RECAP OF CONCORDIA EXHIBITION GAME?

Would anybody care to enlighten us out of towners on the game , playing time,etc. Oh, especially how Wallyworld event went before the game .

Well I was listening and watching the stats (until the stats stopped updating around 7:29). I sure don't have the best insight, but I'll offer some of my thoughts anyway.

Taishi came out and lit it up, especially in his first appearance on the court (all 5 seniors started) where he hit a 2- and a 3-pointer and 2 FTs to leave the court with 7 points. He ended the night with 10 points on 2-2 shooting from beyond the arc (compare that to 23 points scored last year). If this is a sign that Taishi has found his offensive rhythm again then it is a significant boost to our already strong backcourt. Taishi is often referred to as our best defensive player and if he gets it going on offense.... oh man!

KRAMER! 6-7 from the floor for 14 points in 17 minutes!!!! I don't know how much of Kramer's scoring was done in transition vs. in a set offense. I'd love to see him score more from a set offense. He's always been a good transition scorer because he hustles down the court and if he can start to score more from the post it'll be a good sign for us.

Luke had 10 rebounds and 13 points (5-5 from the field) in 22 minutes. From all that I heard, Luke sounds legit this year. He had at least one mid-ranger and it sounded to me like he did work down low. It'd be cool to see Luke get back to and exceed his near-double-double averages at the beginning of his freshman year. I think he's got what it takes to be there this year even off the bench.

One VERY encouraging thing to take from last night is that we put up 106 points on 54% shooting and 41% 3-point shooting while Jared and TJ couldn't buy a bucket. They combined for 11 points and were 1-9 from deep. There is no reason to be concerned about either of these guys. It sounded like Jared was in-n-out like a burger joint in Cali! Jared and TJ aren't gonna lose their touch; they just had off nights. Imagine the score if they had shot anywhere near their averages! TJ was dealin' though, with 9 assists (and only 2 turnovers) in 19 minutes!

It sounded like Ethan was sharp last night. Cody seemed a little flustered in his first D1 minute (just 1 minute according to the box score). He put a pass down low to J (I believe) that was picked (though he wasn't charged with a TO) and he air-balled a jumper (thought it was a 3). That's nerves though and it'll be fun to see what he can do when he calms down. Nem turned in 9 points on 50% shooting, I think he can be yet another 3 point threat and certainly could play some solid minutes off the bench this year. Sounded like BJ had a highlight-reel dunk; gotta love his athleticism.

We had 4 forwards in double-digits last night! I hope that trend continues.

I will now kindly yield to eye-witness accounts

Wow, SP11... that was quite perceptive from only listening and stat tracking! A quick review of my thoughts... I will follow up with more when I have a chance.

Overall, I was pleased with how we looked... but we did come out somewhat sluggish and tentative in the first half... but that isnt too concerning being that Rev was subbing a ton and trying all sorts of line up combinations, so no one could really ever get in a groove.

Jared and TJ had off shooting nights... but that happens, not concening. And yes, if they hit their averages, and the Concordia kid doesnt hit 4 or 5 3's in a row in the first half, we win by 40-50 points. Concordia made a little run mid-first half, but that was against our younger guys/the far end of the bench.

Player of the Game: This is a tough call, between Taishi and Kramer... It was great to see Taishi's offense back; he came out and nailed a 3 on our first shot, and then a bucket for our first 5 points, and he looked like the Taishi of old... I hope that keeps up, as having him as an offensive threat (again) will open everything else up. Kramer looked great, too... he had a couple put backs and a nice dunk... very confident down low. Good defense, too. Could this be a break-out year for him?!

Luke struggled a bit in the first half, but seemed to pull it together in the 2nd... great rebounds, hit some shots. Again, hard to tell as the lineups kept changing... but in the second half he really seemed to "wake up" and was big on both ends of the floor.

Raivio was great, as usual... hitting his shots, some great moves driving the lane... Ethan was solid, but didnt play much.

Overall, the team looked good, and every time Concordia seemed to inch back in it a little, we would just step on their throats and go on a run... as to be expected, the defense was a little shaky at times, but that will come together with more court time and a consistent game plan.

I'm looking forward to Linfield next Saturday!

Rev's summary via twitter:

Biggest crowd in a long time for an exhibition game tonight liked our "O". Need to tighten up the "D". Got the "W" 106-78 against Concordia

Agree with Rev, concordia had too many open looks. Seemed like our top 10 all played significant minutes. I'll add more when/if I get home and can get on a real computer.

They have video highlights up on portlandpilots.com: http://portlandpilots.com/news/2009/10/29/MBB_1029094412.aspx

I really like the intro they have for the recent highlight videos. It is GREAT to see Pilot basketball again!

I really like that first Nem highlight, he really created his own shot. A good pull-up jumper is a great weapon.

I'm excited to see us against some stiffer competition. Gotta give the Cavs their credit though: they didn't just die. That late first-half rally made me a little nervous.

