Re: The NEW Team for 2021-22

by DoubleDipper Fri May 14, 2021 10:24 am

Shadrach wrote:OK, I'm searching my memory bank right now. In the mid-to-late 1980's or early 1990's UP had a 7'5" basketball player named Peter Gudmannsen (sp?). I think he was from Norway or Sweden or one of those countries. He lived in Christie Hall and could not fit in the typical bed provided in the dorm room. I remember the UP Carpenter Shop taking a special interest in Peter's situation and built him an 8 foot bed. I ordered the mattress from a local provider and Peter was in business. He could not believe his good fortune and how special it was for the Carpenter Shop guys to build a bed for him. Peter stayed at UP for 2 years (not sure if he was on the team the whole time) but when he left UP we gave him the bed and mattress to take with him. I don't think we ever had another player that tall. Go Pilots!

That is wonderful story and recollection, Shadrach.

I do recall a former Blazer from the early 80’s, 7-2 Petur Gudmundsson, from Iceland, who played for the Blazers after graduating from UW…but to my knowledge he never attended UP.

Perhaps you are mixing up his name with that of UP student-athlete 7-5 Greg Ritter who played a total of 8 games in 2 seasons for the Pilots, 1989-90, 1990-91. In 1992 Ritter was one of the last players cut by the Milwaukee Bucks before he headed to Brazil to play for one year. In 1993 he had grown to 7-6 and was signed to a contract with the Oklahoma City Cavalry of the CBA, but he never played there.

I never saw him play, but I ran across a picture of him signing autographs at a Milwaukee Bucks game in 1993…is this the guy?

The NEW Team for 2021-22 - Page 4 Ritter10

by ExpatPilot Fri May 14, 2021 10:40 am

I’m surprised no one has mentioned Yasutaka Okayama, who was enrolled at UP, although never played for the team. I think he is still the tallest player to be drafted in the NBA but he never played. He was 7’ 8”, I believe.

by DoubleDipper Fri May 14, 2021 11:23 am

FloridaPilot wrote:I’m surprised no one has mentioned Yasutaka Okayama, who was enrolled at UP, although never played for the team. I think he is still the tallest player to be drafted in the NBA but he never played. He was 7’ 8”, I believe.

Okay, since you asked for it:

Here is a rundown of the 7-footers I remember or have heard of at UP:

7-1 Cody Collinsworth – Came to UP in 2019 to play for Coach Porter but played just a few games before leaving school and eventually attending Tyler JC.

7-0 Jacob Tryon was listed at 7-0 when he arrived at Portland in 2018 to play for Coach Porter, but perhaps carrying the team on his shoulders affected his height as he was listed at 6-11 his second year.

7-2 Phil Hartwich – Signed by Coach Reveno and graduated in 2018 as the UP-career leader in blocked shots (160) and has been playing professionally in Spain and Germany the past three years.

But we can all be forgiven for not remembering these guys:

7-1 John Hegarty -- Signed by Coach Reveno in 2008 and practiced with the team over the summer of his freshman year, but on the eve of the team’s trip to Spain he quit the team saying he discovered he was afraid of flying during his flight from Boston to Portland two months earlier.

7-0 Chuks Neboh -- Came to UP in 1998 to play for Coach Chavez after two years at Salt Lake City CC. He played in all 27 games his first year, but only 4 in his final year and scored a total of 97 points before graduating and playing briefly in Europe.

7-5 Greg Ritter – Played two seasons (’89-’90, ’90-’91) for Larry Steele and appeared in eight games scoring a total of 15 points while shooting 7/8 (dunks?) and going 3/8 from the line in 17 minutes total playing time. Ritter played professionally in Brazil for one year.

7-8 Yasutaka Okayama – Came to UP from Japan in 1975 to play for Coach Avina, but over the course of two years at UP never played for the Pilots (I understand he was a helluva intramural player Shocked

) after a medical check revealed gigantism and he was considered too fragile to play. He was drafted by the Golden State Warriors but never played there, instead opting to play for the Sumitomo Metal Sparks in the JBL before retiring in 1996. He is now an assistant coach at a college in Japan.

The NEW Team for 2021-22 - Page 4 Yasuta10

Did I miss any UP 7-footers?

by DoubleDipper Fri May 14, 2021 12:18 pm

Pooh Jeter wrote:We making moves on the Bluff huh? Let’s Gooo!

The NEW Team for 2021-22 - Page 4 Silvei10

by Shadrach Fri May 14, 2021 12:53 pm

You are correct DD it was Greg Ritter not Peter G. How that name got into my head I don't know but definitely it was Ritter. Thanks for setting the record straight.!!

by Stonehouse Mon May 17, 2021 12:02 am

DD, I believe Jay Strid was 7’+. He’s the only other one I can think of. Unless maybe they gave Kevin Field a generous 7’0” listing.

by DoubleDipper Mon May 17, 2021 10:03 am

Stonehouse wrote:DD, I believe Jay Strid was 7’+. He’s the only other one I can think of. Unless maybe they gave Kevin Field a generous 7’0” listing.

