2019 Preseason

It's time for the preseason thread, right?

kenpom.com - Kenpoms came out this morning and the Pilots are ranked #260 to start the year. Projected record is 11-18 (not including the last two Hawaii games) with a 4-12 WCC record. Pretty similar to what barttorvik.com came up with earlier this month.

Where are the four conference wins going to come from?

Geezaldinho wrote:Where are the four conference wins going to come from?

KenPom states: "Projected record is based on cumulative probabilities of winning each game and may not equal the sum of individual game predictions."

The only projected WCC win for UP is at home against UOP where the Pilots are given a 53% chance with a projected winning score of 69-68.

The other WCC games in the Chiles Center that KenPom considers "competitive," and could go the Pilots way are:

USF a 37% chance for UP, but losing 74-70
USD a 42% chance for UP, but losing 70-67
LMU a 45% chance for UP, but losing 68-67

The chance of UP beating GU in Portland is 4%, SCU 34%, BYU 17%, and PU 28%...according to KenPom with more than two months to go before the first WCC game is played.

Geezaldinho wrote:Where are the four conference wins going to come from?

It also projects an 8-4 or 7-5 record heading into Hawaii, which I know a few around these parts would consider especially optimistic.

@MattNorlander wrote:284. Portland: Terry Porter's teams do not value the second-chance shot. In his three seasons, the Pilots have ranked 336th in offensive rebounding.

https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/ranking-every-college-basketball-team-from-no-1-to-353-for-2019-20-and-an-interesting-fact-on-every-team/

Not news to anyone who's watched a Pilots game in the last few years.

Dean Murdoch wrote:

@MattNorlander wrote:284. Portland: Terry Porter's teams do not value the second-chance shot. In his three seasons, the Pilots have ranked 336th in offensive rebounding.

The outlet for this coming season is not good either, as Theo Akwuba tells me he'll likely be sitting-out at least the first half of the season to concentrate on his computer science studies...

DoubleDipper wrote:

Dean Murdoch wrote:

@MattNorlander wrote:284. Portland: Terry Porter's teams do not value the second-chance shot. In his three seasons, the Pilots have ranked 336th in offensive rebounding.

The outlet for this coming season is not good either, as Theo Akwuba tells me he'll likely be sitting-out at least the first half of the season to concentrate on his computer science studies...

At least we can take solace that we have an actual student-athlete.

The Pilot teams were 5-0 yesterday, with wins by the men's and women's soccer teams, the volleyball team, and by the men's and women's basketball teams in unofficial "secret" games played in the Beauchamp Cener.

The men's team played against Western Washington without the services of at least four players who are nursing injuries, but I understand Hugh played well and Chase was a "demon" on defense.

The women apparently played well against Western Oregon, but have "quite a ways to go" in their development.

DoubleDipper wrote:The men's team played against Western Washington without the services of at least four players who are nursing injuries, but I understand Hugh played well and Chase was a "demon" on defense.

Thanks for the update, DD. There seems to be a bit of a buzz about Chase Adams.

I thought this was an interesting read - https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/united-states-of-college-basketball-where-every-team-ranks-in-each-state-from-top-to-bottom/ - preseason rankings for each state. Maybe don't look at the Oregon rankings if you're a Pilots fan.

Dean Murdoch wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:The men's team played against Western Washington without the services of at least four players who are nursing injuries, but I understand Hugh played well and Chase was a "demon" on defense.

Thanks for the update, DD. There seems to be a bit of a buzz about Chase Adams.

I thought this was an interesting read - https://www.cbssports.com/college-basketball/news/united-states-of-college-basketball-where-every-team-ranks-in-each-state-from-top-to-bottom/ - preseason rankings for each state. Maybe don't look at the Oregon rankings if you're a Pilots fan.

Hey! We're in the top 4! Oh, wait . . .

SMC is rated the best team in California, over 24 other teams including USC and UCLA. GU is rated best in Washington (WSU rated 5th behind SU and EWU). BYU rated 2nd best in Utah behind USU.

Lots of negatives to start out last night's game against D3 George Fox, including 5 turnovers in the first 5 minutes, but UP finally turned it around and there were a few bright spots that can give UP fans some hope going forward.

1. Junior Tahirou Diabate was a one-man show during the first 15 minutes of the game while achieving a double-double in the first half before finishing with 13 points and 20 points on 9 of 10 shooting and 2 for 2 from the line.

2. Sophomore Taki Fahrensohn was ineffective from outside, but once he started going to the rim and using his size and athleticism he turned the game around in the Pilot's favor.

3. Freshman Chase Adams is a wizard with the ball (despite 3 turnovers), and his willingness to pass (6 six assists) before shooting the ball (10 points) will certainly make the Pilots a better team compared to last year's lineup.

Juniors Quincy Ferebee and Malcolm Porter looked very solid, but IMO junior JoJo Walker will have much better future games that will likely include two of the three point guards (Walker, Ferebee, and Adams) playing at the same time.

