For thousands of Portland State students, Facebook is an easy way to keep in touch with friends and classmates. As the world becomes increasingly digitalized, the social-networking site is becoming a more common outlet for functions other than chatting with friends. Candidates for national and local campaigns have been using Facebook and other websites as a new strategy for spreading the word about their platform objectives and candidacies.
We’ve all heard it. We’ve all questioned its validity. We’ve all scoffed at the cliche saying. But now it’s time to test whether “winning cures all” here at Portland State. The timing is perfect. The Vikings clinched the right to host the men’s Big Sky Tournament Thursday and then followed up that performance with a victory for the ages in a 108-56 stomping of the once-formidable Montana on Saturday.
When the Big Sky Conference post-season men’s basketball awards were announced Wednesday afternoon, a trio of names continuously showed up on the list of recipients: Jeremiah Dominguez, Scott Morrison and Deonte Huff.
Before tip-off Tuesday night, Portland State men’s basketball had already clinched the right to host next week’s Big Sky Tournament, and secured the conference’s regular-season title. But Eastern Washington defeated Portland State by one point in their last matchup Dec. 22. As a result, the Eagles were the only Big Sky foe Portland State had yet to beat.
Against Montana State Thursday night, the Vikings shot their way to the Big Sky regular-season title, defeating the Bears 96-68 behind a school-record 70 percent shooting from the field. With the win, Portland State (19-9, 12-2 BSC) clinches the right to host the Big Sky Tournament for the first time since 2005. The tournament is scheduled for March 11-12 at the Rose Garden, and ticket information is available at www.Goviks.com.
For years, Portland State athletics has been an afterthought in the consciousness of Oregon sports fans. In this state, you’re either a Duck or Beaver. It’s that cut and dry. It’s that plain and simple. A major reason for this cold shoulder toward the Vikings is that Portland State has a history of losing. While the Ducks are fighting for Final Four berths and the Beavers are hoisting NCAA Baseball National Championship trophies, the Vikings are usually remarking, “We’ll be better next year. Just wait.” The long-time public sentiment is Portland State cannot compete with the Ducks or Beavers in athletics–not on the basketball court, football field or softball diamond. But this may be the first year the Vikings can claim they’re better than both Oregon and Oregon State in one sport. And it’s not a fringe sport–it is maybe Oregon’s most popular sport: basketball. The Vikings have flourished this season, dominating Big Sky foes with an 11-2 record in conference play and sustaining a nine-game winning streak at one point. For Portland State, it’s been a breakthrough season. While the Vikings have been blowing out teams and reeling off long winning streaks, the basketball gods have not been as kind to the Ducks and Beavers. Portland State sits atop the Big Sky standings, while the Ducks have compiled a pedestrian overall record and are the Pac-10’s eighth-place team, and the Beavers are fading into near oblivion with a 0-15 mark against Pac-10 foes. There’s no need for the Vikings and Beavers to suit up. It’s more than evident that Portland State would crush their counterparts from Corvallis in a head-to-head matchup. But Oregon would be a different story. Even though the Ducks are ranked No. 56 in the RPI compared to Portland State’s No. 115 ranking, a game between these two squads would be extremely close. Let’s not fret over who would win. The truth of the matter is while Oregon has more talented players, the Vikings are a more cohesive team. So, the teams would likely split a series. But if you lead this rivalry away from the court and into the financial side of sports, there is already a clear and definite winner-and it wears green and white. The overall men’s basketball budgets for Oregon’s top Division I teams are as follows: Portland State at $788,328, Oregon State at $2,233,600 and, from last year’s budget, Oregon at $3,854,636. Portland State might not have state-of-the-art facilities, flashy uniforms, high-priced coaches, first-class marketing gurus, an expansive travel budget or an arena that seats more than 1,500 fans. But the Vikings have more than a handful of wins, which have come at a small price. The Vikings have accrued 19 victories this season, meaning each one has cost only $41,490 toward the budget. That’s outright cheap compared to the price tags on the Beavers’ and Ducks’ wins. With a respectable 15 wins, the Ducks have essentially paid $256,976 for each “W” this season. Oregon State is not even in the conversation for best team on the court, and nothing has changed here, as the Beavers’ meager six wins have cost their athletic department $372, 267 per victory. Admittedly, it’s arguable whether Portland State could defeat Oregon or Oregon State in an actual game of hoops. But one thing that’s not arguable is whether the Vikings are winning the financial aspect of collegiate basketball. The Vikings have the most victories, and they’ve come at the cheapest price, making it even more amazing that Portland State has the best chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament. Just think how many wins these other two Oregon programs would have with merely $788,328. Yep, probably about one or two wins more than zero.
