Heading into next season, the biggest concern facing the Vikings isn’t whether they’ll be able to fill the voids left by the graduation of five talented seniors.
Portland State’s greatest worry isn’t whether the team can place stories of stars Scott Morrison and Jeremiah Dominguez’s alleged involvement in a spring break altercation in Mexico behind them.
And the Vikings are not fretting about whether the pressure of a historical season will get the best of them just one year later.
No, instead the biggest question facing the Vikings is whether last season’s Big Sky Championship and first-ever berth in the NCAA Tournament was simply a magical, wonderful fluke.
Oh, yes, the dreaded f-word: fluke.
History says Portland State has advanced to the NCAA Tournament only once in the dozens of years it has had a program, making the probability of back-to-back appearances rather bleak.
But head coach Ken Bone says forget about history and probability. He’s optimistic about the Vikings’ chances of repeating as conference champions and earning another trip to March Madness.
“We have put ourselves in a position to be one of the best teams in the conference,” Bone said. “I think we have established a good program. So I think we can go into each year thinking we’re one of the top teams.”
After their impressive performance last season, including a nine-game winning streak and sheer domination of the Big Sky, the Vikings have little to prove next season.
They are nearly guaranteed to be one of the conference’s elite squads months before the season begins.
But is that enough?
At a university where sports teams routinely come up short, the Vikings may be just the squad to defy the odds. And that means hoisting up the Big Sky Championship trophy amid jovial chaos on the Rose Garden floor two straight seasons.
Call last season a breath of fresh air. Consider it the beginning of a stay in uncharted territory for Portland State athletics. Dub it amazing and brilliant.
Other Big Sky schools, though, like Northern Arizona and Weber State, are tempted to call it the past. They’ll deem it a historical occurrence, something that happened months ago and will not happen again if they have their wish.
Since the Vikings are finally on top, the team is in an unfamiliar situation. Eight other conference foes are making the Vikings their central focus. Portland State has a target the size of the 6-foot-11 Morrison squarely on its back, awaiting others to take aim.
Morrison, a talented center and reigning conference defensive player of the year, is just one of the Vikings who will be sorely missed as Portland State attempts to repeat.
Another departing Viking is guard Deonte Huff, a first-team all-conference performer who provided the team with a scoring punch and unmatched athleticism. Point guard Brian Curtis, center J.R. Moore and guard Dupree Lucas played less integral roles but will also be missed.
If the Vikings have any chance of repeating and disproving the fluke myth, a couple of new recruits and redshirt players will have to fill the holes.
Among them is touted forward Phil Nelson, a transfer from Washington who is supposed to have the entire offensive package. Dominic Waters came over from Hawaii and should give the Vikings another potent scorer. And a pair of recent recruits, guard Paul Guede and 6-foot-10 center Donatas Visockis, should enhance the Portland State attack.
With the wealth of newly acquired talent and slew of gifted holdovers, Bone said he has no idea who might lead the Vikings statistically next season.
“There are a lot of guys capable of putting up good numbers,” he said.
But, in the end, stellar statistics are meaningless. The only number that should matter to the Vikings and their fans is two, as in the second Big Sky Championship in a row. That’s the mark of not only a solid team, but also a respectable program.
And, after all, the saying goes, “Once you’re lucky, twice you’re good.”
Sounds like an inspiring team motto for next year.