Portland State Outlook

It's time to get ready for the Big Sky season again with some overviews of each team this month, and then eventually we'll get into more detailed looks at everything. You should supplement this article with a post on the PSU website, which also has a great and detailed look at the team.

What They Lost: The biggest loss the Vikings are likely to feel comes from inside, where Kyle Richardson had a great senior year and really established himself inside in his lone season for PSU. He was a good inside scorer and rebounder, especially on the offensive glass. At times, he was the only big man that they could count on (though they should have more depth there this year), and really was a big reason why they were as successful as they were.

They also lost a couple of the backcourt contributors. Dre Winston would have been a senior, and he had a nice year for them. He shot a blistering 62% inside the arc, and was very good at getting to the foul line. While they have the depth to overcome that loss, he was a good player and would have contributed. Marcus Hall was another guy that could do some things for them, as he shot 39% from downtown last season. Both guys were good Big Sky players.

Who Returns: Even with those backcourt losses, they should still have ample depth, talent, and experience. They have three senior guards, all of whom could start and will play big roles. Tim Douglas is the PG, and he had his moments in his first year after transferring from Portland. He only shot 39% on twos, and can hit from outside. DaShaun Wiggins was co-sixth man of the year last year, and he gets to the line about as well as anyone in the country. His rate of fouls drawn ranked fourth in the nation, and he shot 76% when he did get there. Combined with his ability to hit from outside and his low turnover rate, and he could be PSU's best player this season. Gary Winston rounds out that trio of senior guards, and he is in his fourth year in the program. He is one of the best shooters in the conference, and is better off the bounce than you might expect.

Brandon Cataldo has always had hints of his potential, but he is running out of time to show it. If he can get minutes, he is a good inside scorer and rebounder (his offensive rebounding rate is huge), but he struggles to remain on the court due to injury, conditioning, and foul issues. However, he could be a really good player. One other returner of note is guard Zach Gengler, who showed potential as a marksman as a freshman. He made 11/22 from deep last year.

Newcomers: Tiegbe Bamba is a guy they hoped would make an impact last year, but he was never able to get healthy. He is 6'6'' but very athletic, and it wouldn't be a surprise to see him start at the 4. He could be one of the top newcomers in the Big Sky. Another guy they are excited about is Bryce White, who is a sophomore after transferring from Chemeketa CC. He averaged over 27 PPG last year, and led the team in scoring during their foreign trip.

Helping provide depth inside will be Collin Spickerman, a JUCO transfer who averaged 18 and 9 last year for his junior college. He could start right away for them. Dorian Cason and Braxton Tucker are two other JUCO transfers that will provide depth up front. If there is any more playing time in the backcourt, the first of those minutes will likely go to Sebastian Suarez. He redshirted last season, and the junior was billed as being an excellent shooter. Freshman Iziahiah Sweeney could also get some time, though he is also a redshirt possibility. He is an athletic combo guard.

General Outlook: Last year, PSU snuck up on some teams in the second half of the conference season, eventually making the Big Sky tournament and upsetting Montana in the opening round. They did it playing three and four guard lineups, in part due to necessity. However, they should me more talented and deep in the frontcourt this season, which is a reason they think they can win the conference. I see them residing closer to the second tier (four to six range) than the top, but it wouldn't be a shock if they did wind up competing for the Big Sky crown. Their backcourt is talented and experienced, and the frontcourt should get better and better as the year goes on.

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Who Will Join Aaron Moore in Portland State's Frontcourt?

Last season, Aaron Moore was a revelation for Portland State, as one of the best newcomers in the Big Sky. He was an efficient offensive player and one of the best rebounders in the conference. Clearly, he is the centerpiece of what the Vikings will try to do in the frontcourt this season.

But who will join him upfront? Let's take a quick look at the other pieces that PSU in the frontcourt.