How could I have forgotten Jay Strid!

7-1 Jay Strid -- Was 7 feet tall in middle-school and walked-on at UP for Rob Chavez in 1995. He sat his first year and then played a total of 4 minutes in 4 games his second year before leaving basketball to concentrate on his studies. Although Strid scored only 1 career point as a Pilot, he raised the team GPA considerably with his 4.0 in Biology. Including his walk-on year, Strid played the same two years Kyle Stonehouse did.

Whatever happened to Stonehouse?? Very Happy

Kevin Field played two years as Oregon St. before transferring to UP in 2004 where he was a part-time starter for Michael Holton for two years beginning with the 2005-06 season. At 6-11, Field was one foot taller than his teammate, Pooh Jeter...

by aleppiek Mon May 17, 2021 10:24 am

Kevin Field made a cameo at a noonball game at Beauchamp about a year and a half ago. Sounds like he is still local working in the restaurant industry. He was not an easy guard to say the least.

by DoubleDipper Fri May 28, 2021 7:59 pm

Sound Voltex wrote:Curtiss has been recruited back!

And now Curtiss is exploring his options again...

UP is academically rigorous, the competition for a starting spot is going to be fierce, and Coach Legans is likely going to make his players work harder than they have ever worked before...it is not for everyone.

Apparently Coach Legans will keep a scholarship open for Hayden until he makes a final decision.

by DoubleDipper Tue Jun 08, 2021 5:45 pm

There is usually nothing official mentioned about walk-on players, but reading between the lines, I believe Coleman Lemke, a 6-8 forward from Las Vegas, will walk-on for the Pilots this fall.

Coleman had committed to walk-on at EWU after hearing from other schools, but like 6-8 forward Chris Fan, who originally committed to EWU and is no longer going there, it would appear Lemke is headed to The Bluff.

(I still believe Fan, from China, is headed to UP as a scholarship player, but I have not seen anything to verify it).

https://www.crusaderchronicle.com/11203/sports/coleman-lemke-a-diamond-in-the-rough/

by StudentPilot Wed Jun 09, 2021 9:53 am

From the tape, it looks like Lemke can really stroke the ball.

I've lost track...how many total players are now on the team?

How many walk-ons?

How many scholarships are left? Any?

by DoubleDipper Thu Jun 10, 2021 9:21 am

StudentPilot wrote:I've lost track...how many total players are now on the team?

How many walk-ons?

How many scholarships are left? Any?

According to the UP website, there are officially 8 scholarship players and 2 walk-ons.

However, there are probably 4 or 5 more scholarship players who have signed but have not yet been acknowledged by UP, meaning there is only 1 scholarship remaining at the most.

Mentioned earlier, there are also 2 walk-ons not yet shown on the roster...6-6 Chika Nduka from Seattle and 6-8 Coleman Lemke from Las Vegas.

by DoubleDipper Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:15 am

UP Athletics wrote:Portland Pilots Men's Basketball Head Coach Shantay Legans has announced the addition of Nikola Milosevic to the 2021 recruiting class. Milosevic (6-5, 190) joins the Pilots as a freshman with four years of eligibility.

Finally!

Milosevic was first mentioned in this thread by Dean Murdoch on April 3, and now he is "officially a Pilot."

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2021/6/10/mens-basketball-portland-adds-nikola-milosevic-to-incoming-recruiting-class.aspx

by DoubleDipper Thu Jun 10, 2021 11:36 am

This video of Milosevic was first posted in this thread on April 24, but here it is again as a refresher:

by bdaddy Thu Jun 10, 2021 12:26 pm

I hadn’t watched that highlight video of Milosevic before. Wow, there is some definite talent there. Highlight videos are always hard to judge, but he shows some nice PG skills in that video. Really good handle and court vision against what appears to be high level competition. I know he’s listed as a SG, but it never hurts to have multiple guards out there that can handle the ball and run the offense. I’m most excited for Milosoevic because of that “diamond in the rough” potential that comes with an unknown prospect.

by DoubleDipper Fri Jun 11, 2021 10:22 am

UP Athletics wrote:The University of Portland men's basketball team has added Yiming "Chris" Fan to the program, announced head coach Shantay Legans. Fan (6-8, 190) joins the Pilots as a freshman with four years of eligibility.

Fan was first mentioned on PN back on April 5 as one of the three recruits originally headed to EWU who had decided to follow Coach Legans to UP...the other two are Yaru Harvey and Skylar Wilson.

There is very little tape on Fan, but the following clip gives us a glimpse:

https://twitter.com/PilotHoops/status/1403381283686797315

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2021/6/11/mens-basketball-yiming-chris-fan-latest-recruit-to-join-mens-hoops-program.aspx

The addition of Fan brings to eight the number of players, recruits, and coaches Coach Legans brought from EWU...

