2018 Portland Classic
Nov. 21, Nov. 23 and Nov. 24
Portland, Ore. (Chiles Center)

Wednesday, Nov. 21
Texas State (2-1) vs. Cal Poly (1-2), 4:30 PM – Video I Stats
Portland (3-2) vs. USC Upstate (1-2), 7:00 PM – Video I Audio I Stats

Friday, Nov. 23
USC Upstate vs. Texas State, 4:30 PM – Video I Stats
Portland vs. Cal Poly, 7:00 PM – Video I Audio I Stats

Saturday, Nov. 24
Cal Poly vs. USC Upstate, 2:30 PM – Video I Stats
Portland vs. Texas State, 5:00 PM – Video I Audio I Stats

GAME INFORMATION
Portland welcomes USC Upstate, Cal Poly and Texas State to the Chiles Center this week for the Portland Classic. Doubleheaders are scheduled for Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Wednesday and Friday action begins at 4:30 p.m., while Sunday is a tripleheader with the Pilot women hosting Cal State Fullerton at noon, and the men's games at 2:30 p.m. and 5 p.m.

TICKETS & PROMOTIONS
Tickets for all games are available at PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by calling 503-943-GoUP. Friday is 'Black Friday Day' presented by Fred Meyer as fans will have the chance to win Fred Meyer Gift Cards. Saturday is Young Alumni Day as graduates of the last decade will be offered a $30 special which includes a game ticket, drink and meal voucher for Pregame Happy Hour in the Chiles Mezzanine, and the first 25 orders will receive a free Pilots pint glass. Saturday will also be Camper Reunion Day as any kids that attended a men's or women's basketball camps last summer can wear their camp t-shirt or other Pilot gear and receive free admission!

GAME COVERAGE
All Portland games this week will have live video coverage on TheW.tv with Tom Kolker on the call. Radio coverage of all Pilot games is on 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT) with Jason Swygard providing the play-by-play. Pregame coverage begins 30 minutes prior to tip-off. Live stats and online links for all games are available at PortlandPilots.com.

PORTLAND NOTES
• Portland overcame an 18-point second half deficit to defeat CSUN 80-77 on the road Saturday. JoJo Walker recorded his second straight career high with 23 points and added seven assists with no turnovers.
• The Pilots then fell behind by nine points against Lewis & Clark on Monday in the first half, but raced to a 77-57 win late. Sophomore PG Marcus Shaver Jr. scored a team-high 16 points in the win.
• Shaver Jr. was named to the Rainbow Classic All-Tournament Team earlier this year. Last season, he became the first Pilot to earn All-WCC Freshman Team honors since Taishi Ito in 2007 and first UP freshman to garner honorable mention status since Donald Wilson in 2003. He ranks seventh in the WCC in scoring this year (18.4) and fourth in steals (2.0).
• RS-Jr. Josh McSwiggan is averaging 15.0 points per game and has yet to miss a free throw this season in 20 attempts.
• Freshman C Theo Akwuba has started all five games and is second in the WCC in blocked shots (1.8). He averaged a triple double in high school with blocks.
• The Pilots return four starters and six of the team's seven leading scorers from a year ago. Portland also adds four redshirts to the lineup this season in Pittsburgh transfer G Crisshawn Clark, freshmen Hugh Hogland and Takiula Fahrensohn, and junior Xavier Hallinan.
• Five other newcomers join the roster highlighted by 7-foot sophomore Jacob Tryon (East Los Angeles College). The freshmen newcomers include Akwuba, athletic F Josh Phillips, G Miles Turner, and F Wyatt Watson.
• Injuries have sidelined Clark and Tryon, who were expected to play significant minutes and battle for spots in the starting lineup.
• Former Portland State head coach Tyler Geving has joined the Pilots as an interim assistant coach. Geving, who brings 20-plus years of coaching experience including eight at the helm of the Vikings, will fill in for Kramer Knutson who is on family leave.
• Portland signed two players to NLI's last week. 6-2 G Donyae McCaskill (St. Louis, Mo./Vashon HS) and 7-1 F/C Cody Collinsworth (Lindale, Texas/Lindale HS).
• Former NBA All-Star Terry Porter is in his third year as the head coach of the Pilots.

ABOUT THE OPPONENTS
• USC Upstate (1-2) was picked to finish 11th in the Big South Conference Preseason Poll. The Spartans have defeated Brevard (86-43) and have road losses to South Carolina (65-52) and VMI (78-72). Malik Moore (17.7) and Everette Hammond (14.3) lead the team in scoring. Head coach Dave Dickerson is in his first year at the helm. This is the first meeting between Portland and the Spartans.
• Cal Poly (1-2) was picked eighth in the Big West Conference Preseason Poll. The Mustangs posted a season-opening win against Menlo College (82-75) and have road losses to Arizona (82-61) and Washington State (84-70). Donovan Fields leads three Cal Poly players in double figures at 19.7 points per game. Head coach Joe Callero is in his 10th season with the Mustangs. Portland leads the all-time series with Cal Poly by a 7-1 margin with the last meeting a 56-53 Cal Poly win during the 2006-07 season.
• Texas State (2-1) was tabbed eighth in the Sun Belt Conference Preseason Poll. The Bobcats have wins over Air Force (67-57) and Hardin-Simmons (97-52), with a road loss to Drake (75-69). Nijal Pearson leads three Bobcats averaging double figures at 16.3 points per game, while 10 players average double digit minutes. Head coach Danny Kaspar is in his sixth year with Texas State. This is the first meeting between Portland and the Bobcats.

