Guest Post from our outspoken Student Commentator

Here is another guest blog post from our student contributor Marnix Brinkhoff.

My post this week is in response to the disappointing news that Coach Bone has left the Portland State Athletic Department to become a Cougar.

Dear Coach Bone,

It is with great sadness that I write to you to wish you the best of luck at Washington State University.

As a student and fan I will certainly miss your presence on the PSU campus. You were always willing to reciprocate a friendly greeting in passing on campus and you had an amazing style and approach to the game of basketball. It’s unfortunate you made the decision to leave 'Viking Nation' and I hope you have completely thought through your decision, because there are a couple points I would like to mention to you that I thought would have been enough to keep you around.

1) Potential: I understand the stigma and prowess of the Pac10 was enticing, but Viking Nation (with you at the helm) had the potential to be the next Gonzaga or even Memphis.

2) Pullman Sucks: I know you’ve been to Pullman because you have coached in the Northwest your entire career so you must realize what an awful place it is. You will never be able to recruit a Seattle-area product and will be forced to resort with the farmers of Spokane and the other surrounding rural areas.

3) Long-Term: No offense, but I hope you aren’t planning on staying at WSU for long. I hope your plan is to win at that program and step up to a better program, because not even your excellent coaching will be able to sustain a competitive program in the beleaguered WSU Athletic Department.

Again, I wish you all the best even though I think you are making a huge mistake by jumping ship just as you had a consistent program established that had the potential to become the next mid-major powerhouse. I thought you had the potential to be the next Mark Few, but you threw that all away for some larger digits in the paycheck and for that I’m disappointed.

Experienced Xavier ends Vikings season: Xavier uses its size advantage in 77-59 victory over Portland State

The Portland State Vikings dance in the NCAA tournament ended in the first round for the second consecutive season in a 77-59 defeat to a physical, oversized and experienced Xavier team Friday in Boise.

Four Musketeer players scored in double digits, led by senior forward C.J. Anderson who scored ten of his 14 points in the second half.

“Xavier set the tone immediately,” said Portland State head coach Ken Bone. “They were very difficult to stop on one end and hard to get good shots off against on the other.”

PSU found themselves battling from behind early in the first half when Xavier used a 10-0 run to build a 17-7 lead.

However, the Vikings would rally behind inside baskets made by junior forward Jamie Jones and senior point guard Jeremiah Dominguez. The captain would score all of his 13 points in the first half.

Portland State rallied to take a narrow one point lead, 25-24, when senior guard Andre Murray hit a three-pointer with 8:35 remaining. The one point edge was the Vikings only lead in the game.

“The momentum was definitely turning our way when we got the lead,” Murray said. “But after that we kind of beat ourselves.”

Xavier responded with a 16-4 run that resulted in a commanding 40-29 lead. Portland State’s struggled with turnovers all game long and two consecutive giveaways by the Vikings helped Xavier regain the lead and capture the momentum on transition baskets.

The Vikings would get another taste of momentum when Murray drained another three with three seconds remaining in the first half to cut the Xavier lead to just seven points at the break, 42-35.

“Xavier played off their experience playing in the tournament,” Bone said. “They reacted right away whenever we tried to get something going and never panicked.”

In the second half the Atlantic-10 regular season conference champion Xavier used their commanding size advantage to take over the game and put away the underdog Vikings.

Xavier senior guard B.J. Raymond nailed a three-pointer, which was followed by a Derrick Brown alley-oop dunk moments later to give Xavier a 49-37 lead with less than five minutes into the second half.

Portland State never seemed to match the energy that Xavier brought to the game in the second half as the Musketeer lead reached as large as 23.

Xavier’s tenacious defense led to shutouts from two of the Portland State players that the squad had leaned heavily on during the six-game winning streak that preceded the first round game. Junior starting small forward Phil Nelson and junior reserve forward Julius Thomas were each held scoreless.

“I think that we just didn’t have the motivation at the end,” said junior forward Jamie Jones who finished with a team high 16 points. “It was just tough. A tough team, a good team.”

Even though the Vikings were outplayed by a team that on this night, looked far superior, Bone was satisfied with his team’s effort.

“I’m proud of the guys,” he said. “They left everything on the court and we just happened to run into a very good Xavier team. We did the best job we could.”

Xavier advanced to face the winner of the Florida State/Wisconsin first round game on Sunday.

posted by Tom Sedun, Vanguard staff

A Little Different

For junior forward Kyle Coston, this trip to the NCAA Tournament is much different than last year.

