Portland State's men's basketball program passed another milestone on the way to its second straight appearance in the NCAA national tournament. It fared extremely well against other northwest Division I basketball teams and took a giant step toward its goal of becoming one of the northwest's premiere programs.
“We beat Seattle University twice (81-67, 72-68), Eastern Washington twice (82-61, 66-62), University of Portland (81-76), Boise State (92-81) and then there was the huge win at seventh-ranked Gonzaga (77-70). And, we only lost by a point to Washington, which ultimately finished 10th in the nation,” said PSU Men's Head Basketball Coach Ken Bone, looking back over the regular season with satisfaction. (The Vikings did not play Oregon, Oregon State or Washington State this year)
Bone and others ranked the seven-point win over Gonzaga as the biggest win ever for PSU's rising program. “We were very focused. We did a great job playing as a team. We didn't care who got credit...then Jeremiah (Dominguez) took over the show at the end of the game,” said Bone...in other words vintage PSU basketball where Bone and his coaches preach a team, rather than individual star, approach to the game.
In 2009, the Vikings also were one of only two schools (the other being Gonzaga) making it to the national tournament two years running.
PSU wants to be one of the northwest's premiere basketball teams and Bone said this year's record against northwest teams showed that the school is moving in that direction. He and his staff want to challenge for the Big Sky Conference title every year and that could mean national exposure via the NCAA tournament or NIT on a regular basis.
PSU's record against strong northwest teams “says we're not just another Division I program. We're very competitive,” said Bone. And, that translates to a stronger recruiting position, said Bone and Recruiting Coordinator and Associate Head Coach Tyler Geving.
“Outside of the Pac-10...and maybe even against the Pac-10 in some cases...we should be in a position to be attractive to any kid on the west coast,” said Geving.
Bone and his staff are looking for kids “who want to play for a championship team and get their degree. When you really come down to it, PSU offers a great opportunity to get a quality education, live in a city like Portland and to play for a winning program...and it's a lot more fun to play for a winning team, especially one that gets to the NCAA tournament,” said Bone.
That's why 6'7” forward Phil Nelson (sophomore transfer from University of Washington), 6'1” guard Dominic Waters (junior transfer from University of Hawaii) and 5'6” guard Jeremiah Dominguez (senior transfer from University of Portland) are now Vikings. “They all went somewhere else, then decided to come home?or in Jeremiah's case, to stay in Portland, where they could get the degrees they wanted and play for a winning program,” Bone pointed out.
If back to back appearances in the NCAA tournament and two 23-win seasons weren't enough, Bone also sees continued success for his squad.
“The future looks bright. Next year, we have a strong core back and I like the kids we've been able to recruit so far. We're competing with bigger programs on the basketball floor and for recruits. Hopefully, we're becoming more of an attraction to good high school players,” Bone said.
