Portland: Where Big Guys Go for Development and Success

Video Feature on Portland Bigs

University of Portland head coach Eric Reveno is considered one of the best big man coaches in the country. He has a great track record of bringing in and developing big men throughout his eight seasons on The Bluff. Five of those players are under contract playing professionally in Europe, while the Pilots have three senior bigs that will look to lead the team to one of the best seasons in school history this year.

The accompanying video chronicles the recruitment, development, and professional opportunities created for many of those key players. Below are highlights and updates on the most notable big men that have played for Reveno and the Pilots over the last eight seasons.

Robin Smeulders (2006-10): A member of Coach Reveno's first recruiting class, the Dutch big man by way of Germany was a 1,000-point scorer in three years on the court for the Pilots. He earned All-WCC First Team honors in 2011 and was a three-time WCC All-Academic Team member. Upon graduation, Smeulders signed a professional contract in Germany and is currently under contract with EWE Baskets of the German BBL (Top Division).

Luke Sikma (2007-11): Portland's all-time leading rebounder (985) and No. 2 in career blocked shots (88), Sikma was a two-time All-WCC selection and turned into one of the best all-around players in the league as a senior. He averaged 12.9 points and 10.9 rebounds per game with 14 double-doubles as a senior. Sikma has played professionally in the Spanish ACB League (Top Division) and recently resigned with CB Canarias for the upcoming season.  

Kramer Knutson (2007-11): A four-year starter, Knutson finished his career as UP's all-time leader in games started (118) and is No. 4 all-time in blocked shots (80). A three-time WCC All-Academic pick, Knutson has played professionally throughout Europe upon graduation and will return to play a second year with the top division London Lions in the United Kingdom BB.

Jasonn Hannibal (2007-11): Hannibal was a member of the same class as Sikma and Knutson and improved dramatically throughout his four years at Portland. His hard work allowed him to lose nearly 60 pounds and post career highs in all statistically categories as a senior. He has also played professionally each season in Europe, most recently with Polzela of the Slovenian Telemach League.

Ryan Nicholas (2010-14): A three-year starter, Nicholas led the WCC in rebounds (8.8) and double-doubles (12) as a senior. Despite playing spot minutes as a freshman, Nicholas concluded his career as the No. 5 all-time rebounder and No. 12 on the career scoring charts. He was also a national scholar-athlete as a senior, a three-time WCC All-Academic selection, and was a national Post-Graduate Scholarship recipient in 2014. He signed with MBC Weissenfelsof the German BBL (Top Division) this summer.

Thomas van der Mars (2011-): Another Dutch native that has seen rapid improvement, van der Mars is looking to finish as one of the most highly decorated bigs in program history. A four-year starter, van der Mars had a breakout junior campaign by averaging 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. He is on pace for 1,000 points and finishing in the top 5 all time in field goal percentage, blocked shots and rebounds. Van der Mars also became just the second player in program history to earn Academic All-America honors with his 3.95 GPA as an operations and technology major.