Men’s Hoops set to host Pacific, Oregon State at Chiles Center – University of Portland Athletics
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Portland Pilots (7-10, 0-4 WCC) vs. Pacific Tigers (11-6, 2-2 WCC)
Date: Thursday, Jan. 8, 2026
Time: 7:00 p.m.
Place: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center
TV: KUNP-TV / ESPN+
Live Coverage Links: Video | Radio | Stats
Tickets: PortlandPilots.com/Tickets
Portland Pilots (7-10, 0-4 WCC) vs. Oregon State Beavers (8-9, 1-3 WCC)
Date: Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026
Time: 5:00 p.m.
Place: Portland, Ore.
Arena: Chiles Center
TV: KUNP-TV / ESPN+
Live Coverage Links: Video | Radio | Stats
Tickets: PortlandPilots.com/Tickets
THIS WEEK
• The Pilots return to the Chiles Center for a pair of West Coast Conference home games.
• Portland hosts Pacific on Thursday at 7 p.m. and then will be the late game of a Pilot doubleheader Saturday at 5 p.m. against Oregon State. The Portland women host Gonzaga at 2 p.m.
GAME COVERAGE
• Both games this week will be televised live locally on KUNP-TV and simulcast on ESPN+.
• Pilot radio this season includes all men’s and women’s basketball home games, as well as select road games, streamed live on PortlandPilots.com with Jason Swygard calling the action. Neither game this weekend will be on the radio.
• Live coverage links for Portland games can be found at PortlandPilots.com.
LAST TIME OUT: San Francisco 73, Pilots 68 (January 4, 2026— San Francisco, Calif.)
• Portland led by double digits early behind big games from Cameron Williams and Joel Foxwell, but the Dons were able to hold on for the win late in regulation.
• Williams 21 points on 8-of-10 shooting and Foxwell finished with 20 points and six assists.
• The Pilots raced out to 10-0 and 22-5 leads early in the first half to put the Dons on their heels. USF chipped away at the deficit and trailed 34-27 at halftime.
• An 18-2 run by the Dons in the second period sparked the home team and USF led by 13 late in regulation before the Pilots stormed back with a chance to tie or take the lead in the final 40 seconds. A costly turnover by Portland led to free throws for the Dons who held on for the victory.
FRESHMAN PHENOMS
• Freshman PG Joel Foxwell picked up his fourth WCC Freshman of the Week award on Jan. 5 after averaging 16.3 points and nine assists across three games for the Pilots. Foxwell crossed the 20-point threshold twice, scoring 20 points against both the Santa Clara Broncos and the San Francisco Dons. He had 20 points and 15 assists against the Broncos, with his 15 dimes matching a career high as well as the program record for assists in a game set by Tyler Robertson in a Dec. 10, 2022 home win against New Orleans.
• Foxwell is the only player in the NCAA to have multiple games of 15 assists or more and one of two players to have a game with at least 20 points and 15 assists.
• He has now recorded five 20-point games and three double-doubles on the season and has dished out 10 or more assists five times. He is the WCC leader in assists per game (7.4), which also ranks sixth nationally and No. 1 among freshmen. Foxwell also leads the Pilots in scoring (13.7) and is No. 2 in points per game among WCC freshmen.
• Freshman F Timo George had been a consistent force for the Pilots as the team’s No. 2 scorer (12.5), which is third among league freshmen, while his 4.9 rebounds per game are also second among WCC freshmen. He has reached double figures in 11 of 15 games despite playing just 19.9 minutes per game.
• George is two field goals made shy of NCAA qualification in FG percentage. His 69.5 percent from the field would rank No. 3 nationally and lead the WCC. He was 7-for-7 from the field with 14 points and four rebounds at halftime vs. Santa Clara on Dec. 30 before suffering a shoulder injury and has not played since.
• Portland players have garnered 14 WCC Freshman of the Week honors over the last three seasons, which is nearly one out of every three opportunities and five more then the next closest institution.
