PORTLAND PILOTS (1-0) at UC DAVIS AGGIES (0-1)Date: Sunday, November 15, 2015
Tip-off: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Davis, Calif.
Arena: The Pavilion (5,670)
Video: BigWestTV.orgRadio: 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT)
Audio: 910 ESPN-PortlandStats: PortlandPilots.comPOR vs. UCD Overall Series: 4-0
At UP: 3-0
At UCD: 1-0
Neutral: 0-0
Last 1: @POR 100, UCD 83 (Nov. 8, 2013)
THIS WEEK • After defeating Oregon Tech (98-81) in its regular season home-opener on Friday, the Pilots visit UC Davis on Sunday for a 4 p.m. tip-off at The Pavilion.
GAME COVERAGE• A free live video feed of the game is available courtesy of BigWestTV.com.
• Radio coverage on the home of the Pilots, 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT), will begin with pregame coverage starting 30 minutes prior to tip-off all season long. The broadcast will also feature a complete post-game show with player and coach interviews. Veteran play-by-play man Bill Johnson will be on the call again this season.
• An online audio simulcast is available via 910 ESPN-Portland, while all live game statistics can be found on PortlandPilots.com.
ABOUT THE PILOTS • Senior G Bryce Pressley erupted for a career-high 30 points, including eight three-pointers, as Portland opened the season with a home win against Oregon Tech Friday.
• Freshman G Jazz Johnson added 14 points off the bench, while sophomore F Gabe Taylor had 11. Junior PG Alec Wintering dished out 11 assists and had seven rebounds.
• The Pilots hoisted 30 three-pointers, the most since 2004, connecting on 14.
• Portland previously defeated Concordia-Irvine in an exhibition game on Nov. 7 by an 85-78 margin behind Wintering's game-high 20 points.
• Senior F Max Livingston started both games for the Pilots and finished with eight points against Oregon Tech. Livingston played limited minutes last season, his first with the Pilots after transferring from Clark College (Wash.).
• Junior F Jarrel Marshall started and scored 15 points in the exhibition game, but suffered an ankle injury earlier this week and sat out on Friday. He is doubtful for Sunday.
• Marshall, along with junior C Ray Barreno, are incoming JC transfers that are expected to contribute immediately. Barreno started and finished with eight points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots on Friday.
• Head coach Eric Reveno returns an experienced backcourt and seven lettermen from a 2014-15 squad that finished 17-16 overall and earned an invitation to the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
• The Pilots were picked fifth in the West Coast Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, while Wintering was named to the 10-player Preseason All-WCC Team.
• Wintering earned All-WCC second team honors last year after averaging 12.3 points and 5.7 assists per game. He ranked third in the league in both assists and three-point percentage (.449), fifth in steals (1.5), and ninth in free throw percentage (.794).
• Pressley, a two-year starter like Wintering, ranks fourth in Portland career three-point field goal percentage (.426). He and Wintering are co-captaining the Pilots this season.
• Portland also returns four sophomores that played key minutes last year in Taylor, Jason Todd, D'Marques Tyson and Philipp Hartwich.
• The Pilots added five true freshmen to the roster, including local standout Jazz Johnson (Lake Oswego HS). Johnson broke the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational scoring record last winter by averaging 35.0 points over four games. Rashad Jackson (Bakersfield, Calif./Garces Memorial HS/IMPACT Academy) scored more than 2,100 points as a four-year prep standout and then spent last year training at the IMPACT Academy in Las Vegas. Colin Russell (Folsom, Calif./Folsom HS) led his high school to the 2014 Nor Cal State Title and consecutive Section Division titles. Xavier Hallinan (Portland, Ore./Central Catholic HS) was a two-sport prep standout in basketball and football and joins the Pilots as a walk-on. Chier Maker (Sydney, Australia/Newington College) is redshirting the 2015-16 season and will have four years of eligibility remaining beginning next season.
• Reveno picked up a pair of his former players to join the coaching staff this offseason. Mitch Johnson, a former Stanford point guard, comes on as an assistant coach, while former Pilot center Kramer Knutson also joined the staff as director of basketball operations.
ABOUT UC DAVIS • The Aggies (0-1) dropped a 79-71 overtime decision to North Dakota State at home on Friday. Senior F Josh Fox led UC Davis with 16 points and 12 rebounds, while junior C Neal Monson added 14 points and 10 rebounds.
• UC Davis is coming off a historic 2014-15 season in which the Aggies won the Big West Conference and earned a spot in the NIT and went 14-0 at home.
• Head coach Jim Les is in his fifth year at UC Davis and returns seven lettermen and two starters.
PILOTS SIGN LOCAL CENTER TO NLI • Portland announced that 6-10 center Joseph Smoyer (Portland, Ore./Franklin HS) signed a National Letter of Intent and will join the Pilots next season.
• Smoyer has started for the Quakers each of the last three seasons earning All-Portland Interscholastic League First Team honors last season. He was honorable mention all-league in both his freshman and sophomore seasons.
• An elite student, Smoyer is currently the senior class President and a has been admitted to the University of Portland Shiley School of Engineering.
• Smoyer joins previous signee Alec Monson to comprise the Class of 2016. Monson signed in 2014 and will return from a two-year church mission next season.
