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Portland Pilots (3-0) vs. #14 UCLA Bruins (4-0)
Date: Thursday, Nov. 24, 2016
Tip-off: 8:00 p.m.
Location: Fullerton, Calif.
Arena: Titan Gym (4,000)
TV: ESPN2
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland
Video: WatchESPN
Live Audio: 910-ESPN Portland
Live Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Tickets: Wooden Legacy

GAME INFORMATION
The Portland men's basketball team will take its 3-0 record into the Wooden Legacy and face No. 14-ranked UCLA (4-0) in the opening round on Thursday at 8 p.m. at Titan Gym on the Cal State Fullerton campus. The game will be nationally televised on ESPN2 with Doug Sherman and Sean Farnham on the call. Portland will play either Dayton or Nebraska on Friday, also at Titan Gym. Sunday's four games will be played at the Honda Center in Anaheim. 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
Ray Barreno came off the bench to record career highs of 14 points and 15 rebounds as the Pilots defeated the Lewis & Clark Pioneers (98-52) Friday night at the Chiles Center. Eleven different Pilots scored and six reached double figures as Portland used a 13-0 run to grab an early 10-point lead and the margin would grow to 53-28 at halftime. The lead would balloon to as much as 52 points late in the second half as head coach Terry Porter rested his starters. Barreno came off the bench and had an early impact with 10 rebounds in the first half. Philipp Hartwich also had a career-best 12 rebounds in just 18 minutes of court action. Alec Wintering recorded 13 points and five assists in 18 minutes. Gabe Taylor and Rashad Jackson also finished with 13 points, while D'Marques Tyson added 11. Jazz Johnson tallied all 10 of his points in the first half.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Terry Porter took over the program in April and hired an experienced collegiate staff to support his transition in long-time Pac-12 assistants Bob Cantu and Ben Johnson.
• Porter will rely on senior PG 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 last season.
• Wintering is averaging 19.0 points and 8.0 assists per game thus far as Portland has a +25.0 scoring margin and won all three games by double digits.
• Junior F Gabe Taylor is averaging 17.3 points and 8.0 rebounds, while sophomore G Jazz Johnson moved into the starting lineup this year and is averaging 14.3 points.
• Portland ranks No. 5 nationally in defensive rebounding (37.0), No. 6 in FG percentage defense (.307), No. 8 in free throw percentage (.822) and No. 17 in scoring defense (57.7). Wintering ranks seventh nationally in assists per game (8.0).
• 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.
• 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). Malcolm Porter and Franklin Porter are redshirting the 2016-17 season.
•Redshirt freshman Chier Maker is expected to be eligible in mid-December.
 
ABOUT UCLA
The Bruins (4-0) are No. 2 nationally in scoring at 105.8 points per game. TJ Leaf (20.3) leads six players averaging double figures, while freshman Lonzo Ball chips in 16.3 points, 6.3 rebounds and 9.0 assists per game. UCLA has already knocked off WCC foes Pacific (119-80) and San Diego (88-68), with two more wins coming against Cal State Northridge (102-87) and Long Beach State (114-77). Head coach Steve Alford is in his fourth season with the Bruins and guided last year's team to a 15-17 record. UCLA was picked to finish third in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll.

DEJA VU? PILOTS BACK AT WOODEN LEGACY
Portland competed in this same tournament in 2009, then named the 76 Classic, and made a big splash on the national stage. The Pilots cruised to a 74-47 win over UCLA in the opening round and then shocked No. 16 Minnesota (61-56) to advance to the title game. Portland lost to eventual NCAA runner-up and No. 8-ranked West Virginia in the title game, but cracked the Associated Press Top 25 Poll for the first time in 50 years with their weekend performance. Current Portland assistant coach Kramer Knutson was a junior and started at center for the Pilots that season.

PORTLAND VERSUS RANKED OPPONENTS
Portland is 7-58 all-time against Associated Press Top 25 opponents, has lost its last three games against ranked teams, and has never defeated a top 10 opponent. The Pilots last win against a ranked opponent came against then-No. 18 Gonzaga, 82-73, on Jan. 9, 2014. Portland's win over Minnesota at the 2009 Anaheim 76 Classic snapped an 11-game losing streak against ranked opponents.