Projected starter, grad student Isaiah White, did not play due to an injured ankle, and sophomore Josh Phillips appears to have gained at least 25 pounds from last season, but was not inserted into the game until one minute to go and only after freshman walk-on, Wyatt Watson, entered the game.  Freshman Cody Collinsworth was no where to be seen.

Of note: the first female, and so far the only female, to referee a men's D1 game, Crystal Hogan, was one of the three officials last evening.

So George Fox joins Westmont and Multnomah in the rich tradition of non-D1 teams coming into Chiles over the past year and shooting the crap out of the ball. Probably going to be much the same with Willamette tomorrow, too. A couple of general box score observations:

Surprise #1: Fahrensohn getting the start and plenty of floor time after a redshirt year and limited minutes last season, though I suppose much of this is because of the injury to White.

Surprise #2: Only seven minutes for Harewood? I know it was in the MEAC, but he actually had pretty decent numbers last year at South Carolina State.

DoubleDipper wrote:Freshman Cody Collinsworth was no where to be seen.

Like not even in the gym? Or just didn't play? Maybe he'll be a redshirt with Diabate, Hogland, Tryon, and Phillips also on the roster.

Geezaldinho wrote:Where are the four conference wins going to come from?

4 wins seems implausible. On the bright side, so does 0. Pepperdine is going to be good along with Gonzaga St Marys and BYU as always but Pacific and a couple of the other home games are realistic wins. Ill be optimistic and say 2-14 in conference, 8-22 overall. A big improvement, but probably not enough to save Porter's job.

I agree with those who posted about the non-conference schedule. An absolute joke. At the very least admission to Willamette and Evergreen games should be free with season ticket holders getting a rebate or some hot dogs to make up for paying for those dogs. It would be better to simply not schedule a game if those are the only posible opponents.

All 353 Division I basketball teams as quotes from Moby Dick wrote:
Portland
“Top-heavy was the ship as a dinnerless student with all Aristotle in his head.” - Queequeg in His Coffin

https://www.midmajormadness.com/2019/11/5/18514372/mid-major-basketball-moby-dick-quotes

Will Maupin wrote:10) Portland Pilots

Previous: N/A; (0–0)
This week: Nov. 5 vs. Willamette, Nov. 8 at USC, Nov. 10 at San Jose State

Coming off the worst statistical season from a WCC team in recent memory, Pilots fans are presented with a chance to be optimistic if they so choose.

Want to view the glass as half full? This team was terrible last season. Roughly half of the minutes from last season need to be replaced. Can’t replace those minutes with worse minutes, right? Okay, cool. This year has to be a step forward.

Well, those minutes include the Pilots’ leading scorer Marcus Shaver, who transferred to Boise State. They also include the third leading scorer, Josh McSwiggan, who was listed as a redshirt junior last season. The NCAA, in its infinite wisdom, decried he had exhausted his eligibility. Poof, college career over.

It can’t get any worse, right?

https://medium.com/@willmaupin/wills-wcc-power-rankings-preseason-edition-adb683095a12

Theme of the night:



Obviously keeping expectations very low, but Chase Adams and the new transfers showed a lot of promise. Returning guys stepping up as well. Free throw % already giving me flashbacks to last year, though.

Also was it just me or does the PA sound really...different? I want to say muffled but there's probably a better way to describe. Definitely not the same as previous years.

Post game radio with walk on Wyatt Watson and Coach Tyler: https://voca.ro/n02kj4iFNQ5

A lot more athleticism, Chase Adams is fun but hope he's able to improve his shooting. At the very least this team should be more fun to watch and will break the WCC losing streak.

Sound Voltex wrote:Theme of the night:



Obviously keeping expectations very low, but Chase Adams and the new transfers showed a lot of promise. Returning guys stepping up as well. Free throw % already giving me flashbacks to last year, though.

Also was it just me or does the PA sound really...different? I want to say muffled but there's probably a better way to describe. Definitely not the same as previous years.

Post game radio with walk on Wyatt Watson and Coach Tyler: https://voca.ro/n02kj4iFNQ5

PA sounded awful, particularly around 100hz or so when playing at any kind of volume. Either there is a blown woo
fer facing my side or something else is screwing up the audio

I did manage to stay up on a school night to watch this one, and was pleased with the performance! I know that Willamette is a Division III school, but I cannot remember the last time off of the top of my head that the Pilots blew out a non-Division I school so quickly and confidently. Feels like we always play a close first half and then put them away by 15-20 in the second. This got out of hand in the first 5 minutes.

Still some things to work on offensively, which I won't pick on right now. But, I was enjoying how our defense swarmed and created a ton of turnovers and forced bad shots. Seems like Chase Adams is ready to pick your pocket if you aren't paying attention! Personally, I love a game with balanced minutes and every player who gets in the game scoring. This was just that.

I too noticed the muffled PA on the broadcast. And, also that they switched those court-side bleachers on the one end where the teams come out to court-side seats.

