Summer, once reserved for family vacations, has become the season in which the prognosticators argue about what will be made of next season’s chances.
That trend extends all the way back to the Portland State campus where the Vanguard takes a look at a few of the teams that could vie for supremacy next year.
Men’s basketball
New head coach Tyler Geving is the man who will be responsible for keeping the basketball program in top shape next season.
Geving replaces Ken Bone, who left to take the head coaching position at Washington State, and inherits a team that has made two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances. Both years the Vikings were knocked out in the first round to Kansas and Xavier, respectively.
Next season, expectations will again be high for Geving and Portland State basketball fans as the team returns a balanced and talented group of players.
“The team has a lot of balance and there is room for a lot of guys to step up their game,” Geving said. “There is no real standout, and anyone on the team can shoot it lights out on any given night.”
Look for seniors Dominic Waters, Jamie Jones and Julius Thomas to provide most of the points for the Vikings, as well as juniors Phil Nelson and Paul Guede. The team also has a quartet of talented players to fill in for graduated seniors Jeremiah Dominguez and Andre Murray and transferring players Tyrell Mara and Kyle Coston.
Soccer
In their first year under head coach Laura Schott, the Vikings qualified for the Big Sky Tournament and advanced all the way to the semifinal game.
After a rough start in 2008, the Vikings found their rhythm and finished second in the Big Sky. In 2009, the squad will return all but three of the seniors from that team and Schott has already signed eight players to her roster.
The emphasis on recruiting should help the team reach their goal of winning the conference and playing in the NCAA Tournament.
Volleyball
Though oft under the radar, the Portland State volleyball team is re-establishing some tradition. After two Division II National Championships in the 1990s, the team won the regular season title in 2007 and claimed the postseason championship in 2008.
Head coach Michael Seemann’s squad will return nearly all of his players, and the experience of playing in the NCAA Tournament last season should prove invaluable.
Women’s basketball
Though Portland State will lose graduated senior Kelsey Kahle, the Vikings return one of the top point guards in the nation in Claire Faucher.
Faucher, who has a plethora of accomplishments and a game to match, will run the show next year for head coach Sherri Murrell’s squad, but juniors Lexi Bishop and Kelli Valentine as well as sophomore Erin Jones will play heavy roles in deciding if the Vikings can continue their climb to the top of the Big Sky Conference.