2017 #WCCHoops Champs Central I Complete Release (PDF) I Live Video I Live Audio I Live Stats
#10 Portland Pilots (11-21, 2-16 WCC) vs. #2 Saint Mary's (26-3, 16-2 WCC)
Date: Saturday, March 4, 2017
Tip-off: 9:00 p.m. (approximately)
Location: Las Vegas, Nev.
Arena: Orleans Arena
TV: ESPN2
Video: WatchESPN
Radio: 910-ESPN Portland
Live Stats: StatBroadcast
GAME INFORMATION
The Pilots advanced to the quarterfinals of the 2017 WCC Basketball Championships with Friday's 60-56 upset of No. 7 seeded San Diego at the Orleans Arena. The No. 10 seed Pilots will face second-seeded and No. 18 ranked Saint Mary's in Saturday's quarterfinals at approximately 9 p.m. The game will be televised live on ESPN2 with Roxy Bernstein and Jon Barry on the call. Radio coverage on 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT) is provided with Jason Swygard calling the play-by-play.
LAST GAME
#10 Pilots 60, #7 San Diego 55: Jazz Johnson led the Pilots with a team-high 17 points, while Gabe Taylor added 12 points and seven rebounds. Walk-on point guard Xavier Hallinan continued his late-season impressive run with 11 points, three rebounds and three steals while playing all 40 minutes. It was close from start-to-finish as the largest lead for either side was eight points when Johnson converted a three-point play and followed by a Jarrel Marshall jumper to give the Pilots a 41-33 lead. The Toreros responded with three straight three-pointers to cap an 11-0 run to re-take the lead. It was short-lived though as Taylor scored six consecutive points and Portland would maintain the lead the rest of the way, although San Diego would cut the margin to 56-54 with 2:10 remaining. Marshall then made two free throws with 1:06 left to make it a two-possession game. Trailing by three, San Diego called timeout, but Taylor intercepted a pass and Johnson knocked down two free throws to seal the win. Portland shot 47 percent from the field and held USD to 36 percent overall.
PILOT QUICK HITS
• Portland's win over USD Friday marked the first victory against a WCC opponent since Dec. 31, when the Pilots opened league play 2-0. The Pilots employed a box-and-1 defense most of the night to disrupt USD's offense. Walk-on Xavier Hallinan continued to provide a spark with 11 points and three steals while playing all 40 minutes.
• Senior PG Alec Wintering and sophomore G Jazz Johnson earned All-WCC honorable mention awards. Wintering missed the final 13 games of the season due to injury, yet still earned his third straight conference honor. Johnson was recognized for the first time after averaging 15.5 points per game.
• Wintering suffered a torn ACL on Jan. 19 at San Francisco. He will miss the rest of the season. He was among the conference and national leaders in a variety of statistical categories and litters Portland's all-time charts. Wintering concludes his career as the all-time leader in FT's made, second in assists and steals, and fifth in scoring.
• Junior C Philipp Hartwich ranks second in the WCC in blocked shots per game (1.6) and fifth in UP's career record books (86).
• Freshman C Joseph Smoyer suffered a knee injury in practice two weeks ago and is also expected to miss the remainder of the season.
• Johnson has reached double figures in all but one game this season (Feb. 23 vs. BYU). He ranks second in the WCC in FT percentage and seventh scoring.
• Wintering and Johnson had comprised the highest scoring teammates in the WCC (36.4), the No. 9 scoring backcourt in the nation and No. 15 scoring tandem overall at the time of Wintering's injury.
• Portland's 53-45 win over Oregon State on Dec. 18 was the first against a Pac-12 opponent since the 2009-10 season (Oregon and UCLA) and snapped a four-game losing streak to the Beavers.
• The Pilots are 2-2 in games decided in the final possession. Portland defeated UTRGV in triple OT on a layup by Jazz Johnson and beat South Dakota on a Gabe Taylor three-pointer. Portland lost to Portland State and then LMU on shots in the closing seconds.
• Portland's four-player 2017 recruiting class has been ranked No. 17 nationally by The Hoop Scoop, tops among all mid-majors.
• First-year head coach 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 (USC) and Ben Johnson (WSU).
• 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. The Pilots were picked 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 and Franklin Porter are redshirting the 2016-17 season.
