2021 Offseason

@VerbalCommits wrote:West Virginia G Emmitt Matthews, Jr. (JR) has entered the transfer portal. https://verbalcommits.com/players/emmitt-matthews-jr

Been eight years since the Pilots had a transfer from WVU so we're about due for another, right?

I'm only posting this in here because he's from Tacoma, but I would assume he will be commanding attention from high majors across the country.

It was not the offseason for Pepperdine until today...

They won the CBI Tournament by beating Longwood, Bellarmine, and Coastal Carolina over the last three days.

StudentPilot wrote:It was not the offseason for Pepperdine until today...

They won the CBI Tournament by beating Longwood, Bellarmine, and Coastal Carolina over the last three days.

With those wins, and according to KenPom, the WCC moves to 7th place in the standings among all the conferences, behind only the Big Six:
1. Big 10
2. Big 12
3. Pac 12
4. SEC
5. ACC
6. Big East
7. WCC

The WCC now has six teams in the KenPom Top-100 (there are 357 teams):
1. GU
18. BYU
75. SMC
94. PU
95. USF
96. LMU

Two in the Top-150:
119. UOP
145. SCU

One in the Top-200:
196. USD

And Portland:
323. UP

(For comparison, EWU is #105 and the Big Sky is #19 among the conferences)

Sound Voltex wrote:

Portland guard Ahmed Ali (18 pts, 37 percent from 3) is entering the portal, @tba_prep told @Stadium

There are now close to 1,000 D1 basketball players in the transfer portal (at this point, fewer than expected), but Ahmed Ali is not one of them!

This from the Toronto Basketball Academy where Ahmed is currently training/working:



It is difficult to predict whether he will return to UP, but at least for now he is NOT in the portal!

I saw that too DD, but that was way back on March 6. Here's a tweet from the same account just a couple days ago...

Thanks for the update...

But not sure he can grad-transfer after transferring twice already.  I guess we'll see what shakes out in the coming weeks as he gets the opportunity to sit down with Coach Legans.

If Ali were to actually enter the portal, I'm of the opinion he is going to need some luck fighting the NCAA to play elsewhere except professionally.

Ali, like most athletes participating in D1 athletics, has 5 years to play 4 - unless he receives a medical exception for an additional year.

I can't figure out how many years he was on the eligibility clock from his player biography. With the grad transfer rule, he is free to transfer and play immediately if he graduated - provided he has the eligibility remaining.

@Sean02MTM wrote:BREAKING: Portland forward Mikey Henn tells me he plans to enter the transfer portal on Monday. Averaged 7.8 PPG while shooting 39.7% from deep. 6’8 forward.

Who’s left? Davis, Jones, Seymour, and Deng Dut. Is that it?

Dean Murdoch wrote:

@Sean02MTM wrote:BREAKING: Portland forward Mikey Henn tells me he plans to enter the transfer portal on Monday. Averaged 7.8 PPG while shooting 39.7% from deep. 6’8 forward.

Who’s left? Davis, Jones, Seymour, and Deng Dut. Is that it?

Henn leaving surprises me because he should be a good fit for Coach Legs system, but at this point he has probably had a chance to meet with the coach...so who knows?

With regard to Davis, Jones, Seymour, and Dut...I don't think we should be surprised if Seymour and Jones enter the market.

It is difficult to say what conversations are going on between the coach and the players, but both Dut and Davis are "keepers" in my mind.  However, if Davis were to leave, the coach should try to hold on to Jones.

Dean Murdoch wrote:

@VerbalCommits wrote:West Virginia G Emmitt Matthews, Jr. (JR) has entered the transfer portal.

I'm only posting this in here because he's from Tacoma, but I would assume he will be commanding attention from high majors across the country.

Looking through the list of close to 1000 players in the transfer portal, I lost count at over 70 the players who are originally from the PNW or are transferring from PNW schools, which got me to wondering if Coach Legans will re-recruit some of the Pilots currently in the portal.

Here are my recommendations to Coach Legans:

Yes: Ali, Curtiss, Henn, and Triplett
No: Adams, Dasher, Diabate, Fahrensohn, Ferebee, and Griffith

I’m told that Coach Reveno never “ran off” any players, and most stayed and graduated.  In total contrast, very few, if any, played four years for Coach Porter.

