complete notes and stats in pdf

Portland State fans will get their first look at the 2019-20 Viking basketball team on Wednesday when it hosts Evergreen State College in an exhibition game. The Vikings play the Geoducks in the second game of a doubleheader with the Viking women. PSU's women host Warner Pacific in a 5 p.m. game, followed by the men at 7:35 p.m. at Viking Pavilion.
        
Head Coach Barret Peery begins his third season on the Park Blocks. His team has had a significant makeover since last season, but features returning cornerstone point guard Holland "Boo Boo" Woods, a second team All-Big Sky Conference performer last season, and center Sal Nuhu, who led the Big Sky in blocked shots last season.
        
The Vikings also bring back forward Rashaad Goolsby and redshirts Trey Wood and Kyle Greeley. Eight newcomers fill out the lineup, including five Division I transfers, two junior college transfers and one freshman.
        
PSU was 16-16 last season, 11-9 and tied for fourth in the Big Sky Conference. The Vikings were picked to place sixth in preseason polls released by the league last week.
        
Evergreen State, an NAIA member of the Cascade Collegiate Conference, was 5-21 last season, 1-17 in conference play.
        
Wednesday's game will not be televised or live streamed. However, live statistics will be available at www.ViksLive.com.
 
COMING UP
Portland State's first counting game is Nov. 5 against the University of Puget Sound (7:35 p.m.), also part of a doubleheader with the Viking women. After road games at Indiana (Nov. 9) and Hawai'i (Nov. 15), the Vikings host a big crosstown rivalry game against the University of Portland on Nov. 20 (7:05 p.m.).
 
FAST BREAKS
• PSU finished at 16-16 overall, 11-9 in the Big Sky Conference, in 2018-19. PSU's 16 wins were the second-most since the 2013-14 season. It was also the first conference record over .500 since that season. The tie for fourth place was the best since a third-place finish in 2011-12.
• The Vikings were 12-4 overall in the Viking Pavilion... PSU will begin the 2019-20 season with an eight-game home winning streak.
• In 2018-19, the Vikings swept Big Sky Conference Champion Montana, but did not get another chance to face the Griz in the Big Sky Tournament.
• Portland State led the Big Sky Conference in rebounding (40.0), rebounding margin (7.0), steals (8.3), and offensive rebounds (15.6). The Vikings also led the nation in offensive rebounding.
• Holland "Boo Boo" Woods was named second team All-Big Sky Conference last season. Woods led the Vikings in scoring (15.0), assists (5.3) and steals (1.6), ranking seventh in scoring, second in assists and third in steals in the Big Sky.
• Sal Nuhu led the Big Sky Conference in blocked shots with a 2.0 average (64). Holland Woods tied for the Big Sky lead in assists in conference games (5.5).
 
THE 2019-20 SCHEDULE
• In non-conference play, Portland State meets programs from six different major conferences: three against the Big West, three against the WCC and one each against the Big 10, Pac-12, Mountain West and SWAC.
• During non-conference play, the Vikings will meet four teams they faced last season (UC Santa Barbara (N), L, 76-69; Portland Bible (H), W, 123-40; Portland (H), W, 87-78; Loyola Marymount (H), L, 85-58).
• PSU plays two lower division opponents, Puget Sound and Portland Bible. The Vikings are 47-1 against lower division schools since joining the Big Sky Conference in 1996, including winning 34 in a row.
• Big Sky Conference play consists of a 20-game conference schedule. The quirk of the 2019-20 conference schedule is that Portland State will be the "lone wolf" among the 11 Big Sky teams, meaning it will not have a travel partner. The result is a slightly different schedule than normal which includes five Monday games (three at home), two stretches of seven days off and one stretch of eight days off.
• In all Portland State plays 14 counting home games and 18 road games.
• The Big Sky Conference Tournament takes place Mar. 11-14 at CenturyLink Arena in Boise. The bottom six seeds will compete in first-round play on Wednesday. The top five seeds will earn quarterfinal round berths and open play on Thursday. Semifinals are on Friday, with the Championship on Saturday. The winner advances to the NCAA Tournament.
 
