vs. Gonzaga, 1/26, 8pm, ESPN2

up7587 wrote:
Finally, the WCC refs were typically inconsistent, both ways, and the ESPN guys also mentioned that a few times. Didn't affect the outcome, but it is frustrating.

With all the bumping and pressure that the Zags did coming out in the second, the finest refs in the NCAA saw no fouls on them until 12 minutes had passed, even with KB getting knocked to the floor on a layup. ( the next play was at the other end and Elias got an "and one". The guy who got whistled? Kevin.) UP was in the bonus by then.

Those guys amaze me every game. Tonight's new learning point for me is that Sacre could crowd Timmy on one of those inbounds plays that failed to the point of standing out of bounds. In the WCC, that is now legal, but perhaps only if you are a Zag.

Nobody else seemed to notice, except my wife, who asked me

"is he allowed to do that?"

...well...that was interesting. I'm not used to watching home games on TV, but watching from my hotel in Austin was better than not watching it at all. I'll admit, listening to the announcers keep referring to the "GU's won 17 straight" stat got repetitive by the end of the night.

I felt like it was closer than it should have been, and that if we'd controlled the ball better (turnovers, inbounds plays as already discussed), we could've won. I couldn't tell who won the crowd battle, but I will say that it seemed pretty noisy. About time. I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't also state that the band sounds great on TV, which generally means they sound EVEN BETTER live.

Classic refs and classic Few...Mark has to be the only coach who can be in the bonus as quickly as GU does and still flail his arms about about the calls. I'm not saying there all of the calls were good, but he sure likes to complain a lot.

I feel better about the games against BYU/SMC/LMU at home. If we can take a few things from this game, who knows what'll happen...

PilotDrummer wrote:
Classic refs and classic Few...Mark has to be the only coach who can be in the bonus as quickly as GU does and still flail his arms about about the calls. I'm not saying there all of the calls were good, but he sure likes to complain a lot.

I wonder why Few lets Sacre pop his jersey and prance around like he won the WCC. I don't think any of Rev's players would even dream of that, especially on the road.

The videos of the Pilot fans were nice. I saw some people I knew.

PilotDrummer wrote:I couldn't tell who won the crowd battle, but I will say that it seemed pretty noisy. About time. I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't also state that the band sounds great on TV, which generally means they sound EVEN BETTER live.

We want MORE COW BELLS; missed you last night, PD, but the band played as inspired as the team, even without you.

The crowd was like the Republican primary, everyone had something to say/yell, but unlike the primary, I thought the crowd was much more good natured than it has been in the past. The last few years the games have been played mid-week, making it less likely that hoards of drunken GU students would converge on the Chiles Center as they had in past years.

Also, as the Pilots are competitive, many more Pilot fans (some with young kids) were in attendance. I have honestly dreaded going to the GU game in the past (many Pilot season ticket holders still do not attend), but not anymore. Those acting like adult basketball fans are taking over from the hooligans.

I know PilotNut had some negative thoughts about the student section, but to be honest, I thought they were the best I’ve seen in recent memory (short-term memory loss?).

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:I wonder why Few lets Sacre pop his jersey and prance around like he won the WCC. I don't think any of Rev's players would even dream of that, especially on the road.

Yea, I have to admit, after seeing Sacre's antics, I wanted to charge the court and ................. Wow, it's a good thing for him my wife stopped me (again).

The rest of Few's guys showed good sportsmanship, by the way.

DoubleDipper wrote:

PilotDrummer wrote:I couldn't tell who won the crowd battle, but I will say that it seemed pretty noisy. About time. I'd be remiss in my duties if I didn't also state that the band sounds great on TV, which generally means they sound EVEN BETTER live.

We want MORE COW BELLS; missed you last night, PD, but the band played as inspired as the team, even without you.

I hear I WAS there, just in giant, pre-recorded video form (Stoney, any chance of a link to all of those videos sometime?)!

I'll be back for the balance of the season, banging away...

I'm glad that our fans have "grown up" a bit (and the ruder Zags aren't anywhere to be found). One thing I won't miss about Vegas...drunken Zags being Zags. Throwing stuff at people and getting in their face is pretty classy...not. THAT, however, is another topic for another time...

Our inability to imbound the ball is indicative of the deeper problems facing this team.

This coaching staff is in it's sixth year & we're ineffective at imbounding the ball let alone becoming a competitive factor in league play!!

DoubleDipper wrote:

PurplePrideTrumpet wrote:I wonder why Few lets Sacre pop his jersey and prance around like he won the WCC. I don't think any of Rev's players would even dream of that, especially on the road.

Yea, I have to admit, after seeing Sacre's antics, I wanted to charge the court and ................. Wow, it's a good thing for him my wife stopped me (again).

The rest of Few's guys showed good sportsmanship, by the way.

What is it with Sacre and UP? He did the same thing last year:

http://www.pilotnation.net/t3835p30-the-really-big-one-zags

Last year, it was jumping/stomping on the P and taunting fans (not even students). This year, it was more of the same.

