Portland Pilots (1-1, 0-0 WCC) at Oregon Ducks (2-0, 0-0 Big Ten)
Date: Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024
Time: 8 p.m.
Place: Eugene, Ore.
Arena: Matthew Knight Arena
TV: Big Ten Network
Radio: 910 ESPN Portland (KMTT)
Live Coverage Links: Video I Audio I Stats

Portland Pilots (1-1, 0-0 WCC) at Long Beach State The Beach (1-1, 0-0 Big West)
Date: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024
Time: 2 p.m.
Place: Long Beach, Calif.
Arena: Walter Pyramid
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 910 ESPN Portland (KMTT)
Live Coverage Links: Video I Audio I Stats

THIS WEEK
• The Pilots open a five-game road trip on Tuesday against in-state rival Oregon with an 8 p.m. tip-off at Matthew Knight Arena.
• Portland then visits Long Beach State on Saturday with a 2 p.m. tip-off at the Walter Pyramid.
 
GAME COVERAGE
• Tuesday's game will air on the Big Ten Network with A.J. Kanell and P.J. Carlesimo on the call. Saturday's game will be on ESPN+.
• Radio for all Portland men's basketball games is on 910 ESPN Portland (KMTT) with Jason Swygard and Joel Sobotka calling the action. Pre-game coverage begins 30 minutes prior to tip-off and ends with a 30-minute post-game show.
featuring stats, highlights and interviews.
• Live coverage links for Portland games can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
• Follow @PortlandMBB on X and Instagram for the latest team content.
 
LAST TIME OUT: UC Santa Barbara 94, Pilots 53
• Vukasin Masic scored a game-high 24 points for Portland, but an experienced UC Santa Barbara team drilled 16 three-pointers en route to a 94-53 win Saturday.
• Portland led early after a runner in the lane by Max Mackinnon made it 10-6, but the Gauchos (2-0) responded with a 22-5 run sparked by five three-pointers from four different players. The margin grew to 22 late in the period before setting at 47-28 at the half. Mackinnon made a jumper out of the break to bring the deficit down to 17 points, but UCSB seized control for good with four more three-pointers during a three-minute stretch to go up by 27 and the margin grew down the stretch.
• Five of the nine Pilots that played eight or more minutes were freshmen, while Mackinnon and Mezziah Oakman are junior transfers making their first appearance with Portland against a Division I opponent. Masic was the lone Pilot in double figures, while freshman Austin Rapp added eight points and seven rebounds.
• UCSB shot 16-of-37 from three-point range compared to just 5-of-31 for the Pilots. The Gauchos also had a 19-9 edge in points off of turnovers and 46-7 margin in bench points.

ABOUT THE RETURNERS
• Redshirt junior G Vukasin Masic is Portland's top returning scorer after averaging 12.5 points and 4.2 rebounds per game last season. He missed the Lewis & Clark season opener (ankle), but returned to lead the team with an efficient 24 points on 9-of-13 shooting against UCSB. Masic showed flashes of brilliance last year in his return to action after sitting out the 2022-23 season following the denial of an immediate eligibility waiver by the NCAA. In his Pilot debut, Masic scored 22 of his 25 points in second half to lead the team to a 78-73 season-opening win ever eventual NCAA Tournament participant Long Beach State. His 25 points were the most ever scored by a Portland player in their debut. Masic also erupted for a career high 32 points in a road win at North Dakota and had six 20-point games.
• Graduate G Chris Austin is returning for his fourth year with the Pilots and seventh overall season of college basketball — he played three prior years at Fordham which included a medical hardship. Austin took advantage of the COVID year and another hardship waiver was granted at Portland after he suffered a broken leg that took place in the final game of the 2021-22 season and forced him to miss the entire 2022-23 campaign. Austin has received his MBA and is now pursuing a certificate in finance. The Pasadena, Calif. native has 990 career points and is looking to join the 1,000-point club. With 116 total games played, including 85 games started, Austin is by far the most experienced player on the roster.
• Redshirt sophomore F Bol Dengdit will look to build on his stellar 2024 WCC campaign where he averaged 9.3 points and 7.1 rebounds during league play. Forced into a prominent role after some midseason roster adjustments, Dengdit took full advantage of the opportunity. He reached double figures in scoring in nine of the team's last 11 games and added four double-doubles. Dengdit missed the UC Santa Barbara game (knee) and is day-to-day.
• Redshirt junior G Coleman Lemke is the other returning letterman. The walk-on was instrumental in helping the Pilots to three straight wins towards the end the season and appeared in 20 games overall off the bench.