One year ago the Vikings were a first-time March Madness participant and a lowly No. 16 seed that was matched up with national powerhouse and No. 1 seed Kansas. And in Omaha, Neb., Portland State was also in close proximity to Lawrence, Kan., where the eventual national champion Jayhawks call home, bringing the Vikings additional media attention and scrutiny from a host of reporters.

Portland State was under the microscope for a litany of reasons. But that is not the same this year in Boise.

Instead of fighting through crowds of TV reporters, radio hosts and print journalists just to speak with one of the team's players or head coach Ken Bone, there were only a few media members in the Vikings' locker room before practice Thursday. 

And while Portland State is still facing off against a program with a proud NCAA Tournament tradition in Xavier, who has made it to the Big Dance eight of the last nine years, the Musketeers are simply not the same caliber squad as Kansas.

"We're not seeing big lights, we're not seeing Kansas--we're seeing Xavier. And we feel like we have a good chance," Coston said. "We're not just a 16 seed."

Aside from everything else, the biggest difference between Portland State's NCAA Tournament appearances is the fact that as a No. 13 seed the Vikings truly do have a chance, as No. 13 seeds are 20-76 since 1985 while a No. 16 seed has never knocked off a top-seeded squad in the opening round.

Coston said the believability factor is certainly a major change from last season, mainly because Xavier actually has weaknesses that the Vikings might be able to exploit. This is something that the coaches have been harping on over the last week and a half, Coston said, as Bone as his staff have searched for ways to manipulate the Musketeers on both the offensive and defensive ends.

"It was fun just to get here last year. But, like the American dream, you always want more," Coston said.

Like Coston, sophomore forward Phil Nelson was looking loose as usual in the Vikings' locker room just minutes before practice on Thursday. Listening to music and hanging out on a sofa with his teammates, Nelson didn't appear to have a worry in the world. And after talking to him it is clear that is actually the case.

"We're feeling alright," Nelson said with a slight smile. "We're excited to be here, but at the same time it's just another game."

Nelson knows Xavier will be a challenge for the Vikings, as he specifically cited the team's length and ability to rebound the ball as strengths, but the Keizer, Ore., native continued to revert back to the Musketeers' proficiency at grabbing boards.

Above all, Nelson and Coston said the Portland State coaching staff has made it absolutely clear that if the Vikings hope to pull off an upset they must limit Xavier to only one opportunity on the offensive end, making snatching defensive rebounds crucial.

"Limiting them to one shot will be key," Nelson said. "That's how the game will end up."

Another key for Portland State will be pushing the ball up court and dictating the tempo to ensure it remains fast-paced throughout the 40-minute ordeal. With excellent size and strength, Coston compares Xavier to a team the Vikings nearly knocked off on the road this season: Washington.

"They are like a UW--athletic and long," Coston said. "And they play in a tougher league than the Big Sky."

However, despite the perceived shortcomings of Big Sky competition, Coston believes the Vikings have been tested enough times this season to put forth a valiant effort against Xavier. Coston is high on the Vikings non-conference schedule--headlined by matchups with Gonzaga, Washington and Baylor--and thinks the adversity the Vikings endured in those games will benefit them substantially when they walk on the floor in a few hours.

"Our preseason schedule was really designed for us to get to the tournament and play a team like this," Coston said.

Can the confident Vikings pull an upset? Thoughts from Thursday’s shootaround from Taco Bell Arena

The Portland State players have never lacked a confident attitude in what so far has been a roller coaster of a season. On Thursday the No. 13 seeded team from the South Park Blocks came into Boise determined to compete.

But one underlying question regarding this team is, can they play their best basketball game of the season for 40 minutes and defeat no. 4 seeded Xavier, who is playing in their fourth consecutive NCAA tournament.

“Last year we were just happy to get the 16 seed,” said senior guard Andre Murray in a press conference before practice. “But now we’re coming here hungry. We’re looking to get a win or two.”

In order for the Vikings to reach their goal of the second round, they will have to take down a tough and much bigger Xavier squad.

The Musketeers are led by Senior guard B.J. Raymond who averages 14 points per game and played a significant role in the team’s run to the Elite Eight last season.

“When you look at his statistics, the senior season that he’s had arguably is one of the best that we have had in recent times at Xavier,” said Musketeers head coach Sean Miller, who is in his fifth season coaching the team from Cincinatti.

