Editor’s note: This is one of 12 team capsules breaking down the men’s basketball teams in the Big Sky Conference. League play opens on Thursday, December 29.
Portland State lost seven of its first 10 games last season, with five of the losses coming by single digits. The Vikings endured a five-game losing streak in the middle of the Big Sky Conference season but won four out of five to end the regular season as one of the league’s hotter teams.
The Vikings looked impressive in a win over Northern Colorado in the first round of the Big Sky Tournament and a second-round loss to eventual champion Weber State. But many wondered where the Viks might turn after the departure of Cameron Forte, an athletic and crafty graduate transfer from the SEC who led PSU in scoring in all but one of the final 10 games of the season.
“We’ve been better, actually,” PSU eighth-year head coach Ty Geving said the first week of December. “We have six guys that are averaging in double figures right now so I think we are more balanced. I think that makes us harder to guard. We do a good job of sharing the ball.”
Without a true post down low, Portland State has instead pushed the pace this season. The Vikings are averaging 90 points per game and shooting 50.8 percent from the floor, both the top marks in the league entering conference play. PSU is averaging 18.5 assists per game and has a 7-4 record, one of only two winning marks by BSC schools entering the opening of league play on Thursday.
Portland State hosts North Dakota on Thursday, December 29 and Northern Colorado on New Year’s Eve to begin conference play.
QUICK HITS
Current record — 7-4
2015-2016 record: 8-10 in Big Sky play, 13-18 overall
Big Sky Tournament finish: Behind 26 points and 12 rebounds from center Cameron Forte, the No. 8 seed Vikings ousted No. 9 Northern Colorado 74-67. In the second round, Forte scored 25 points but it wasn’t enough to stave on eventual champion Weber State, who rallied for a 78-74 win.
Portland State eighth-year head coach Ty Geving and assistant Jeff Hironaka, left, coaching last season/by Brooks Nuanez
Head Coach: Ty Geving, eighth season as head coach and 12th season overall at Portland State. Earlier this season, Geving became the second head coach to lead Portland State to 100 wins. He is 104-121 during his time at PSU. Geving led the Vikings back from APR purgatory when he took over in 2009 and has graduated 90 percent of those who have completed their eligibility at PSU. Geving has guided the Vikings to the semifinals of the Big Sky Tournament three times (2010, 2012, 2014) and helped PSU advance to the semifinals of the Collegeinsider.com Tournament in 2014.
Geving on the upcoming conference campaign: “One through nine on the men’s side, flip a coin and any given night, anyone can beat anybody. We are really looking forward to the year to see what we can do.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Calaen Robinson — The former Arizona State transfer was ranked as a top 20 point guard in the country as a prep senior at Tempe, Arizona’s Corona Del Sol High School. He led Portland State in steals steals (55) and 3-point field goals (58), and second in assists (3.3) last season but struggled shooting the ball, finishing at 39.2 percent.
This season, he’s been Portland State’s catalyst, helping the Vikings push the pace more than any team in the league. He leads PSU with 14.8 points per game and he is shooting 47.5 percent. He also leads the team with 3.6 assists and 2.3 steals per game.
Portland State senior power forward De’Sean Parsons/ by Brooks Nuanez
De’Sean Parsons — After transferring from Salt Lake Community College, Parsons played on the wing for Portland State’s first 19 games and struggled. When Geving moved Parsons to power forward, the 6-7 athlete thrived.
Parsons shot 60 percent and averaged 10.9 points per game over PSU’s last 12 games. He scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed six rebounds in Portland State’s BSC Tournament win over UNC and 18 more points in the loss to Weber State.
This season, Parsons is second on the team with 12.1 points per game. He is shooting 51 percent from the floor and has hit six of his nine 3-point tries. He is struggling from the free throw line, missing half of his 46 attempts or his scoring average would be even higher. Parsons leads the Vikings in rebounds (4.9) while chipping in 1.5 steals and 1.0 blocks per game.
Zach Gengler — The 6-2 senior from Silverton, Oregon enters his final conference campaign with 50 starts under his belt. The steady combo guard averaged 7.9 points and 2.5 assists as a junior while shooting 45.8 percent from the floor. This season, Gengler is averaging 9.2 points per game on 55.9 percent shooting, including 50 percent from beyond the arc. He is also chipping in 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals per outing.
Braxton Tucker — The 6-6 junior started 22 games as a sophomore two years ago and averaged 11.5 points and 5.3 rebounds. He missed all of last season with a knee injury. He returned this winter and led PSU in scoring in the Vikings’ first four games before suffering an injury again. He hasn’t played in the last six games and his status is unknown entering conference play.
KEY LOSSES
Portland State forward Cameron Forte scored 26 points in a victory vs Northern Colorado in the first round of the BSC tournament/by Brooks Nuanez
Cameron Forte — The graduate transfer from Georgia was one of the league’s most dominant players in his lone season at Portland State. The crafty 6-foot-7 lefty averaged 19.2 points and 9.3 rebounds per game despite coming off the bench for half the season. Forte shot 58 percent from the floor, including 61.3 percent in Big Sky games as he averaged 20.1 points and 10.1 rebounds in league play to earn second-team all-conference honors.
Isaiah Pineiro — The strong, aggressive slasher started 14 conference games last season and gave teams troubles with his 6-foot-7 frame on the wing. He averaged 12.9 points per outing in Big Sky games and 12 pints per game overall, both second to Forte on the Vikings. He shot 51 percent from the floor and grabbed 5.5 rebounds per game. Pineiro transferred following his sophomore season and is sitting out this season while on San Diego’s roster.
Bryce White — The smooth shooting guard averaged 11.5 points per game while starting 11 of PSU’s first 13 games. He scored 20 in a 77-70 win at Montana State before he was suspended. Two weeks later, he left the team. He is now at NAIA Warner Pacific.
KEY ADDITIONS
Bryce Canda — The 6-4, 200-pound Portland native transferred to PSU from Central Wyoming Junior College, where he averaged 19.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists, shooting 46.8 from the field and 41.5 percent from beyond the arc as a sophomore last season.
This season, he has topped those shooting marks, hitting 51.2 percent from the floor and 42.6 percent of his shots from deep. He is averaging 11.3 points per game and is hitting 2.1 3-pointers per contest.
Deontae North — The 6-foot-4 slasher played one season at Long Beach State before spending last season at South Plains College in Levelland, Texas. At SPC, he averaged 12.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 2.5 assists to earn All-Region honors.
This season, he has been PSU’s best bench player, averaging 11.2 points per game while shooting 47.3 percent from the floor. He is chipping in 4.5 rebounds per game, second on the team, in 21 minutes off the bench.
Traylin Farris — The 6-8, 225-pound left from Houston spent his freshman year at Incarnate Word of the Southland Conference, where he averaged 10.1 points and 4.7 rebounds per game. Last season, he competed at Odessa JC and scored 6.7 points on 58.2 percent shooting while grabbing 4.9 rebounds per contest.
Farris has started the last six games since Braxton went down. He is shooting 60 percent from the floor while averaging 9.7 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.
Preseason polls finish: The Vikings were picked to finish eighth by the media and ninth by the coaches.
All photos by Brooks Nuanez or attributed. All Rights Reserved.
