Complete Release (PDF) I Live Video I Live Audio I Live Stats I Tickets

Portland Pilots (2-0) vs. Lewis & Clark Pioneers (0-1)
Date: Friday, Nov. 18, 2016
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center (4,852)
TV: None
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland
Video: TheW.tv
Live Audio: 910-ESPN Portland
Live Stats: PortlandPilots.com
Tickets: PortlandPilots.com/Tickets

GAME INFORMATION: The Portland men's basketball team returns to the Chiles Center to host the Lewis & Clark Pioneers on Friday at 7 p.m. The game will be aired live on TheW.tv with Travis Demers and Darren Cooper calling the action. All Pilot games will have radio coverage on 910 ESPN-Portland (KMTT) with Jason Swygard calling the action. Coverage starts 30 minutes prior to tip-off and will have a complete post-game show. All pregame social spaces will be in operation when doors open at 6 p.m. (Hall of Fame Room and Pregame Dining/Social on the Mezzanine), while the Pilot House campus will be open and serving gameday specials for food and drinks beginning at 4 p.m.

TICKET INFORMATION: Tickets for Friday's game are still available with general admission seating starting at $10 and group prices at $5 per ticket. Visit PortlandPilots.com/Tickets or call the Pilot Box Office at (503) 943-7525 to secure tickets to any upcoming game. Season tickets start at $88 or Mini Packages featuring five of the top home games are also available for purchase. Single game tickets are also on sale now for a majority of upcoming contests.

LAST TIME OUT
The Pilots improved to 2-0 and won their first road game of the season with a 79-66 victory at San Jose State on Tuesday night. Junior forward Gabe Taylor scored a career-high 24 point and grabbed nine rebounds, while senior point guard Alec Wintering added 20 points and 11 assists as the Pilots outscored San Jose State 47-31 in the second half. Sophomore guard Jazz Johnson was instrumental in the second half surge as he recorded 14 of his 16 points after the break. Senior forward Jarrel Marshall chipped in 11 points, five rebounds, two blocks and two steals. Trailing 35-32 at halftime, the Pilots used a 13-0 run early in the second half highlighted by a Johnson three-point play and capped by a right wing three-pointer from the Portland native. Taylor and Wintering played all 40 minutes for the Pilots, who held the Spartans to 36 percent shooting for the game. Portland closed the rebounding margin and finished at a 39-38 deficit. The Pilots made 12-of-13 free throws and shot 50 percent overall from the field.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
Terry Porter took over the program in April and will rely on senior point guard Alec Wintering, a preseason All-West Coast Conference selection, to lead the Pilots. Wintering earned All-WCC First Team honors as a junior after averaging 18.3 points and 4.9 assists per game. The Pilots return five of their top six scorers from last year's team that finished 12-20 overall and 6-12 in the WCC. League coaches picked the Pilots eighth in the WCC Preseason Poll. Juniors D'Marques Tyson and Gabe Taylor also played big minutes last season, averaging 10.4 and 7.3 points, respectively. Tyson drilled a team-high 86 three-pointers on the season. Senior Ray Barreno and junior Philipp Hartwich provide experience at the center position. Senior Jarrel Marshall (7.8) and sophomore Jazz Johnson (6.8) added scoring punch off the bench. Porter welcomes five newcomers to the roster in true freshmen Andre Ferguson, Alec Monson, Malcolm Porter and Joseph Smoyer, as well as sophomore transfer Franklin Porter (Saint Mary's).
 
ABOUT LEWIS & CLARK
The Pioneers (0-1) are a member of the Division III Northwest Conference and dropped their regular season opener to NAIA's No. 17-ranked Warner Pacific by a 94-93 margin on Tuesday. The Pios trailed by 19 points in the second half and came all the way back to take the lead in the closing minutes before falling short. Lewis & Clark previously dropped a 96-65 exhibition at Seattle Pacific last week. The Pios return four of their top five scorers from last year led by Cannen Roberson (15.0 ppg) and Markel Leonard (9.9 ppg). Roberson and Kyle Owens each scored 16 points in the opener as six Pioneer players reached double figures. Head coach Dinari Foreman begins his sixth season at the school after the Pios finished last year with a 10-14 overall record and 6-10 mark in NWC play. Lewis & Clark was picked to finish sixth in the NWC Preseason Poll.

TERRY PORTER ERA ARRIVES
Porter, a 17-year NBA veteran and two-time NBA All-Star, spent most of his pro career with the Trail Blazers where he helped lead Portland to a pair of NBA Finals and had his jersey retired. Porter also served as head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, in addition to various assistant coaching positions throughout the league. He was named head coach of the Pilots on April 1, 2016. Porter has hired an experienced coaching staff to support him, including long-time Pac-12 Assistant Coaches Bob Cantu (USC) and Ben Johnson (Washington State), along with former Pilot four-year starting center Kramer Knutson (2007-11).
 
TAYLOR PLAYING BIG
Junior F Gabe Taylor has taken a liking to the new system that Coach Porter has brought to the Pilots. Taylor erupted for a career-high 24 points at SJSU on Nov. 15, including 4-of-8 from three-point range. Taylor also matched his career-best of nine rebounds, while playing all 40 minutes. Through two games, Taylor has come off the court for just two minutes and ranks third nationally in minutes per game (39.0). He is averaging 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game

SEEING DOUBLE
Alec Wintering recorded his first double-double of the season and second of his career with 20 points and 11 assists at San Jose State. Wintering logged his first ever double-double last season versus Southern Illinois with 12 points and 10 assists. The Charlotte, N.C. native is averaging 9.5 assists through the first two games which is tied for fourth nationally.