The Vikings took the court at Boise State’s Taco Bell Arena for a brief practice at 5:55 Mountain Standard Time Thursday evening.

Players rotated taking shots and ran various full court drills.Throughout the practice, the players were quiet and seemed to be playing very hesitantly as they adjusted to the new scene.

Unlike their opponent who ran practice about 90 minutes prior to Portland State, the Xavier players were very loose and acted off their prior NCAA tournament experiences.

One advantage the Vikings do have over Xavier is their ability to run the floor. If the Vikings want to compete in tomorrow’s game they must out-run Xavier and get transition buckets.

“I would like us to initiate the tempo of the game, try to get out, try to push it, see if we can’t get a good look at the basket in transition,” said Portland State head coach Ken Bone.

A few thoughts about the game:

I expect senior point guard Jeremiah Dominguez to have a solid game. The Big Sky tournament MVP has willed this team back to the NCAA tournament.

The defensive matchup against BJ Raymond will be interesting. It is unclear which Portland State defender will start off on Raymond although it will most likely be junior wing Phil Nelson. Junior forward Kyle Coston has played solid defense of late, in particular a nice effort in the conference championship game against Montana State

The Vikings Big men vs. Xavier Big men: If Jamie Jones and Julius Thomas can out run Xavier’s Jared Love, the Vikings can have easy scoring opportunities in transition.

Waters-Thomas combination: The Vikings bench will have to outplay Xavier’s lack of depth. In the conference tournament Dominic Waters and Julius Thomas connected frequently, with Waters dishing out brilliant assists that typically resulted in highlight dunks from Thomas.

Posted by Tom Sedun, Vanguard staff
All photos taken by Rodrigo Melgarejo, Vanguard photographer

Reporting From Xavier's Practice

Just moments ago head coach Sean Miller and the Xavier Musketeers flooded onto the court here in Boise. Only minutes into the Musketeers 40-minute shootaround, it is clear Portland State will have its hands full when the teams face off in tomorrow's opening round matchup.

Throughout the practice I will note observations about the Musketeers.

-Raymond might be a problem

Senior wingman B.J. Raymond is likely to give whichever Viking matches up with him fits. At 6-6, 226 pounds, Raymond is thick and muscular in a way that would describe only a few Vikings. On top of that, the All-Atlantic-10 First Team player shoots an impressive 42 percent from the three-point line, making him that much more dangerous.

Portland State forward Phil Nelson possesses comparable height, however, the primary difference is that the 6-foot-7 Keizer, Ore., native's frame is much leaner than Raymond's. If head coach Ken Bone opts to assign Nelson the tough task of guarding Raymond, then Portland State's best hope is that Nelson's long arms will help alter some of the his three-point attempts. When it comes to covering Raymond inside the arc, Nelson will likely need some help from the weak side, which will probably come from Jamie Jones or Julius Thomas from the paint.

-The comfort factor

It goes without saying that Xavier's recent tradition of participating in the March Madness festivities, appearing in the NCAA Tournament eight of the last nine years, gives the Musketeers a decisive advantage over a Portland State program making its second ever trip to the Big Dance.

With all of that experience playing on a stage that only the NCAA Tournament can create, Xavier is frankly more familiar with the pressures of competing in important games in March. The Musketeers have been exposed to the media attention, hectic travel schedule and hassle of quickly preparing for a team located on the other side of the country. And it certainly shows.

The Musketeers appear loose, laughing with one another and taking things in stride before the coaches broke up the party by demanding pristine execution during all the drills. While it is difficult to precisely articulate, it's evident through their body language -- and the fact that they spent the final five minutes of practice shooting half-court shots -- that Xavier's players and coaches are unfazed by the scene of the NCAA Tournament.

It will be interesting to see whether Portland State looks nearly as comfortable during its practice this evening.

-Stronger

The Musketeers have some solid shooters, their guards look fairly quick and they possesses size down low, but the most alarming reality for those close to Portland State is Xavier's sheer strength. Nearly every player on the roster has the appearance of a part-time trainer, especially a few of the wingmen--such as the aforementioned Raymond, C.J. Anderson and Derrick Brown--who should prove to be difficult assignments for their Viking counterparts.
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Earlier this season Portland State dropped a couple respectable losses to teams comparable to Xavier in the strength category in Washington and Baylor. In both of those games the Vikings had trouble stymieing their bigger, more powerful opponents in the paint, leaving golden opportunities for the Huskies and Bears to capitalize.