FRESHMEN PHENOMS
• Portland secured the most highly decorated freshman recruiting class in program history this season and they showed out in the season opener. Forward Austin Rapp (6-10) started and finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists on 6-of-9 shooting in the win against Lewis & Clark. He added eight points and seven rebounds against UCSB. Rapp has been a regular among Australian Youth National Teams and led his regional team (Victoria) to the Under-20 Australian National Championship with 32 points and 13 rebounds in the title game, including the buzzer-beating game-winning shot. Rapp turned down reported professional contract offers from the National Basketball League (NBL) in Australia to join the Pilots.
• Forward Todd Jones (6-9) also had a sizzling debut by starting and finishing with nine points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocked shots. Jones is a three-star prospect that helped Isidore Newman High School win three consecutive Louisiana State Championships. The high-flying Jones was the 2024 District MVP and four-time District Defensive Player of the Year.
• Guard Jinup Dobuol (6-8) is another three-star prospect that had multiple high level offers. An elite scoring wing with good athleticism, Dobuol played last season at Phoenix Prep.
• Guard Mikah Ballew (6-5) is a pure scorer that spent a post-graduate year at SoCal Academy.
• Guard Carlin Briggs (6-7) is another Australian that brings size to the backcourt. A member of the esteemed Australia Centre of Excellence, Briggs (knee) is expected to medical redshirt this season.
• Walk-on guards NaVaughn Long, Preston Lee and Wyatt Miller are expected to redshirt the 2024-25 season.
 
RETURNING REDSHIRTS
• Portland is expecting good things from redshirt freshmen guards Vincent Delano, Kelson Gebbers and Jude Harris. The trio sat out last season, learned the system and focused on development.
• Delano started strong with 12 points, three rebounds and three steals in his Pilot debut vs. Lewis & Clark. He is an explosive point guard that will bring quickness, the ability to get into the paint off the bounce and defensive tenacity.
• Gebbers and Harris are quality shooters with good size and basketball IQ on the perimeter. Harris played one minute in his debut Wednesday, while Gebbers missed both games last week (back) and is day-to-day.
 
IMPACT TRANSFERS
• Elon junior transfer Max Mackinnon had a stellar line of 20 points, six rebounds and five assists in his Pilot debut Wednesday. Mackinnon was named the 2022 Coastal Athletic Conference Rookie of the Year at Elon where he averaged 11.4 points, 5.1 rebounds and 2.4 assists as a freshman and followed with 12.1 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.6 assists last season. Prior to college, Mackinnon helped Queensland win back-to-back Gold Medals at the U-20 Australian Championships.
• Redshirt junior C Mezziah Oakman (7-0) and junior C Jermaine Ballisager Webb (7-1) are expected to make an impact inside this year for the Pilots. Oakman started the first two games and finished with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting in Wednesday's opener. He sat out last season at UC Santa Barbara and was previously the MVP of the Coast Conference North Division while at City College of San Francisco. He averaged 11.3 points, 6.8 rebounds and shot 63.6 percent from the field as a sophomore. Ballisager Webb played limited minutes off the bench in the first two games. He previously played two years at American University and averaged 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds last season.

YOUTH MOVEMENT
• The Pilots have regularly had three or more freshmen on the court at the same time during extended spells through the first two games of the season. Rapp and Jones started both games and are two of four freshmen averaging at least 13 minutes per game along with Mikah Ballew and Vincent Delano.

AUSSIE CONNECTIONS
• Coach Legans and Portland basketball has had great success with players from Australia and that trend continues this season. Recent graduate Tyler Robertson, a three-time All-WCC selection, is close family friends with Austin Rapp. Rapp, Max Mackinnon, Bol Dengdit and Carlin Briggs make four Aussies on the 2024-25 roster.
 
STAFF CONTINUITY
• Portland returns its entire primary coaching staff from last season. Coach Legans, Associate Head Coach Bobby Suarez and Assistant Coach T.J. Lipold have now been together for eight years dating back to their time at Eastern Washington. Arturo Ormond returns for his second year on The Bluff. Ormond previously coached Legans during his time as a player at Fresno State.

