WCC Tourney Central I Complete Release (PDF)
Game Information
The University of Portland men’s basketball team is the No. 3 seed at the 2009 West Coast Conference Basketball Championships, scheduled for March 6-9 at the Orleans Arena in Las Vegas, Nev. The Pilots will open the tournament with a first round bye and then play the winner of No. 6 Pepperdine and No. 7 San Francisco on Saturday with tip-off scheduled for approximately 8:30 p.m. The winner of that contest will advance to face second-seeded Saint Mary’s in the semifinals on Sunday at 8 p.m. The WCC championship game is scheduled for Monday at 6 p.m.
Tournament Coverage
All WCC Tournament games will have live stats available at wccsports.com. Live video of all non-televised games is also free at wccsports.com. The semifinal games will air on ESPN2 and the title game on ESPN. All UP games will be on the radio at 970 AM (KCMD).
About The Pilots
The Pilots (18-11, 9-5) earned the No. 3 seed and a first round bye in the WCC Tournament. Portland was swept on the road last weekend at San Diego (66-60) and Santa Clara (67-65, ot), but still posted the second best conference finish in school history. The Pilots committed 17 turnovers and were just 5-for-11 from the free throw line in the loss at USD. Junior G Nik Raivio led three Pilots in double figures with 13 points. On Saturday at SCU, free throws were again detrimental as the Pilots finished 12-for-23. Junior PG T.J. Campbell had 15 points and five assists, but was plagued by foul trouble throughout the contest.
Head coach Eric Reveno, in his third year at the helm, was voted the WCC Coach of the Year as Portland secured the program’s highest season win total since posting a 19-11 record and going to the 1996 NCAA Tournament. The Pilots are two wins shy of only their second 20-win season at the Division I level.
Four Pilots earned All-WCC awards, tying for the most in school history. Junior PG T.J. Campbell shared league Newcomer of the Year honors with Santa Clara freshman Kevin Foster. Cambell was joined on the 10-player All-WCC First Team by junior G Nik Raivio. Sophomore G Jared Stohl and junior F Robin Smeulders were honorable mention selections. Smeulders, Ethan Niedermeyer and Kramer Knutson earned WCC All-Academic honors.
Portland ranks sixth nationally as a team in three-point shooting (.409), while Stohl is fourth in the nation individually (.467, min. 2.5 per game). Stohl leads the WCC in three-pointers made (2.9), while Campbell paces the conference in three-point percentage (.539) and is second in assists (5.0). Raivio leads four Pilots averaging double figures and is fourth in the WCC in scoring at 15.7 points per game.
The Pilots also lead the league in three-pointers made (7.9) and assists (15.3). The team’s 70.4 points per game is third in the league and 7.3 points higher than last year’s average.
Head coach Eric Reveno returns 80 percent of the team’s scoring and 87 percent of its rebounding from last year’s squad. Picked to finish sixth in the WCC Preseason Coaches’ Poll, Reveno’s roster features eight underclassmen and no seniors.
One of the main focuses for the program throughout the offseason was improving in the weight room. The results are noticeable, as every player has either added good basketball weight or dropped pounds, if necessary. The Pilots play 11 games this season against teams that advanced to postseason play last year.
UP WCC Tourney Tidbits
* Portland is 7-20 all-time.
* Last year, the Pilots were dealt a 50-48 overtime loss to Pepperdine in the first round.
* The Pilots have only reached the semifinals on two occasions (1995, 1996). In 1995, UP lost to Gonzaga in the championship game. Portland wont the 1996 title.
* Portland is 1-5 all-time in tournament play against Pepperdine and 1-2 versus USF:
Pilots Earn First Round Bye
Portland earned the No. 3 seed in the WCC Tournament and a first round bye. The third-place finish ties for the second best in school history for the Pilots.
Reveno WCC Coach of the Year
Third-year head coach Eric Reveno was voted the 2009 WCC Coach of the Year by his peers, the league announced on Monday. Reveno becomes the second UP head coach to earn the honor, joining Jack Avina (1978). Reveno doubled last year’s win total and the Pilots tied for the second best conference finish in school history (9-5, 3rd place).
T.J. Campbell Top WCC Newcomer
Junior T.J. Campbell, a Glendale (AZ) Junior College transfer, was named the Co-Newcomer of the Year in the WCC along with Santa Clara freshman Kevin Foster. In league games, Campbell led the WCC in three-point percentage and assists and also was among the conference leaders in five other stat categories.
Four Pilots Earn All-WCC Honors
Campbell and backcourt mate Nik Raivio garnered All-WCC First Team honors, while sophomore G Jared Stohl and junior F Robin Smeulders earned All-WCC honorable mention status. The four Pilot representatives matched a UP high also set in 1996. The two first team honorees was also done for just the second time in school history (Canaan Chatman/Curt Ranta, 1995).
Portland Tops Academic Honorees
Three UP players were named to the 2009 WCC Men’s Basketball All-Academic Team, the most of any school in the conference. Juniors Ethan Niedermeyer and Robin Smeulders earned their second consecutive all-academic honor, while sophomore Kramer Knutson earned his first.
