2013-2014 Men's Basketball Preview

MEN’S BASKETBALL PREVIEW

Katie Dunn Sports Editor dunn16@up.edu It’s been four years since the Pilots have scored more than 100 points in one game, and they’ve haven’t done it against a D1 opponent since 2003; they did this in their first

game of the 2013-2014 season vs. UC Davis. Last year, the highest score the team reached was 95 points and their average number of points per game was 61. The highest number of points one player scored in a game last year was 27, in their first game this season two different players, Ryan Nicholas

and Kevin Bailey scored 27 points or more. This may not be something fans can expect every game, but it is a different and improved team from last year.

Last season was both an offensive and defensive struggle for the team, which resulted in an 11-21 record and 8th place

in the WCC. The same defensive state of mind from last season is imbedded in this new team’s mind.

Four seniors lead the way for a team that is an older one than in previous years. There are only two freshmen on the roster and one sophomore. An older team can bring together

the ideas that the coaching staff has been trying to execute for several years. Less turnovers and a higher shooting percentage are key for the team to be successful in a very competitive conference.

Keep up with the action

Key Games

Nov. 11 vs. Michigan St. Jan. 4 vs. St. Mary’s Jan. 9 vs. Gonzaga

Key Players

#00 Kevin Bailey #32 Ryan Nicholas #12 Thomas van der Mars

Home Game Away Game

Giveaways Nov. 22 - Purple Pride hat Nov. 27 Alumni game Dec. 7 - Travel with the team to Portland State Jan. 4 - First 1000 get Pilots tote bag Jan. 9 - iPad at Halftime

Jan. 23 - First 500 students get ski hats and 100 Chevron gift card Jan. 25 - Student slam dunk contest Feb. 8 - WCC pink sackpacks Feb. 15 - Hawaii trip giveaway and senior day

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SPORTS

November 14, 2013

#00: Kevin Bailey Position: Guard Height: 6’ 5” Grade: Junior Hometown: Clovis, Calif.

“We want to be all conference.

Our focus is always on doing what we need to do to win the championship.”

“I feel really good about this team. We are trying to make our own legacy right now. It is our time to shine.”

#11: Bobby Sharp Position: Guard Height: 6’2” Class: Junior Hometown: Santa Rosa, Calif.

“I hope to have high percentage from three. My focus is on doing as much as I can to make sure we are a winning team.”

“The main difference (in D1 ball) is the players. All of the guys can drive and shoot around super well. They are all smart players.”

#14: Riley Barker Position: Center Height: 6’10’’ Grade: Redshirt Junior Hometown: Surrey, B.C., Canada “We want to keep our opponents to under 10 defensive rebounds per game; we want to dominate the boards this season.”

PILOT S MEET TH

Cassie Sheridan and Mitchell Gil

#32: Ryan Nicholas Position: Forward Height: 6’7” Class: Senior Hometown: Spokane, Wash.

“We are going to have to make sure that we play really good defense. We can out-rebound most teams so we have that strength and I think it makes our goals very achievable.”

“As a senior it means more now (to be at UP) than ever. I have gotten to see so much hard work go into this program. I am honored to be able to play for such a serious and committed program.”

#1: Bryce Pressley Position: Guard Height: 6’4” Class: Sophomore Hometown: Sacramento, Calif.

“I plan to give 100 percent all of the time. A big thing for me is just to make sure that I improve on my performance last season.

Hopefully in all areas of the game: shooting, rebounding and defending.”

“I try to give my all everyday for my team and the school. I want to be that model student athlete that people can look up to.”

“This team has a lot of depth, every single one of us contributes something essential when we are out there.”

#2: Alec Wintering #21: Korey Thieleke Position: Guard Height: 6’3’’ Grade: Senior Hometown: Bakersfield, Calif.

“In preseason, we have really focused on improving our communication on the court, specifically during defense. Our defensive transition is way better than it was.”

“The biggest thing this year is our team’s chemistry. In past years, our bond has been kind of up and down, but this year we are just all on the same page.”

Position: Guard Height: 5’11’’ Grade: Freshman Hometown: Concord, N.C. “The transition to college was rough at first, like it is for anybody, but I am getting into the flow of things now and feel really strong.”

“Going to Spain as a team was huge, just getting to know the guys so early on was a big part of what I think has made the team chemistry so strong.”