ABOUT SAINT MARY'S
The Gaels (26-3, 16-2 WCC) are ranked No. 18 nationally in the Coaches Poll and No. 20 in the latest Associated Press rankings. Saint Mary's currently finished second place in the WCC standings with their lone conference losses coming to Gonzaga. Notable non-conference wins for the Gaels include Nevada, Dayton and Stanford, while their lone out of conference loss came at home to UT-Arlington. Junior C Jock Landale (16.8 pts, 9.3 rebs) leads a balanced and experienced Gaels team. Guards Joe Rahon and Emmett Naar rank first and second in the WCC in assists per game, respectively. Senior F Dane Pineau was an All-WCC performer last season and now provides a boost off the bench. Head coach Randy Bennett has led the Gaels to five NCAA Tournament appearances and five NIT bids in the last 10 seasons at Saint Mary's. Saint Mary's swept the season series with the Pilots by a 74-33 margin in Portland and 51-41 total in Moraga, Calif.
PILOTS AT THE WCC TOURNAMENT
• Portland is 12-28 all-time at the WCC Championships and 5-8 in Las Vegas.
• The Pilots won the 1996 WCC Tournament to earn the automatic NCAA bid and were defeated in the finals of the 1995 tournament by Gonzaga, the only two finals appearances in school history.
• Portland has reached the semifinals five times, most recently in 2015.
WINTERING, JOHNSON EARN ALL-WCC HONORS
Alec Wintering and Jazz Johnson earned All-WCC honorable mention awards, the league announced on Tuesday. It marks the third year in a row that Wintering earned all-conference recognition, despite missing the final 13 games with a season-ending knee injury. Johnson earned his first WCC award after averaging 15.5 points per game.
TAYLOR EARNS ACADEMIC HONORS
Junior F Gabe Taylor was named WCC All-Academic honorable mention last week. It is the second year in a row that Taylor was an honoree. Taylor has a 3.24 cumulative grade-point average and is majoring in economics.
HOT SHOOTING VERSUS SAN DIEGO
In the last two games, both against San Diego, Portland combined to make 14-of-22 three-pointers and all 36-of-42 free throws. D'Marques Tyson has dialed it in from distance by knocking down 9-of-11 three-pointers and went for a season-high 24 points last Saturday at USD.
HALLINAN CONTINUES TO THRIVE
Sophomore walk-on Xavier Hallinan has reached double figures in four of the five games he has started since moving into the rotation late in the season. He erupted for a career high 17 points against BYU last Thursday, but missed Saturday's game at San Diego with the flu. Hallinan scored 11 points and had three steals while playing all 40 minutes in Friday's win over USD. Hallinan earned minutes with a quality performance off the bench at LMU on Feb. 11. He made the most of his opportunity against the Lions by playing a then-career high 21 minutes and making plays late. A former two-sport standout in football and basketball at Central Catholic HS, he had played a total of 32 total minutes in his career prior to that contest. With the Pilots struggling to handle LMU's pressure, head coach Terry Porter called on Hallinan late in the first half and he responded with great poise. Porter played Hallinan 18 second half minutes where he made a pair of layups late to pull the Pilots within one possession. He is averaging 12.0 points in five games since joining the rotation.
SMOYER OUT FOR THE SEASON WITH KNEE INJURY
The injury bug continues to bite the Pilots as promising freshman post Joseph Smoyer suffered a knee injury two weeks ago in practice and is expected to miss the remainder of the regular season.
LINEUP ADJUSTMENTS
After using the same starting lineup for eight straight games heading into the Jan. 12 game against Saint Mary's, head coach Terry Porter has been forced to mix up the rotation due to various injuries. In addition to Wintering, Phillip Hartwich missed the Jan. 14 game versus LMU with a concussion. Jarrel Marshall has battled a high ankle sprain and missed 13 games. Porter has used 11 different starting lineups over the last 19 games. Jazz Johnson and Gabe Taylor are the only players to start every game this year.
WINTERING SUFFERS SEASON-ENDING KNEE INJURY
Alec Wintering suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Jan. 19 game at San Francisco. An MRI confirmed a torn Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL) that will end Wintering's collegiate career. He had successful surgery completed on Feb. 8 in Portland. The Charlotte, N.C. native was a four-year starter for the Pilots, among the school's career leaders in a variety of statistical categories and has been a team captain each of the last three seasons. Wintering finishes his career with 568 total assists, five shy of the school record held by Pilot Hall of Famer and former NBA standout Darwin Cook. He also ranks second all-time in steals (177), fifth in points (1,548) and games started (110), sixth in three-point percentage (.401) and is the school's career leader in free throws made (499). He holds the school single season records for assists (187, 2014-15) and minutes played (1,064, 2014-15). His scoring average increased every year on The Bluff as he averaged 14.1 points and 5.2 assists overall for his career. Wintering was among the national leaders in scoring, assists, steals and minutes per game this season. He ranked in the top three of each of those categories in the West Coast Conference.