Here's what I wrote about it last year:

"What I saw from the Zag players last night was not "Oh my gosh, we won!!! I'm so excited!!!" It was "You suck, your fans suck, and we're better than you because we're Gonzaga."

Last year, it was other players than just Sacre, but last night, I only noticed Sacre. Can't wait til he's gone. The guy's a jerk.

PilotDrummer wrote:I hear I WAS there, just in giant, pre-recorded video form (Stoney, any chance of a link to all of those videos sometime?)!

Yes indeed!

Welcome back mikemac65, it’s been awhile since we’ve heard from you.

I brought a couple of your ’65 classmates to the GU game as my guests last night; they enjoyed themselves immensely and spoke highly of the team’s improvement on and off the court compared to 1965.

DoubleDipper wrote:I know PilotNut had some negative thoughts about the student section, but to be honest, I thought they were the best I’ve seen in recent memory (short-term memory loss?).

From the GU Boards:

Wow, that was the worst game envoironment [sic] I think I have ever sat through. The building was DEAD, they couldn't even sell out that tiny arena for their biggest game of the year, and there were more people wearing ZAG gear than Pilot swag. The Chiles Center was a morgue compared to K2, even when the students aren't in session at GU.

It didn't help that the Zags seemed to "sleep walk" through the first half, but the crowd didn't even get into it when the Pilots were ahead by 4 at the half. The biggest cheers from the Pilot faithful were for the break dance team (they were really fun to watch) and the kid who does the Michael Jackson dancing every year.

While I don't necessarily feel as strongly as this poster from GU Boards, I think I'd agree with them before I agreed with DD on this one. I was pretty disappointed in the atmosphere last night. As I said previously, I really look forward to this game because I love the energy and seeing Pilot fans really get into a game and I just didn't feel it last night. I was in the bathroom in the second half and I could tell Quinn was dancing because the place was louder than I'd heard it for most of the night (Teach me how to Dougie was a giveaway, too). I think that last night was a much weaker showing for Pilot fans than the last two Gonzaga games. This belief could be fueled by the fact that I was in the student section the last two years but, wow, I hope our voices carried better than that. If we weren't louder than the students last night, I lost my voice for no reason.

As for the students, they just weren't that loud, IMO, which is sad. To some of the alumni on here, especially those who suffered through the bad years, how would you have reacted, as students, to beating Gonzaga at the half? The last two years (when we were beating GU at the half) I was on top of the world, I had the notion that the student section could will the team to victory. It may be cliche, especially since they sold 6th man jerseys last night, but students sections are active participants in college sporting events, especially basketball, especially basketball in intimate venues like Chiles. The student section last night seemed passive, waiting to see what happened rather than trying to impact it.

Another bummer is that some students got painted up and were allegedly told that they'd have front row seats saved for them and then ended up sitting in the top row of the lower section. While I don't know the details of this nor who is really at fault, I hate to see fans who have been to nearly every game lose out on good seats, especially because they were painting up. The Padre guys have been some of the more loyal and vocal students; I think it would have been in everyone's best interest to have them front and center.

That being said, the onus is on all of us to make noise and be good fans. The guys work their tails off, we pay to be there and then we treat EACC like a library when USD or USF goes to shoot FTs. Why? Who cares if you can't think of anything clever to yell, just be loud, make Chiles the hostile road environment that it can be! As always for GU games, last night was better but it wasn't great. There are times when, out of courtesy to those around me at games, I reign in my desire to yell; should this really be the case at a college sporting event? If I don't feel comfortable getting loud, my guess is that very few others do, even if they had the desire to.

This may read as kind of negative but I really don't mean it that way. Despite all the 'shortcomings' that I pointed out above, I left in a pretty good mood last night. I bring these things up because I like Pilot basketball and I want to see it improve both on the court and in the stands. I also want to know if I'm the only one who feels this way; maybe I'm crazy for thinking these things. What do you think?

Oh, one more thing: pom poms. &@$(@#&*^@#$*

Well done one the video board this season... you guys are doing a great job with the graphics, content, etc... I love the short video clips you have filmed/shown the past few games; very cool!


Here is the UP game summary:

Gonzaga Needs Big Second Half to Overcome Pilots

PORTLAND, Ore. --- The Portland Pilots led by four at halftime, but the Gonzaga Bulldogs erupted in the second half for a 74-62 win before a sold out crowd of 4,852 Thursday night at the Chiles Center. Sophomore forward Ryan Nicholas recorded his fourth double-double of the season for the Pilots with 13 points and 10 rebounds, while sophomore guard Tim Douglas added 11 points off the bench.

The Bulldogs (17-3, 7-1 WCC) shot 68 percent from the field in the second half, opening the period with an 8-0 run to grab the lead. Consecutive jumpers by Portland sophomore Tanner Riley and a layup by junior Derrick Rodgers gave the Pilots a two-point lead, but a 15-5 Gonzaga run created some separation. Trailing by nine, the Pilots made one more run to cut the margin to 55-52 on consecutive three-pointers by Riley and Douglas with 5:26 remaining, but the Bulldogs ran off nine straight points to seal the win.

