GAME DATA: The Pilots continue their regular-season at Oregon State on Tuesday, Nov. 25 at 7:05 p.m. at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. Portland then hosts Long Beach State on Saturday, Nov. 29 at 7:00 p.m. at the Chiles Center.

WHAT’S AHEAD: Portland heads to Albuquerque, N.M. on Mon., Dec. 1 to take on New Mexico at 7:00 p.m. Portland faces Nevada on Dec. 4 at the Chiles Center for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off. The Pilots then host Portland State in the RiverCity Rivalry on Dec. 6 at the Chiles Center at 7:00 p.m.

A QUICK LOOK AT PORTLAND: Possible starters for the Pilots in the match-up with Oregon State and Long Beach State are: Donald Wilson (So., G/F); Andreas Gahlmann (Jr., C); Adam Quick (Sr., G); Dustin Geddis (Sr., F) and Casey Frandsen (Sr., G).

The Pilots return all five starters, nine letterwinners and add six newcomers to this year’s roster. Last year, the Pilots finished the West Coast Conference regular-season in a three-way tie for sixth place. Portland ended its season with an 11-17 (.393) overall record and a 4-10 (.286) conference mark. The 11-17 (.393) overall record comprises the fourth-best win-loss record over the last 10 years. Portland’s 7-6 start in non-conference play was the best start since 2000-01 and surpassed the number of wins Portland posted in 2001-02. The Pilots posted a 6-7 (.462) home record, a 5-9 (.357) away record and a 0-1 (.000) neutral site record in 2002-03.

Head Coach Michael Holton is 19th head coach in school history. In three seasons, Holton has a 17-41 (.293) career overall record and a 6-22 (.214) career WCC record. His 2002-03 team almost doubled the win output from the previous season and no one will forget the Pilots’ 72-68 wire-to-wire win last season over WCC rival Gonzaga in front of a sell out crowd at the Kennel in Spokane, Wash.

Portland returns two players selected to the 2002-03 all-West Coast Conference Men’s Basketball Team. Casey Frandsen and Donald Wilson, were 2002-03 honorable-mention all-WCC picks.

In a vote of the league’s eight head coaches, the Pilots are picked to finish in seventh-place in this year’s WCC race.

QUOTING HOLTON: “We came up short against Boise State in our season opener. I feel that we’ll need a more focused effort Tuesday night against Oregon State. The Beavers are coming off a season-opening home win and have a program that has shown significant growth throughout the last few years. It’s never easy playing Pac-10 teams on the road, but we’re confident that we’ve made the necessary adjustments in order to get our non-conference road schedule off to a good start”

CHECKING OUT OREGON STATE: David Lucas had 16 points as the Oregon State Beavers defeated Prairie View A&M 70-53 Saturday, Nov. 22 in the opener for both teams at Gill Coliseum. Oregon State jumped on the Panthers early with a 15-4 opening spurt and led by as many as 21 points. OSU never relinquished the lead all night despite a surge by the Panthers which saw the deficit cut to seven points three times. Previously on Nov. 16, the Beavers defeated the Sydney Comets, 73-57 in an exhibition win at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, Ore. Oregon State wrapped up the exhibition portion of their season with a 1-1 record. The Beavers feature a young roster for the 2003-04 season as only one starter returns. Oregon State also returns seven letterwinners and adds six newcomers to the roster. Head Coach Jay John enters his second year with the Beavers, posting a 14-15 record at Oregon State. Last year’s team went 13-15 overall and finished in a tie for sixth place in the Pac-10 with a 6-12 record. The Beavers lost to California in the first round of the Pac-10 Tournament in 2002-03.

Sophomore Lamar Hurd started all 28 games for the Beavers last season and earned honorable mention on the Pac-10 all-Freshmen team. He led the team last year in minutes played (33.4 per game), was seventh in the conference for assists (3.8) and his 105 total assists for the season are the third-highest ever by a Beaver freshman. Teammate David Lucas averaged 16.2 points per game during Oregon State’s two exhibition games while Kyle Jeffers averaged 12.5 rebounds.

Probable starters for the Beavers are: Lamar Hurd (So., G); J.S. Nash (Jr., G); Kenny Hooks (Fr., F); David Lucas (Jr., F) and Kyle Jeffers (Fr., F).