SPORTS

STRONG: HE TEAM

lbert contributed reporting

#35: David Carr Position: Guard Height: 6’3” Class: Junior Hometown: Portland, Ore. “I want to make sure that I am able to take care of the ball. I also want to do what I can to make sure that the offense gets going.”

“It means everything to me. It has always been my dream to play D1 basketball and I love playing here.”

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#12: Thomas van

der Mars Position: Center Height: 6’11’’ Grade: Junior Hometown: Gouda, Netherlands “This preseason, we have really focused on the ‘team’ and growing together so we are more effective on the court.”

“This team is more poised than in past years, I think there is maturity on the court and that’s going to hugely affect our performance in a positive way, especially if we are down in points.”

#54: Aitor Zubizarreta Position: Guard Height: 6’3’’ Grade: Freshman Hometown: Azpeitia, Basque Country, Spain “We have really emphasized taking care of the ball, nothing will come easy to our opponents.”

“The game here is more physical and the pace is faster than in Europe, but I really like it, it makes you a stronger player.”

#5: John Bailey

#3: Tanner Riley Position: Guard Height: 6’3” Class: Senior Hometown: North Bend, Wash.

“Making sure that I can help the team in anyway that I can. I want to make sure that I can help consistently score off the bench throughout the season.”

“It definitely is very important that I represent this school well. I just make sure that I work hard everyday, play with class during the game and am a good student- athlete.”

Position: Forward Height: 6’8’’ Grade: Senior Hometown: Mesa, Ariz.

“We have spent a lot of preseason focusing on defense, just putting a lot of pressure on the ball, not giving up anything easily.”

“This year’s team is really close. We spend a lot of time together, on and off the court. I think that’s huge for this season.”

#52: Volodymyr Gerun Position: Forward/Center Height: 6’10’’ Grade: Junior Hometown: Dnipropetrovsk, Ukraine “We just want to give everything we have on the court every single game.”

“In preseason, we have left it all in the gym and we are ready to take that to the court.”

All cartoons by Ann Truong | THE BEACON

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November 14, 2013

SPORTS

Selfless, Tough, Compassionate

Men’s basketball head coach Eric Reveno emphasizes well-rounded student athletes with philosophical approach to the game Peter Gallagher Staff Writer gallaghp16@up.edu There’s a small whiteboard that hangs next to UP head coach Eric Reveno’s desk in the newly renovated Chiles Center basketball facility. In an office filled with large TVs, multiple computer monitors and state-of-the-art replay technology, three words scrawled on the small whiteboard carry the defining message of the Pilots’ 2013-14 season: Selfless. Tough.

Compassionate. “(Those) are three words in our discussion that we came up with, that sort of represent the core values of how we want to be,” the University of Portland basketball coach said. “You can talk about this screen or that screen, or this technique, but really getting back to a certain style of play, a certain core value of how we play.”

Those three words, echoed in practice after practice in the run-up to the Nov. 8 home opener against UC Davis, will set the tone for what Reveno hopes to be a breakout season for the Pilots after two disappointing years in conference play.

Rather than focus on the nuts and bolts of solid basketball, Reveno hopes to instill an enduring philosophy that will translate in to selfless, tough and passionate play.

“The biggest consistent message is trying to establish how we’re going to play,” Reveno said. “Not what we’re going to do as much as how we are going to play.”

Six years ago, Reveno arrived at UP with a resume full of experience at the upper echelons of college basketball. Reveno started at center for Stanford in his 1988-89 senior season, and helped lead the Cardinals to the NCAA tournament for the first time in almost 50 years while averaging 9.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game along the way.

After a four-year stint playing basketball abroad following his undergraduate years, Reveno returned to Stanford as an assistant coach in 1997 after receiving his master’s degree in business administration from the university. Under Reveno’s tenure, the Cardinals experienced unprecedented success, reaching the NCAA tournament each season he coached, and making it to the Final Four in his first season on the sidelines.

Reveno focused on the development of Stanford big men, including Jason Collins, who became famous this past year as the first openly gay athlete in one of the five major North American sports.

“I was happy for him,” Reveno said of Collins’ decision to come out to the public. “I felt in terms of gay rights, I felt strongly that there couldn’t be a better spokesperson. Articulate, thoughtful, compassionate and with a sense of humor too.”