FloridaPilot (in the women's basketball and women's soccer boards) wrote:I’m sure EWU is thrilled with us these days.

by bdaddy Fri Jun 11, 2021 4:49 pm

Unless I’m mistaken, this is where the roster stands as far as scholarship players:

1: Jack Perry
2: Mike Meadows
3: Tyler Robertson
4: Kristian Sjolund
5: Moses Wood
6th Man - Matheus Silveira

Freshmen Bench: Chris Fan, Yaru Harvey, Skylar Wilson, Nikola Milosevic

Maybe: Hayden Curtiss

That is an interesting group. There is at least a starting 5 of experienced division 1 players, but after that the depth drops off quickly. It would make me feel a lot better about next season if the program added one more transfer that would be in the discussion for a starting role. It feels like another big guy would make the most sense. Who do you guys see out of that Freshmen group that could play immediately? Any that you could see cracking the starting 5?

by DoubleDipper Sat Jun 12, 2021 10:02 am

bdaddy wrote:Who do you guys see out of that Freshmen group that could play immediately? Any that you could see cracking the starting 5?

I do not envision any of the freshman breaking into the starting lineup, but from the current roster of four freshman I could see Skylar Wilson getting some good minutes...Skylar reminds me of Klay Thompson with his size and stroke.

Because all of the upper classmen except Perry have 3 years of eligibility, I predict some freshmen, especially someone of Wilson's ability, will take advantage of the new one-time transfer rule and move on after one year on The Bluff so they can get playing time elsewhere.

In the past, Coach Legans has brought in only freshmen and developed them, but this roster will be totally different in terms of experience and lengthy eligibility due the added COVID year and the freedom to transfer.

by DoubleDipper Sun Jun 13, 2021 9:39 am

bdaddy wrote: It would make me feel a lot better about next season if the program added one more transfer that would be in the discussion for a starting role.

Agreed, and I think we can expect a potential starter with one of the remaining scholarships.

Probably a transfer guard, because Coach Legans will be playing an up-tempo offense, and no one will be able to go 30-35 minutes without wilting.

by StudentPilot Sun Jun 13, 2021 11:05 pm

UP Athletics wrote:The University of Portland men's basketball team has added Yiming "Chris" Fan to the program, announced head coach Shantay Legans. Fan (6-8, 190) joins the Pilots as a freshman with four years of eligibility.

Okay, three 6-8 players and a 7-footer have signed...can we still expect one more tall guy?

Fan, Sjølund, and Wood are all 6-8, and Silveira is 7-0...

Fan is probably a good candidate to redshirt. Sjølund and Wood may play some post but will probably be forwards/wings, and Silveira probably won't be able to play more than 15-20 minutes per game at center at the fast pace we envision Legans playing...

So I still say the Pilots need another 6-10 or taller versatile post to help out underneath or up top!!

by DoubleDipper Mon Jun 14, 2021 8:45 am

StudentPilot wrote:Fan, Sjølund, and Wood are all 6-8, and Silveira is 7-0...

So I still say the Pilots need another 6-10 or taller versatile post to help out underneath or up top!!

Fan's qualities are unknown (apparently no one has actually seen him live in 16 months), but Sjølund and Wood are wings who can shoot and penetrate, meaning Silveira is the only true rebounder/intimidator on the roster.

You are correct, the Pilots need someone tall enough to rebound but versatile enough to run and score.

by DoubleDipper Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:23 am

bdaddy wrote: It feels like another big guy would make the most sense.

The Pilots had their best success this century with rosters that included 6-9 Knutson, 6-10 Hannibal, 6-10 Smeulders, 6-8 Sikma, and later 6-7 Nicholas, 6-11 van der Mars, 6-11 Barker, 6-11 Gerun, 7-0 Hartwich, and 6-8 Taylor. Those guys fed off of each other and played with their hearts as much as they played with their physical strength or height.

I am not sure UP can match those lineups this coming season, but barring injury, the Pilots are in the best shape they have been in a decade when it comes to size on the inside.

I agree, one more “tall” (not necessarily BIG) guy WHO CAN RUN THE COURT with the guards/wings and get quality minutes off the bench would be ideal.

by DoubleDipper Tue Jun 15, 2021 7:19 pm

Portland State Men's Basketball wrote:The Vikings welcome Hayden Curtiss to the program!

Hmm, just like the old days...

by Dean Murdoch Tue Jun 15, 2021 9:55 pm

DoubleDipper wrote:I agree, one more “tall” (not necessarily BIG) guy WHO CAN RUN THE COURT with the guards/wings and get quality minutes off the bench would be ideal.

I mean, are we not just describing Hayden Curtiss here?

edit: oops... make that Portland State's Hayden Curtiss, missed the last post from DD.

by StudentPilot Fri Jun 25, 2021 9:46 am

DoubleDipper wrote: Agreed, and I think we can expect a potential starter with one of the remaining scholarships.

Probably a transfer guard, because Coach Legans will be playing an up-tempo offense, and no one will be able to go 30-35 minutes without wilting.

DoubleDipper wrote:I agree, one more “tall” (not necessarily BIG) guy WHO CAN RUN THE COURT with the guards/wings and get quality minutes off the bench would be ideal.

Still waiting...