Picking up speed

With the best overall record in the Big Sky Conference at the season’s halfway point, the 11-6 Portland State men’s basketball team has continued their improvement under head coach Ken Bone. But at fourth place in the Big Sky with a 2-2 conference record, the Vikings can’t relax just yet.

This season the Vikings have overcome adversity, posted big wins and suffered demoralizing losses, all the while sustaining the momentum of last season’s strong finish.

The progress is especially commendable, as the 2006-07 season began in a fog of doubt for coach Bone and his team. First they lost a star in center Anthony Washington when he opted not to return for his senior season. At the time, Washington was expecting the birth of his first child and decided his time would be better spent focusing on the new facets of his personal life.

If the loss of Washington wasn’t enough, the Vikings were dealt a second blow by a rash of injuries.

During their preseason practices, Portland State was without anywhere from two to six players at all times. In total, eight players suffered injuries that kept them on the sidelines at one time or another.

But Washington’s absence would not last and injuries would find new stars to fill the voids.

In Washington’s case, the new father enrolled for winter term after the birth of his son, explaining that he missed the game too much to stay away. Since his return (just after Christmas), Washington has been slowly worked back into the Vikings’ rotation and figures to come off the bench behind junior Scott Morrison.

The season began in Eugene at the Basketball Travelers Classic, with the Vikings winning just one game out of three played in three days.

After the poor showing at the tournament, the Vikings bounced back to win their next three games, including a win over cross-town rival the University of Portland. The Viks have shown their resiliency after falling to top-tier opponents Gonzaga, U of O and the University of Washington by bouncing back and winning games in succession on three different occasions.

Portland State’s most impressive game was a 107-57 victory over Pacific Lutheran College at the Stott Center. The point total was the Vikings’ highest since 1978, and their first 100-plus effort since January 2000.

Individually, Portland State players have been both surprising and steady. In the spot initially vacated by Anthony Washington, the 6-foot-11 junior center Scott Morrison is making a name for himself in the paint. Morrison is leading the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 13.5 points and 7.5 boards.

After a foot injury in the first game of 2005 kept senior guard Paul Hafford off the court for the entire season, he has returned with a vengeance in his final year. Hafford scored a career-high 27 points in a win over UC Davis on Dec. 19, and the next week was named Big Sky player of the week.

Senior forward Juma Kamara, who led the league in three-point shooting last season, has continued his torrid play. Kamara is living up to the high expectations placed on his shoulders as the team’s second-leading scorer, with 12.4 points per game.

But it has been the play of Dupree Lucas of late that has catalyzed Portland State’s advantage over other teams. Most recently in a 79-66 victory over Northern Colorado, Lucas scored 32 points along with four rebounds, two steals, two assists and two blocked shots. It was the most prolific offensive output for a Viking in the last two seasons.

And while the Vikings have gotten off to a great start considering the adversity they have faced, the road remaining in front of them is steep and long. The Vikings appear to be one of the top teams in the Big Sky, but they must intently focus on their many upcoming conference opponents, as their initial struggles in Big Sky games put them in an early hole.

If the Vikings can maintain and continue to build upon the momentum of coach Bone’s second season, and successfully reintegrate Anthony Washington back into the rotation, Portland State could be looking at one of their best teams in quite some time.