct21,0,2972167.story

DaTruRochin wrote:Actually, UCLA is pretty depleted right now, they have no proven returning scorers and 13 underclassmen on the roster. They have been rocked pretty hard by players leaving early for the pros, so if you are going to ever see UCLA as a winnable game, this is most definitely the year.

I mean clearly us winning would be an upset over the most successful program in the sport, but when their feature athletes on the men's basketball site are Adam Keefe, Nicola Dragovic and Michael Roll?? Uhhhh I like our chances.

I'm not familiar with all of their players, but, I don't think that Keefe will be one of their featured players. Even if it is our best chance, I don't really like our chances. I have to be honest. I'd rather play a highly ranked team with a little bit less athleticism that we could bump with and play physical and possibly knock off of their game. I don't think we match up well with a team like UCLA even if they are relying heavily on freshmen and underclassmen. Those guys will still be 4 and 5 star recruits and many will have some length and athleticism. As good as Rev is, we can't recruit or reload with UCLA yet. We rely more on developing blue chip guys who are a little bit more raw with a few exceptions...

From the Pilot E-news, there are several links to preseason previews. ESPN's college basketball shootaround is HERE. Lots of stuff we all know, but several good Pilot mentions. They also talk about some other school north and east of us.

Go Pilots

And HERE is a very complete review of the entire conference.

up7587 wrote:From the Pilot E-news, there are several links to preseason previews. ESPN's college basketball shootaround is HERE. Lots of stuff we all know, but several good Pilot mentions. They also talk about some other school north and east of us.

Go Pilots

A related PN Topic can be found here: More ESPN love for the Pilots

up7587 wrote:And HERE is a very complete review of the entire conference.

A related PN Topic can be found here: 09-10 WCC Preview by Blogging The Bracket

Does anyone else think that it is time for the season to be here?!

GO PILOTS!

Sorry, SP11, for linking items you've already highlighted.

Not a problem, only one was mine. I just thought I'd offer the rest of the discussion. I'm afraid that you have seniority over me so I think I'll suggest (rather than impose) a penance of a beer.