CHECKING OUT LONG BEACH STATE: Long Beach State is 0-1 in 2003-04 after opening the season with a 74-44 loss to San Diego State on Nov. 21 in San Diego. The 49ers scored just 15 first-half points against the Aztecs and never recovered. Long Beach State did out-rebound SDSU 45-37. Kevin Roberts led the way for The Beach with 13 points, while Travon Free had eight points and Cody Pearson chipped in with six points and a team-high nine rebounds.

The 49ers return three starters from last year as well as nine letterwinners. Six newcomers join the squad for the 2003-04 season. Sophomore Jibril Hodges returns to the backcourt after earning Big West all-Freshman team honors last season. Also back is senior Kevin Rogers. The power forward was the only 49er to start all 27 games last season. He averaged 12.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game in 2002-03.

Head coach Larry Reynolds is back for his second season at the helm for Long Beach State. The 15th head coach in 49er history went 5-22 overall last season. The 49ers went 4-14 in the Big West to finish 10th in the conference.

Probable starters for the 49ers are: Jibril Hodges (So., G); Marcel Jackson (Sr., F); Cody Pearson (Jr., G), Kevin Houston (Fr., G) and Kevin Roberts (Sr., F).

THE SERIES: Oregon State leads the overall series against the Pilots 48-14. The Beavers won the match-up against Portland last year, 71-64 in Corvallis. UP last beat OSU in 1995 when the Pilots won 61-50 at the Chiles Center. Portland is 3-22 all-time against the Beavers in Corvallis. Portland’s last win in Corvallis happened during the 1960-61 season when the Pilots won 47-44.

Portland holds a 2-0 overall advantage against Long Beach State. The Pilots beat the 49ers 54-49 last season at Long Beach State. The Pilots also won the only other game between the two schools, 72-70 in Portland during the 1962-63 season.

A STELLAR PILOT BACKCOURT: Pilot guards Adam Quick and Eugene Jeter brought the Portland backcourt to the forefront in the losing effort against Boise State. Senior Adam Quick recorded the Pilots’ first double-double of the young season as he put up 13 points to go with 10 assists. During one stretch, Quick scored eight straight points for the Pilots as he connected on two consecutive three-pointers and converted a runner in the lane.

Not to be outdone, the sophomore Jeter scored a game-high 21 points in the season opener. Jeter also dished out three assists and made two steals. He tied a career-best going a perfect 4-of-4 from three-point land.

WCC AMONG THE NATION’S FINEST: The West Coast Conference emerged as mid-major basketball power in the early 1950’s and has continued the trend to present day. Currently, the WCC has two member institutions ranked in one of the national polls. Gonzaga leads the way with a No. 12 ranking in the USA Today/ESPN Coaches Preseason Poll, followed by Pepperdine who was picked 18th in the annual Mid-Major Poll released by CollegeInsider.com. West Coast Conference teams have recorded 58 NCAA Tournament appearances since 1952 and post a 55-60 (.478) combined NCAA Tournament record.

2003-04 WCC STATISTICAL LEADERS: Portland, as a team leads the WCC in assists (18.00). The Pilots are second in rebounding defense (35.0) and field goal percentage (.446) and are third in 3-point field goal percentage (.389), 3-point field goals made (7.00), steals (7.00) and assist/turnover ratio (1.00). Portland is fourth in scoring offense (66.0), field goal percentage defense (.414) and 3-point field goal percentage defense (.310). The Pilots are fifth in scoring margin (-10.0), scoring defense (76.0), offensive rebounds (10.00) and are sixth in defensive rebounds (22.00), turnover margin (-6.00), rebounding offense (32.0), rebounding margin (-3.0) and free throw percentage (.600).

Individually, Portland ranks among the top in the WCC statistical leaders. Adam Quick leads the WCC in assists (10.00), is second in assist/turnover ratio (3.33), is third in 3-point field goals made (3.00), is 10th in scoring (13.0) and 11th in 3-point field goal percentage (.375). Eugene Jeter leads the WCC with a perfect 1.000 3-point field goal percentage, is second in 3-point field goals made (4.00), is third in steals (2.00) and scoring (21.0), is sixth in field goal percentage (.583), is seventh in assist/turnover ratio (1.00) and is eighth in assists (3.00). Dustin Geddis is currently third in rebounding (8.0), field goal percentage (.600), steals (2.00) and is 12th in scoring (12.0) and 15th in assists (2.0). Donald Wilson leads the league with a perfect 1.000 free-throw percentage, is third in rebounding (8.0), seventh in scoring (14.0), 12th in steals (1.00) and field goal percentage (.500). Casey Frandsen is 12th in steals (1.00) and 15th in assists (2.00), while teammate Patrick Galos is fifth in blocked shots (1.00) and 16th in rebounding (5.0). Dreshawn Vance is fifth in blocked shots, while Andreas Gahlmann is 12th in steals (1.00).