JOHNSON THRIVING IN BREAKOUT ROLE
Sophomore G Jazz Johnson played primarily the backup point guard role last year, and will now take on a greater share of point guard minutes with Wintering out. Johnson thrived in starting alongside Wintering and is second on the team and seventh in the WCC in scoring (15.5) and shooting 44 percent from the field, 40 percent from three-point range and 82 percent at the foul line. He is second in the WCC in free throw percentage and 13th in three-point percentage. 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 STEPS UP
Sophomore G Rashad Jackson has started 12 of the last 13 games and is averaging 8.2 points since moving into the rotation. He has scored double figures in five of those games, including a career high 15 points against both Gonzaga on Jan. 23 and at LMU on Feb. 11. He tallied 14 at San Diego on Saturday.
HARTWICH BLOCK PARTY
Junior C Philipp Hartwich has blocked three shots or more in four of the last six games and ranks second in the WCC in blocked shots per game (1.6). The Cologne, Germany native also moved into fifth place on Portland's career blocked shots charts on Monday with 86. He trails Luke Sikma (2007-11) by two, while Portland's career record of 121 is held by Thomas van der Mars (2011-15).
OFFENSIVE STRUGGLES
Portland entered its Jan. 5 game at Santa Clara ranked third in the WCC in scoring at 77.8 points per game. The team has struggled to adjust to the loss of Wintering offensively. With Wintering in the lineup, the Pilots scored 65 or less points in just 5-of-18 games. Portland has been held to 65 or less in 11-of-14 games since his injury.
TAYLOR BLOSSOMING IN EXTENDED ROLE
Gabe Taylor was named the WCC Player of the Week on Dec. 19 after leading the Pilots to wins over South Dakota and Oregon State. Taylor buried the game-winning three-pointer with 2.2 seconds left against South Dakota for an 85-82 Pilot win. It was his second straight game-winner as he also tipped in a rebound to give the Pilots a 90-89 double overtime win with two seconds left on Dec. 5 against UTRGV. Taylor recorded his first double-double against South Dakota (22 points, 11 rebounds) and has thrived under new coach Terry Porter. He has reached double figures in scoring 21 times and has scored 20 or more points four times this year. Taylor also grabbed a career-high 13 rebounds on Feb. 11 at LMU.
RECRUITING CLASS RANKED NO. 17 NATIONALLY
The HOOP SCOOP ranked Portland's 2017 recruiting class No. 17 nationally after the fall signing period, tops among all mid-majors nationally. The Pilots secured four commitments with three incoming freshmen and a JC transfer. According to the HOOP SCOOP's rating system, all four Portland commits are rated among the Top 300 signed players in the nation, while freshmen-to-be Tahirou Diabate (6-10, F, Niigate, Japan) and Taki Fahrensohn (6-5, G, Auckland, N.Z.) crack the Top 100. JoJo Walker (6-1, PG, Santa Maria, CA) and JC transfer Austin Stone (6-9, F, USC Salkehatchie) also received high marks. Portland will also welcome redshirts Franklin and Malcolm Porter to the rotation next season. The HOOP SCOOP referenced Portland's ability to identify quality international recruits as one of the main reasons that the Pilots have secured an elite recruiting class. Diabate (Japan by way of Mali), Fahrensohn (New Zealand) and JoJo Walker (California by way of Puerto Rico) all will bring international experience to The Bluff.
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. 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. One of the top recruiters in the nation, Cantu helped land the No. 1 overall class in 2007. Ben Johnson also has extensive Pac-12 coaching experience and 24 years working the sidelines during his 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 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 former Pilot 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.
EARLE M. CHILES RECOGNITION
Earle M. Chiles, the lead donor in building the Chiles Center and a generous philanthropist to the University and various other causes, passed away in late-June. The University of Portland honored Earle and the Chiles Foundation with a pregame ceremony prior to its Feb. 2 home game against Santa Clara. All Pilot Athletics teams are wearing an 'EMC' patch on their uniforms this season in remembrance of Mr. Chiles.
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 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 will enroll as a junior next fall.