If Portland State hopes to stop history from repeating itself Friday evening, then the Vikings must employ an up-tempo, energized attack that allows them to beat the Musketeers with their legs rather than being beat by Xavier's superior arms. This is how the Vikings neutralized Boise State's big men back in February, with ballhawking defense that turned into easy fastbreaks and a quick-but-accurate-trigger on the offensive end.

Early Morning Pontificating From Boise

Boise State Univeristy

Earlier this evening the Vanguard arrived here in Boise. And after chowing down on dinner downtown and making a quick stop by Fred Meyer to pick up some last-second essentials, everything is winding down and most of the "Tournament Team" members are resting up for tomorrow's practice sessions.

However, while it is approaching midnight, I find myself in a coffee-induced state of perkiness. Joined in Boise by sports editor Skyler Archibald, beat reporter Tom Sedun and photographer Rodrigo Melgarejo, I already believe this trip to the NCAA Tournament is different for Portland State. At least it feels that way.

As the only member of this quartet that traveled to Omaha to cover the Vikings' initial foray into the depths of March Madness, I have a bit of perspective. Excitement fueled the tournament appearance last season. The team was thrilled to have "Portland State" inscribed across an official NCAA Tournament sign outside its locker room and appeared content just to share the floor with Kansas.

That overwhelming sense of excitement seems to be tempered this time around. Like Ken Bone and his team, I have experienced March Madness up close before, and this trip is defined more by a feeling of legitimacy and respect for the program developing in Portland's South Park Blocks rather than over-the-top excitement. And that starts with the athletic administration and flows directly down to the players.

Speaking of the players, Jeremiah Dominguez, Phil Nelson, Andre Murray and Co. will step on the floor at Taco Bell Arena slightly after 4 p.m. Pacific Time for a rather brief shootaround that better resembles a football walk-through than an actual practice.

In Omaha, the vast majority of the players were tense and reserved during in a similar mini practice session. Forward Kyle Coston was one of the few players that broke out of his shell, unleashing a handful of tantalizing dunks to entertain the scanty number of spectators that where on hand. But outside of Coston, the flashes of a team that had dominated its conference and deserved to have a chip on its shoulder were limited.

When the Vikings faced off against Kansas the following morning it was evident the uncomfortableness strolled on the court with them. With that said, we will know much more about how Portland State is feeling this year, and, as a result, what the Vikings' chances are of upsetting a solid Xavier squad.

If my faculties are functioning properly, I have a hunch Bone will have his players better prepared, both mentally and physically, and the Vikings will stroll onto the court a much more confident bunch than they did last year. It feels more like business--not pleasure--this time around.

But we will have a better idea if that is truly the case tomorrow. Check back throughout the day, but certainly frequent the blog and http://www.dailyvanguard.com/ Web site in the late evening for the lowdown on practice, a pulse on the team's mood and an in-depth examination of Xavier.

--Nathan Hellman

Vikings matched up with Xavier in first round: Portland State earns a No. 13 seed and will face the Musketeers in Boise on Friday

The Vikings learned what a difference one year makes on Sunday afternoon when the NCAA Tournament Selection Committee slotted the repeat Big Sky Champions as a surprising 13 seed and rewarded head coach Ken Bone’s squad with a first round game in Boise, Idaho.

Last season, the Vikings rolled through the Big Sky Conference and tournament but lacked a signature non-conference win and were seeded No. 16 leading to a difficult first round matchup with eventual national champion Kansas.

But this year, a December victory against Gonzaga coupled with a Portland State victory for the second consecutive year at the Big Sky Tournament earned the Vikings a much-improved and more winnable game against Xavier of the Atlantic-10 Conference.

The Musketeers seemed like a lock for a better seed until they were upset by Temple in the A-10 Semifinals on Friday. They boast a 25-7 record and were 12-4 in conference play.

Included in those seven defeats were losses at Duke, Duquesne, Dayton, Charlotte, Temple and Richmond. The Musketeers lost only one home game all season, on Dec. 23 (the same day the Vikings defeated Gonzaga) to Butler. Three of their seven losses came to NCAA Tournament teams but Xavier has posted impressive wins over Missouri, Virginia Tech, Memphis, Auburn, Cincinnati and Virginia.

