2020-21 Schedule

Won't need this if they can't play.

There’s now an insurance policy available to the 1,200 NCAA schools to cover their athletic departments in the event that any of the 450,000 student athletes are hospitalized for COVID-19. Many schools cancelled or postponed sports due to the ongoing pandemic, but others opted to allow intercollegiate play, and this policy is intended for them. Schools have two options: one, for $65 per athlete, will cover COVID-19 related medical expenses for up to $150,000. The other, for $85 per athlete, sees that limit rise to $250,000. It includes a death benefit of $10,000, which is an awesome number that I’m sure the NCAA would love for people to talk about. For a Division I school with 500 athletes across a number of sports, the first plan would come to $32,500. It’s unclear which will win out, the risk management of opting for the insurance policy or the utter revulsion American universities have for compensating the athletes that make them millions.

Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wade, ESPN

Will Maupin's WCC Preseason Rankings: The Bottom Tier...

#10 Portland. "Honestly, the Pilots should be on a tier of their own but that would be kinda rude..."

https://medium.com/wills-wcc-blog/wcc-preseason-rankings-the-bottom-tier-6d87fc79cc57

(Nice to know Will gets some of his information from PilotNation...)

Dean Murdoch wrote:VMI has been replaced by Seattle in UP’s season-opening tournament. Go figure.

I didn’t have Seattle listed as one of the possible replacements because they are listed on that same Stadium site as participating in a Vegas tournament with Northridge and Air Force from Nov 28 to 30.

But can the games even be played?

If the governor's office won't allow contact practice, they're damn sure not going to allow contact games, right?

And if the games are allowed, it will be the first time the UP players have played defense or seen defenders this season.  

KenPom's preseason rankings:
UP 241
Cal Poly 303
Seattle U 319
Idaho 334

Dean Murdoch wrote:VMI is no longer listed as a participant in the Pilots' season-opening MTE.

VMI is saying they bowed out of the MTE in Portland because final approval to stage the event was too late for VMI to finalize flight details.

The Keydets will now open the season Nov. 25 against visiting St. Andrews, an NAIA school in North Carolina.

There is again some doubt the Portland event will be played...

Whether the "Madness" is in March or May this coming season, if it is played at all, it will now be played in a pro-style semi-bubble as the entire tournament will now be played entirely in Indianapolis instead of the originally scheduled to 13 cities.

https://www.slipperstillfits.com/2020/11/16/21569780/2021-march-madness-bubble-indiana

The good news is Scott thinks we will play on Nov 25.

The bad news is no fans are expected to be allowed in any foreseeable future.


..which I guess means you can take your season ticket money and buy that big screen TV you have had your eye on to watch the games. Good news?

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2020/11/17/message-regarding-fan-attendance-at-portland-basketball-games.aspx

Cal Poly dropping out was not unexpected due to COVID restrictions, and I've heard UP's game on November 25 is canceled.

Instead, UP will open against Idaho on Friday November 27 at 4pm and then play Northwest University at 4pm the following day and William Jessup at 1pm the day after that...all in the Chiles Center

So far, that is all I have learned...stay tuned!

what the???

John Canzano
@johncanzanobft
Gov. Kate Brown’s office has instructed University of Portland and Portland State to shut down men/women’s basketball operations.

They will be allowed to resume practices when exemption is processed. That is on the governor’s desk now, I’m told. UP/PSU have games on Nov. 25.
10:20 AM · Nov 18, 2020·TweetDeck

This is inaccurate as I understand it.

optimist wrote:what the???

John Canzano
@johncanzanobft
Gov. Kate Brown’s office has instructed University of Portland and Portland State to shut down men/women’s basketball operations.

If we have learned one thing over time, quite a bit of what is on Twitter is a lie, or at the very least, inaccurate.

The Pilots are still full speed ahead as of a few minutes ago!!

UP VP for Athletics Scott Leykam wrote:We have not received any requests to shut down our men’s and women’s basketball programs...

We greatly appreciate the meaningful dialogue we have had with the Oregon Health Authority and Governor’s Office in the last 48 hours and appreciate all their time and efforts. We have incorporated all of the requested changes the OHA has made to our return to play document. They have asked for one point of clarification from us regarding our game management protocols and that was submitted this morning. We are ready to start our season next week.

However,

PSU Men's Coach Barret Peery wrote:Two weeks ago, everyone got all excited because we received this exemption,  but two weeks later, nothing has changed. If you looked at the fine print, it was just a diversion or a kind of smoke screen to what the truth was. There were still some hoops we had to jump through and we’ve been jumping through those. We’re doing the same thing as everyone else — including the schools down in Corvallis and Eugene — and we’re ready to go. We’re just waiting for the go-ahead.

https://www.oregonlive.com/collegebasketball/2020/11/portland-pilots-portland-state-vikings-basketball-teams-still-awaiting-go-ahead-to-play-from-oregon-gov-kate-brown.html

Any news on how the Pilots are training ? looking ? how are the new guys ? i guess no one can watch training, but can the pilots shock a few ?

Aussie Baller wrote:Any news on how the Pilots are training ? looking ? how are the new guys ? i guess no one can watch training, but can the pilots shock a few ?

Sorry, AB, I've not seen a practice or heard anything about the team except what was reported over the summer except that Ahmed Ali is apparently still awaiting a second of two waivers from the NCAA that will allow him to play this season.

aleppiek, what about you, anything to report?

I haven't seen the Men practice, but do hear some cautious optimism from folks in the know.

Women's team is going to be fun though. One of their freshman may be the best pure scorer on the team, and then you also get a capable scorer back in Rose Pflug.

So glad to hear the UP is full steam ahead...Twitter be damned! It feels like we are fortunate to have Scott Leykam pushing approvals through. Way to go, Scott!

The games against Montana St. and Seattle U that Dean Murdoch told us about have now been officially added to the schedule...

12/22 Montana  St. @ 12 noon
12/30 Seattle U. @ 8pm

Both games will be broadcast live on NBC Sports Northwest.

Good to learn that Ann Schatz and Jennifer Mountain will be calling the games.  Ann is world-class and Jennifer really knows her basketball.

https://portlandpilots.com/news/2020/11/19/portland-basketball-returns-to-nbc-sports-northwest.aspx

Would any of you fine gents care to share all of the options we have to view Pilot men and women basketball games live?

Your Insight is greatly appreciated! Thank You!