SETTING PROGRAM RECORDS
• In his three years leading UP, Shantay Legans is already rewriting the program record books. The Pilots have the two highest single-season scoring records in school history. Portland scored 2,524 points in his inaugural 2021-22 season and then broke that record with 2,566 total points the following season. The 2021-22 team also established a new free throw percentage record (.791), while the 317 three-pointers made in 2022-23 shattered the previous record of 289 (2016-17).
• The Pilots set the game scoring record in a 122-78 win over Willamette (11/11/21), eclipsing the 115 scored vs St. Martin's in 1978. Portland also broke the program's single game three-pointers made record with 18 against VMI (12/3/21).
• Tyler Robertson broke the school record for free throws made when he converted 22-of-24 against Portland State (11/11/22), eclipsing a record held by Jim Winters (20-of-23) which dated back to a matchup with Seattle U (2/12/56). He also set the program single-game assist record with 15 against New Orleans (12/10/22).
• Mike Meadows and Robertson became the first Pilots to record triple-doubles. Meadows had one against Willamette (11/11/21), while Robertson posted a 31-point, 11-rebound, 11-assist stat line in a win over LMU (2/12/22).
 
ABOUT OREGON
• The Ducks defeated UC Riverside (91-76) and Montana (79-48) to open the year.
• Four Oregon players are averaging double figures, led by Nate Bittle (16.5).
• Head coach Dana Altman led the Ducks to the NCAA Tournament last year and sophomore G Jackson Shelstad was named to the All-Big Ten Preseason Team.
 
PORTLAND-OREGON SERIES HISTORY
Series: Oregon leads 52-10
H / A / N:  9-25 / 1-27 / 0-0
Streak: Oregon W3
Last 10 / 5: 2-8 / 1-4
Last: Ducks 78, Pilots 56 (Dec. 17, 2022 at UO)
 
ABOUT LONG BEACH STATE
• The Beach (1-1) defeated La Verne (93-48) before dropping a road game to South Dakota State (80-79) to start the season under first year head coach Chris Acker.
• Long Beach State is led by California transfer Devin Askew at 23.5 points per game, while Robert Morris transfer T.J. Wainwright adds 20.0 per game.
• The Beach, who went to the NCAA Tournament a year ago, is picked to finish eighth in the Big West Preseason Poll.

PORTLAND-LONG BEACH STATE SERIES HISTORY
Series: Portland leads 6-0
H / A / N: 4-0 / 2-0 / 0-0
Streak: Portland W6
Last 10 / 5: NA / 5-0
Last: Pilots 78, Long Beach State 73 (Nov. 6, 2023 at Portland)
 
WE'RE RIVERBOAT PILOTS, NOT AIRPLANE PILOTS!
• Though a 1935 student contest resulted in the nickame "Chinooks" (after the Native American tribe that inhabited the area, and the largest of the salmon species in the Willamette River), the "Pilots" was chosen by presidential fiat. From that day forward, The Bluff had a new mascot, and he was Wally Pilot.
• When the University changed its name from Columbia University (its earliest sports teams were known as the Cliff dwellers or the Columbias), to the University of Portland in 1935, the name and University had already begun to adapt a more "nautical motif," suitable for a campus site overlooking the Willamette River. At the same time, the Pilot athletic teams became associated with Wally (a stylized riverboat pilot), and the pilot's wheel became the logical logo.
 
POOH JETER INDUCTED IN UP HALL OF FAME
• University of Portland inducted nine new members to its Athletics Hall of Fame on September 27 including basketball legend Eugene "Pooh" Jeter.
• Jeter is No. 2 on the Portland career scoring charts (1,708) and also ranks in the top five all-time in field goals made (550), three-pointers (200), free throws (408), free throw percentage (.846) and is eighth in total assists (346).
• He garnered All-WCC First Team honors in 2004 and 2006 and was honorable mention all-league in 2005. He also led Portland to a 72-68 road upset against Gonzaga at the Kennel in 2003 with a team-high 18 points as a freshman.
• Following his time on The Bluff, Jeter enjoyed a remarkable professional career that spanned 18 seasons including six different countries and one year with the NBA's Sacramento Kings. Following his retirement from pro basketball in 2023, Jeter joined the Portland Trail Blazers where he still serves as a player development coach and Assistant General Manager for the Rip City Remix.
 

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