Portland Pilots (6-7) at BYU (11-2)
Date: Thursday, Dec. 28, 2017
Time: 6:00 PM (PT)
Place: Provo, Utah (Marriott Center)
Television: BYUtv
Video: BYUtv.org
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland (Tape Delayed)
Stats: StatBroadcast.com
Series: BYU leads 16-2 (H: 2-6, A: 0-9, N: 0-1)
Last Meeting: BYU 97, Pilots 78 (Feb. 23, 2017 at Chiles Center)

GAME INFORMATION
University of Portland opens its West Coast Conference schedule this week at BYU on Thursday night and then at home against San Francisco on Saturday evening. The Pilots and Cougars meet at the Marriott Center Thursday at 6 p.m. (PT). The Dons then visit the Chiles Center for a 6 p.m. tip-off on Saturday night.

GAME COVERAGE
Thursday's game will be televised live on BYUtv, while Saturday's game will have television coverage on ROOT Sports Northwest with Tom Glasgow and Francis Williams on the call. Thursday's game will have tape-delayed radio coverage on 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT), while the remaining UP schedule will be aired live with play-by-play voice Jason Swygard on the call.

PORTLAND NOTES
• Portland enters WCC play on a two-game win streak after defeating Hartford (78-67) at home and Sacramento State (80-75) at the Golden 1 Center last week.
• The Pilots led by as much as 22 points in the win over Hartford. It was a historic game for senior C Philipp Hartwich as he blocked three shots and became the school's career leader in blocked shots.
• Five players reached double figures led by a team-high 18 points from sophomore G/F Josh McSwiggan in Thursday's win over Sacramento State. Senior G D'Marques Tyson added 17 points off the bench. Tyson buried five three-pointers to move into second place in UP history for threes made (213). McSwiggan is leading the Pilots in scoring at 14.1 points per game and has reached double figures 11 times thus far.
• Portland has been on fire from three-point range this season. The Pilots are leading the WCC in both three-point percentage (.413) and threes made per game (10.1). UP is ranked No. 16 in nationally in percentage and No. 31 in three-pointers made. Franklin Porter and Tyson are tied for second in the WCC at 46.7 percent individually, while Josh McSwiggan is fourth at 46.3 percent.
• In addition to breaking the school record for blocked shots, Philipp Hartwich is leading the WCC in blocks per game (2.9) and his 38 swats this year are already Top 10 in single-season school history. Hartwich also ranks third in the league in rebounding (9.2).
• Terry Porter's 2017 recruiting class was ranked No. 10 nationally by HoopScoop. The class was the highest rated in the WCC and No. 2 nationally among mid-majors. Nine newcomers comprised the class with seven freshmen and two junior college transfers.
• Portland has a diverse roster featuring players from 13 different states or countries. There are three native Oregonians, but no other state or territory with more than one player on the roster. Internationally, Portland has players from Mali, New Zealand, Germany and England.
• The Pilots signed 6-8 post Josh Phillips (Huntington Beach, Calif.) to a NLI during the early signing period.
• Portland took an August foreign tour to England and went 3-1 on the trip. The Pilots defeated 2017 British Basketball League runner-up Newcastle on a buzzer-beater by Franklin Porter, dropped a buzzer beater to BBL Champions Leicester, and posted two comfortable wins against academy teams.
• Xavier Hallinan returned to the Portland roster over winter break. Hallinan was a walk-on for two years and played significant minutes down the stretch last season, starting the last six games. He will sit out this season, but can practice with the team.

ABOUT BYU
• The Cougars (11-2) are rated No. 54 in the latest NCAA RPI numbers after a quality non-conference slate. BYU posted notable wins against Princeton, UMass and Utah, with losses coming against Alabama and UT Arlington.
• Yoeli Childs (16.6) and junior G Elijah Bryant (16.4) pace the Cougars in scoring.
• BYU is shooting 48.2 percent overall and 37.5 percent from three-point range. The Cougars are outscoring opponents by nearly 10 points per game.
• BYU leads the all-time series against Portland by a 16-2 margin and are 9-0 at home.
• Head coach Dave Rose is in his 13th year at the helm and has won at least 20 games every season. He has led BYU to eight NCAA Tournament appearances.

