Top 20 Departing: #18 Michael Harthun

I am counting down the top 20 players that are departing the Big Sky via graduation, transfer, or any other way.

When Michael Harthun came to Portland State after starting his career at Washington State, he was billed as being an excellent shooter. To that end, he definitely did not disappoint during his two years as a Viking.

In his junior year, Harthun shot a solid 42.5% from deep, which is good. As a senior, he upped that to 45.2%, which was good for fourth in the Big Sky. He was one of the best shooters in the conference. His efficient offensive play went beyond the three-point shooting, as he also shot 52% on twos, and 83% from the FT line. This game him an ORtg of 117.7, which was sixth in the conference.

His offensive efficiency and ability to space the floor (61.6% TS%) will be missed by the PSU offense.

He took fairly good care of the ball, and his assist rate was pretty average for his position. However, he didn't add much on the glass, with a 2.0 OR% and 7.9 DR%. Like most of the Vikings, defense was not his strong suit either.

However, he makes the cut as one of the best 20 players leaving the conference because he played his role well, as offensive spacer and efficient role player. Every team needs those type of guys, and so Tyler Geving and Portland State has to be happy with the production Harthun gave them the past two seasons.

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Montana State @ Portland State Quarterfinal Preview and Prediction

The Big Sky Tournament is finally upon us! On Saturday, there will be two quarterfinal games being played. In the three vs six matchup, we will see Montana State travel to take on Portland State. Let's break it down and offer up a prediction.

PREVIOUS MATCHUPS
You wouldn't guess this, but it has been Montana State that has swept the season series. They beat Portland State 86-73 in late December, and then 70-65 in late January.

BACKCOURT
Portland State is led by all-conference player Charles Odum, who is second in the conference in scoring. He is an excellent offensive player, and he shoots 62% from inside the arc, an astounding number for a 6'0'' guard. He is a master at getting in the lane and to the line, where he has shot more than seven FTs per game (making 83% of them). He is flanked by Lateef McMullan, who struggled early in the year but has had some nice moments. They need more consistent play from him, but he is capable of producing. Michael Harthun is in the wing spot, and he has been a quietly efficient player. He shoots 43% from downtown, and doesn't take much off the table.

Montana State has been hurt by attrition. Jamie Stewart was academically ineligible, and of course Xavier Blount got injured in an off-court incident. That has stretched their depth. Rod Singleton is their (much-maligned, by fans) senior leader and PG, but he turns it over more than he gets assists. Shawn Reid has stepped into the lineup in Blount's absense and been probably their best player over the last month. He is a guy they look to as their go-to scorer. Christian Moon is a nice outside shooter, but he has been slumping a bit. If he starts to hit some shots, they will have a chance.

EDGE: I give the edge to Portland State simply because they have Charles Odum. He is a difference-maker.

FRONTCOURT
MSU usually starts Mohammed Fall and Tre Johnson in the post, two guys that have different skill sets. Fall is an athletic guy, solid defender and rebounder, and a guy that cleans up on the offensive glass with putbacks. He is one of the best shot blockers in the conference, and a guy that can cause teams problems down low. Tre Johnson is more offensive minded, and is a little bit better at creating shots.

For PSU, they are led by Chehales Tapscott, another first teamer and probably the best frontcourt player in the Big Sky. He does it all for the Viks. He is a solid scorer, the best rebounder in the Big Sky, one of the best shot blockers, and also gets his fair share of steals. He is a fun guy to watch, and the conference will miss him. He is joined in the frontcourt by Nate Lozeau, a guy that started out the year very strong, but has had less of impact as the season has gone on. Still, he is a big man that rebounds and shoots a very nice percentage.

EDGE: I give Portland State a slight edge in this one, because Tapscott is just that good.

BENCH
Portland State has the best bench player in the game and one of the best in the conference in Renado Parker, an adept scorer and rebounder. He has a chance to be a 15/8 player next year and forms a formidable offensive duo with Tapscott. Gary Winston has been a nice player in the backcourt for them, showing a nice outside touch. He is a likely starter next year and can be a solid bench player for them.

Montana State, as we've said, struggles with depth because of their personnel losses. Mike Dison is their lone backcourt sub that gets a lot of time, but he struggles to make an impact as a freshman. In the frontcourt, Jeff Budinich is a nice player. He has a sneaky solid outside shot, and his high release means he can get shots off almost whenever he wants. Jourdain Allou is a solid, athletic big that is a good offensive rebounder and efficient scorer.

EDGE: This one is too close to call, so I will say even. Each team has one or two guys that can make plays off the bench, but they are not very deep. The starters will decide this game.

WHO WINS
These are two teams trending in opposite directions. The Vikings have won six straight conference games, while the Bobcats have won once in their last nine games. As I have been saying (including on a podcast with Gidal), MSU relies heavily on Shawn Reid and Christian Moon for their scoring, but they are not necessarily ready for those roles.