I think the most likely to start might be newcomer Tiegbe Bamba. Bamba is 6'6'', an undersized but athletic four man in the mold of many guys that Tyler Geving has had over the past few years. Last year at Midland College, he averaged over 11 points and 7 rebounds per game. He is said to play above the rim, and is a high energy guy. While not an overly skilled offensive player, I think he has a chance to make a big impact.

Another newcomer is Kyle Richardson, a transfer from Long Beach State. While he put underwhelming numbers last season, he did start five games for a good team last year. He is eligible to play right away after completing his degree at LBSU. He should provide nice depth for the Vikings, and it wouldn't be a shock to see him start with his experience.

Lamont Prosser will be a senior this year, but had a disappointing first season with PSU. He is 6'8'' and 275 pounds, with bulk that not a lot of guys in the conference have. He needs to get into better shape, and he could have a chance to start. Even though he didn't always show it last year, he has some good offensive skills and has the talent to be a good contributor.

The other returnee is Brandon Cataldo, who is a junior in his fourth year in the program (He broke his leg in his senior year of high school which caused him to redshirt his first year). He is starting to get back full movement and dexterity, and should get better. He is a skilled player with a solid post game and good passing skills, but he also struggles with some conditioning. He has the potential to be a solid starter, but I'm not sure if he will ever get there consistently or not.

The other possible contributor is freshman Kyle Benton, who should contribute right away. He has inside/outside versatility, and can step out and hit the three ball. He put up big numbers in high school (over 12 rebounds per game), and should be a very good player in time. He might not start this year, but he could be their next frontcourt star.

Any thoughts on the Vikings frontcourt?

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A Look at Portland State

Portland State's website had a great preview article, so let's take a look at it. If you are interested in learning about the Vikings I encourage you to read it all, it is nice and thorough.

Odum, a 6-foot guard, averaged a team-high 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists while shooting .524 from the field. Those numbers improved to 15.3, 3.7, 2.9 and .565 in league games, earning him second team All-Big Sky Conference.

Odum is the star of the backcourt, and he could be a first team Conference player this season. He was a very efficient scorer and solid distributor in his first year for the Vikings. If he can improve his ballhandling and outside shoot a bit, we will be talking about him with Damian Lillard and Will Cherry as the top guards in the Big Sky.

Tapscott is a good shooter inside and out and also gets to the free throw line with regularity.

“Chehales has a chance to be All-Conference this year. We went 1-5 without him (while injured), so you could make a case that he was our best player last season,” said Geving.

I have written quite a bit about Chehales Tapscott on this site, and think he could be the best post man in the Conference, even if he is not really a true post (at 6'5''). He is the leading rebounder in the Conference, and I think he will be first-team Big Sky. Look for him to become a household name, as he can score in a variety of ways.

Harthun is a 6-3 transfer from Washington State who will ably step into a perimeter shooter role. Although he never got his career going at WSU, Harthun is a proven scorer and winner. As a senior at South Medford (OR) High School, he averaged 21.0 points and six assists per game. He was a three-time All-Conference and All-State performer, scoring 1,949 points as a four-year starter, which ranks second in school history behind former teammate Kyle Singler, who is now in the NBA. Harthun will be particularly valuable due to the graduation of shooters Melvin Jones and Phil Nelson.

Michael Harthun has a lot of talent but didn't produce much in his last stop. He's got the ability to be a difference maker for the Vikings if he used the redshirt year to his advantage. His development will be a key factor for them.

The third returning redshirt is 6-10 center Brandon Cataldo. After missing his senior season of high school with a broken leg, Cataldo needed a year to recover and improve his conditioning. However, in that redshirt year he proved to be a very skilled big man, with good footwork, good hands, passing and shooting ability. If he continues to progress and improve his conditioning, Cataldo will form an excellent big-man tandem with Lozeau.

I think Cataldo could be a big-time talent for Portland State, and a guy not many fans knowing going into the season. He is very skilled and polished as the article says, and if he can stay in shape and stay healthy he could be huge for the Vikings. Watch for Cataldo this year.

First and foremost, Geving cited the need for a pure point guard, and believes he got his man with junior transfer Lateef McMullan. “I feel really good about the point guard spot. We got a real competitor. A tough kid who is a winner. He's also played Division I basketball before.

