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

Portland Pilots (4-2) vs. Colorado Buffaloes (5-2)
Date: Saturday, Dec. 3, 2016
Tip-off: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center (4,852)
Video: CampusInsiders.com
Radio: 910 ESPN-Portland
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 Colorado Buffaloes of the Pac-12 Conference on Saturday at 7 p.m. The game will be aired live on CampusInsiders.com with Travis Demers and Bill Krueger 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.

PROMOTIONS
Saturday night will have a Comic-Superhero theme for students and kids. The first 1,000 students and kids through the gates will receive a custom-made Pilots cape as a giveaway item. Portland has also partnered with the KGW Great Toy Drive for the game. Fans that bring an unwrapped toy to donate will receive free admission.

TICKET INFORMATION
Tickets for Saturday's game are still available with general admission seating starting at $18 for adults and $12 for kids. 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 backcourt duo of Alec Wintering and Jazz Johnson combined for 62 points as the Portland Pilots defeated the CSUN Matadors 96-78 to close out the prestigious Wooden Legacy Sunday night in Anaheim. Wintering finished with a career-high 36 points, dished out six assists, finished 13-for-19 from the field, 4-of-4 from three-point range and collected two steals. Johnson scored a career-high 26 points and had two steals. Portland committed just six turnovers in the rout.

ABOUT THE PILOTS
• Guards Alec Wintering and Jazz Johnson are the fourth highest scoring tandem in the nation (41.3) and the third highest scoring backcourt duo nationally.
• Wintering and Markel Fultz (Washington) are only players in the top 20 nationally in both points per game and assists per game.
• Wintering ranks ninth nationally in assists per game (6.7) and 17th in scoring (22.8).
• Johnson ranks seventh nationally in three-point percentage (.571) and 17th in free throw percentage (.938).
• The Pilots lead the nation in free throw percentage (.854), are 11th in defensive rebounds per game (31.2), and 17th in three-point percentage (.414).
• Portland finished the Wooden Legacy with a 1-2 record over Thanksgiving weekend. The Pilots dropped their opener on Thanksgiving night to No. 14 UCLA (99-77) and then fell to Dayton, an NCAA team each of the last three years, by an 84-74 margin on Saturday.
• Wintering and Johnson ended the Wooden Legacy as the tournament's top two scorers at 26.7 and 22.7 per game, respectively.
• First-year head coach Terry Porter took over the program in April and hired an experienced collegiate staff to support his transition in long-time Pac-12 assistants Bob Cantu (USC) and Ben Johnson (WSU).
• Porter will rely on 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 last season.
• Johnson moved into the starting lineup this year and is averaging 18.5 points, while junior F Gabe Taylor is averaging 13.3 points and 7.2 rebounds.
• 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.
• 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). Malcolm Porter and Franklin Porter are redshirting the 2016-17 season.
•Redshirt freshman Chier Maker is expected to be eligible in mid-December.
•Portland inked four players to NLIs during the November signing period. Three incoming freshmen and a junior college transfer.
 
ABOUT COLORADO
The Buffaloes (5-2) lost to in-state rival Colorado State (72-58) on Wednesday. Colorado's other loss came against Notre Dame (89-83) in Brooklyn at the Barclays Center, but the team bounced back to knock off Texas (68-54) the following night. The Buffs also have comfortable wins over Sacramento State, Seattle, Louisiana-Monroe and Wofford. Derrick White leads three Colorado players averaging double figures at 14.1 points per game. The Buffs outrebound opponents by 8.7 per game and are shooting 43 percent from the field, while holding opponents to 37 percent. Head coach Tad Boyle is in his seventh season with the Buffaloes and guided last year's team to a 22-12 record and trip to the NCAA Tournament. Colorado was picked to finish fifth in the Pac-12 Preseason Poll.
 