Portland State, meanwhile, is well defined in that they have their two stars (Odum and Tapscott), and then everyone else falls in after that. They will be the two best players on the court, and combined with the fact that this game is in Portland, I like the Vikings to win this game.

PORTLAND STATE 80, MONTANA STATE 70

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Portland State Tops Northern Colorado

In a game between two of the best offenses in the Big Sky, Portland State was able to come to Greeley and get a huge road win over Northern Colorado, beating the Bears 86-75. The Vikings jumped out to a 49-36 halftime lead and never let go in the second half, improving to 2-3 in the Big Sky.

Interestingly, the Vikings have relied on getting inside all year, but they won this game with their outside shooting.

Portland State entered the game as the best shooting team in the Big Sky Conference at .480 from the field, but the worst three-point shooting team in the Big Sky at .292. The most threes the Vikings had made in any game all season was seven. But they reached that mark within the first 15 minutes and made 13 for the night. PSU shot .619 from distance and .617 overall.

They got a great effort from the guards tonight, as all of them were rolling. Charles Odum had 22 points (7/9 shooting, 2/4 3PT), Lateef McMullan had the best game of his Division I career with 20 points, 6 assists, and 5 rebounds. Michael Harthun threw in 18 points, and Gary Winston even threw in 11 points (and 3 threes) off the bench. It was a group effort, and the potent offense shows the rest of the Big Sky that they are still capable of beating anyone.

Northern Colorado was simply above average offensively, which unfortunately for them was not enough to get it done. They had great balance, as both Mike Proctor and Connor Osborne led the way with 16 points. Surprising that UNC was able to control the inside. Elliott Lloyd (13) and Tevin Svihovec (11) were also in double figures for the Bears.

With the win, PSU has some momentum, and are showing that they might be able to fulfill some of that preseason promise. UNC lost, but they can't be too discouraged after this one (except maybe with their defensive effort). They ran into a team that made 13/21 from downtown even though they aren't much of an outside shooting team. They should be okay as well.

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Portland State Falls to Oregon

Portland State traveled to Eugene on Monday night, and they lost 79-70 to a solid Oregon team. After coming back from a deficit to cut the lead to as little as three, they just didn't have enough to get over the hump to secure what would have been a huge road win.

Michael Harthun hit a three from the deep corner with 1:25 to play and it was 71-68. Then, Oregon's Devoe Joseph responded by hitting a tough, driving shot to hold the Vikings off.

"That was a tough shot. I thought we played pretty good defense. We just needed to get one stop. We get one there and the game changes," said Head Coach Tyler Geving.

The Vikings had four players in double figures, led by 16 from Chehales Tapscott. But they couldn't overcome too tough performances from their stars.

Charles Odum shot just 4/13 from the field, uncharacteristic for him because he is a very efficient player. Big man Nate Lozeau also struggled to get anything going, finishing with 4 points and 5 rebounds before fouling out.

Portland State will have no time to stew over this game, as they have a big home one against Cal State Bakersfield on Thursday. The Vikings still sit at 5-4, but they don't have a lot of impressive wins. Winning on Thursday would be a really nice one for them to get.

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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.

How Good With Michael Harthun Be?

You might not know him really well yet, but I am guessing Michael Harthun will be a key factor in whether Portland St. will get back into the top 3 of the Big Sky, or if they will continue to flounder in the middle of the conference.

In case you don't know, Harthun spent two seasons at Washington St before transferring to Portland State after his sophomore season. He sat out last season, and will be eligible to play (and figures to be a key contributor) for the Vikings this season.

He didn't contribute a lot at Wazzu, but he comes with strong high school credentials. First, from the Portland St news release:

Harthun was a prep star in the state of Oregon at South Medford High School, where his team played for two state titles, winning one his junior season. The 6-3 guard scored 1,949 points as a four-year starter, second only to Duke forward -- and former teammate -- Kyle Singler. Harthun won a myriad of honors at South Medford and was a three-time All-State selection.

Then, his Scout profile:

Excellent guard prospect. Confident shooter from the perimeter, especially deep. Can shoot it from different spots on the court. Could wind up being a point or combo guard.

Safe to say that not a lot of players with his high school credentials wind up in the Big Sky Conference, which is why Vikings fans should be excited about him. (Sidenote... this blog posting from 4 years ago seems to think rather highly of him)!

However, from his two years in Pullman, it is clear that while he is an important piece of the puzzle, it doesn't look like he is a program saver. For his career (in limited sample size), he shot about 30%, and his efficiency numbers last year were pretty bad. Despite being the best player in WSU's 2008 recruiting class, he couldn't find consistent minutes or earn a spot at the high conference level.

But things should be different at Portland St. With Charles Odum and Chehales Tapscott entering their senior years, Harthun just needs to be a good role player, and he should have the talent to be that. They will look to him to provide outside shooting and scoring punch, and if he can fill that role, the Vikings will have a great chance to sneak into the top 3 in the Big Sky.

What do you think are reasonable expectations for Harthun? Can he show the talent that made him a 3-4 star recruit? This blog will be watching closely.