It’s my guess that whatever Legans decides to do with the players currently on the roster will largely depend on who he has coming in.   Like DD, I think of the players currently on the roster, but not in the portal, he should attempt to retain only Davis and inbound Aussie recruit, Deng Dut.

Anyone else with an opinion?

I refuse to start a 2026 Recruiting thread, but...

@VerbalCommits wrote:2026 Salk (WA) G Dylynn Groves has received an offer from Portland. https://verbalcommits.com/players/dylynn-groves

I guess it's official, the Pilots are all-in on the Groves brothers. Even the one that's in Grade 7, hahaha.

@Sean02MTM wrote:North Dakota transfer Filip Rebraca tells me these school have contacted him: Arizona, Providence,Charlotte, Marshall, USU, Chattanooga, Northeastern, Loyola Marymount, Tulsa, Boise State, Colorado, Portland, FGCU, Minnesota and Virginia Tech

Averaged 16.8 PPG this season.

This one is interesting. North Dakota's best player last year and he's Serbian. Didn't I read somewhere that Coach Legans' wife is from Serbia?

Dean Murdoch wrote:  This one is interesting. North Dakota's best player last year and he's Serbian. Didn't I read somewhere that Coach Legans' wife is from Serbia?

Haha, yeah, not only is Tatjana originally from Serbia, but when both she and Shantay first came to EWU, Bill Chaves, the current North Dakota athletic director, was the athletic director at EWU.

Shantay still calls Chaves, "Boss."

Dean Murdoch wrote:I refuse to start a 2026 Recruiting thread, but...

@VerbalCommits wrote:2026 Salk (WA) G Dylynn Groves has received an offer from Portland. https://verbalcommits.com/players/dylynn-groves

I guess it's official, the Pilots are all-in on the Groves brothers. Even the one that's in Grade 7, hahaha.

What's next, c/o 2036 Maksim Legans getting an offer from Portland?

Dean Murdoch wrote:I guess it's official, the Pilots are all-in on the Groves brothers. Even the one that's in Grade 7, hahaha.

Dylynn has actually been offered twice...both times by Coach Legans, once last month when he was at EWU and now again at UP.

lomiton wrote:Ali, like most athletes participating in D1 athletics, has 5 years to play 4 - unless he receives a medical exception for an additional year.

I can't figure out how many years he was on the eligibility clock from his player biography. With the grad transfer rule, he is free to transfer and play immediately if he graduated - provided he has the eligibility remaining.

Ali has another year of eligibility after playing two years as WSU and one year at UP (he did not play during his short stint at Hawaii).

However, it is my contention that Ali (and Henn) will not be able to transfer unless granted waivers by both UP and the NCAA.

The current NCAA ruling for football and men’s and women’s basketball transfers is they must sit a year at their new school before participating in their sport.  Last October the NCAA Council introduced legislation that would allow student-athletes from those sports to transfer one time during their college career without having to sit a year, but that legislation’s passage has been delayed and has NOT been adopted.

Most everyone in the transfer portal and most universities are expecting the legislation to eventually pass with an effective date of August 1, 2021, but I doubt anyone will be able to actually sign, and can only verbally commit to another school, until the legislation is signed into the rule book.

Ali (and Henn) has already transferred twice, so he will not be eligible to transfer under the one-time exception rule unless he gets waivers from both UP and the NCAA.  Additionally, as Ali (and Henn) has attended three universities, there is going to be a question of transferable credits and meeting NCAA progress requirements at whatever school he wishes to transfer to.  

I am not saying that Ali will not transfer, but I am saying he should not expect it to be automatic, and in the end, he could end up being ineligible to transfer and/or play immediately.

They’re both grad transfers, DD. As long as they get that piece of paper from UP, transferable credits and number of previous transfers can all be thrown out the window. They’ll be good to go.

Dean Murdoch wrote:They’re both grad transfers, DD. As long as they get that piece of paper from UP, transferable credits and number of previous transfers can all be thrown out the window. They’ll be good to go.

