2020 Recruiting

Finally focusing on basketball for a moment, here's a shorter and updated video of UP signee Eddie (Humanbuckets) Davis, 6-5 wing from Louisiana.

Ha! Human Buckets has a little left-leg hitch in his jumper. Kind of like Eric Paschall at Villanova but maybe not as pronounced.

Dean Murdoch wrote:Ha! Human Buckets has a little left-leg hitch in his jumper. Kind of like Eric Paschall at Villanova but maybe not as pronounced.

First time I saw HB on tape I thought his little leg-hitch was weird, but then remembered watching Paschall playing his rookie year for the Warriors this past season.

Neither player does it consistently, but both tend to do a double leg-hitch when under the bucket.  

We can only hope HB's leg-hitching gets him to the NBA too.

The previous tape of Eddie (Humanbuckets) Davis showed one of the Portland signees that was a JUCO Basketball Honorable Mention.

However, Latrell Jones, 6-5 wing, College of Central Florida, was the one Pilot signee that remained in the JUCO Basketball Top-100 at the end of the season...and this video gives us over 24 minutes of his sophomore year highlights to see why.

It's rainy in the Portland area and we're still supposed to isolate...kick back:

DoubleDipper wrote:

Courtside Kev wrote:Ugh! The phone number field doesn't work!

Thanks, I'll look into that.

The nomination website may not yet be working correctly, but Dr. Phil Cansler's nomination to the UP HOF has been made!

Because of COVID-19, the the HOF Class of 2020 induction has been postponed until the Fall of 2021, and to keep things in the appropriate cycle (selection/induction every two years during even numbered years) Dr. C will nominated for the Class of 2022.

OUTSTANDING!!!!

StudentPilot wrote:I agree with others, if a scholarship were to magically open up, bring in an big/athletic transfer...someone who rebounds!!

If you can believe the twitter posts I've seen this morning, you and I and others are going to get our wish, and get a pretty versatile big man grad-transfer.  

Still digging to get better confirmation, but he's apparently from the PNW...

DoubleDipper wrote:

StudentPilot wrote:I agree with others, if a scholarship were to magically open up, bring in an big/athletic transfer...someone who rebounds!!

If you can believe the twitter posts I've seen this morning, you and I and others are going to get our wish, and get a pretty versatile big man grad-transfer.  

Still digging to get better confirmation, but he's apparently from the PNW...

Who they looking at? Ive searched high and low and cant figure it out.

Courtside Kev wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:

StudentPilot wrote:I agree with others, if a scholarship were to magically open up, bring in an big/athletic transfer...someone who rebounds!!

If you can believe the twitter posts I've seen this morning, you and I and others are going to get our wish, and get a pretty versatile big man grad-transfer.  

Still digging to get better confirmation, but he's apparently from the PNW...

Who they looking at? Ive searched high and low and cant figure it out.

Neither can I. None of the usual sources are buzzing about anything like this.

Intriguing, though!

There it is - Mikey Henn (6-8, 225) transfers to the Pilots from Cal Baptist!

Grad transfer from Bellevue, WA with two years to play if he gets a waiver.

I’m very impressed here. Mikey was effective two seasons ago with CBU but looks like he missed last year to injury.

Dean Murdoch wrote:There it is - Mikey Henn (6-8, 225) transfers to the Pilots from Cal Baptist!

Cal Baptist had eight players transfer this offseason, and one of them, Mikey Henn, a 6-8/225 PF from Bellevue, Washington, has decided to move closer to home for his MBA at UP.

As a grad-transfer, Henn is immediately eligible to play, and as mentioned by Deaner, it appears he may have two years of eligibility as he played his freshman year at UC Davis, sat a year at Cal Baptist, and then played a year at Cal Baptist before sitting-out last season. At some point during his high school and/or college playing career, Henn has had three ankle surgeries.

Pretty versatile, he started 25 games at CBU his first year there and showed he's a presence inside who can also shoot from outside and from the line.

I think he's an excellent addition as a starter or as a backup to D along with Hunter Seymour, and it will definitely give Hayden Curtiss the redshirt year he needs.

This is a really good pick-up. Two thoughts:

1) Is this the first time since the immediate aftermath of the Pilot's 1996 NCAA tournament appearance that we will have a guy on the roster who has played in the Big Dance? Henn and UC Davis advanced out of the First Four and then got crushed by Kansas as the 16 seed in the 2017 tournament.

2) Our track record with 6'8" power forwards out of Bellevue, WA, is quite good. Let's hope Henn can live up to the precedent.

The inbound players for next season are, almost without exception (the exception being Isaiah) better prospects than the players who transferred or graduated.

I had to dig deep to find a 6-8 forward from Bellevue...Luke Sikma!  He's even got his won Wikipedia page...
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Luke_Sikma

The one transfer from UP a year ago, who might be better than all the incoming guards, is Marcus Shaver, Jr., and he'll probably be a force at BSU the next couple of years.  But I knew him, and he was not the team player he should have been. Let's hope these new guys will support one another and put the TEAM over the individual to become winners.

From what we've seen on tape, there is going to be a lot of competition for minutes this coming season...assuming there is a coming season.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:1) Is this the first time since the immediate aftermath of the Pilot's 1996 NCAA tournament appearance that we will have a guy on the roster who has played in the Big Dance? Henn and UC Davis advanced out of the First Four and then got crushed by Kansas as the 16 seed in the 2017 tournament.

