Next Season. What, already?

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Not sure if this has already been reported, but the game at WSU is set for December 1st. The Cougars recently released their full schedule. The UP game will the 3rd of 6 straight home games for WSU, sandwiched between Idaho on 11/28 and Gonzaga on 12/5.

DoubleDipper wrote:

UP will play at WSU on Saturday, UNLV at home on Wednesday, and then a 9:00 AM PST in Lexington against UK.

DoubleDipper wrote:I just saw Concordia Portland's basketball schedule.....it shows Concordia playing at UP on Saturday November 17 in Concordia's eighth game of their season.

Hmmm, it is on their website, but still, that seems a strange time for us to be playing them. I think we should wait to see OUR schedule!

NoPoNeighbor wrote:

DoubleDipper wrote:I just saw Concordia Portland's basketball schedule.....it shows Concordia playing at UP on Saturday November 17 in Concordia's eighth game of their season.

Hmmm, it is on their website, but still, that seems a strange time for us to be playing them. I think we should wait to see OUR schedule!

Concordia now lists this as an exhibition at UP on Oct. 27.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Concordia now lists this as an exhibition at UP on Oct. 27.

DoubleDipper wrote:And it looks like the always tough Concordia Irvine will play a Sunday afternoon game at UP on November 4th.

As I recall, we barely squeaked by them in OT last year.

RipCityPilot wrote:Did anyone go watch that strongman competition they had?

Youth is the story again for Portland but it now holds a known commodity in Ryan Nicholas.

But what else can the Pilots bring to the table?

This will be the question in the preseason and in the regular season. Many of Portland's players do not have a ton of experience and 10 of them have three years of eligibility left.

Here are some guys that could make the difference:

Will Thomas van der Mars take the next step?

It can sometimes take big men a little longer to mature and develop. This could very well be the case for Thomas van der Mars.

The rising sophomore showed flashes of what he could end up being but, as the season wore on, remained inconsistent. He scored in double figures in four of six games, which started off with a career-high 18 points at Saint Mary’s.

But van der Mars did not score more than nine in the final eight games.

He shot 53 percent from the field and he grabbed 5.4 rebounds in 25 minutes per game. His numbers should improve but the question is by how much.

A brutal out-of-conference schedule crushed the Pilots last season. Will it be better this season?
Eric Reveno admitted after the season that the treacherous preseason schedule a year ago hurt his team.

The Pilots had the ninth toughest out-of-conference schedule in college basketball, including six teams with an RPI in the top-100. Portland went 0-6 in those games and gave up an average of 80.6 points per game.

The defending national champion Kentucky Wildcats, who Portland played last season, is on the schedule again. Portland will also take part in the Continental Tire Las Vegas Classic along with Virginia Tech, Colorado State, and Bradley.

It will serve the Pilots to have a bit of a balance in the OOC this time around and build some confidence before they hit WCC play.

Who will step up?

The only sure thing for the Pilots is Ryan Nicholas, which begs the question. Where will the Pilots get additional help from?

Kevin Bailey should provide some relief for Nicholas. His 9.5 points per game last season is second best returning to the Pilots and he should see his minutes per game rise after playing just more than 21 per game.

Tanner Riley could also make a big step forward. Riley shot 34 percent from three-point range, which will be critical for a team that shot a mere 30 percent from distance a year ago.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Per an exchange between Reveno and PSU's coach on Twitter, the UP/PSU game will be November 21st.

Ryan Nicholas and Tanner Riley will head overseas tomorrow to play in the Global Sports Academy Summer Collegiate Basketball Tour. The tour is from August 8-16 and will take place in Belgium, Germany, and Amsterdam! Congratulations on being invited and good luck!

USF finished in fifth place in the West Coast Conference last season and it would seem difficult for them to repeat that feat with the departure of nine players, including four starters.

Is it really as dire a situation as many believe it to be? Or can the Dons make something of what some would call a rebuilding project?

Here are some of the questions surrounding the 2012-13 Dons:

How will De’End Parker affect the season?
The UCLA transfer was notified in late July that he would be eligible for the 2012-13 season. That was half the battle.

The other half will be on the court and there should be no combo guard in the WCC that can match Parker. His ability will give USF a versatile defender, scorer, and playmaker.

He averaged 11.8 points per game while shooting 47 percent from the field in the San Francisco Bay Area Pro-Am Basketball League.

His addition will make up for some of the transfers but it will take time for him to become acclimated to his new teammates and new coach.

Will USF be as bad as many expect?
USF lost Rashad Green and Angelo Caloiaro to graduation. Perris Blackwell and Mikey Williams transferred. WIth only one returning starter, the overwhelming thought is that USF will struggle.

This is only a half truth.

The Dons will have a fairly decent starting five, beginning with Cody Doolin, Cole DIckerson, Dominique O’Connor, and De’End Parker, but it will be surrounded with unproven talent.

They will be competitive but they will struggle to get wins in league. This is not because the Dons do not have the talent.

It is because the league as a whole has continued to get better.

San Diego should be better. Santa Clara should be better. LMU did not take as big a step backward as USF.

Straight answer: No, they won’t be as bad as expected but you may not see it in the win-loss column.