Oh man, I feel like the mad scientist who worked in his basement all night creating a formula to keep Ali at UP only to have my student show up in the morning to point out I'd left out the most basic ingredient.

Don't blame you! Ahmed was fun to watch this year and I'm sure he won't have any trouble finding a home. The tape in UP's win over an Elite 8 team speaks for itself.

On a different front...

@VerbalCommits wrote:PORTAL: Portland F Hunter Seymour (JR) has entered. https://verbalcommits.com/players/hunter-seymour

So with that, here's the Pilots' projected lineup as it currently stands for next year...

PG - Miles Turner
SG - Deng Dut
SF - Latrell Jones
PF - Eddie Davis
C - Wyatt Watson
6th man - Compliance office GA
7th man - least drunk kid in the student section

This is wild. Eddie Davis is the last man standing.

@VerbalCommits wrote:PORTAL: Portland G Latrell Jones (JR) has entered. https://verbalcommits.com/players/latrell-jones

I was really hoping Latrell would stay. Athletic guy that can shoot, he was a WCC caliber player.

Updated depth chart:
PG - Miles Turner
SG - Deng Dut
SF - tallest guy on the baseball team
PF - Eddie Davis
C - Wyatt Watson
6th - winner of a pre-game student free throw competition

StudentPilot wrote:It’s my guess that whatever Legans decides to do with the players currently on the roster will largely depend on who he has coming in.   Like DD, I think of the players currently on the roster, but not in the portal, he should attempt to retain only Davis and inbound Aussie recruit, Deng Dut.

Anyone else with an opinion?

I doubt the Pilots will get Henn back because I think he made his decision after meeting with Coach Legans.

Apparently, Ali made his decision after learning of the new coach, but I’m hoping they can eventually meet in person and A2 will realize it is to his benefit to remain at UP.

If Coach Legans can re-recruit Ali, Curtiss, and Triplett, and retain only Dut and Davis, as you suggested, that leaves 8 open scholarships for Coach Legans to use in his recruiting for this coming season…and that could be expanded to 9 if Scott Leykam can afford the cost of the “free scholarship” for the senior Ali that won’t count against the usual 13-scholarship limit because of a COVID-year ruling.  

Obviously, the way things are going so far, there could be 13 open scholarships before long...

Dean Murdoch wrote:6th - winner of a pre-game student free throw competition

Where's Xavier Hallinan at? Can he re-re-transfer back for one more year?

Two EWU players just popped-up in the portal:

Tyler Robertson, a 6-6/200 sophomore small forward from Melbourne, Australia, who was a part-time starter averaging 11 points per game while shooting 82% from the stripe.  In the Tournament game against Kansas he played 20 minutes while scoring 7 points with 4 rebounds and 3 assists.

Mike Meadows, a 6-2/175 redshirt sophomore and starting point guard from Hollywood, California, who averaged 10.5 points per game, shot close to 90% from the line, and had a total of 25 turnovers and 48 assists on the season.  In the game against Kansas, Meadows played 37 minutes, while contributing 8 assists and 12 points.

In addition to Mike and Tyler, Tanner Groves, Jacob Groves, and Jacob Davison are EWU Eagles currently in the transfer portal.

Just saying...

Dean Murdoch wrote:

@Sean02MTM wrote:North Dakota transfer Filip Rebraca tells me these school have contacted him: Arizona, Providence,Charlotte, Marshall, USU, Chattanooga, Northeastern, Loyola Marymount, Tulsa, Boise State, Colorado, Portland, FGCU, Minnesota and Virginia Tech

Averaged 16.8 PPG this season.

This one is interesting. North Dakota's best player last year and he's Serbian. Didn't I read somewhere that Coach Legans' wife is from Serbia?

Star forward receiving a ton of interest.

@Sean02MTM
North Dakota transfer Filip Rebraca tells me that Indiana State, Duquesne, Santa Clara & Wake Forest have now made contact.

DoubleDipper wrote:In addition to Mike and Tyler, Tanner Groves, Jacob Groves, and Jacob Davison are EWU Eagles currently in the transfer portal.

Is there a chance any of the five might come to UP?