COMING UP: The Pilots take on the Duke Blue Devils at Cameron Indoor Stadium on Dec. 14 at 8:00 p.m. Portland will visit Weber State on Dec. 16 for a 8:05 tip-off. On Dec. 19, the Pilots take on crosstown rival Portland State at 7:05 p.m., this time at Stott Center.

STATISTICALLY, WHAT THE PILOTS RETURN: Portland returns all five starters and nine of the 15 letterwinners from last season. Here is a statistical breakdown of what the Pilots return in 2003-04.

Points: 94 percent, rebounds: 92 percent, three-point field goals: 98 percent, assists: 97 percent, steals: 94 percent, blocks: 88 percent, free-throws: 94 percent and minutes played: 92 percent.

PILOTS ON THE INTERNET: The University of Portland men’s basketball team will have live stats via the internet for all home matches. Check out the Pilot matches at: http://www.portlandpilots.com/livestats/mbball/xlive.htm.

WCC PRESEASON POLL: The West Coast Conference released its preseason men’s basketball coaches' poll on July 30, 2003. The University of Portland, which received 13 votes in the poll, is picked to finish seventh. The WCC league coaches felt the 2003-04 race for the WCC crown will go through the Zags again, as Gonzaga was tabbed to claim first place in the league’s preseason poll. Pepperdine and Saint Mary’s tied for second in the poll with 37 points each. San Francisco was picked fourth in this year’s poll and rounding out the poll are 2003 WCC Tournament champion San Diego, followed by Santa Clara, Portland and Loyola Marymount, respectively.

HEAD COACH MICHAEL HOLTON: Michael Holton was appointed as head coach of the men’s basketball program in April, 2001, becoming the 19th coach in the 77-year history of the Pilot program. His 2002-03 team almost doubled the win output from the previous season, posting an 11-17 overall record, 4-10 in WCC play. No one will forget the Pilots’ 72-68 wire-to-wire win last season over WCC rival Gonzaga in front of a sell out crowd at the Kennel in Spokane, Wash. Portland led the league last season in free-throw percentage and turnover margin, and eight of the Pilot losses were by less than ten points. His latest prodigies, Casey Frandsen and Donald Wilson, were 2002-03 honorable-mention all-WCC picks.

Holton’s first Pilot team (2001-02) was among the nation’s leaders in close losses, dropping 13 games by less than 10 points - including four overtime losses, and eight losses by less than five points. The 2001-02 season was highlighted by a 79-78 home win over Oregon - the school’s first win over the Ducks in more than 30 years. Portland’s 8.07 average on made 3-pointers resulted in a school record of 242 treys, a mark which also led the WCC. The Pilots also shattered the team 3-point attempts record (553, 1992-92) with 684.

Before he had even coached a game, Holton’s first recruiting class was the Best in the WCC, according to Hoop Scoop Online, a national recruiting website. Holton returned to the campus where he began his Division I coaching career, having served the 1994-95 season under Rob Chavez. While at Portland in 1994-95 with Chavez, Holton helped direct the Pilots to a 21-8 record. At the time, it was the Pilots’ most successful campaign in 37 years.

PILOTS ON THE TV/RADIO: Portland has made numerous appearances on national and regional television in recent years. Portland will make at least five appearances on television this season. In conjunction with ESPN, Fox Sports Net, and Fox Sports Digital Nets, the league TV package contains a total of 20 men's and women's basketball broadcasts. The Pilots’ game at Duke on Dec. 14 is scheduled to air on Fox Sports Net. Portland’s game vs. Oregon will be televised on the Oregon Sports Network on Dec. 22. The Pilots’ game at Pepperdine will be a regionally televised game on Fox Sports West2 on Jan. 10. Portland hosts Gonzaga on Jan. 23 and the game will be shown on Fox Sports NW and Bay Area. The Pilots’ game at Gonzaga will be aired on Fox Sports NW on Feb. 18.

Follow the Pilots all season long with play-by-play man Darrell Aune on the Pilot radio Network Flagship station KKAD 1550 AM. Pilot basketball is simulcast on the following Pilot Radio Network Stations for Saturday and Sunday games only: KPAM 860 AM -Portland/Vancouver; KZTU 660 AM -Eugene/Springfield.