HARTWICH SETS RECORD, CONTINUES BREAKOUT SEASON
Senior C Philipp Hartwich broke the school career record for blocked shots on Dec. 19 against Hartford. The Cologne, Germany native swatted three attempts and passed former teammate Thomas van der mars (121, 2011-15) for the top spot on the charts. He now has 125 and counting. Hartwich averaged 1.4 points and 3.0 rebounds through his first three years on The Bluff, but is averaging 6.9 points, 9.2 rebounds and 2.9 blocked shots this year. He has recorded his first three career double-doubles (10 pts, 18 rebs vs. Portland State; 10 pts, 10 rebs vs. Walla Walla; 12 points, 10 rebounds vs. Multnomah), leads the WCC in blocked shots, and is third in rebounding.

THREE-POINT THREATS
Portland leads the WCC in three-point percentage (.413) and three-pointers made per game (10.1). Those numbers rank 16th and 31st nationally, respectively. The Pilots have made nine or more triples in 10 of 13 games this year. Four Pilots are in the top 10 of the WCC in three-point percentage, led by Franklin Porter and D'Marques Tyson (t-2nd, .467). Josh McSwiggan is fourth (.463) and JoJo Walker is ninth (.439).

YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Pilots feature one of the youngest rosters in the nation. Portland has 10 underclassmen with eight freshmen and two sophomores. The freshmen backcourt of JoJo Walker and Marcus Shaver Jr. have come on strong of late. Walker has started all 13 games and scored a season-high 18 points on Tuesday against Hartford. He is averaging 11.0 points and 4.2 assists over the last five games. Shaver moved into the starting lineup for the last six games. He has scored 15 or more points six times this season and is averaging 16.3 points and 4.7 rebounds over the last three games.

McSWIGGAN OFF TO FAST START
Josh McSwiggan has led the Pilots in scoring seven times this year, reached double figures in 12 of 13 games, and is averaging a team-high 14.1 points per game. The Loughborough, England native had a circuitous route to Portland. After committing to UTEP and sitting out his freshman season, he transferred to Casper College (Wyoming) and had a solid 2016-17 campaign. Portland assistant coach Bob Cantu, who recruited McSwiggan to UTEP, kept in touch helped garner his commitment to the Pilots. McSwiggan was then able to return to his roots and play in his hometown in front of friends and family when Portland took a foreign tour to England in August.

WALKER RESILIENT
Freshman PG JoJo Walker is from Puerto Rico and still has many family and friends that have been impacted by the hurricane season. Walker left Puerto Rico to gain greater basketball exposure and opportunities when he was a freshman in high school and settled in Santa Maria, Calif. What was originally supposed to be a short stint, but he developed such a connection with his host family and friends that he ended up staying all four years at St. Joseph High School. Despite only getting back to Puerto Rico a couple weeks per year, Walker's entire biological family still calls Carolina, Puerto Rico home. His mother, father, and grandfather were able to get off the island and visit JoJo in Portland in early October and were also at the PK80 Tournament, along with his Santa Maria, Calif. host family. The Pilots were able to use the NCAA Natural Disaster Exemption to host an exhibition game against Eastern Washington on Oct. 29 that raised nearly $3,000 for Red Cross efforts benefitting Puerto Rico relief.

DIVERSE ROSTER WITH INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
Portland has a diverse roster featuring players from 13 different states or countries. There are three native Oregonians, but no other state or territory with more than one player on the roster. Internationally, Portland has players from Mali, New Zealand, Germany and England. States represented include Hawaii, Arizona, California, South Carolina, Ohio, Idaho, Washington and the US territory of Puerto Rico. Freshman Tahirou Diabate is from Mali, but has lived in France, the Canary Islands, and Japan and speaks five languages: Bambara (native), English, French, Spanish and Japanese.

TYSON CLIMBING UP CHARTS
Senior G D'Marques Tyson is the leading returning scorer for the Pilots after averaging 8.5 points per game a year ago. Tyson, a three-point specialist, ranks second all-time in three-pointers made at Portland (213). He passed Casey Frandsen (211, 2000-04) after drilling five three-pointers against Sacramento State on Dec. 21 and now trails only Jared Stohl (336, 2007-11). Tyson is also No. 6 in career three-point percentage (.413).

IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY
Sophomore G Franklin Porter and freshman G Malcolm Porter are both coming off of redshirt seasons and in 2017. Franklin transferred to UP after playing one season at Saint Mary's, while Malcolm signed with the Pilots after graduating from Jesuit High School. Both players are also sons of Portland head coach Terry Porter.

