2017-2018 Conference Schedule

PilotNut wrote:One of these years we will not be the "younger" team against all our opponents, right?  

I guess we'll see in a year or two. For me, the last straw with Reveno was when his peak, upperclassman-laden team was still unable to win games and move up in the conference (I'm thinking of 2014-15, when our starting lineup was Gerun, van der Mars, Bailey, Pressley and Wintering). I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the current coaches and players that they are on a different trajectory.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the current coaches and players that they are on a different trajectory.

I agree completely... but does it have to take so long?!

I’m hoping for something along the lines of Reveno’s first 5 years here where the first two were forgettable and then the next three were amazing! But, with more continued success after that.

Alas, the life of a Pilot basketball fan tends to be “there is always next year.”

StudentPilot wrote:Thought I should mention that I sat with a number of UP Alums (about 50, I'd guess) at last night's game at Santa Clara...

Just wanted to put out a commendation for StudentPilot for attending the away game at Santa Clara. Well done! I imagine you must be from the Bay Area, and are back down there for the winter break?

You mentioned the 50 alums who attended the game... any other current students who joined you? We've sure missed the student section at the games back here at Chiles while you all are out of town! Will students be back for the home game this coming Saturday?

PilotNut wrote:

NoPoNeighbor wrote:I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the current coaches and players that they are on a different trajectory.

I agree completely... but does it have to take so long?!

Haha, before there was the Reveno three peak years, there was the Chavez tournament team. And before that there was the Avina teams with Cook, Ravio, Slaughter, et. al. Other than that, it's been a lot of years waiting for next year.

up7587 wrote:

PilotNut wrote:

NoPoNeighbor wrote:I'll give the benefit of the doubt to the current coaches and players that they are on a different trajectory.

I agree completely... but does it have to take so long?!

Haha, before there was the Reveno three peak years, there was the Chavez tournament team.  And before that there was the Avina teams with Cook, Ravio, Slaughter, et. al.  Other than that, it's been a lot of years waiting for next year.

You just have to look at it as wins per dollar. By that measure, we are in the hunt.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:You mentioned the 50 alums who attended the game... any other current students who joined you? We've sure missed the student section at the games back here at Chiles while you all are out of town! Will students be back for the home game this coming Saturday?

Mostly just old alums, probably in their mid-20s to mid-30s.... but yeah, there were a few students too.  Not everyone was wearing purple, but everyone was very enthusiastic....and based upon their very good humor, I think the alums attended an on-campus reception where alcohol was served before the game.  One of the alums at the game played for Coach Reveno, and I was told he was Reveno's first recruit when he became coach....Ethan, graduated in 2010.

The dorms open up Saturday morning, so at least some of us will be back, but for those living in sunny/warm climates, their priorities might be different.  One of the dance team members I saw in the Bay Area said she'd be at the game and was hoping they'd have at least eight team members.  The game is on TV, so maybe that will help...

StudentPilot wrote:Mostly just old alums, probably in their mid-20s to mid-30s....

Are we just going to let this slide, or...?

StudentPilot wrote:
Mostly just old alums, probably in their mid-20s to mid-30s....

Whaaaa?

StudentPilot wrote:One of the alums at the game played for Coach Reveno, and I was told he was Reveno's first recruit when he became coach....Ethan, graduated in 2010.

Ethan Niedermeyer is one of the best all around guys to have worn the Pilot uniform.

Also, I’m cool with being considered old.

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:Ethan Niedermeyer is one of the best all around guys to have worn the Pilot uniform.

I saw Ethan a couple of months ago.

He played one year of pro ball in Germany, graduated from USF Law School, worked as a personal injury attorney in Oakland, and is now an assistant district attorney in San Francisco.

At least that's how I think I remember what he said.

Interesting developments coming from the Japanese twitter-verse...Hugh Hogland has apparently been invited to the Japan FIBA national team training camp??? Sounds like he can go since he's redshirting this year.

https://twitter.com/yokomiyaji/status/950646414073200640
https://twitter.com/augustoparty/status/950645942117519361
https://twitter.com/augustoparty/status/950647172411752448
http://www.japanbasketball.jp/japan/41645

Judging by his mom's Japanese name mentioned in his roster page (Sanae Watanabe), it may be that he holds dual nationality (which is allowed until age 21, then you have to pick either Japan or USA I believe). Wouldn't have thought he has a Japanese name also (Hiyuu Watanabe). It sounds like the committee was looking for "hidden" talent in the US who happened to have Japan dual nationality and happened to stumble upon Hugh...

Sound Voltex wrote:Interesting developments coming from the Japanese twitter-verse...Hugh Hogland has apparently been invited to the Japan FIBA national team training camp??? Sounds like he can go since he's redshirting this year.

Um, I think you're going to have to translate what all the twitter-verse is saying. I learned a little about speaking Japanese when Taishi Ito was playing, but we never even touched on reading or writing Japanese....

Hugh may be redshirting this year, but depending on how long the commitment would last, he still has to go to class....

DoubleDipper wrote:

Sound Voltex wrote:Interesting developments coming from the Japanese twitter-verse...Hugh Hogland has apparently been invited to the Japan FIBA national team training camp??? Sounds like he can go since he's redshirting this year.

Um, I think you're going to have to translate what all the twitter-verse is saying. I learned a little about speaking Japanese when Taishi Ito was playing, but we never even touched on reading or writing Japanese....