The Pilots (5-16, 2-6) were in control most of the first half, leading by as much as seven on two occasions. A three-pointer by senior guard Nemanja Mitrovic with 28 seconds remaining gave Portland a 29-25 lead at the break.

Portland shot 46 percent from the field in the first period, while holding the Bulldogs to 31 percent, including 0-of-7 on three-pointers. The Pilots also gained a 19-17 rebounding edge in the period as Nicholas led the way with 13 points and eight rebounds.

The tables turned in Gonzaga’s favor after the break as Nicholas was held scoreless and the Pilots struggled to 41 percent shooting. The Bulldogs held a 19-11 rebounding margin in the second stanza en route to the win.

For the game the Bulldogs had four players reach double figures led by freshman guard Gary Bell, Jr. with 18 points. Junior forward Elias Harris recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds, while senior center Robert Sacre added 16 points as Gonzaga gained a 44-22 points in the paint advantage on the night.

The Pilots will make a quick turnaround and travel to Los Angeles for a Saturday night game against the Loyola Marymount Lions (12-9, 5-3). Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. and the game will be televised live on Comcast SportsNet Northwest and Fox Sports West.

OK, here are the two fan videos that were played yesterday:







Also, did the fan photos work OK on the board?

ShipstadPilot11 wrote:While I don't necessarily feel as strongly as this poster from GU Boards, I think I'd agree with them before I agreed with DD on this one. I was pretty disappointed in the atmosphere last night. As I said previously, I really look forward to this game because I love the energy and seeing Pilot fans really get into a game and I just didn't feel it last night.

Sigh, you're probably correct. I've just been in a rather euphoric state regarding fan noise and participation this year with the very loud, and much appreciated 6-year old behind me.

ShipstadPilot11 wrote:As for the students, they just weren't that loud, IMO, which is sad.

I completely agree that there was little to no energy in the building last night. The students showed up in force (which is awesome--really large numbers), but then they were just silent. Other than the first couple possessions of the game, they were bumps on a log.

Even when the rest of the gym was getting louder when things tightened up in the 2nd half, the students didnt. When GU was shooting free throws? Nothing.

IMO, the problem, and this has been an un-addressed concern for years, since the original Purple Pride years (thank you DTR, R54, Stonehouse, etc.)... the utter and complete lack of leadership in the student groups, and disregard from the Athletic Department.

No one is taking charge in the front of the students and leading the cheers, getting them started in a timely manner, etc. It is even worse now, as they students are being further splintered with Padre, VDS, and Pilot Riot...

I am continually disgusted that this goes on and on every year, and that the Athletic Department hasn't realized the missed opportunities... a loud and boisterous student section gets the rest of the arena going, which helps the team (better results = more exposure, increased ticket $ales, higher profile recruits), improves the fan experience (increased ticket $ales, Pilot Club donation$, merchandise/concession $ales), and increases the marketability of the school & program (donations, ticket $ales, recruits, tv, etc). It was painfully obvious last night... during key defensive possessions, the students just stood there... some of them would eventually start a "de-fense" chant, but that was 15-20 seconds into the possession, and by the time it caught on, the possession was over.

I am not surprised that we have had less than optimal ticket sales recently... when we do get new people in the door trying us out, the fan/"sports" experience is severely lacking--the game atmosphere isn't nearly as exciting and energetic as it could be.

The Athletic Department has done a GREAT job with the fan experience in terms of physical improvements to Chiles; it is really great, but very expensive. The other reason this is so frustrating to me is that it seems to be a relatively easy fix... developing the student section does not require major fund raising, and would do just as much--if not more--to enhance the fan's experience.

I know that to a certain extent, development has to happen organically/naturally within the students themselves, but the Athletic Department can work with the groups and foster leadership & development, and certainly needs to step in and provide support when it clearly is not happenening. The Dept. can "sit down" with student groups and help them. Show them game tape (for missed opportunities and successes). Show them how other student sections do it. Provide the committed leadership with reserved seats in the front row. Give someone the responsibility of getting the whole student section going in return for reserved seats. Teach leaders to start the chants EARLY, and to think ahead (proactive, not reactive). Know when the team needs a little extra lift, and crank it up. When the opposing fans start a chant--blow them out of the gym by being several times louder. Buy them some megaphones. Print up chant lists. And dont just have Senior leaders... you need leadership in every class to ensure continuity and "buy-in" from all students (and then it will develop on it's own). Don't focus on one dorm; this is a community "call to action" for ALL DORMS. Don't try to bribe students to games with "pre game lounges", etc.; focus on the students, players, coaches, fans as the team.

If it isnt the case already, learning the basics (words to the fight song, basic chants, etc) should be part of every dorm's orientation. Don't just focus on the big games--focus on the TEAM... and teach students that they are part of the TEAM.

Another idea: get cheerleaders (with purple & white pom poms). No offense to the Dance Team, but they just sit there, too. Let them focus on time out & halftime routines.

There needs to be a significant change in approach... "If you keep on doing what you've always done, you'll keep on getting what you've always got."

and...... end rant.