Portland Hosts Cal State Fullerton, San Jose State This Week

Portland Pilots (3-5) vs. Cal State Fullerton Titans (4-3)
Date: Wednesday, Dec. 6
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center)
TV: NBC Sports NW
Video: TheW.tv
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Tickets: PortlandPilots.com/Tickets
Series: CSUF leads 8-7 (H: 4-3, A: 2-5, N: 1-0)
Last Meeting: Fullerton 77, Pilots 72 (OT) – Dec. 22, 2016 at Titan Gym

Portland Pilots (3-5) vs. San Jose State Spartans (2-6)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 9
Time: 7:00 PM
Place: Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center)
Video: TheW.tv
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland
Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Tickets: PortlandPilots.com/Tickets
Series: POR leads 11-10 (H: 6-4, A: 5-5, N: 0-1)
Last Meeting: Pilots 79, San Jose State 66 – Nov. 15, 2016 at The Event Center

Portland returns to the Chiles Center this week for a pair of non-conference home games. The Pilots welcome Cal State Fullerton to town on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. tip-off, while San Jose State visits on Saturday at 7 p.m.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for each game start at $10 for adults and $5 for kids. As part of the Fox 12 Les Schwab Tires Toy Drive, fans can bring a new, unwrapped toy to the door and receive 2-for-1 tickets at both games. A limited-time 2-Game Holiday Pack is now available as well. The $55 package includes tickets to both Gonzaga and Santa Clara home games. Buying a package is the only way for fans to guarantee a ticket to the Gonzaga game. Five-game mini packs including Gonzaga, BYU and Saint Mary's are also available for $105. Visit PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or call 503-943-GO.UP for more information.
 
GAME COVERAGE
Wednesday's game will be televised live on NBC Sports Northwest with Travis Demers and Bill Krueger on the call. Both Wednesday and Saturday games will also be aired on TheW.tv, while radio coverage for all Pilot games will be on 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT) with pregame programming starting 30 minutes prior to tip-off with play-by-play voice Jason Swygard.

PORTLAND NOTES
• Portland has played the seventh toughest schedule in the nation according to the latest NCAA RPI numbers. The five Pilot losses have come to North Carolina, Oklahoma, Boise State and DePaul. Those teams have combined for a 25-10 overall record.
• Portland has been on fire from three-point range this season. The Pilots drained 39 triples in the three PK80 games and are leading the WCC in both threes made per game (11.1) and three-point percentage (.436). UP is ranked seventh nationally in percentage, while four Pilots are ranked in the top 7 of the WCC individually in three-point percentage. Franklin Portland is the WCC leader at 66.5 percent individually (13-for-23).
• Philipp Hartwich is leading the WCC in rebounding (10.1) and is second in blocked shots (2.6), while his 108 career blocks rank second behind Thomas van der Mars (121, 2011-15).
• Terry Porter's 2017 recruiting class was ranked No. 10 nationally by HoopScoop.com. The class was the highest rated in the WCC and No. 2 class nationally among mid-major schools. Nine newcomers comprised the class with seven freshmen and two junior college transfers.
• 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.
• 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.

ABOUT CAL STATE FULLERTON
• The Titans opend the year with losses to ranked teams from USC and Saint Mary's before winning three of their last four contests. Wins have come against Harvard, Sacramento State and Cal Lutheran, and the other loss was Georgia.
• Kyle Allman (16.0), Jackson Rowe (13.7) and Khalil Ahmad (10.1) lead Fullerton in scoring, while Rowe's 5.5 rebounds per game are a team high.
• The Titans shoot just 26.1 percent from three-point range, but hold opponents to 29.1 percent from beyond the arc.
• Fullerton posted a 77-72 comeback win in overtime on Dec. 22 last season in Fullerton. The Titans lead the all-time series by an 8-7 margin.
• Head coach Dedrique Taylor is in his fifth year at the helm of the Titans.
 
HARTWICH POSTING BREAKOUT SENIOR SEASON
Senior C Philipp Hartwich has exploded out of the gates in his senior season. Hartwich averaged 1.4 points and 3.0 rebounds through his first three years on The Bluff, but is averaging 6.3 points, 10.1 rebounds and 2.6 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). He leads the WCC in rebounding and is second in blocked shots, while his 108 career blocked shots are second in UP history. He is 13 shy of all-time leader and former teammate Thomas van der Mars (121, 2011-15). 

THREE-POINT THREATS
Portland leads the WCC in three-point percentage (.436) and three-pointers made per game (11.1). Those numbers rank seventh and 15th nationally, respectively. The Pilots have made nine or more triples in all eight games this year. Sophomore G Franklin Porter is leading the WCC in three-point percentage (.556). Sophomore G/F Josh McSwiggan is third (.490), while senior G D'Marques Tyson and freshman PG JoJo Walker are tied for sixth (.444).

McSWIGGAN OFF TO FAST START
McSwiggan has led the Pilots in scoring four times this year, reached double figures in seven of eight games, and is averaging 13.9 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.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
The Pilots feature one of the youngest rosters in the nation. Portland has 10 underclassmen with eight freshmen and two sophomores. Rashad Jackson and transfers Crisshawn Clark and Austin Stone are juniors, while Philipp Hartwich and D'Marques Tyson are the only seniors.

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 third all-time in three-pointers made at Portland (204). He is on pace to move into second place for career threes made, trailing only Jared Stohl (336, 2007-11). Tyson is also No. 5 in career three-point percentage (.410). His 804 career points and is on pace to become Portland's 39th 1,000-point scorer.

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 against quality competition. 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 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 conflicts) throughout the season from 7-8 PM beginning on Nov. 7.  Fans can also watch a simulcast of the weekly show on the Portland Pilots Facebook Page.

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).