ALEC WINTERING GARNERING PRESEASON PUB
Alec Wintering is deservedly receiving a lot of preseason praise as he enters his final year on The Bluff. Wintering was named Preseason All-WCC, while national media organizations have recognized him as one of the top players to watch this coming season:
- CollegeCourtReport.com Top 100 Players (No. 76)
- SBNation.com: Top 100 Players (honorable mention)
- TheHoopsColumn.com, #16 non-Power 5 guard
 
WINTERING CLIMBING VARIOUS CHARTS
Alec Wintering earned All-WCC First Team recognition last year after scoring the second most points in single-season Portland history (584). Wintering became the first Pilot in history to record consecutive 30-point games after a career-high 34 points against Pepperdine on Dec. 23. That was followed by a 31-point performance at San Francisco on Dec. 31. He currently ranks No. 4 all-time for UP in assists (486) and free throws made (413), No. 6 in three-point percentage (.405) and No. 6 in steals (144). Wintering's 1,241 points rank 16th in Portland history, 11 shy of Thomas van der Mars (2011-15) for 15th place.

PORTER INKS FOUR DURING EARLY SIGNING PERIOD
Portland signed four prospects during the early signing period, three incoming freshmen and a junior college transfer:
- JoJo Walker (Santa Maria, Calif./St. Joseph HS). The 6-1, 170-pound point guard was the CIF Southern Section Division 5A Most Valuable Player after leading St. Joseph High School to the 2016 CIF title. He earned All-Area MVP honors while averaging 18.7 points, 3.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
- Taki Fahrensohn (Auckland, New Zealand/Auckland Grammar School). A 6-5, 180-pound combo guard, Fahrensohn averaged 33.6 points over seven games at the 2016 New Zealand Secondary Schools Basketball National Championships. He is a member of the New Zealand Junior Tall Blacks, the country's national youth team.
- Tahirou Diabate (Niigate, Japan/Teikyo Nagaoka HS). At 6-10, 215 pounds he averaged 31 points and 18 rebounds per game last season and helped lead his team to the Okinawa Cup, Japan's High School National Championships. He and was named the Most Valuable Player of the event after leading the tournament in points and rebounds.
- Austin Stone (Lake Wylie, S.C./Clover HS/USC Salkehatchie). The 6-9, 225-pound post was a late bloomer to the game and has become a force down low at the Junior College level. Stone is averaging 7.5 points and 9.5 rebounds this season as USC Salk is off to a 4-1 start. He will enroll as a junior next fall.
 
TOUGH SCHEDULE
Portland will play a challenging 2016-17 schedule that includes three Pac-12 opponents and participation in the Wooden Legacy hosted over Thanksgiving weekend. The Pilots will take on UCLA in the opening game of the Wooden Legacy at Fullerton and then will play either Nebraska or Dayton the following day. The Pilots also host Colorado at the Chiles Center on Dec. 3 and take on Oregon State at the Moda Center on Dec. 18. Other key non-conference matchups are at Boise State on Dec. 10 and at home versus Portland State on Dec. 20. WCC play begins Dec. 29 at Pacific.

A FAMILY AFFAIR
Terry Porter isn't the only Porter joining the Pilots for the 2016-17 season. His two sons, Franklin and Malcolm, have joined Terry on The Bluff. Franklin played last season at conference rival Saint Mary's and will redshirt this season due to NCAA transfer rules. Malcolm was a two-time all-state player at Jesuit High School and is also expected to redshirt this season.

EXPERIENCED STAFF
Terry Porter indicated his desire to find an experienced coaching staff to help support his transition to the college game and he loaded up with a pair of big name assistants. Bob Cantu, a former USC interim head coach, associate head coach and long-time assistant coach with the Trojans and UTEP, has more than 20 years collegiate coaching experience at various levels. He has coached under four NBA Coaches, coached 14 NBA players and five NBA First Round Draft picks, while helping five teams reach the NCAA Tournament. Considered one of the top recruiters in the nation, Cantu helped land the No. 1 overall class in 2007 at USC. Ben Johnson also has extensive Pac-12 coaching experience and 24 years working the sidelines during his coaching career. Johnson was with Dick and Tony Bennett at Washington State during the program's most winning years. He has coached and recruited four NBA players, including NBA Lottery Pick Klay Thompson. Johnson also brought a pair of Australian National Team players to Wazzu in Brock Motum and Aron Baynes. He helped WSU to the Sweet 16 in 2008 and was also a standout player for Dick Bennett at UW-Green Bay. He helped the Phoenix to the 1991 NCAA Tournament and a pair of NIT appearances. Porter rounded out his coaching staff with a familiar face to Pilot fans in Kramer Knutson. A four-year starter for Portland from 2007-11, Knutson led the Pilots to a top-25 ranking and a program-best 60 wins over his final three seasons. Knutson served as Director of Basketball Operations for Portland last year after a four-year professional playing career in Europe.

RADIO-TELEVISION
Portland will once again have an extensive TV package with games on ESPN, ROOT Sports, and CSN Northwest. The complete broadcast schedule is available at PortlandPilots.com. All Pilot Basketball games will be on the radio on 910 ESPN-Portland with Jason Swygard calling the action. The Terry Porter Radio Show will air on 1080 The Fan each Monday night (barring travel/game conflicts).