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Portland Pilots (1-0) at San Jose State Spartans (1-0)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2016
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: San Jose, Calif.
Arena: The Event Center (5,000)
TV: None
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland
Video: Mountain West Network
Live Audio: 910-ESPN Portland
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com

GAME INFORMATION
The Portland Pilots (1-0) visit the San Jose State Spartans (1-0) on Tuesday, Nov. 15 for a 7 p.m. tip-off at The Event Center on the SJSU campus. The game will have live video coverage on The Mountain West Network. All Pilot games will have radio coverage on 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT) with Jason Swygard calling the action. Coverage starts 30 minutes prior to tip-off and will have a complete post-game show.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Head coach Terry Porter got a win in his collegiate coaching debut as the Pilots knocked off UC Riverside (71-55) Friday night at the Chiles Center. Senior point guard Alec Wintering erupted for 24 points, a career-high eight rebounds and eight assists in the winning effort. Sophomore Jazz Johnson added 17 points, including all three of his three-point attempts, while junior Gabe Taylor added 15 points and eight rebounds.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
Terry Porter took over the program in April and will rely on senior point guard Alec Wintering, a preseason All-West Coast Conference selection, to lead the Pilots. Wintering earned All-WCC First Team honors as a junior after averaging 18.3 points and 4.9 assists per game. The Pilots return five of their top six scorers from last year's team that finished 12-20 overall and 6-12 in the WCC. League coaches picked the Pilots eighth in the WCC Preseason Poll. Juniors D'Marques Tyson and Gabe Taylor also played big minutes last season, averaging 10.4 and 7.3 points, respectively. Tyson drilled a team-high 86 three-pointers on the season. Senior Ray Barreno and junior Philipp Hartwich provide experience at the center position. Senior Jarrel Marshall (7.8) and sophomore Jazz Johnson (6.8) added scoring punch off the bench. Porter welcomes five newcomers to the roster in true freshmen Andre Ferguson, Alec Monson, Malcolm Porter and Joseph Smoyer, as well as sophomore transfer Franklin Porter (Saint Mary's).
 
ABOUT SAN JOSE STATE
The Spartans (1-0) defeated West Coast Baptist 109-70 in Saturday's regular season opener. Sophomore guard E.J. Boyce hit six three-point baskets on the way to a game-high 20 points, while six other Spartans reached double figures. SJSU shot 12-of-29 from three-point range and 56 percent overall from the floor. San Jose State returns four starters and seven lettermen from last year's squad that finished 9-22 overall and 4-14 in the Mountain West Conference. Sophomore forward Ryan Walege (10.4 pts, 5.2 rebs) is the top statistical returner. Head coach Dave Wojcik is beginning his fourth year at the helm and the Spartans were picked to finish 11th in the MWC Preseason Poll.

PORTLAND-SAN JOSE STATE SERIES
The all-time series is tied at 10-10 and the Spartans own a 5-4 edge in games played in San Jose. The Pilots and Spartans last met in the 2014-15 season-opener at The Event Center and Portland overcame a 13-point second half deficit to force overtime and win by a 73-68 margin. Wintering, a sophomore at the time, scored a game-high 24 points.

TERRY PORTER ERA ARRIVES
Porter, a 17-year NBA veteran and two-time NBA All-Star, spent most of his pro career with the Trail Blazers where he helped lead Portland to a pair of NBA Finals and had his jersey retired. Porter also served as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, in addition to various assistant coaching positions throughout the league. He was named head coach of the Pilots on April 1, 2016. Porter has hired an experienced coaching staff to support him, including long-time Pac-12 Assistant Coaches Bob Cantu (USC) and Ben Johnson (Washington State), along with former Pilot four-year starting center Kramer Knutson (2007-11).
 
