Make plans to join the women’s basketball team this week for head coach Jim Sollars’ last two regular season games at the Chiles Center. Earlier this year Coach Sollars made the decision that he was planning to retire at the end of the season after 28 years as the head coach. The first game is on Thursday at 7 p.m., as the Pilots take on Pacific. Then on Saturday, stop by the Chiles Center to celebrate Coach Sollars’ career with Pilots Athletics as the team takes on Saint Mary’s at 2 p.m. Saturday’s game is also Senior Day, as we honor two seniors in their final home game. For more information, visit PortlandPilots.com. For tickets, please visit the Pilots Box Office or call 7525.
Athletics
Diamond Dinner Rescheduled For March 1
The Pilot baseball team’s annual fund raiser, the Diamond Dinner, has been rescheduled for Saturday, March 1 due to inclement weather conditions over the weekend of February 8. The rescheduled event will begin at 5:30 p.m. in the Bauccio Commons, and will feature Major League Baseball manager Dusty Baker as guest speaker. Additional details will be posted at up.edu and PortlandPilots.com.
New Beauchamp Center Presentations, Feb. 18-19
Three presentations showing depictions of the Beauchamp Recreation and Wellness Center will be held in the Bauccio Commons at the following times:
- Tuesday, February 18, 9:30-10:30 a.m.
- Tuesday, February 18, 1:30-2:30 p.m.
- Wednesday, February 19, 6-7 p.m.
All are welcome to come and see plans for the new center, which is scheduled to break ground in May 2014. For more information contact Teri Landtiser, university operations, at 7540 or go to www.up.edu/uo.
Final Pilot Men’s Home Games
The men’s basketball team returns to the Chiles Center this week for their final two home games of the year, with promotions and giveaways planned to make these games a guaranteed great time.
The action starts on Thursday when the Pilots take on Loyola Marymount at 7 p.m., and will feature one of the most exciting 6 minutes of promotional action with the annual “Halftime Mile” promotion and a scarf giveaway for students. Come out and cheer on not only the men’s basketball team, but also the Pilots runners.
Then make plans to join us on Saturday at 1 p.m. for Senior Day as we honor the four men’s basketball seniors in their final game at the Chiles Center, versus Pepperdine. The game will also feature the famous and ever-so-popular Paper Airplane Toss at halftime, with one lucky fan taking home a trip for two to Hawaii.
For more information on these games please call Pilots athletics at 7341. For tickets or for ticket information, call 7525 or visit the Pilots Box Office.
Salzburger Alumni Special For Pepperdine Game, Feb. 15
The Office of Alumni Relations is hosting a pregame social for Salzburgers on Saturday, February 15, from 11:30 am to 1 p.m., at the Deck (Chiles Center). Tip-off against Pepperdine is at 1 p.m. Cost is $15 per adult, and $5 per child (childcare provided). Prices include food and a ticket to the game. RSVP to alumni@up.edu or 7328.
Pilot Great Makes WCC Hall of Honor
Former Pilots basketball standout Laura Sale O’Connell ’96 will be one of ten individuals to be inducted in the WCC Hall of Honor this spring. The West Coast Conference will induct its sixth annual Hall of Honor class on Saturday, March 8, at the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas, Nev. Ten individuals, one from each member institution, will be honored as part of the 2014 West Coast Conference Men’s and Women’s Basketball Championships from March 6-11 at the Orleans Arena.
At Portland, Laura was the ultimate student-athlete, starring on the court while shining in the classroom. Sale O’Connell, who still ranks fifth all-time in UP program history with 1,542 career points, helped lead the Pilots to three NCAA Tournaments in the mid-1990s and she was named an Academic All-American in 1996.
For more information contact athletics at 7117 or go to www.portlandpilots.com.
Pilots Women’s Basketball to Host Mother-Daughter Clinic
The Pilots women’s basketball team will be hosting its annual Mother-Daughter Clinic on Saturday, February 8, following their 2 p.m. game versus Pepperdine. The Pepperdine game will also be the team’s Breast Cancer Awareness Pink Game; all fans who wear pink to the game will receive free admission and the first 250 fans will receive a free pink-flavored Voodoo Donut. To RSVP for the clinic, please e-mail Jon Brooks at brooksj@up.edu or call 7431.
Pilot Women Home Games
The women’s basketball team stays in town this week for two games. The first is on Thursday at 7 p.m., vs. Loyola Marymount. The second game is on Saturday at 2 p.m., vs. Pepperdine. The Saturday game is Breast Cancer Awareness Day and Women in Sports Day, and will feature a Pink Voodoo Doughnut giveaway and a post-game Mother-Daughter Clinic. Come out and cheer on the Pilots as they battle for their position in the WCC tournament. For tickets, please visit the Pilots Box Office. For more information contact Jonathan Brooks, athletics, at 7431 or brooksj@up.edu.
Pilot Athletics News
Mark your Calendars for Saturday, March 1 and make plans to join the Pilots and other fans to wish women’s basketball coach Jim Sollars a happy retirement. Sollars has announced that this season, his 28th, will be his final year as the head coach for the Pilots. Let’s give Coach Sollars the send-off he deserves at his final game, Pilots vs. Saint Mary’s, on March 1 at 2 p.m. in the Chiles Center.
The women’s basketball team returns to the Chiles Center this week for two home West Coast Conference Games, hosting San Francisco on Thursday at 7 p.m., and Santa Clara on Saturday at 1 p.m. For more information, please visit Portlandpilots.com. For tickets, visit the Pilots Box Office or call 7525.
Pilots athletic director Scott Leykam announced last Thursday that Brent Crouch has been named as head coach of the University of Portland volleyball program. Crouch has spent the last four seasons at Saint Mary’s College, most recently serving as the top assistant and recruiting coordinator for the indoor program and head coach of the sand volleyball program. For more information contact athletics at 7117 or go to www.portlandpilots.com.
From Our Past: Mauro’s 1,000th Pilots Game
On January 27, 2001, the late Mauro Potestio attended his 1,000th Pilot basketball game. The event also marked the 759th consecutive home game Potestio had attended. Suffice it to say that Mauro was and shall most likely remain the most avid Pilot athletics fan of all time. He passed away on Saturday, February 5, at the age of 86.
Potestio, with his dapper attire and signature bowtie, was probably best known for his absolute devotion to the men’s basketball team. While he is noted here mostly for his 1,000th game, Mauro attended 898 consecutive home games, a streak that spanned 62 years and 12 different presidential administrations. The streak began and ended with victories – a 53-48 win over Pacific Lutheran on December 8, 1949 and a 85-70 win over nationally ranked St. Mary’s on January 29, 2011. Mauro was heavily involved with the University athletic department, serving in various positions for more than 40 years. He was the scorekeeper for the men’s basketball team for 26 years after being asked by former Pilots head coach Jim “Mush” Torson. From 1980 to 1988, Mauro served as sports information director, after which he became the men’s head golf coach, a position he held from 1988 to 1997. In 1993, he led the program to its only West Coast Conference golf championship in school history. Among his many passions was collecting as many Frank Sinatra records and souvenirs he could lay his hands on. He sure would have loved to have been at this year’s home court victory over Gonzaga, but then again, in many ways he was.
For more University history, see the University Almanac at up.edu/almanac.