Sophomore success

The Portland State men’s basketball team was just seconds away from competing in its second Big Sky Championship game in three years, but ended up settling on a 19-win season that ended on Weber State’s home floor.

In head coach Ken Bone’s second season in the South Park Blocks, his Vikings team improved by seven games, including a 71-67 signature win over Arizona State in Tempe, Ariz.

“I thought we achieved a lot in that we won 19 games, and in the Big Sky that’s difficult to do,” Bone said.

Led by senior forward Juma Kamara and junior guard Dupree Lucas, the Vikings dominated at home, compiling a 12-3 record, with wins over Portland, Montana State and Northern Arizona University.

The road was less kind, as Portland State went 6-9 away from the Stott Center. The Vikings absorbed road losses to Oregon, Washington and Gonzaga. They also lost the final game of the season on the road-a 77-74 disappointment against Weber State in Ogden, Utah.

The team persevered through numerous setbacks, including season-ending injuries to Sean Smith and Tyrell Mara and the limited availability of senior center Anthony Washington, who missed the first 13 games of the season due to the birth of his first child.

The Vikings will lose Washington, Kamara and three-point specialist Paul Hafford to graduation. Point guard Ryan Sommer decided to forgo his senior season and is no longer with the team.

“I thought our guys had a very good season,” Bone said. “We’re losing some really good quality players.”

Those roster spots will be filled in part by Hawaii transfer Dominic Waters, a guard from Grant High School, and Phil Nelson, a freshman transfer from the University of Washington.

Waters is a 6-foot-1 guard who scored 6.3 points a game last year in a backup role. After redshirting next year to comply with NCAA regulations, Waters will have junior eligibility.

Nelson is a 6-foot-7 forward from Keizer, Ore., who will also redshirt next season before coming into the 2008-09 season as a sophomore.

In the meantime, expect Emmanuel Jenkins, a speedy 5-foot-10 point guard, and Kyle Coston, a lanky mid-range jump shooter, to be featured next season. The Vikings should also benefit from the return of Mara, presumably one of the most intense players on the court at any given time.

“Mara plays so hard and brings so much energy to the floor,” Bone said.

With so many returning pieces, including 6-foot-11 senior center Scott Morrison, the Vikings seem ready to make another run at the Big Sky tournament and possibly a date with the NCAA tournament in March.

“We’re playing closer and closer to where we want to play,” Bone said. “I have no reason to believe we can’t be as good next year as this year.”

Blazers at PSU summer basketball camps

Blazers stars Brandon Roy, NBA rookie of the year, and Ime Udoka, a former Viking star, will be featured at the men’s basketball team’s second annual summer basketball camp this summer.

The camp is available to students from grades 3-10 and will take place June 18-21 in the Peter W. Stott Center.

The camp will run from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. each day and will be taught primarily by Vikings assistant coaches Eric Harper and Curtis Allen.

“We’re trying to promote PSU and our program,” Harper said. “It’s always nice to get the community involved.”

Harper said that getting Roy and Udoka to commit was difficult, but will end up making the experience richer for camp participants.

“They’re great guys and they’ve got unbelievable talent and skill level,” Harper said.

Udoka is also hosting a camp July 30-Aug. 3.

For more information on both camps, visit www.goviks.com.