RECRUITING CLASS RANKED NO. 10
Terry Porter put together a nine-player 2017 recruiting class that one publication has been ranked as the No. 10 in the nation. In his first full recruiting cycle, Porter and his staff were recognized by HoopScoop.com to have the top class in the WCC and No. 2 class nationally among mid-major schools. Three of those newcomers will redshirt the 2017-18 season - Crisshawn Clark due to NCAA transfer rules after coming to Portland from Pitt, Takiula Fahrensohn is coming off of knee surgery, and Hugh Hogland is redshirting to focus on development.

ENGLAND FOREIGN TOUR IN AUGUST
Portland went on a foreign tour to England in August and finished with a 3-1 record. The Pilots defeated 2017 British Basketball League runner-up Newcastle on a buzzer-beater by Franklin Porter, dropped a buzzer beater to BBL Champions Leicester, and comfortable defeated a pair of academy teams during the trip. In addition to the games and tours in London, the team was able to get 10 extra days of practice on campus. Visit PortlandPilots.com/LondonTour for complete details on the trip.

PK80 HIGHLIGHTS 2017-18 SCHEDULE
The Pilots will play a total of 15 regular season home games at the Chiles Center, and also took part in the prestigious PK80 Invitational hosted at the Rose Quarter over Thanksgiving Weekend. Portland faced defending NCAA champion North Carolina, Oklahoma and DePaul at the marquee event.

PILOTS INK ATHLETIC BIG DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Portland signed Josh Phillips (Huntington Beach, Calif./Edison HS) to a NLI on the first day of the early signing period, head coach Terry Porter announced. Phillips (6-8, 190) will join the Pilots as a freshman in the fall of 2018. Porter and the Portland coaching staff targeted a 2018 post this summer and Phillips caught the staff's attention immediately. He earned All-Sunset League First Team honors and helped Edison post a 23-5 overall record and 9-1 mark in the Sunset League. The team advanced to the second round of the CIF Southern Section 2017 Boys Basketball Division I-AA Championships. "Josh impressed us with his ability to make multiple effort plays consistently as we evaluated him in the recruiting process," Porter said. "He has good size, length and athleticism, a great motor, and the tremendous desire to defend and rebound. His shot blocking ability will translate right away and he is always doing the little things that helps winning programs. He will bring a unique skillset to our frontline next year."

PILOTS IN THE PROS
A total of 11 former Pilots are currently playing professionally overseas: Alec Wintering(Araberri, Spain), Ray Barreno (Panteras de Aguascalientes, Mexico), Thomas van der Mars (Kalev/Cramo Tallinn, Estonia), Volodymyr Gerun (FC Barcelona B, Spain), Bryce Pressley (Palencia, Spain), Nemanja Mitrovic (Araberri, Spain), Nik Raivio(Legnano, Italy), TJ Campbell (Turk Telekom, Turkey), Luke Sikma (ALBA Berlin, German), Taishi Ito (Toyota Alvark, Japan) and Pooh Jeter (Tianjin Gold Lions, China).

PLAYING ON THE BIG STAGE
Thursday's game at Golden 1 Center will mark the fifth game this season that the Pilots will have played in either a current or former NBA arena. Portland opened the PK80 tournament at Moda Center, the current home of the Portland Trail Blazers, and then played the final two games of the event at the former home of the Blazers, Veterans Memorial Coliseum. The Pilots also played against Seattle University on Dec. 16 at KeyArena, former home of the Seattle SuperSonics.

PILOTS ON THE TV & RADIO
Portland has an extensive TV package with a minimum of 18 games aired nationally or regionally this basketball season. Games will primarily be seen on ESPN, ROOT Sports Northwest, and NBC Sports Northwest. Visit PortlandPilots.com for complete schedule details and full TV listings. All Pilot games will once again have live radio coverage on 910 ESPN-Portland with Jason Swygard calling the action. Each broadcast will feature a 30-minute pregame show and complete post-game coverage. The Terry Porter Show will air on 1080 The Fan each Tuesday night (barring game and Holiday conflicts) throughout the season from 7-8 PM.  Fans can also watch a simulcast of the weekly show on the Portland Pilots Facebook Page.