ALEC WINTERING GARNERING PRESEASON PUB
Senior PG Alec Wintering is deservedly receiving a lot of preseason praise as he enters his final year on The Bluff. Wintering was named Preseason All-WCC, while national media organizations have recognized him as one of the top players to watch this coming season:
- CollegeCourtReport.com Top 100 Players (No. 76)
- SBNation.com: Top 100 Players (honorable mention)
- TheHoopsColumn.com, #16 non-Power 5 guard
 
WINTERING CLIMBING VARIOUS CHARTS
Alec Wintering finished third in the WCC in scoring during league play last season at 20.6 per game and averaged 18.3 points overall in earning All-WCC First Team recognition. He also added 4.9 assists and 3.3 rebounds per game while shooting 80 percent from the foul line and 41 percent from three-point range. His remarkable junior season included him moving into the top five all-time in program history for assists, and finishing the year with the second most points scored in school single-season history (584). Wintering became the first Pilot in history to record consecutive 30-point games after a career-high 34 points against Pepperdine on Dec. 23. That was followed by a 31-point performance at San Francisco on Dec. 31. The Charlotte, N.C. native ranks No. 4 all-time for UP in assists (475) and free throws made (409), No. 6 in three-point percentage (.405) and No. 6 in steals (141). He also earned All-WCC Second Team honors as a sophomore.

PORTER INKS TWO DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Portland has already signed two prospects during this week's early signing period in point guard JoJo Walker (Santa Maria, Calif./St. Joseph HS) and combo guard Taki Fahrensohn (Auckland, New Zealand/Auckland Grammar School). Walker (6-1, 170) was the CIF Southern Section Division 5A Most Valuable Player after leading St. Joseph High School to the 2016 CIF title. He earned All-Area MVP honors while averaging 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game. Fahrensohn (6-5, 180) was the team captain and leading scorer for Auckland Grammar at the 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools Basketball National Championships. He averaged 33.6 points over seven games, including a 47-point effort in a quarterfinals victory against top-ranked Christchurch Boys High School. He is a member of the New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks, the country's national youth team, and part of the New Zealand Breakers Academy.
 
TOUGH SCHEDULE
Portland will play a challenging 2016-17 schedule that includes three Pac-12 opponents and participation in the Wooden Legacy hosted over Thanksgiving weekend. The Pilots will take on UCLA in the opening game of the Wooden Legacy at Fullerton and then will play either Nebraska or Dayton the following day. The Pilots also host Colorado at the Chiles Center on Dec. 3 and take on Oregon State at the Moda Center on Dec. 18. Other key non-conference matchups are at Boise State on Dec. 10 and at home versus Portland State on Dec. 20. WCC play begins Dec. 29 at Pacific.

A FAMILY AFFAIR
Terry Porter isn't the only Porter joining the Pilots for the 2016-17 season. His two sons, Franklin and Malcolm, have joined Terry on The Bluff. Franklin played last season at conference rival Saint Mary's and will redshirt this season due to NCAA transfer rules. Malcolm was a two-time all-state player at Jesuit High School and is also expected to redshirt this season.

EXPERIENCED STAFF
Terry Porter indicated his desire to find an experienced coaching staff to help support his transition to the college game and he loaded up with a pair of big name assistants. Bob Cantu, a former USC interim head coach, associate head coach and long-time assistant coach with the Trojans and UTEP, has more than 20 years collegiate coaching experience at various levels. He has coached under four NBA Coaches,  coached 14 NBA players and five NBA First Round Draft picks, while helping five teams reach the NCAA Tournament. Considered one of the top recruiters in the nation, Cantu helped land the No. 1 overall class in 2007 at USC. Ben Johnson also has extensive Pac-12 coaching experience and 24 years working the sidelines during his coaching career. Johnson was with Dick and Tony Bennett at Washington State during the program's most winning years. He has coached and recruited four NBA players, including NBA Lottery Pick Klay Thompson. Johnson also brought a pair of Australian National Team players to Wazzu in Brock Motum and Aron Baynes. He helped WSU to the Sweet 16 in 2008 and was also a standout player for Dick Bennett at UW-Green Bay. He helped the Phoenix to the 1991 NCAA Tournament and a pair of NIT appearances. Porter rounded out his coaching staff with a familiar face to Pilot fans in Kramer Knutson. A four-year starter for Portland from 2007-11, Knutson led the Pilots to a top-25 ranking and a program-best 60 wins over his final three seasons. Knutson served as Director of Basketball Operations for Portland last year after a four-year professional playing career in Europe.

RADIO-TELEVISION
Portland will once again have an extensive TV package with games on ESPN, ROOT Sports, and CSN Northwest. The complete broadcast schedule is available at PortlandPilots.com. All Pilot Basketball games will be on the radio on 910 ESPN-Portland with Jason Swygard calling the action. The Terry Porter Radio Show will air on 1080 The Fan each Monday night (barring travel/game conflicts).