A TALE OF TWO HALVES
Portland has trailed at the half in all five games this season, but have outscored opponents in the second half in four of those contests. The Pilots have a -5.6 first half scoring margin and are +7.2 in the second half of games. At CSUN on Saturday, the Pilots trailed 41-27 at the half and then outscored the Matadors 53-36 after the break to pull out the win. Portland made all seven three-pointers in the half, four coming from JoJo Walker.

McSWIGGAN PERFECT FROM THE STRIPE
Josh McSwiggan is a perfect 20-of-20 from the free throw line to start the season. He is the only player in the nation with at least 20 attempts and no misses at the line so far this season. The Loughborough, England native also recorded his first double double with career highs of 37 points and 11 rebounds in the opener against Multnomah.

SHAVER JR. CONTINUES WHERE HE LEFT OFF
Freshman PG Marcus Shaver Jr. is seventh in the WCC averaging 18.4 points per game. Shaver became the first Pilot since Taishi Ito in 2007 to be named to the WCC All-Freshman Team last year and was the first UP freshman to earn All-WCC honorable mention honors since Donald Wilson in 2003. Shaver's 394 points last season were the third most by a freshman in Portland history. He has recorded double figures in all five games this year, ranks fourth in the WCC in steals (2.0), and was named to the Rainbow Classic All-Tournament Team.

STRONG START FOR AKWUBA
Freshman C Theo Akwuba has started all five games at center and grabbed a season-high 13 rebounds Monday against Lewis & Clark. Akwuba ranks second in the WCC at 1.8 blocked shots per game and leads the team in rebounding (7.8). The Montgomery, Ala. native averaged a triple double as a high school senior at 11.7 points, 14.1 rebounds and 10.4 blocked shots per game. He ranked No. 2 nationally in blocks. An outstanding student, Akwuba is pursuing a computer science degree from the Shiley School of Engineering at Portland.

WALKER DIALED IN
Sophomore G JoJo Walker recorded back-to-back career highs in scoring with 22 points versus North Texas and 23 points against CSUN. The Carolina, Puerto Rico native went 9-for-11 from the field against the Mean Green in Hawai'i. He then ignited Portland's comeback win against CSUN with 23 points, seven assists and zero turnovers in 40 minutes. Walker scored 15 second half points and made 6-of-8 from three-point range in the win. He ranks fourth in the WCC in three-point percentage (.500).

BUILDING WITH REDSHIRTS
The Pilots have seven players on the active roster this season that have utilized redshirt seasons. Head coach Terry Porter wanted to emphasize player development in his vision of building the program and Portland is one of 10 schools in the nation that has seven or more active redshirt players this year.

WCC SCHEDULE ADJUSTMENTS
The WCC announced changes to the league schedule and conference tournament for this offseason. Moving from an 18-game to a 16-game league schedule is the result of changes adopted by the WCC Presidents' Council as part of the Conference's Men's Basketball Enhancement Plan. Portland will not play at Gonzaga and Saint Mary's will not visit the Chiles Center this year. The top two seeds at the WCC Championships will also receive byes into the semifinals to protect the high seeds late in the season.

FORMER PILOT COACH JACK AVINA, HALL OF FAMER DARWIN COOK HONORED
Portland honored former head coach Jack Avina prior to its first exhibition game with a video tribute and moment of silence. Avina, who racked up a school-record 222 wins during his tenure from 1970-87, passed away on Oct. 4 at the age of 89. The tribute fittingly happened when the Pilots hosted Antelope Valley, coached by former Avina player and Pilot Hall of Famer, Darwin Cook. Cook, who still holds the school records for assists and steals and had an eight-year NBA Career, was also honored prior to tip-off.

HALL OF FAME CIRCUIT
Head coach Terry Porter, a two-time NBA All-Star with his jersey retired by the Portland Trail Blazers, earned some more recognition this offseason. He was inducted this fall into both the Small College Basketball Hall of Fame and the Wisconsin Basketball Coaches Association Hall of Fame. Porter was a standout for Wisconsin Stevens-Point under legendary head coach Dick Bennett prior to his 17-year NBA career.