Even following the Vikings’ 85-69 defeat to California State Fullerton Saturday that halted their winning streak at nine games, securing the right to host the Big Sky Tournament is a mere formality for Portland State. The Vikings still own a two-and-a-half game lead over Northern Arizona and Weber State in the Big Sky standings with three conference games remaining on the schedule. While the loss to the Titans may have slightly diminished the Vikings’ momentum by stopping the team’s winning streak before it ever reached double figures, the loss does no damage to Portland State’s bid to finish the season atop the Big Sky. Away matchups against Montana and Montana State are scheduled for the Vikings this week, while Portland State will finish up the regular season at home against Eastern Washington March 4. In order to clinch the right to host the Big Sky Tournament, the Vikings need to win only one of these remaining games or hope that Weber State comes up short in one of its final two games. “Right now there is a 99-percent chance of hosting the Big Sky Tournament,” said athletic director Torre Chisholm. “Hosting the tournament will do a lot for recognition.” Chisholm said he held discussions with his colleagues around the Portland State Athletic Department office concerning the Vikings probability of competing in the tournament, and even hosting it, prior to the beginning of the season back in November. The athletic director felt so confidently about Portland State hosting the Big Sky Tournament he began searching for available dates at the Rose Garden months ago. Chisholm also had faith in the women’s basketball team, making arrangements around the same time to host the women’s Big Sky Tournament. Unlike the vast majority of Big Sky schools, Portland State will be unable to host the Big Sky Tournament inside the confines of its home gym at the Peter W. Stott Center. Chisholm said his understanding is that this was a stipulation Portland State was forced to agree to before gaining entrance into the Big Sky Conference in 1996. Chisholm said he suspects the Stott Center is an unsuitable site to host the tournament because of its size restrictions, as it only sits 1,500 fans, and the prospects of poor broadcast quality due to the gym’s configuration. “It’s not the same home-court advantage,” Chisholm said of playing at the Rose Garden. “We have a great home-court advantage that we are giving up. But playing at the Rose Garden adds a level of panache to the event.” That panache Chisholm mentions will need to extend quite far to meet his expectations for the tournament, that is if the Vikings secure the right to host the post-season competition. Based on the attendance figures from Portland State hosting the Big Sky Tournament in 2005, Chisholm expects to draw at least 4,000 fans per night and hopes to eclipse 5,000 Viking fans in the Rose Garden for each night of action. And if Chisholm’s plans to underwrite student tickets come to fruition, 500 Portland State students will attend the tournament cost free each night. While Portland State has seen a recent spike in attendance, specifically with the men’s basketball game selling out against Weber State on Feb. 16, Chisholm said drawing fans is still an issue-and one he does not completely understand. “I’ve been very disappointed with our fans,” Chisholm said. “We’ve been playing high-level basketball. And everyday we talk around the office about what we need to do in marketing, but, at some point, they need to support their team.” If the Vikings squeak out one more victory to earn the right to host the Big Sky Tournament and defend their home floor with a conference title, Chisholm will be one step closer to achieving an aspiration for Portland State athletics. “One of my goals is to set a pattern of participating in the NCAA’s at least once every four years,” Chisholm said. “The Big Sky (championship) is just a step to where we want to be. The real recognition will come if we go to the NCAA Tournament.”
The excited cheers and rousing applause of young engineers echoed throughout the Smith Memorial Student Union Ballroom during the awards ceremony for Portland State University’s 2008 Engineering Design Competition Friday afternoon.
After an awning attached to the Broadway Building was shattered in December, residents of 35 rooms directly above the damage site were each charged an equal portion of $1,795, the cost of the damages. A similar situation happened in January in which all residents of the building were forced to collectively pay nearly $1,885 for damages to the Broadway fire system. In both these cases, students were charged whether or not they were responsible for the damages, a decision that many students living on campus say is unfair.
Tim Bennett has stepped down from his post as head soccer coach to accept an associate head coaching position at Iowa State. Quite the news flash, huh?
In his first season at the helm, Jerry Glanville fell victim to the same poison that has plagued many who have worn the Viking logo on the sideline: losing.