RECAPPING BOISE STATE: The University of Portland men’s basketball team battled for a full 40 minutes, but a disciplined effort on defense, combined with some hot first half shooting by the Broncos of Boise State put it out of reach and the Pilots went down, 76-66 at the Chiles Center in the season opener on Nov. 21.

Sophomore Eugene Jeter, carried the Pilots with 14 first half points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field and a perfect 3-of-3 shooting from three-point range. The combination of Jeter and Dustin Geddis helped cut a 10 point Boise State lead to just four before the break. Jeter’s one-on-one lay-in with one second remaining in the first half ignited the crowd and the Pilot bench, giving UP momentum heading into the break. Boise State maintained the advantage, scoring 10 points in the paint and 12 second-chance points. The Pilots turned the ball over nine times in the first half, giving the Broncos a 40-36 advantage at the break.

Senior Adam Quick sparked the Pilot offense four minutes into the second half. Quick, who had not yet scored in the game, hit back-to-back three-pointers, one from way downtown, the other with BSU’s Brooks Nabors all in his face. On the next possession, Quick drives the lane, fakes the dish and lays it in, for a one point game (BSU led 48-47). The Pilots kept the game within three points until the eight minute mark when the Broncos went on an 11-0 run for a 67-56 lead. The Pilots battled back to within four on another Adam Quick trey, but with :48 seconds left, a Eugene Jeter turnover caused Quick to foul BSU’s Jermaine Blackburn in hopes to deter the easy lay in. Quick was called for a controversial intentional foul in which Blackburn hit both free-throws. The Broncos hit five more points down the stretch to put the game out of reach and go home with a 76-66 road win.

“Boise State played hard in every area of the game,” said Head Coach Michael Holton. “I thought they had more of a competitive edge than we did. I thought we had a chance to come out in the second half and make a game of it, but Boise State came in with an appetite that we didn’t match.”

For the game, Jeter led all players with 21 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field and tying a career-best 4-of-4 from behind the arc. Donald Wilson finished with 14 points and eight rebounds, while Quick contributed 13 points and dished out 10 assists. Senior Dustin Geddis added 12 points and eight boards in the game. On the night, Portland shot 45 percent (25-56) from the field, 39 percent (7-18) from behind the arc and 60 percent (9-15) from the charity stripe. Portland was edged on the boards, 35-32 and committed six more turnovers than the Broncos.

Boise State saw three players score in double figures. Coby Karl, son of the former NBA coach George Karl, led the team with 19 points and was a perfect 9-of-9 from the free-throw line. Jermaine Blackburn tallied 17 points, while Aaron Haynes chipped in 10 points. Teammate Jason Ellis led the Broncos with nine rebounds. As a team, BSU went 24-of-58 (41 percent) from the field, 9-of-29 (31 percent) from three-point range and 19-of-23 (83 percent) from the free-throw line.

“Boise State came in with a good game plan and executed their plays,” noted Holton. “They were a very professional team and I admire that.”

RECAPPING THE EXHIBITION GAMES: The University of Portland shot the lights-out in the second half to beat Concordia 95-72, in the Pilots’ final exhibition game on Fri., Nov. 14 at the Chiles Center. Sophomore Donald Wilson led the way for Portland putting up 21 points on a night UP shot 60 percent from the field in the second half. Joining Wilson with double-digit points were Portland sophomore Eugene Jeter who netted 11 and senior Casey Frandsen who put up 20 points and went 5-for-9 from behind the arc. The Pilots out-muscled the Cavaliers down low as the Pilots outscored Concordia, 50-19 in the paint. Portland also finished with a 40-24 advantage on the boards. Dustin Geddis cleaned up the glass for the Pilots ripping down nine boards. He also swatted away two Concordia shots.

True freshman Dreshawn Vance scored 19 points and Dustin Geddis had a double-double to lead Portland to an 81-69 exhibition season opening win over MBC Nikolaev on Wed., Nov. 5 at the Chiles Center. Four Pilots scored in double-figures as Portland shot 51 percent from the field in the second half, and made 16-of-20 free throws overall. Sophomore guard Eugene Jeter had 12 points, hitting both of his shots from beyond the arc. Donald Wilson had 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals. Vance recorded nine rebounds, but Geddis led the way cleaning up the glass with 10 boards. He also scored 10 points. Portland finished with a 49-23 advantage on the boards. The Pilots held a big advantage at the free-throw line taking 20 shots from the charity stripe while the Ukranian team only went to the line four times. Portland made 16 of its free throws.