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Men's Basketball Exhibition
PORTLAND STATE VIKINGS vs. WESTERN OREGON WOLVES
Friday, November 4, 2011, 8:05 p.m. @ Peter W. Stott Center, (1,500), Portland, OR

Television: None
Radio: Freedom 970 AM, www.970.am • Play-by-play: Tom Hewitt • Pregame Show: 7:30 p.m.
Live Video Stream: www.b2tv.com • Live Stats: www.GoViks.com

The Portland State basketball program while undergo its first test of the season this Friday night when it hosts an exhibition game against the Western Oregon Wolves at the Peter W. Stott Center. Game time is 8:05 p.m. or 30 minutes following the women's basketball exhibition game against Central Washington, which begins at 6 p.m. The game will air on the Vikings' flagship radio station, Freedom 970 AM and www.970.am.
    
The Vikings, under third-year Head Coach Tyler Geving, have been practicing full time since Oct. 14 in preparation of the 2011-12 season.
    
Geving has been busy incorporating eight new players to his roster this season. The Vikings return three players from 2010-11, two of whom were full-time starters and one that was a part-time starter. PSU also has three redshirts returning from last year.
    
PSU's first counting game will be Nov. 11 at Denver University. The first home contest is Tuesday, Nov. 15 against Seattle University. That opens a 12-game home schedule at the Stott Center.

THE WOLVES
Western Oregon comes off 13-16 season in 2010-11. The Wolves were 8-10 in Great Northwest Athletic Conference play. The GNAC is an NCAA II conference.... Head Coach Brady Bergeson is in his first season with the Wolves... the Wolves return all five starters and seven letterwinners from last season... Blair Wheedon, a senior guard, averaged 18.2 points and 3.5 assists last season. Guard Kyle Long averaged 13.0 points. Forward Tarance Glynn averaged 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds.

VIKING HEAD COACH TYLER GEVING
Tyler Geving begins his third season as Head Coach and sixth season overall with the Portland State program. Geving has a 27-35 record with the Vikings. He was 13-19 in 2009-10 and led PSU to the Big Sky Tournament semifinals. In 2010-11, his Vikings were 14-16 overall.
    
Geving is 14-14 all-time in non-conference games. He is 13-21 all-time against Big Sky Conference opponents.
    
Geving is a 1996 graduate of Central Washington and has been in collegiate coaching for 17 years.
    
The third-year Head Coach is assisted by Andy McClouskey (2nd year, Oregon State, 1982), Eric Harper (7th year, Central Washington, 1995) and Anthony Owens (3rd year, Great Falls, 2006). Former Viking player Mickey Polis is the Director of Operations (3rd year, Portland State, 2009).

THE SCHEDULE
Portland State will play a 30-game schedule, including 12 at home. The Vikings play in a preseason tournament at the University of Wyoming and will also travel to an opponent to be named for an ESPN Bracketbuster game. The Vikings face Oregon and Oregon State in the same year for the first time in nine seasons, although they will not play the University of Portland for the first time since 1998.
    
The 16-game Big Sky Conference schedule begins after Christmas. The six-team Big Sky Conference Tournament takes place Mar. 3-7.
    
“Weber State is the team to beat, with the best player in the league. With Damion Lillard on the floor they are a pretty special team,” said Geving. “But, I think on any given night, anybody can beat anybody in this league. After Weber State, I think anyone can finish second through ninth.”

TELEVISED GAMES
Currently, Portland State has two games that are scheduled to be televised. They are: Dec. 18 at Oregon State on Root Sports; and Jan. 29 vs. Montana on Altitude/CSN. Other televised games are expected to be announced later this fall.

VIKING PICKED FIFTH IN BIG SKY PRESEASON POLLS
The Portland State men's basketball team has been picked to place fifth in the Big Sky Conference this year in preseason polling of league coaches and media. The Vikings, who placed seventh last year, were predicted to rise two positions in each poll.
    
Head Coach Tyler Geving, in his third season at the helm, has three returning letterwinners, including two starters. Second team All-Big Sky Conference guard Charles Odum (14.0 ppg, 2.8 apg, 52% FG) and forward Chehales Tapscott (11.8 ppg, 8.1 rpg), who ranked second in the league in rebounding, will lead the Vikings this season.
    
Part-time starting center Nate Lozeau (4.7 ppg, 2.4 rpg) is back, as well as three transfers that were redshirts in the program in 2010-11.
    
Junior college transfer Lateef McMullan should be a dynamic new point guard for the Vikings, while transfer Michael Harthun (Washington State) will be expected to fill it up from outside. Forward Renado Parker and center Brandon Cataldo, both redshirts last year, will give the Vikings depth inside.
    
Freshman Gary Winston and JC transfer Charles Whitmore also bring outstanding shooting ability as newcomers this season. Another transfer, Michael Harvey, and freshman Kidus Ephrem are athletic forwards in their first season at PSU.
    
The Vikings expect to improve on a 14-16 record of last year, including 5-11 in the Big Sky. Injuries had a major impact on the conference season after a strong non-conference start.
    