BOO BOO ON THE VERGE
Portland State point guard Holland "Boo Boo" Woods is on the verge of becoming the number one helper in Viking basketball history. Woods has 356 career assists in 65 games (5.5 pg). That total has him ranked fourth all-time at PSU. Woods, a junior, begins his third season on the Park Blocks only 65 assists away from the record held by Terry Adolph in 1976-78. Adolph was a prolific assist man in his two-season career at PSU, no doubt benefiting from having the second all-time leading scorer in NCAA history playing alongside him in Freeman Williams. Adolph averaged 7.8 assists per game in each of his two seasons, totaling 421 in 54 games. Behind Adolph is teammate Chucky Smith (1974-78, 392 assists) and "modern-era" star Derek Nesland (1996-2000, 371 assists).
 
As for Woods, at his current pace he would break the Portland State assist mark some time in late December of this season.
        
Woods is also on pace to reach 1,000 career points in late December. He would be the 19th Viking in history to reach that milestone.
 
PORTLAND STATE CAREER ASSIST LEADERS
      1.     Terry Adolph (1976-78)_______________ 421
      2.     Chucky Smith (1974-78)______________ 392
      3.     Derek Nesland (1996-00)_____________ 371
      4.     Holland Woods (2017-19)_____________ 356
      5.     Will Funn (2003-05)_________________ 328
      6.     Freeman Williams (1974-78)___________ 317
              Willie Stoudamire (1969-72)___________ 314
      8.     Gary Winston (2011-15)______________ 298
      9.     Jerry Stephens (1970-72)______________ 293
    10.     Dominic Waters (2008-10)____________ 248
 
MORE TASTY VIKING TIDBITS
• Portland State begins its 24th season as a member of the Big Sky Conference and Division I. PSU played basketball from 1946-1981 before discontinuing the program. Basketball was reinstated for the 1996-97 season. Portland State won Big Sky Conference regular season titles in 2004-05 and 2007-08. The Vikings won Big Sky Conference Tournament titles in 2007-08 and 2008-09, advancing to the NCAA Tournament.
• Portland State's biggest star was Freeman Williams (1974-78), who still ranks as the second all-time leading scorer in college basketball history behind Pete Maravich. Williams, a Division I All-American in 1978, scored 3,249 points in his career.
• Former Viking Ime Udoka played seven seasons in the NBA. He started 75 games for the Portland Trail Blazers in 2006-07. Udoka is now an assistant coach with the San Antonio Spurs, and won an NBA title with the team in 2013-14.
• Julius Thomas (2006-10), who holds Portland State records for games played (121), field goal percentage in a season and career (.671/.663), and career wins (78), was a two-time Pro Bowler for the NFL's Denver Broncos. Thomas played on two Big Sky Conference Championship/NCAA Tournament teams (2007-08, 2008-09) at PSU. He went on to play one season of football at PSU (2010). Thomas competed in Super Bowl XLVIII in 2014. Thomas signed a free agent contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2015 making him the highest paid tight end in the NFL, then moved on to play for the Miami Dolphins before retiring after the 2017 season.
 
THE VIKING PAVILION
Portland State Athletics began play in the new Viking Pavilion during the 2018-19 season. The long-awaited arena and events facility became a first-class venue for the university and the Viking Athletics program.
        
The Viking Pavilion, a 141,700-square foot facility seats 3,094 people for basketball. Seating is more than double the size of the old Stott Center main gym. The facility also has a new weight room, locker rooms, academic center, administrative offices, OHSU Sports Medicine Center, and Viking Athletics Hall of Fame. Other additions include five new classrooms, new student lounges and a new cafe. 
        
The $52.1 million project, which was part renovation and part rebuild, was designed by Woofter Architects/Perkins+Will. Fortis Construction was the general contractor. $19.1 million came from private gifts and PSU project funds, $7.5 million was a sponsorship from OHSU, $24 million are from state bonds and $1.5 million are from student fees. None of the funding came from general operating funds or tuition dollars. Formal fund-raising began in 2013. An official ground breaking took place on April 23, 2016.
• The crowd of 2,077 that attended the game against Montana State (3/9/19) in the Viking Pavilion was the largest crowd of the season and was the third over the 2,000 mark (also vs. Portland and Montana).
• PSU averaged 1,238 fans in 16 home games during 2018-19 - the best regular season attendance since 2002-03. The last time PSU averaged as many as 1,000 fans in attendance was 2009-10 (1,009).
• The largest recent crowd, prior to the opening of the Pavilion, was a sellout of that 1,500 attended the Portland State/Oregon State game in the old Stott Center gym on Dec. 12, 2012.