PILOTS ADD MORE EXPERIENCE TO COACHING STAFF
Former Portland State head coach Tyler Geving joined the Pilots as an interim assistant coach last month as Kramer Knutson is on family leave. Geving brings 20-plus years of Pacific Northwest coaching experience, including eight seasons as head coach at Portland State from 2009-17 where he won 112 games and led the Vikings to the 2014 CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament. He also spent four years as the Associate Head Coach of the Vikings from 2005-09, which included a pair of Big Sky Conference titles and NCAA Tournament appearances in 2008 and 2009.

IT'S ALL IN THE FAMILY
Junior G Franklin Porter and sophomore G Malcolm Porter are both sons of Portland head coach Terry Porter. Franklin began his career at Saint Mary's his freshman year before joining the Pilots, while Malcolm was a local standout at Jesuit High School.

PILOTS IN THE PROS
A total of 12 former Pilots are currently playing professionally overseas: Philipp Hartwich (Huesca, Spain), D'Marques Tyson (Vitoria SC, Portugal), Alec Wintering (Windmills, Holland), Ray Barreno (Soles, Mexico), Thomas van der Mars (Aalstar, Belgium), Volodymyr Gerun (Breogan, Spain), Bryce Pressley (Bondi Ferrara, Italy), Nik Raivio (Bayreuth, Germany), TJ Campbell (Turk Telekom, Turkey), Luke Sikma (ALBA Berlin, German), Taishi Ito (Shiga L-Stars, Japan) and Pooh Jeter (Fujian S., China).

DIVERSE ROSTER WITH INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
Portland has a diverse roster featuring players from 12 different states or countries. There are three native Oregonians and three Californians, but no other state or territory has more than one player on the roster. Internationally, Portland has players from Mali, New Zealand and England. States represented include Hawaii, Alabama, Arizona, California, Ohio, Idaho, Washington and the US territory of Puerto Rico. Sophomore F 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.

HAWAIIAN HOMECOMING
Two Pilots had a homecoming when Portland visited Hawai'i for the Rainbow Classic on Nov. 9-10. Hugh Hogland was born and raised in Oah'u and a two-sport standout in volleyball and basketball at Iolani School. Marcus Shaver Jr. lived in Oah'u for a majority of his childhood and still has many family members and friends living in Hawai'i.

PILOTS SIGN TWO EARLY
Portland signed G Donyae McCaskill (St. Louis, Mo./Vashon HS) and F/C Cody Collinsworth (Lindale, Texas, Lindale HS) to National Letters of Intent on the first day of the early signing period on Nov. 14. McCaskill (6-3, 185) averaged 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists as a junior for Vashon HS. He helped the Wolverines to a 21-6 overall record, District 4 title, and a trip to the Missouri 4A State Basketball Championships. He had offers from Creighton, UMKC, Southern Illinois, Missouri State and Southeast Missouri State before committing to Portland. Collinsworth (7-1, 225) averaged 18.3 points, 14 rebounds and eight blocked shots per game last season for Pilot Point HS. He earned District 9-3A Co-Offensive Player of the Year honors and was named to the All-Texomaland Second Team by the Herald Democrat. The Denton-Record Chronicle selected him as the Area's Defensive Player of the Year. Collinsworth had offers from TCU, Minnesota, Wright State, Northern Colorado and Northwestern State.

LAST GAME RECAP
Pilots 77, Lewis & Clark 57 (Nov. 19): The Pilots overcame a slow start to earn the win as Marcus Shaver Jr. led three Pilots in double figures with 16 points. Josh McSwiggan added 13 points and four assists. Malcolm Porter added 11 points off the bench, while Theo Akwuba grabbed a season high 13 rebounds to go with eight points and three blocked shots. Portland outscored the Pioneers by a 48-27 margin in the second half while shooting 55 percent from the field after the break. Lewis & Clark led by nine late in the first period and had a 30-29 lead at the half as the Pilots have trailed at the half in all five games so far this season. Shaver Jr. recorded a pair of three-point plays and a pull-up jumper early in the second half to give Portland its first lead since the opening basket of the game. Hugh Hogland then scored seven points during a decisive 12-0 run to give Portland a 59-44 lead. The Pilots led by as much as 26 points down the stretch. Akwuba controlled the interior as Portland gained a 45-29 rebounding advantage, 38-19 edge in the paint, and 12-5 margin in second chance points. Both teams struggled from the perimeter as the Pioneers made 5-of-27 three-pointers, while Portland was just 1-of-10 before Brian Smith and Takiula Fahrensohn buried a pair of threes late in regulation. Portland's defense held Lewis & Clark to 33 percent shooting in the second half and 39 percent overall. The Pilots finished at 42 percent overall.

PILOTS ON THE TV & RADIO
Portland will have an extensive TV package with a minimum of 10 games aired nationally or regionally. Games will primarily be seen on ROOT Sports NW, while Portland's home game against BYU on Feb. 7 will air on ESPN2 or ESPNU. Visit PortlandPilots.com for complete schedule details and full TV listings. 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 also air each Monday night (barring travel/game conflicts) throughout the season from 7-8 PM.