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Head coach Terry Porter and assistant Ben Johnson came from the Dick Bennett coaching tree and defense has been one of the main points of emphasis as Porter has taken over the Portland program. The early returns have been good relative to last season in a variety of defensive categories:

Stat	2015-16 (Nat'l Rank)	2016-17 (Nat'l Rank)
Scoring Defense	79.8 (325)	57.7 (17)
FG Pct. Defense	.452 (269)	.307 (6)
3-Pt FG Defense	.381 (326)	.278 (56)
Defensive Rebounding	23.8 (284)	37.0 (5)

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).
 
WINTERING PASSES SPOELSTRA, CONTINUES ASSAULT ON UP CHARTS
Alec Wintering moved past former Pilot and current Miami HEAT head coach Erik Spoelstra into third place on the UP all-time assists chart during Friday's win over Lewis & Clark. Wintering now has 491 and is on pace to pass Pilot Hall of Fame member and eight-year NBA veteran Darwin Cook for the school record. Wintering earned All-WCC First Team recognition last year after scoring the second most points in single-season Portland history (584). He 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. Wintering currently ranks No. 3 all-time for UP in assists (491) and free throws made (414), No. 4 in steals (145), and No. 7 in three-point percentage (.405). Wintering's 1,254 points rank 13th in Portland history, 27 shy of Paul Gloden (1965-68) for 10th place.

TAYLOR PLAYING BIG
Junior F Gabe Taylor has taken a liking to the new system that Coach Porter has brought to the Pilots. Taylor erupted for a career-high 24 points at San Jose State on Nov. 15, including 4-of-8 from three-point range. Taylor also matched his career-best of nine rebounds, while playing all 40 minutes. Through three games, Taylor is averaging 17.3 points and a team-high 8.0 rebounds per game.
 
SEEING DOUBLE
Senior C Ray Barreno had 10 first half rebounds and finished with career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds in Friday's rout of Lewis & Clark. It was Barreno's second career double-double after going for 10 points and 11 rebounds at BYU last year. Alec Wintering recorded his first double-double of the season and second of his career with 20 points and 11 assists at San Jose State. Wintering logged his first ever double-double last season versus Southern Illinois with 12 points and 10 assists.
 
JOHNSON THRIVING IN STARTING ROLE
Sophomore G Jazz Johnson played primarily the backup point guard role last year, but this season is starting alongside Alec Wintering and has thrived. He is third on the team in scoring (14.3) and shooting 63 percent from the field, 6-of-9 from three-point range and 7-of-7 at the foul line. Johnson was an elite prep scorer at Lake Oswego High School, setting the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational scoring record after averaging 35.5 points per game at the tournament his senior season.

JACKSON EFFICIENT OFF THE BENCH
Sophomore G Rashad Jackson has provided an early season spark off the bench. Jackson recorded career-highs of 13 points, four assists and three steals on Friday against Lewis & Clark. He has made 8-of-13 field goal attempts this year and has yet to commit a turnover while averaging 14.3 minutes per game off the bench.

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 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.
 
PORTER INKS FOUR DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Portland signed four prospects during the early signing period, three incoming freshmen and a junior college transfer:
- JoJo Walker (Santa Maria, Calif./St. Joseph HS). The 6-1, 170-pound point guard 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.
- Taki Fahrensohn (Auckland, New Zealand/Auckland Grammar School). A 6-5, 180-pound combo guard, Fahrensohn averaged 33.6 points over seven games at the 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools Basketball National Championships. He is a member of the New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks, the country's national youth team.
- Tahirou Diabate (Niigate, Japan/Teikyo Nagaoka HS). At 6-10, 215 pounds he averaged 31 points and 18 rebounds per game last season and helped lead his team to the Okinawa Cup, Japan's High School National Championships. He and was named the Most Valuable Player of the event after leading the tournament in points and rebounds.
- Austin Stone (Lake Wylie, S.C./Clover HS/USC Salkehatchie). The 6-9, 225-pound post was a late bloomer to the game and has become a force down low at the Junior College level. Stone is averaging 7.5 points and 9.5 rebounds this season as USC Salk is off to a 4-1 start. He will enroll as a junior next fall.
 
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).

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.

ALEC WINTERING GARNERING PRESEASON PUB
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

GET YOUR TICKETS NOW!
Season ticket sales and packages have been selling at a high rate this season so be sure to secure your tickets to future games now by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets. Buy your tickets online now or call the Pilot Box Office at (503) 943-7525 for more information.