Your 2012-13 University of Portland Pilots

Two things: 1) When I first saw this picture I thought it was the 1996 team....maybe that's an omen! and 2) It's a good sign when your point guard of the future has to stand in the back row with the wings and centers

Just 33 days unitil the first (exhibition) game.

........and a shout out from the McCarthey Athletic Center in Spokane to the Pilot Nation

I love Oskars size, especially going against other PGs... Maybe this is me growing up a Sonics/Gary Paton fan, but does anyone (who has seen practice, etc) know of his post up abilities?


(I guess with zone this isn't as effective as against man to man in the NBA, but his size could be a real asset with the smaller guards we see in the WCC.)

DaTruRochin wrote:I love Oskars size, especially going against other PGs... Maybe this is me growing up a Sonics/Gary Paton fan, but does anyone (who has seen practice, etc) know of his post up abilities?

At 6’4” 210 lbs, Oskars is not particularly fast, but because he is very physical, he IS able to create his own shot and go to the rim. Practice doesn’t start for another 16 or 17 days, but based upon what I’ve seen of his drills, he CAN back down his defender and work his way into the paint for the short shots. I’ve seen him work on the “up and under” and the "fadeaway" with great effectiveness during drills, but my guess is those moves will also be effective against high level defenders.

He’s not as quick or athletic as KB, but I look forward to seeing them in the backcourt together. They should have some size, speed, and range advantage against a number of teams. Oskars just turned 18 years-old last March....he's got a lot of potential for growth and strength; let's hope that his quickness will develop with his maturity and work.

DoubleDipper wrote:
1) When I first saw this picture I thought it was the 1996 team....maybe that's an omen!

I swear we had color way back in the '90's. Regardless, here's the 1996 team that went to the NCAA Tournament after winning the WCC Tournament: