PRINCETON, N.J. – University of Portland men's basketball will play host to Fullerton, Northern Colorado, and St. Thomas in the Portland Invitational, a three-game round-robin tournament, the Gazelle Group announced on Friday. The tournament will be hosted at Chiles Center between November 21st and November 23rd.

Tournament schedule and ticket information will be announced later.

About the teams:

Portland: Head Coach: Shantay Legans (West Coast Conference)
Head Coach Shantay Legans is currently in his fourth season at Portland where he has won 52 games. Legans was hired by the Pilots after leading Eastern Washington to the NCAA Tournament in 2021. Legans' highlights as the head coach of Portland include wins over Villanova and NCAA Tournament team San Francisco in 2022.
 
Fullerton: Head Coach: Dedrique Taylor (Big West Conference)
Dedrique Taylor is currently in his 12th season as Head Coach, where he has won 161 games, a school record. Taylor has also led the Titans to the NCAA Tournament twice during his tenure. Taylor is the first Fullerton coach to lead the Titans to multiple NCAA Tournament appearances and win 10+ conference games 4 times.
 
Northern Colorado: Head Coach: Steve Smiley (Big Sky Conference)
Steve Smiley, currently in his fifth season as head coach of the Bears, owns the second highest winning percentage during the school's division 1 tenure (.538). Northern Colorado has finished in the top 3 of the Big Sky in 2 of the last 3 years under Smiley and currently sit in 1st place of the conference. Prior to Smiley's arrival, 5 Bears played professionally, while 10 have turned professional since Smiley's first season.
 
St. Thomas: Head Coach: Johnny Tauer (Summit League)
Johnny Tauer has successfully transitioned St. Thomas into the Division I ranks posting a (.547) winning percentage during the school's first four years. Tauer led the Tommies to a 20-win season during the 2023-24 season, the program's first at the Division I level. St. Thomas became the third team to post a 20-win season in their first years in D-I since 2000. The Tommies are the only team to move from Division III to Division I during that time.  

About the Gazelle Group
The Gazelle Group is a sports marketing firm, specializing in event production and management, client representation, and sponsorship consulting. Gazelle produces numerous nationally recognized college sports events, such as the Empire Classic, Legends Classic, Gotham Classic, Sunshine Slam, College Basketball Invitational, Kwik Trip Holiday Face-Off, Deacon-Wolverine Challenge, Boardwalk Battle, Jersey Jam, and Holiday Hoopfest as well as on-campus events at Duke, Kentucky, Ohio State, Marquette and other institutions across the country. For more information on the Gazelle Group, please visit https://www.gazellegroup.com/main/.
  Get Your Tickets Now!
Secure your spot now for any upcoming Portland Pilots ticketed home event by visiting PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or by downloading the Portland Pilots App.  For group and fan experience package information, email pilotsboxoffice@up.edu.

Donate Today 
Fans interested in making a contribution to University of Portland Athletics can do so by clicking here. Your gift helps our over 300 student-athletes compete at the highest level – on and off the field - in the rapidly changing world of intercollegiate athletics. All gifts to Pilot Athletics are 100% tax deductible.

Follow Along With the Action
Get the latest news and information about your favorite University of Portland athletic programs by visiting PortlandPilots.com. You can also follow along for the most dynamic coverage and team-centric content by following us on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and following us on Instagram.