I thought for sure the answer was going to be Voldy Gerun at West Virginia but his WVU team wasn't even close the year he was there. My only other thought was Darren Cooper and he missed EWU's early-2000s NCAA appearance by two whole years, so I think Henn is the first.

StudentPilot wrote:From what we've seen on tape, there is going to be a lot of competition for minutes this coming season...assuming there is a coming season.

I think every person that posts regularly on here could take their best crack at a starting five for the Pilots' opener next season and no one would get it right.

I can only think of one Pilot who went to the Dance after 1996, but it was after he left UP.

Tim Frost, from Klamath Falls, played for the Utah team that went to the Tournament in 2003 and 2004 after playing two years at UP.

2003 was memorable because #9 GU almost upset #1 Arizona that year, losing in double-overtime in the second round.

2004 was less than memorable because #2 GU was crushed by Nevada in the second round.

Dean Murdoch wrote:I think every person that posts regularly on here could take their best crack at a starting five for the Pilots' opener next season and no one would get it right.

Figure out a starting lineup?  

Heck, I don't think we even know what position(s) they'll play.

This is just a guess, but in reality I think we'll see a lot role changes throughout the preseason.  

PG: Adams, Griffith, Ferebee
SG: Walker, Triplett, Dasher
SF: Fahrensohn, Jones
PF: Davis, Curtiss, Henn
C: Diabate, Seymour

I would like to see both freshmen, Triplett and Curtiss, redshirt.

Here's my shot..

PG: Adams
SG: Triplett
SF: Jones
PF: Davis
C: Diabate

up7587 wrote:I am definitely going to need a program next year.

No jersey numbers yet, but here are the eight new guys...



And here are the eight that are gone...

Courtside Kev wrote:Here's my shot..

PG: Adams
SG: Triplett
SF: Jones
PF: Davis
C: Diabate

I think Adams is a lock, as are Jojo and D imo because of their extensive experience after that it is definitely murky and really depends on how the coaches want to play.

My Guess:

PG: Adams
Off Ball Guard: Walker
Wing: Fahrenson
Wing: Davis
Post: Diabate
6th man: Jones
7th man: Tripplet
1st big off the bench: Henn

I'm sure Zac Triplett has a chance to be a real good player at the D1 level but throwing him right into a big role right away with the Pilots is a lot to ask.

Adams, Walker, Jones, Davis, and Diabate is my guess at a starting five for when/if the season starts.

Dean Murdoch wrote:Adams, Walker, Jones, Davis, and Diabate is my guess at a starting five for when/if the season starts.

I think you're 100% correct. Walker's tenure seems like a lock to be a starter.

I have a low percentage chance of happening/sneaking suspicion T.P might like some experience/scoring off the bench.

Ive noticed T.P. has toyed with Walker's minutes in the past as well.

Lastly, I have a strong feeling that Triplett is going to go down as one of the best Pilots to play for us in the last decade. To be candid, I'm surprised as heck that we were able to reel him in. This guy is a prototypical St. Mary's Gael type of player. My hopes are that he plays so well that coach Porter is forced to give him starter minutes.

Then again, it wouldn't surprise me one bit if they redshirted him lol.

Despite the beatings we've taken for years, I love Pilot basketball and will be rooting like hell for whoever they put out there!

Dean Murdoch wrote:I'm sure Zac Triplett has a chance to be a real good player at the D1 level but throwing him right into a big role right away with the Pilots is a lot to ask.

Adams, Walker, Jones, Davis, and Diabate is my guess at a starting five for when/if the season starts.

Now that I look at the roster closer I tend to agree with you, with two new JUCO guards in Dasher and Griffith + Ferebee it may be hard to justify a ton of early run for Tripplet, meaning that a red shirt may be the best long term course.

If he sits a year he might transfer after a year practicing with D1 players. Some other team will get a player who needed redshirt year at no cost.

Geezaldinho wrote:If he sits a year he might transfer after a year practicing with D1 players. Some other team will get a player who needed redshirt year  at no cost.

Tape of him at the Beauchamp Center is not going to interest too many other schools. Now if he sits a year and comes off the bench in 2021-22 and shoots like 45% then you can start to worry about the possibility of him leaving.

At this point my concern about Zac Triplett is him being able to physically arrive in the USA given Australia's overseas travel restrictions.

Geezaldinho wrote:If he sits a year he might transfer after a year practicing with D1 players. Some other team will get a player who needed redshirt year  at no cost.

Perhaps, but...

A. The NCAA will have to pass the One-Time Transfer Exception rule for basketball, otherwise he'd still have to sit a "residence year" at his new institution, even if he redshirted at UP.

B. Shouldn't our first concern be for the kid?  From tape and comments, Triplett is a very good player, but is he good enough to play ahead of his teammates with two or three years more experience?  I would be very upset with TP if Triplett were to burn a year by playing 37 seconds of garbage time and thereby losing a year of eligibility when he should be redshirting and gaining experience in the Beauchamp Center....

C. Hey, I hope he is the second-coming of John Stockton or Steve Nash or Darwin Cook, it could possibly mean UP wouldn't finish last in the WCC, for a change.