A fifth-place finish would mean a return trip to the Big Sky Tournament (the top six teams earn berths). PSU reached at least the Big Sky semifinals four years in a row (2007-10), winning Big Sky Championships in 2008 and 2009 and advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
    
Weber State was the overwhelming favorite in the preseason polls, released on Wednesday by the Big Sky. It marks the fourth straight season Weber State has been selected by the coaches and media as the preseason favorite.
      
Weber State finished the 2010-11 season 11-5 in conference and 18-14 overall, despite losing 2009-10 Big Sky MVP Damian Lillard to a season-ending injury nine games into the season. Lillard, a 6-2 guard, returns and has averaged 16.2 points per game in 71 career games. All-Conference senior forward Kyle Bullinger and All-Conference junior Scott Bamforth also return. Freshman of the Year Byron Fulton also returns, as does senior forward Darin Mahoney, who started 30 games as a junior.
            
Montana, which lost to Northern Colorado in the 2011 Big Sky Championship, was a solid No. 2 selection in both polls. Defending champion Northern Colorado was tabbed third in the media poll and fourth in the coaches' poll. UNC returns just one starter from its NCAA Tournament team a year ago.
      
Eastern Washington, under the direction of first-year coach Jim Hayford returns four starters, including junior guards Kevin Winford and Jeffrey Forbes. The Eagles were tabbed third by the coaches and sixth by the media.
      
Portland State will open its season with an exhibition game on Nov. 4 against Western Oregon. Non-conference games begin with a trip to Denver on Nov. 11. PSU's home opener is Nov. 15 against Seattle.
    
Complete preseason polls, including first place votes and total voting points:
 
Media Preseason Poll
1. Weber State (19), 210
2. Montana (4), 193
3. Northern Colorado (1), 141
4. Northern Arizona, 125
5. Portland State, 112
6. Eastern Washington,  109
7. Montana State, 101
8. Sacramento State, 45
9.  Idaho State, 41
 
Coaches' Preseason Poll
1. Weber State (8), 64
2. Montana (1), 56
3. Eastern Washington, 42
4. Northern Colorado, 41
5. Portland State, 38
6. Northern Arizona, 35
7. Montana State, 24
8. Sacramento State, 16
9. Idaho State, 9

QUICK NOTES FOR 2011-12
• Portland State returns two starters and three letterwinners from the 2010-11 squad. Seniors Charles Odum and Chehales Tapscott will lead the Vikings in 2011-12. Odum, a guard, was a second-team All-Big Sky Conference selection last year, averaging a team-best 14.0 points, 3.4 rebounds, 2.8 assists and shooting 52% from the field. Tapscott, a forward, averaged 11.8 points and 8.1 rebounds to rank second in the Big Sky Conference.
• Among six National Letter of Intent signees, the Vikings should have addressed their needs coming into the season. Point guard Lateef McMullan, a transfer from Citrus JC, is the quick playmaker the Vikings need. Freshman guards Gary Winston and Jerron Smith have the scoring ability necessary at the off-guard spot. Junior forward Martin Whitmore brings three-point scoring ability the Vikings need to replace with the graduation of Melvin Jones and Phil Nelson. Junior forward Michael Harvey brings supreme athleticism as a slasher and the ability to defend a number of positions. Freshman forward Kidus Ephrem is an athletic player that will lend depth to the Vikings inside. Sophomore Dre Winston, a transfer from Washington State who will redshirt in 2011-12, may be the point guard of the future for the Vikings.
• Three redshirts figure to make significant contributions in 2011-12: JR G Michael Harthun, JR F Renado Parker and FR C Brandon Cataldo. Harthun transferred from Washington State where he played two seasons and should fit nicely in the shooting guard role. Parker played at North Idaho JC and brings a powerful post presence despite being only 6-5. Cataldo is a promising 6-10 center who spent last year getting his game and body in better condition after missing most of his senior year in high school with a broken leg.
• PSU loses five seniors from the 2010-11 squad: guard Melvin Jones (11.5 ppg, 2.4 apg, 72 3-pt FG), forward Tree Thomas (9.7 ppg, 3.2 rpg), forward Phil Nelson (6.4 ppg, 3.5 rpg), forward Paul Guede (4.0 ppg, 3.2 rpg) and guard Alonzo Brandon (1.6 ppg). In addition, sophomore guard Chris Harriel (12.6 ppg, 5.1 rpg) elected to transfer following the season and junior guard Dane Johnson (2.8 ppg, 2.9 apg) elected not to return.
• With a 72.3 scoring average in 2010-11, Portland State led the Big Sky Conference in scoring offense for the fourth straight year. Scoring meant winning for the Vikings. PSU was 8-1 in games in which it scored at least 80 points.
• Head Coach Tyler Geving begins his third season at the helm in 2011-12. The Vikings improved from 13-19 in year one to 14-16 in year two under Geving despite playing two fewer games. He spent four seasons as an assistant at PSU before being named Head Coach.
• The modest improvement in wins was significant for the Vikings as they lost 33 games to injuries to four different players in 2010-11. Included was Chehales Tapscott missing six games during the middle of the season with a knee injury (and surgery). Phil Nelson, expected to be a top scorer for the Vikings, missed he first 14 games with a broken foot. PSU played 13 games with just nine available players.