Bailey, Barker, Nicholas, Riley all sign NLI's

Men's Hoops Sign Four Incoming Recruits

11/12/2009 10:01:53 AM

PORTLAND, Ore. --- The University of Portland men’s basketball program has signed four recruits to National Letters of Intent during the early signing period, head coach Eric Reveno announced on Thursday. High school seniors John Bailey (Mesa, Ariz./Dobson HS), Riley Barker (Surrey, B.C./White Rock Christian Academy), Ryan Nicholas (Spokane, Wash./Gonzaga Prep) and Tanner Riley (North Bend, Wash./Mount Si HS) will all join the Pilots for the 2010-11 season.

Portland, picked to finish second in the 2009-10 West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches Poll after a 19-13 season last year, will lose five seniors to graduation this spring. With excitement resonating on The Bluff about the team’s current state, Reveno and his coaching staff are just as excited about the future of the program with the early commitments.

“With our team returning almost everybody to the roster this season, we put a premium on targeting players from the 2010 class that could maintain the momentum our program has built,” Reveno said. “Our coaching staff feels that these four players are all capable of coming in and helping immediately.”

John Bailey (6-8, 200) comes to the Pilots from Dobson High School, the same program that delivered junior center Kramer Knutson. A three-year varsity letterwinner for head coach Rick McConnell, Bailey averaged a team-high 17.5 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.1 blocked shots per game as a junior. He led Dobson to the 5A State Tournament and was named honorable mention all-state and first team All-East Valley Region. Bailey was a second team all-region performer after averaging 9.5 points and 4.5 rebounds as a sophomore. He had a breakout summer playing on the AAU circuit for the Joe Ward All-Stars.

“John is a versatile scorer and rebounder with the ability to play on the perimeter or inside at both ends of the floor,” Reveno noted. “He comes from a quality high school program, so we know he is well-coached and understands how to play the game. He will be a guy down the road who causes difficult match-up problems for other teams.”

Riley Barker (6-9, 225) averaged 16 points, 12 rebounds and four blocked shots per game last year at White Rock Christian Academy. He has led the Warriors to second and fourth place at the British Columbia Provincials the last two seasons, respectively. A member of the B.C. Provincial Team for the last three years, Barker helped the U-15 squad to a first place finish at the Canada Western Championships. Other accolades include being named the MVP of the Surrey RCMP Tournament and all-star recognition at the Fraser Valley Basketball Commission, B.C. Provincials as well as the Yale and Legal Beagle Tournaments.

“Riley is a lengthy big man, with a solid low post skill set,” Reveno said. “His ability to shoot from the perimeter and his post versatility will allow us to move him around in our system. With a 7-foot, 1-inch wingspan, his presence on defense will only improve with more strength and experience. His desire to improve and great work ethic make us excited about his potential at the collegiate level.”

Ryan Nicholas (6-7, 235) led Gonzaga Prep to a fourth-place finish at the 2009 Washington 4A State Championships and was named to the state all-tournament second team. He helped the Bullpups to the 2009 GSL championship and was also named to the regional all-tournament first team. A two-time All-Greater Spokane League honoree, Nicholas also averaged 14.9 points as a junior and 13.9 points as a sophomore. A national Honor Society member the last three years, Nicholas won the 2009 U.S. Army Reserve National Scholar Athlete Award and various other academic accolades. He played last summer with the Friends of Hoop AAU program. Current Pilots Luke Sikma and Jared Stohl were also members of the Friends of Hoop program throughout their high school careers.

“Ryan is a warrior,” said Reveno. “Physically, he could play for us right now. He has a very high basketball IQ combined with tremendous toughness and passion for the game. Ryan's leadership and work ethic will be evident the day he arrives on campus. He is also someone that will take advantage of the college experience as a whole and be a tremendous asset to the university community.”

Tanner Riley (6-3, 195) was named to the all-state second team last season after leading the Kingco (3A) League and finishing second in the state with a 24.0 per game scoring average. A three-time all-league honoree entering his senior season, Riley has led Mount Si in scoring each of his first three seasons with the program. A team captain since his sophomore year, Riley has twice been named the team MVP. He averaged 10.7 points as a freshman and 17.6 points as a sophomore. Riley has also played three years for the Friends of Hoop AAU travel team along with fellow incoming Pilot recruit Ryan Nicholas.

“Tanner is a scorer in every sense of the word,” Reveno noted. “He can attack the basket, has a good mid-range game and can really shoot it from the perimeter. Tanner will bring great toughness and competitiveness to our program. He rebounds well for a guard and is a guy who consistently makes plays that win.

“We are very pleased with our four fall signees,” Reveno continued. “We are graduating some key players this spring and this class will continue to build on the foundation we have here at Portland and maintain our championship-level mindset. We have not only added four very talented basketball players, but also quality student-athletes who are all excited about attending the University of Portland.”

The Pilots open the 2009-10 regular season on Saturday at Eastern Washington. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m. at Reese Court. The Pilots home-opener will be Tuesday, Nov. 17 versus Seattle at 7 p.m. at the Chiles Center.

Copyright University of Portland Athletics

upsailor wrote:ESPN shows Shamburger as a 85, thathardly jumps off the page. Being aware of how he looks at the recruiting process, committing, etc., I hope they don't go back to him.
One thing that surprised me was Ryan Nicholas's reported weight at 235'
My recollection is thar his weight when he committed was around 210-215.
If true and its mostly muscle, then we may have a real banger on our hands.Would be great and surely a crowd favorite.

Evaluation
March, 2010: Barker is long, lean and a fundamentally sound basketball player. Riley is able to put his mobility and agility on display by running the floor on the break and rotating on defense to block shots on dribble penetration. Riley has been well schooled in post play; he keeps the ball high on rebound put backs, posts up with a wide base and demands the ball while staying on balance when being banged around in the post. Riley's ability to grab rebounds at the highest point and outside of his area are two traits that will allow him to be an effective rebounder for Portland next season. He has good shooting technique out to 15 feet and has a high release. Riley needs to work on developing a counter move to his left shoulder drop step jump hook. His potential will pay off for Pilots a few years down the road.

Espn recruiting has Barker rated as an 85 now. Initially I recall he was a 40 so someone must have been impressed with his efforts this past season.
Perhaps Rev will talk some on the recruits at Sunday's MBB awards dinner, along with comments on his trip to Bronco land. Itcould be an interesting evening.

Woodless! wrote:TJ was rated a 40 by ESPN...

mattywizz wrote:I also was rated a 40 coming out of high school. Much more accurate.

89Duck wrote:ESPN's now showing seven recruits. Korey Thieleke's been added to the list. A 6'4" athletic wing. Rev's been busy!