Schroyer brings promise to Vikings basketball
Portland State’s new head coach of men’s basketball, Heath Schroyer, promises big things for a Viking program that is on the rise. He is the tenth coach in PSU men’s basketball history and comes from a successful tenure as assistant coach at the University of Wyoming and Brigham Young University.
“Our first duty is improvement, then to compete in the league season and compete for a conference championship,” Schroyer said.
To improve a Viking team that went 12-16 last season, he will turn to defense first. Known for his defensive mind and man-to-man style, Schroyer hopes to improve on the Vikings’ last place finish in most Big Sky conference defensive categories, including rebounding.
New faces for this year are 6-foot-11-inch junior college transfer Seth Scott and 6-foot-7-inch Oregon 4A Player of the Year Marshall Hartman, who comes from local Westview High School. PSU now has eight players 6-foot-6-inches or taller, compared with only three last year.
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Signing big players along with a strong returning class poises PSU to challenge for the conference championship immediately.
Seth Scott envisions the Vikings as a “dominating force in the years to come.”
“We also want an NCAA tournament birth, and with the intensity and knowledge of the game that coach (Schroyer) brings to this program,” he said.
Marshall Hartman likes Schroyer because he brings “an intensity to practice and gives a good vibe that keeps our minds in the game.”
Key returning players include 6-foot-2-inch senior guard Kevin Briggs, who Schroyer thinks is the “best defender in the conference.” There is also 6-foot-2-inch senior guard Jeb Ivey, who brings sound ball-handling skills and great shooting, including a PSU record 50-51 from the free throw-line last year. Seamus Boxley, the 6-foot-7-inch junior forward, returns from a PSU-record 34 blocked shots and is sometimes nicknamed “Blockxley.” Both Boxley and Ivey were honorable-mention All-Big Sky players last year.
Guards Troy DeVries (6’3″) and John Glaser (5’11”) and center Steven Hamilton (6’11”) are also returning to the team. DeVries is a great long-range threat with 35 of his 39 field goals last year being three-pointers.
Junior college transfers Keith Sconiers (6′ 7″) and John Giannoni (6′) also bring experience and depth to a talented squad that lost Anthony Lackey, two time All-Big Sky Conference player, to graduation.
Schroyer has big plans for the long-term success of the Vikings, including “competing for a conference championship year in and year out.” But he also hopes “for the city and PSU to embrace the basketball program and have the program embrace the city.”
With Schroyer’s positive attitude and energy, he seeks to build a program that has a legitimate chance for a birth into the NCAA tournament year in and year out.
Given his experience and enthusiasm for basketball, it appears that the Vikings are headed into waters they have never known before.