After nine seasons at Stanford, UP approached Reveno about a head coaching opportunity. In Portland, Reveno found an opportunity he could not turn down.

“The commitment to both academic and athletic excellence, and the idea that you can be great in both,” Reveno said of what drew him to UP. “There’s a lot of places where there’s a large deviation between the makeup of the athletes and the students. I’m proud of the fact that I think our student athletes represent the student body pretty well.”

UP clearly thinks highly of Coach Reveno as well since he is the highest paid employee at the University. According to the most recently accessible Form 990, he made $360,265 in 2011. This figure includes salary, bonuses and other compensation.

Reveno lives in Portland with his wife and two children, a boy and girl, aged 8 and 11, who take up almost his entire focus off the court and keep him busy with their own unique endeavors.

“My daughter’s actually, of all things, excited and way into synchronized swimming,” Reveno said. “She’s been doing it for four years now. She’s in the 11-12 age group and doing really well and she really enjoys it, and what’s neat about is she works at it. I don’t think you could pick a sport I know less about. When I first saw it, when they first did, when she was 8, it looked like an SNL skit. But now, it’s pretty impressive.

I’ve grown to appreciate it for being really hard and physically challenging.”

Coach Reveno’s players reflect the pride he proclaims through their dedication and work ethic. The Pilots received recognition from the NCAA last May for their high academic achievement, in addition to eight WCC all-academic honors since Reveno’s tenure began.

“He’s one of those coaches that genuinely cares how the student athlete is doing in the classroom, how they’re doing on the floor, and as importantly, what they do in the future,” said UP Athletic Director Scott Leykam of Reveno’s commitment to his players. “Eric’s a very good fit for this community.”

The care Reveno exhibits for his players can be felt both

ways.

“That’s my boy,” said junior guard Kevin Bailey. “I love playing for him. He gives me lots of freedom on the court to make my own decisions. I don’t have to play fearing that I am going to make a mistake.”

Despite his repeated calls for a more philosophical approach to the game, there are a few glaring issues Reveno seeks to resolve before the 2013-14 season gets underway.

“It’s such a simple thing, but gosh, it’d be nice to be taking care of the basketball,” Reveno said, laughing. The Pilots turned the ball over 15 times per game last season, while their opponents averaged 12.

“When you’re turning the ball over as much as we did, it’s playing with one hand tied behind your back,” Reveno said. “Your offense, you’re not getting as many shots, and defensively you’re always in transition.”

Beyond the scope of the Chiles Center, Reveno has taken issue with the NCAA rules and regulations that he feels hamper the true mission of the collegiate institution. On May 29, Reveno tweeted, “Just heard about two NCAA violations in WCC. 1) athlete using Univ. water to wash car, 2) coach text recruit “who is this?”. #stopinsanity.” It has been retweeted 402 times since then.

While frustration with the NCAA is nothing new among college coaches, Reveno feels an acute dissatisfaction with the organization.

“Philosophically I think the NCAA has gotten itself in a position where it’s trying to solve too many problems with its rules,” Reveno said. “With basketball a lot of it has to do with the summer league high school events. The rules are not focused in their intent. There’s too many of them, they’re too complicated and they’re really hard for all of us, most of us, who are trying really hard to follow them strictly. And there’s some that don’t care about following them, and they get the advantage.”

Reveno will continue to hammer out the facets of the game that hampered the Pilots in their 2012-2013 season while maintaining his philosophical outlook on life and basketball. Reveno attributes his demeanor to the coaches and players that helped him get to the position he is in now, as mentor and coach to a talented and intriguing group of Pilots players.

“I really try to take the good away from what (my old coaches) do and make myself better as a teacher and a mentor,” Reveno said. “You give yourself a daily check where you ask yourself, ‘are you staying true to those core values of why you got into coaching? At the end of the day after a tough loss or a big win, are you behaving in a way that players can respect or appreciate? Are you behaving the way that you want to be?’

I’ve learned from a lot of real good ones.”

Facts about Reveno Age: 47 Wife: Amanda Children: Katie (11) and Andrew (8) College: Stanford (‘89) Years at UP: 7 Salary in 2011: $360,265

Becca Tabor| THE BEACON