|
Jan. 17,
2005
VIKINGS
EXPLORING NEW TERRITORY
 It
wasn’t that long ago that the Portland State
basketball program didn’t even have uniforms.
There was nothing to show prospective recruits,
heading into the 1996-97 season because the Viking
ship hadn’t sailed since 1981. The basketball
program was dormant for nearly fifteen years, but
in 2004 it’s alive and well.
Over the weekend Heath Schroyer’s Vikings posted
their school-best eighth straight win, downing
Eastern Washington, 70-59. PSU is now 12-4 overall
and 4-0 in the Big Sky Conference, with each of
its four wins being by double-digits. Moran
Wootten disciple Schroyer made steady progress
through his first two seasons and it’s all coming
together in year three. And now the resurrected
program is the favorite to earn the league’s
automatic berth to the NCAA tournament, which
would be the first in school history.
“The key to winning any conference is the team who
can get a little bit better every day, says
Schroyer, and that’s our goal. We’re not paying
attention to anything else except trying to get a
little bit better every day.”
One of the biggest keys for PSU has been the
simple fact that this is the first that Schroyer
has had a full compliment of players. As is often
the case when a new coach takes over, players
transferred. Functioning under the now-defunct 8/5
rule, Schroyer was unable to fill the gaps. A year
later he lost Seamus Boxley and Marshal Hartman to
season-ending injuries in December.
Despite four straight losing seasons (dating back
to former coach Joel Sobotka), there was reason
for optimism, heading into the 2004-05 campaign.
There would be more home games than in any
previous season. It was a senior-oriented squad
and Boxley, a preseason Mid-Major All-American,
was back.
“I think every coach goes into the year and your
goal is to compete and win a championship,” says
Schroyer. “I think our seniors have stepped up and
provided really good leadership. I think that’s
the difference.”
In addition to Boxley, Will Funn, Antone Jarell
and Blake Walker have all stepped up this season
to provide a solid senior foundation. Junior
College transfer Jake Schroeder has fit in well
and Scott Morrison is emerging as one of the
better freshmen among mid-major rookies in
America. Individually, each brings something
unique to floor. And collectively, they play as
one.
“The nice thing about this team is we come to
practice every day and they are ready to practice,
Shroyer says. “I think I’ve only kicked them out
of the gym once or twice this year. Usually this
time of year it’s about five or six. I think
that’s what you get when you have seniors.”
The high expectations, which earned them a
preseason No. 2 pick in the Big Sky, had them on
many radar screens. But many forgot about the
Viking ship after they opened the season with two
straight losses. They quickly got back on course,
winning 10-of-12, but Detractors might point out
that PSU didn’t have many so-called impressive
wins. Furthermore, contrary to the life of most
mid-major programs, PSU spent most of December at
home.
A quick conclusion would be that it was a perfect
recipe to compile a deceiving record. But upon
further review you would discover that this team
has talent and watching them play should impress.
“What people don’t realize is the last two years
we had to go on the road almost the whole
preseason in order to get some home games the
following year,” says Schroyer. “It just so
happened some teams pushed the games back and we
were able to get some home games this year. The
one thing that has been nice for us is over the
Christmas break we were able to stay home and able
to get better every day because we weren’t
traveling. Without school being in session it
allowed us to spend a lot of time watching film as
a team and just being on the floor.”
The bottom line here is that wins are wins. There
are no columns in the standings for wins that some
think aren’t impressive. The luxury of a recent
seven-game homestand helped to instill confidence
in this group. All too often mid-major programs
travel too much in order to foot the bill for the
athletic department. It often results in -- not
just a bad record -- but tired legs and a
confidence that doesn’t get repaired in conference
play.
During the month of December this team really came
together. Schoeder and Morrison have gotten more
comfortable in their roles and the seniors have
provided the leadership. Last season PSU need
Boxley to put up big numbers for them to have any
chance at victory. This season it’s a group
effort.
“I think we are at a point where we are a little
more balanced,” says Schroyer. “The biggest key
for us is our seniors come to play. I don’t know
any coach who doesn’t like to have seniors who are
returning. That’s what’s good about our basketball
team. If those four [seniors] have solid nights,
then I like our chances.”
It’s only the early stages of conference play, but
PSU figures to be at or near the top when the
regular season ends. And, in the Big Sky, the
regular season champion hosts the conference
tournament, gaining an automatic berth in the
semi-finals. Those are pretty nice prospects for a
program that didn’t have uniforms just a few short
years ago. |