Xavier is led in scoring by 6-6 senior forward B.J. Raymond who averages 14.1 points per game and shoots 42 percent from beyond the three-point arc. Junior forward Derrick Brown provides the interior presence for the Musketeers averaging 13.8 points and 6 rebounds per game.

The matchup will be the first in the history of the two schools and the Vikings have never faced an opponent from the Atlantic 10. Game time for the first round contest has yet to be announced.

Portland State and Xavier will join Florida State, Wisconsin, Marquette, Utah State, Missouri and Cornell in first round games at Taco Bell Arena on the campus of Boise State University.

Vikings need to find identity starting tonight

The Portland State men’s basketball team entered this season with high and expected expectations. And it seemed that all those expectations were going to be true to form for instance when the team beat Gonzaga on the road and got off to a 6-1 Big Sky conference start. However the Vikings have lost 4 out of their last 6 and getting to March Madness for a second year in a row seems doubtful.



All year the team has been clinging to the words of energy and effort. I believe that more times than not both of those ingredients have been there for the Vikings. However what is missing for this team is consistency and an identity.

The team has struggled to find a dominant scorer to rely on day in and day out. Phil Nelson is defiantly not that scorer; he has not scored in double digits in the last four games.

It seems that Jeremiah Dominguez senses this lack of consistency and is putting the team’s performance on his shoulders. But there is too much talent on this team for one player to carry. Jamie Jones can score in the paint, and Andre Murray can be an aggressive scorer only when he wants to be.

Fact of the matter is that that Vikings are in a rare position to build an established identity this late into a season. I think coach Bone believes it and is banking on the fact that his team can build momentum into the conference tournament. Only problem is that the result of trying to prove something this late can either work out brilliantly or fail miserably.

Tonight against Northern Colorado will be the first chance for PSU start playing with consistency and a changed identity.

Posted by Tom Sedun, Vanguard staff

Gonzaga who? Vikings take down #7 ranked Bulldogs

Sad to admit this, and I feel like the current weather situation is one of the few excuses that would keep the sports staff at the Vanguard from doing their job, but we were not able to make it to Spokane for the huge game on Tuesday.

Nevertheless, the Vikings earned their first victory over Gonzaga in 31 years and Portland State's biggest victory since joining the Division I ranks.

The Vikings battled the odds and made Gonzaga look ordinary on Tuesday night. Senior point guard Jeremiah Dominguez looked as good as anybody that has ever played on The Kennel court and somehow head coach Ken Bone and co. motivated the troops to a huge victory.

Some Notes:
--The Vikings won without playing a perfect game. While Dominguez was terrific and Nelson, Waters and Murray were solid, Jamie Jones did not have his best game and continues to struggle against bigger opponents.

Kyle Coston was a non-factor as was his replacement Tyrell Mara. On the other side of the coin, Julius Thomas played great with a ton of energy and the performances of the four perimeter players was enough to overcome.

--Coming into the game and thus far this season much had been said about the depth of the Bulldogs and rightfully so. Gonzaga has at least six players on the roster that could play somewhere professionally and a couple with a good chance to end up in the league.

But somehow the Vikings mitigated that strength tonight. While I often question Bone's frequent substitution pattern, it looked terrific. The fresh bodies seemed to confuse Gonzaga or at least slow their powerful offense down.

-- Everyone is talking about how easy it would have been for Bone to ask Gonzaga coach Mark Few to reschedule the game or just cancel it based on the travel difficulties. But Bone knew that if they were to reschedule, it would likely be when Gonzaga school was in session, meaning that the Gonzaga students would be making their presence felt.

I don't think that the Vikings would have gotten blown out because of the crowd, but the game would have certainly had a different vibe.

--I know that the game was only televised on Fox Sports Northwest and there probably were not a lot of Portland State fans who even made time for the game, let alone your average Joe plumber...

But please, please, can we get some professional announcers to call games. Is it Fox Sports Northwest or Fox Sports Washington/Gonzaga.

Honestly, I can handle the homerism.

But what is hard to take is the constant mispronunciation of names: calling Jeremiah Dominguez Jr Dominguez, mistaking Tyrell Mara for Phil Nelson on occasion and there were surely other announcer goof-ups.

--Portland State looked ultra sharp in their green jerseys. The Vikings got all new basketball jerseys this year and have white, black and green to choose from. I have been waiting for the squad to bust the green's out as it seems like the school's main color has been bypassed by Glanville's preference for black. I could not find a picture of the green jersey's but they are similar in shade and style to Michigan State which you can see here.