One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that at the beginning of the second half we played the all-non-senior roster. Unless I am mistaken, we didn't play a senior until Robin came in more than 7 minutes into the half. They did well too, from what I saw. I was happy with that!

Wow...Nemanja Mitrovic (#33) looks surprisingly good in those highlights. He does a nice job of sliding to the perimeter or drifting toward the endline to find his shot.

Thanks folks for the recap's it sounds like there were many positives, and a variety of guys played.....My! What a difference from that exhibition loss to Western Oregon a short two years ago .

Time to rev up the Direct-TV for the regular season so I can watch it on Comcast with the rest of us homebound Pilot fan's,I cant wait until Feb arrives...... .....There's always Anaheim Classic,hopefully.

Just to let you know...www.channelsurfing.net has almost every sporting event that is on tv. I watched numerous games on that last year including one at Santa Clara which wasn't on tv anywhere (it was their live internet feed).

Interesting....hmm.....some day I'll share my experience with the Pilot Internet Broadcast's......lots of shots of scoreboard during timeout, grainey quality at best,If you cant tell the way Robin run"s vrs. the way Kramer run's good luck. Reading player numbers is a crap shoot at best. ETC,ETC...Im sure the channelsurfing.net channel is much better.

I prefer just laying out the big bucks for comcast on Direct-TV. (I can get some other NCAA games that I can't get on cable). Cable's pretty good and now that the Pilot's program is on the upswing they will start getting more exposure.


Do you think one could get a Gonzaga game in the preseason through their site. I want to check out their big men, I believe they will be vunerable down there....Bouldin,and Gray cant guard everyone on the court...

markatup wrote:Just to let you know...www.channelsurfing.net has almost every sporting event that is on tv. I watched numerous games on that last year including one at Santa Clara which wasn't on tv anywhere (it was their live internet feed).

I watched the UP @ SCU game at the Roots Brewery in SE Portland..... wasnt it on Comcast SportsNet?

Here are some of my thoughts now that I am at an actual computer:

Taishi was very aggressive offensively. I don't know that I have ever seen him take a shot before and he sunk our first two buckets including a three. 3-4 for the game...all four attempts were shots he would have passed up last year.

Ethan, solid performance. I don't think he will ever wow you, but he puts up numbers, hustles and doesn't make many mistakes. Good outside shooter. A big key this year will be Ethan staying healthy.

Nik, wonderful. He could pretty much get his shot off whenever he wants. Lost his man a couple times on defense though. I think he is one of the best offensive players we have had in a while, and yet second best on this team.

TJ Campbell. I think he's our best offensive player. He can shoot, he can get to the hoop and he can pass...what more can you ask for. I like the way he runs the offense...finding shots for himself and everyone else.

Robin looked okay to me. He misses shots that I think he should finish. I know a lot of guys on here really like him, but I haven't seen it. Maybe I just have too high of expectations. Also, I haven't seen nearly as many games as most of you.

Waterford and Stohl were both contributors, but neither stood out. Stohl didn't shoot well, but he had good looks and some were in and out, not worried. Waterford runs the offense well, is a decent defender and a very capable back-up for TJ.

Luke Sikma. I really like him. I think he is going to be big for us. He was a beast on the boards, pulling down some big ones in traffic. He also finished well inside. I didn't realize he had five turnovers...I remember a couple, one was immediately after a steal, so it doesn't count in my mind.

Kramer looked good too. He scored a couple times with a back to the basket. He looked a lot more capable offensively than I remember. Could be nice if he could add a couple more points a game this year, especially if they are something other than put-backs or dish-offs. He looked solid defensively and on the boards.

BJ Porter. What an athelete! His one bucket was Donald Wilson-esque. Great hustle play to block a break away (yes, I know a foul was called on the play), other than that, didn't really stand out much.

Hannibal, didn't show me much. He got a couple boards, but really didn't do much else. I am not expecting a lot out of him this year though. If our other three bigs stay out of foul trouble I doubt he'll play more than a few minutes.

Nem looks like a shooter. he was able to create his own shot. In fact I think only one or two of his attempts were spot-ups. I think he will be able to step in and provide some offense. He should be able to relieve some of the pressure off Nik or TJ when they are in with the second team. Solid debut.

Cody. One minute. Looked a little unsure of himself.

Team defense could use some improvement. Concordia had too many open looks, especially from the outside. That little guy hit about three in a row, and he was open each time. We looked solid on the boards. Granted we were bigger than Concordia, but the guys were able to get good position on almost any shot taken.

Overall I'd rate it as a solid performance. Twelve guys played over 10 minutes. I think this team will be balanced, but not that much. Good to see some of the guys get minutes though. Definitely looking forward to this season. I might have to bump up my DirecTV for a couple months to the MesaPilot package.

Sorry if I repeated what some other people already said and that it took me a few days, but I just wanted to share my thoughts.