DYNAMIC BACKCOURT DUO
Alec Wintering and Jazz Johnson have produced at an elite rate early in the season. The pair combined for 62 points in Sunday's win over CSUN, the most points by Pilot teammates in the same game in school history. They were the top two scorers at the elite Wooden Legacy tournament over Thanksgiving weekend as Wintering averaged 28.7 and Johnson averaged 22.7 points per game. The pair also ranks as the fourth highest scoring duo in the nation:
Top Scoring Tandems in the Nation

1. Marcus Keene, Braylon Rayson, Central Michigan	47.7
2. Matt Mobley, Jalen Adams, St. Bonaventure	43.9
3. Michael Young (F), Jamel Artis, Pittsburgh	43.3
4. Alec Wintering/Jazz Johnson, Portland	41.3
5. Jawun Evans, Jeffrey Carroll, Oklahoma State	40.8

GETTING DEFENSIVE
Head coach Terry Porter and assistant Ben Johnson came from the Dick Bennett coaching tree and defense has been one of the main points of emphasis as Porter has taken over the Portland program. The early returns have been good relative to last season in a variety of defensive categories:
 

Stat	2015-16 (Nat'l Rank)	2016-17 (Nat'l Rank)
Scoring Defense	79.8 (325)	72.3 (194)
FG Pct. Defense	.452 (269)	.400 (81)
3-Pt FG Defense	.381 (326)	.351 (214)
Defensive Rebounding	23.8 (284)	31.2 (11)

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).
 
WINTERING PASSES SPOELSTRA, CONTINUES ASSAULT ON UP CHARTS
Alec Wintering moved past former Pilot and current Miami HEAT head coach Erik Spoelstra into third place on the UP all-time assists chart during a Nov. 18 win over Lewis & Clark. Wintering now has 507 and is on pace to pass Pilot Hall of Fame member and eight-year NBA veteran Darwin Cook for the school record. Wintering earned All-WCC First Team recognition last year after scoring the second most points in single-season Portland history (584). He became the first Pilot in history to record consecutive 30-point games (34 points vs. Pepperdine on Dec. 23, 31 at San Francisco on Dec. 31) and then accomplished the feat a second team earlier this year at the Wooden Legacy (31 vs. Dayton, 36 vs. CSUN). Wintering currently ranks No. 2 all-time for UP in free throws made (435), No. 3 in assists (507) , No. 4 in steals (153), No. 5 in three-point percentage (.414) and is on pace to break the record for games started. Wintering's 1,334 points rank ninth in Portland history, 52 shy of former teammate Kevin Bailey (2011-15).

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 San Jose State 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 six games, Taylor is averaging 13.3 points and a team-high 7.2 rebounds per game. He is playing a career-high 33.7 minutes per game and has logged all 40 minutes against San Jose State and Dayton.
 
JOHNSON THRIVING IN STARTING ROLE
Sophomore G Jazz Johnson played primarily the backup point guard role last year, but this season is starting alongside Alec Wintering and has thrived. He is second on the team in scoring (18.5) and shooting 55 percent from the field, 57 percent from three-point range and 94 percent at the foul line. Johnson was an elite prep scorer at Lake Oswego High School, setting the prestigious Les Schwab Invitational scoring record after averaging 35.5 points per game at the tournament his senior season.

HARTWICH BREAKS OUT
Junior C Philipp Hartwich matched his career-high with seven points and also grabbed nine rebounds in 25 productive minutes on Sunday versus CSUN. Hartwich has earned the starting center position this season and his athleticism resulted in three dunks against the Matadors. Hartwich was previously a standout Team Handball player and member of the German Youth National Team before taking up basketball.

TOUGH SCHEDULE
Portland plays a challenging 2016-17 schedule that includes three Pac-12 opponents. The Pilots already faced No. 14 UCLA and perennial NCAA participant Dayton at the Wooden Legacy. UP will 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.

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 will enroll as a junior next fall.
 
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).

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.

SEEING DOUBLE
Senior C Ray Barreno had 10 first half rebounds and finished with career highs of 15 points and 14 rebounds in Friday's rout of Lewis & Clark. It was Barreno's second career double-double after going for 10 points and 11 rebounds at BYU last year. 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.