(Photo Courtesy Jeff Melby)
By PJ Marcello, Staff Writer -- marcello13@up.edu
After reaching their school record 3rd straight 20-win season, the men's basketball team lost to Hawaii in the opening round of the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament.
The men's team traveled to Oahu for the tournament where they faced the University of Hawaii in the opening round. The Pilots led for much of the first half, but a late 25-12 run put the Warriors up 38-32 at half. From there, the Warriors kept the lead, ending the game in a 76-64 loss for UP.
"It was a learning experience. As a team it was nice to go to Hawaii but we are disappointed with the end result and we have to use it to grow and get better for next year," junior Nem Mitrovic said.
Coming into the game, the Pilots were shooting an impressive 41 percent from beyond the arc. However, against the Warriors the Pilots struggled and only hit 35 percent from three point range.
According to the Pilots, though they came home with a loss, they have a lot of great memories from the season and a lesson from the tournament that will leave them hungry for next year.
"This is the third year in a row that we have made it to the postseason and the third straight year that we lost in the first round of a tournament," junior guard Eric Waterford said. "We want another opportunity and a different outcome."
Overall, the Pilots believe they overachieved this season and are happy with the progress they have made over the past few years.
"A lot of people thought this would be a rebuilding year for us. We take pride in the fact that we aren't just a team with a couple good seasons," Mitrovic said. "It's nice to see the program getting some respect. When I was a freshman, this was a considered a small school without much tradition. It's changing, and I've been able to witness that change."
Next year's seniors are looking to make history by being the most successful class ever for Pilots basketball.
"If we have a good fourth year we'll be the first class with no losing seasons," Waterford said. "The program has come a long way and we want to work hard our last year because we have big goals."
The accomplishments of the past three seasons have re-defined Portland's basketball reputation which has garnered the attention of both media and recruits.
The Pilots will be losing seniors Jared Stohl, Luke Sikma, Kramer Knutson and Jasonn Hannibal this year. To replace them the Pilots have a strong recruiting class this year led by three star prospect Kevin Bailey (whose highlight video is must-see material), three point specialist David Carr and power-forward Dorian Cason.
"We have some key pieces to fill next year and we're excited about the freshman class from this year and the new incoming class," Mitrovic said. "Whether it is a freshman or a returner, we're going to need people to step up and we'll find out who those people will be."