How quickly can the freshmen adjust to the college game?
This is the question that every coach they had an answer for. For USF’s success, their adjustment could mean the difference between fifth place and seventh place.

Some of those will also see quite a bit of playing time.

Incoming freshman center Matt Christiansen will be one of the few post players the Dons will have and should see significant time. The same goes for Tim Derksen, Joe Edmonds, and Avry Holmes.

That playing time should speed up the adjustment process and have them ready for WCC play in late December.

DoubleDipper wrote:The boys haven't just been hooping, they've been seeing the sites too. Apparently loving the old world feel of Belgium and Germany, they've got just one more game before heading to Amsterdam and home.

Probably a good chance to visit an area where they could end up playing if they are to go pro!

Saint Mary's won the West Coast Conference for the first time since the 1980s. Many of the current players weren't even alive the last time it happened.

Now they have the task to protect that crown but there are some glaring holes.

Who will do the outside shooting? Who will replace Rob Jones?

Let's take a quick look at what the Gaels have to improve upon:

Who will be starting at the 4?
Losing Rob Jones is a big blow to the frontline for Saint Mary’s. It leaves the power forward position wide open and there is no clear answer to who will fill that role.

Could it be Mitchell Young? During his freshman and sophomore seasons, Young showed he could potentially be a future starter but battled injuries last year, limiting his action and production on the court.

Could a freshman step in immediately and take the reins? That could be Chris Reyes. He has drawn comparisons to Saint Mary’s great Diamon Simpson, who holds the school record in multiple categories including rebounds and steals.

Expect there to be some shifting at this position, with nothing fully decided until the season begins.

Where will the perimeter shooting come from?
Saint Mary’s always seems to have at least one sharpshooter on the team that can hit the three on a consistent basis.

It has gone from Todd Golden to Mickey McConnell to Clint Steindl. With Steindl’s graduation, it leaves that spot wide open.

Only one player shot above 40 percent from three (Steindl) and the team shot 34 percent from three, which was the lowest from a Saint Mary’s team since the 2008-09 team.

The quick thought is that Matthew Dellavedova, Stephen Holt, and Jorden Page should help fill this role.

Dellavedova shot 35 percent from three last year but has improved every year with the Gaels. Holt is the best returning shooter at 37 percent. Page has a ways to go at 32 percent.

Unless there is vast improvement from that trio, perimeter shooting could end up being an Achilles’ heel for Saint Mary’s.

Is Stephen Holt at full strength?
Holt missed five games last season due to a partially torn MCL and did not return until the second round of the NCAA Tournament against Purdue and in that game, he did not look like himself.

Holt, when healthy, is a game changer and adds a dynamic that the Saint Mary’s team does not have. His speed and athleticism has been a problem for conference opponents.

He dropped a then-career-high 21 points against BYU. He had 13 points, five rebounds, and six assists against Gonzaga.

If he is at full strength heading into the 2012-13 season, Saint Mary’s will be incredibly dangerous... again.

Great day in Amsterdam. Still can't believe how wild it is there. It's not real life lol

We fly out in the morning back to America. This trip has been an absolute blast. Just wow

DoubleDipper wrote:Ryan, Tanner and the rest of the guys go 5-0 while in Belgium and Germany, and are about to head back to the Northwest.

NoPoNeighbor wrote:Any idea who the other players on the team were? What schools they play for?

Santa Clara went through some serious growing pains a year after looking like a team that was ready to make the next step.

Those growing pains resulted in zero wins in 2012.

With two of their better players back in uniform, the Broncos should be back to being competitive. But let's see what needs to happen for Santa Clara.

Will we see the old Marc Trasolini?
Being without Marc Trasolini last season was a major blow. They missed his post presence. They missed his rebounding. They missed his leadership.

He would have been the only senior starter last season but it almost works just as well that he is back with the rest of the group.

Trasolini averaged 12.3 points and 6.1 rebounds per game in his junior season, just as Santa Clara started to make a move in the WCC.

Another move could be in the works with Trasolini back in the fold.

It could take a few games for Trasolini to get back up to speed but by the time league play rolls around, expect the old Trasolini back on the floor.

Did playing without Foster and Trasolini help them for this season?
When you play a good portion of your season without your two best players, there are going to be some growing pains. But for a team that has everybody returning, that may have been the best thing to happen to the Broncos.

Head Coach Kerry Keating had a chance to see how the rest of his team would respond to the pressure of playing without Trasolini and Kevin Foster.

Santa Clara was competitive in a number of games but could not finish off the deal. Finishing games should be easier with another year under their belt, especially when they return the two best players on the roster.

Over or under four WCC wins for Santa Clara?
Despite the miserable 0-16 conference record last season, the Broncos have some legitimate talent.

Kevin Foster, Evan Roquemore, Marc Trasolini, Niyi Harrison, Denzel Johnson.

Remember this team beat Villanova in the 76 Classic and nearly beat Oklahoma. It also helps that every player returns.

There should be no way, assuming all the key players remain able to play, that Santa Clara should have the year they had a year ago. There is no way the Broncos should win fewer than Pepperdine or Portland.

Worst case scenario should have Santa Clara with at least five WCC wins. Best case? Between eight and 10.