I have been hearing lots of raving about McMullan, who averaged about 16 PPG and 4 APG last season. He also has Divison I experience, as he played his freshman year at UC Riverside.

There is a lot more good info on incoming recruits in the article, and more on all of the players, including a lot of good quotes from Coach Tyler Geving. I have picked them third in the Big Sky this year, because I think the nucleus of Odum and Tapscott will be complemented well by guys like Harthun, Cataldo, and McMullan. If nothing else, Portland State should be fun to watch, because they will probably again lead the Big Sky in scoring.

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Could Portland State Win the Big Sky?

Recently we looked at who might be the third best team in the Big Sky, considering for the sake of the argument that Weber State and Montana would be 1-2. In the post, I consider Portland State perhaps the favorite to be 3rd.

But Craw's Corner has gone a step further, making a bold prediction that Portland State would win the Big Sky:

The Portland State Vikings will win the Big Sky championship this year in men's basketball. Yes those Vikings who play in a clean, sparkling, but awfully small arena, the Stott Center, which is seldom filled, but as noted, has the best band of any school in the country, with the band having an average of what I would guess 50 years old.

While Portland State is long on talent, I personally don't see them winning the Big Sky, and here is why:

- Coach Tyler Geving may someday be a very good coach, but he is not there yet. He is only 38, and after two seasons (albeit marred by some messes left by Ken Bone), there has been one thing about his resume that has stood out - PSU has been terrible defensively. Two years ago they had an AdjD of 112.4 (meaning opponents scored 112.4 points per 100 possessions against the Vikings), which was 338th in the country. Last year, they were down to 113.8, which ranked 334th in the NCAA. I don't care what league you are in, that will not get it done. They need to emphasize defense, and Geving hasn't shown yet that he can do that.

- They don't have a ton of experienced depth. Charles Odum and Chehales Tapscott are their senior leaders. Michael Harthun and Brandon Cataldo are talented but it's tough to say how good they will be. Lateef McMullan looks like he will be a solid contributor coming in as a JUCO. But what will their depth look like? I'm not sure.

- I think Weber State is actually going to be very good this year. Craw says it's "easy to win the Big Sky," but I don't think it will be easy at all to beat Weber State this year. They will be deep at all positions, they have great shooters, and they have an excellent coach in Randy Rahe. To top it off, you know they will be hungry after their preseason top ranking in the Big Sky was derailed by the injury to Damian Lillard. He will be back, and they will be good.

What are all of your thoughts? Does Portland State really have a chance to win the Big Sky?

What Will Brandon Cataldo Provide For Portland State?

I think there's a chance Portland State could make the leap up to third in the Big Sky Conference this season, but they are going to need some guys to step up. They should know what they are going to get from Charles Odum and Chehales Tapscott. We have looked at Michael Harthun and what he could bring to the table this year.

The other key piece could be Brandon Cataldo.

Cataldo is a 6'10'' redshirt freshman out of Rainier, OR. He got injured his senior year of high school (with a broken leg) and spent last year working on his game and getting back into shape, according to the school website. He has the potential to be a great Big Sky player.

Going into his senior year, he was the 10th ranked high school center in the country, and the 2nd highest ranked center on the west coast (though his rankings dropped a little bit because of the injury, pre-injury he was behind some guy named Josh Smith, who might be the best player in the Pac-12 this year). As a junior he was the conference player of the year in his high school conference.

He was a bit of a late riser as a high schooler, but if he can get back to his former shape and explosiveness, he will be one of the top bigs in the Conference. He has excellent hands and moves well for a big man (he has had some weight issues in the past). He is a solid passer as well. Unlike some guys that like to play on the perimeter, he is a true post player that is not afraid to get dirty.

Cataldo will be one of the more interesting stories in the Big Sky this year. If he is back 100% (or close to it), a front-line that involves Tapscott and Cataldo could easily be the best in the Big Sky.