Sound Voltex wrote:Theme of the night:

Haha, exactly this. I knew to expect #10 Adams but when White, Harewood, and Ferebee checked into the game I had to open up the roster to figure out who was who.

As nice as it was to see the Pilots have no trouble resoundly beating a team they should resoundly beat, we were much more focused on the TV that had SMC/Wisconsin on. Nice to see the Gaels pull that one out in OT!

Dean Murdoch wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:Freshman Cody Collinsworth was no where to be seen.

Like not even in the gym? Or just didn't play? Maybe he'll be a redshirt with Diabate, Hogland, Tryon, and Phillips also on the roster.

Well, so much for the redshirt. Collinsworth got in for a pretty good chunk of time last night while Hogland, Phillips, and (of course) Akwuba all didn't play last night for what I'm assuming are varying reasons. Wyatt Watson played even more minutes than Collinsworth.

Not sure what the Pilots will do against a USC team that will very happily start two talented freshman bigs against them. Okongwu (6-9, 245) and Mobley (6-10, 235) were a nightmare against Florida A&M, which for the most part manned up with a four-guard lineup. That appeared to be fairly effective against the rest of the team, but between the two of them Okongwu and Mobley got 37 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 blocks while shooting 70% from the field. Fahrensohn gives up 3-4 inches and 50-60 pounds to both of those guys and the Pilots certainly don't get any bigger when White subs in. I'm sure UP will employ the usual four-guard lineup against most WCC teams, but I'm curious to see how the coaching staff will deal with USC's monster front court (if Hogland remains out, I'm sure we know what the answer is).

I watched on mute so I didn't notice the PA haha, but it felt to me like there is a better chemistry about this team as opposed to previous years, more selfless, more together. I suppose we'll have to see if that holds true against tougher competition.

In regards to USC's front court Okongwu is an absolute monster and has one of the more decorated CA high school careers of anyone in the last 5 years, Mobley has more upside but I could see Okongwu giving us more problems with the intensity with which he hits the glass.

When White made his emphatic baseline jam, it was also an emphatic "yes," my ankle is now fine after a two-week layoff, but when he missed his first shot by about five feet, we weren't so sure.

Collinsworth was not even in the arena on Saturday due to a sore foot and running a fever, but last night he had some good moments against the smaller Bearcats...USC's size will obviously be a different story.

Diabate had a bad night...after hitting virtually all his shots and dominating the boards against GF, he was rushing and taking off balance shots while apparently expecting everything to go in.  He's solid, he'll be fine.

As one would expect from a grad-student, Harewood was very poised and was good at settling some of his younger teammates.

Hugh wasn't in the building while nursing a hit to the face and a possible concussion that could keep him out for awhile.

Phillips?  I recall TP saying during a discussion he needed to bulk-up. Well he has, but he appears to have done it in the wrong places.  I don't see him getting any playing time except in a mop-up roll...if even then.  He's still eligible to redshirt, which most think he should have done last year.

Although a walk-on, Turner will, at his request, redshirt this year.

Speaking of walk-ons, if Watson can continue to stroke the three and grab a few rebounds he'll not only be a fan favorite, but will also make some positive contributions a few minutes a night.  He's a freshman, but he's very poised and bright. With both Watson and Tryon able to hit from beyond the expanded arc, it could open the lanes up for the wings to drive to the rim.

What a treat it was to see Adams given the keys and told to run the team from the point. Sure, being THE point guard is going to cut down on his scoring for now, but his defense and ability to see the court and distribute the ball is far better than we've seen from the PG position in a while. He was calling out the plays on both ends of the court and, for the most part, everyone was on the same page.

Finally, it's obvious the teammates like each other and are supportive of one another.  Watching the bench erupt when someone took a charge or made an emphatic play, or when Watson hit a three, was worth the price of admission...

EDIT: I just looked at the numbers...Adams had 7 assists and only 1 turnover.  The team had 22 assists on 32 made baskets...those are good numbers!  (But yes, they were a against a D3 team that was playing an exhibition game.)

I'm glad to see that discussion of last night's game has remained in this 2019 Preseason thread, and I suggest that we return here to discuss the Evergreen State game on Dec. 13. This tread can be Pilot Nation's symbolic protest against playing non-DI teams in the regular season, and a statement that we don't consider the results of these games to count toward the Pilots' regular season record. The Athletic Department is sure to notice and feel properly embarrassed.

Since I don't see a SJSU thread, for those who can't get the stream on their computer to work.

https://players.brightcove.net/6050660108001/4GMuOweD95_default/index.html?videoId=6102329873001&adConfigId=live.KNeUHQnRohXTgNhlCE8eCjbGVDZh9dGC5dCdDDyXUNSn6OkwvXp6y9inVZ8

Nice. Is it another heresy to suggest Pilots appear better: last year's squad not likely to win this game.
JoJo Walker has an improved shot. New players more than supplant those departed. More team oriented play.

But it is early yet.