Hugh may be redshirting this year, but depending on how long the commitment would last, he still has to go to class....

My Japanese reading is just as limited, so had to rely on Google Translate which probably made the news bigger than it should be

Based on the below article, it looks like he'll be going to a national team training/strengthening camp in Kumamoto, Japan next week (15th-17th) which includes players from Japan's national basketball league B-League, which in turn recently merged from two separate leagues, NBL and bj league. I beileve Taishi is/was a part of one of those teams, Alvark Tokyo. Whether or not he'll be invited to subsequent camps is to be determined.

https://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&sl=ja&u=https://basketballking.jp/news/japan/mnational/20180109/42932.html%3Fcx_top%3Dtopix&prev=search

Yes, he's going to Japan.  Will miss a few days of class at the beginning of the term next week, but you've gotta believe the professors will take his great opportunity into account.

Next up is GU, on Thursday in Spokane.  The students will be out, so the Kennel should be quieter.  But it should still be full, as there are lots of folks who can't normally get tickets.

Not much hope for the Pilot kiddie corps in this one, as the Zags are led by Jr Josh Perkins and Srs Silas Melson and Johnathan Williams.  Williams is their leading scorer, and put up 30 on LMU their last game.  The few times I've seen him, he's been great.  But he only scored 6 points total against UOP and SCU, so who knows.

Here's an interesting take from Mid-Major Madness:

Every game the Pilots play against the league’s best teams will be close and perhaps none closer than the next one.
Against BYU earlier this year the Pilots used the three ball, which they’re good at shooting, to hang with the Cougars in Provo. Then, last Thursday against the nation’s best three-point defense, they completely abandoned their trigger happy ways and went at the softer spots in the Toreros’ defense. It almost worked.
This Thursday in Spokane the Pilots won’t have to abandon the three ball, because Gonzaga’s soft spot lies beyond the arc. Portland ranks 35th in the nation in three point percentage (39.4 percent) while Gonzaga’s defense ranks 232nd.

And the full article: west-coast-conference-wcc-power-rankings

Looks like the game is on ESPN3. Anywhere else?

Also, the game is a 6PM start.

Update: the game is broadcast live on ROOT Sports Northwest.

TheW.Tv mic's up a Pilots practice:

https://twitter.com/TheWtv/status/951144125620928513

The Atlantic article on Terry Porter:

https://theathletic.com/207380/2018/01/10/back-in-the-city-where-hes-an-icon-terry-porter-faces-an-uphill-climb-at-portland/

(For those who aren't subscribed or don't want to sign up for the trial just to read it)

up7587 wrote:Not much hope for the Pilot kiddie corps in this one....  

In 2003 the Pilots with two freshman guards, Pooh Jeter and Donald Wilson, upset the highly favored Zags in Spokane.

The punters have the Pilots going down by 30 tonight...

DoubleDipper wrote:In 2003 the Pilots with two freshman guards, Pooh Jeter and Donald Wilson, upset the highly favored Zags in Spokane.

Which was our last win in Spokane, right?

From GU Boards' thread about tonight's game:

MileHigh wrote:I hope that early in the second half, as I start to doze off watching another monumental mismatch against a low major college program , a message crawls along the bottom of the screen......."Gonzaga and Big East have reached agreement. Gonzaga to join Big East for 2018-19 season"

Other than that, i cant think of anything I could potentially see tonight that would interest me in the least. The point spread is -31 for gods sake. Playing against teams like Portland is like playing against air.

http://guboards.spokesmanreview.com/showthread.php?61927-GU-vs-Portland-Predictions-What-you-hope-to-see/

NoPoNeighbor wrote:From GU Boards' thread about tonight's game:

MileHigh wrote:I hope that early in the second half, as I start to doze off watching another monumental mismatch against a low major college program , a message crawls along the bottom of the screen......."Gonzaga and Big East have reached agreement. Gonzaga to join Big East for 2018-19 season"

Other than that, i cant think of anything I could potentially see tonight that would interest me in the least. The point spread is -31 for gods sake. Playing against teams like Portland is like playing against air.

http://guboards.spokesmanreview.com/showthread.php?61927-GU-vs-Portland-Predictions-What-you-hope-to-see/

I love talking college basketball on Reddit, but one of the most annoying parts is that r/collegebasketball is flooded with posts like "why doesn't Gonzaga join the Big East?" It's beyond annoying at this point. Especially because the right answer is the same every single time: "Gonzaga can't leave. They have to hope the rest of us get better." So far Gonzaga's rising tide has not lifted all boats (sounds like trickle down economics doesn't it?).

I will spare everyone my rant on why the institutionalization of Gonzaga basketball has ultimately hurt the rest of the WCC unless it's really demanded. So, I am hanging up my keyboard for this post. For now, I will keep hoping that the slipper will fit our feet eventually and that we will take advantage of the moment the way that they have.

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:I will spare everyone my rant on why the institutionalization of Gonzaga basketball has ultimately hurt the rest of the WCC unless it's really demanded.

I demand it! Rant on!

NoPoNeighbor wrote:

SouthCarolinaPilot wrote:I will spare everyone my rant on why the institutionalization of Gonzaga basketball has ultimately hurt the rest of the WCC unless it's really demanded.

I demand it! Rant on!

Okay. Let me mull it over a bit to organize my thoughts and I will post it later. Hopefully not after the game so it doesn't look like I am bitter.