WILLIAMS DOING WORK
• Junior F Cameron Williams recorded his fourth 20-point game of the season with his 21-point performance at San Francisco on Saturday.
• Williams is shooting 57.2 percent from the field and 76.5 percent at the foul line. His 12.0 points are third on the roster and he is grabbing a team-high 5.2 rebounds per game. He is averaging 13.5 points through the first four WCC games.
• Williams, a first team JC All-American and national champ with Trinity Valley JC last season, has adjusted well to the Division I level.
BALLEW, BALLISAGER WEBB PROVIDING BOOSTS
• Sophomore G Mikah Ballew and senior C Jermaine Ballisager Webb are the two most experienced returners from last year’s roster.
• Ballew has started the last 10 games is averaging 10.5 points this season, including 10 double figure games. Ballew’s 29 three-pointers made are second on the roster.
• Ballisager Webb has been a consistent interior presence on both sides of the ball. He is averaging 7.6 points and 3.3 rebounds in 14.5 minutes off the bench. He has reached double figures four of the last seven games and is averaging 9.4 points and 5.5 rebounds over that span.
HOME VERSUS ROAD STATS
• Portland has been a different team at home versus on the road with the Pilots going 7-4 in home games and 0-6 on the road this season. At home, the team is scoring 86.5 points and allowing 78.5 for a +7.9 scoring margin. In road games the Pilots are scoring 63.8 points and giving up 85.2 for a -21.3 margin.
• UP is shooting 50.9 percent from the field with 21.8 assists at the Chiles Center, while struggling to 42.5 percent from the floor with just 12.0 assists in away games.
• Rebounding is another notable stat with Portland posting a +5.7 rebounding margin at home versus -7.5 in away games.
ABOUT THE RETURNERS
• Portland returns six players from last year’s roster, three of which redshirted.
• Mikah Ballew averaged 4.9 points as a freshman in 31 games. Jermaine Ballisager Webb started eight games, appeared in 29 and averaged 4.3 points and 1.8 rebounds while shooting 64 percent from the field. RS-sophomore G Kelson Gebbers played 19 games and averaged 1.7 points and 1.1 rebounds.
• Carlin Briggs, NaVaughn Long and Preston Lee each utilized their redshirt season. Briggs is returning from a knee injury and working his way back into playing shape. Long made his debut against Willamette and recorded two rebounds with a pair of assists. Lee also debuted against the Bearcats and scored five points with a steal.
BUILDING A WINNING ROSTER
• The Portland coaching staff focused on building the 2025-26 roster with experienced players from winning programs and Portland’s five transfers fit the bill.
• Junior transfers Garrett Nuckolls and Cameron Williams were the top two scorers for Trinity Valley JC, which won the JUCO Division I national title last year.
• Riley Parker was a starter and team captain for St. Francis, which won the Northeast Conference Tournament to reach the 2025 NCAA Tournament.
• Senior F Matúš Hronský spent three years with Duquesne and played in two NCAA Tournament games in 2024, while sophomore C James O’Donnell was a key contributor for San Francisco, who won 25 games and played in the NIT.
• Additionally, Portland’s three true freshmen all played for high level clubs or have national team experience: Timo George prepped at IMG Academy in Florida, Joel Foxwell played with pros in the Australian NBL and NBL1, while Dante Censori-Hercules competed at Hodan Prep, which has multiple alums playing in the NBA.
INTERNATIONAL FLAVOR
• Portland’s current roster features players from seven different countries including nine international student-athletes.
• The Australian pipeline continues to flow with four Pilots hailing from Down Under: Riley Parker, James O’Donnell, Carlin Briggs and Joel Foxwell.
• Throughout his five-year tenure with the Pilots, Legans has had nine different Aussies on the roster and 21 total international players from 12 different countries.
STAFF UPDATE
• Portland added two new assistant coaches to staff this offseason in Mark Berokoff and Anthony Separovich, while Decclan Mclean was promoted to an assistant coach after serving two years as a graduate assistant.
• Berokoff brings vast experience to the bench with more than 400 career wins along with multiple state and national championships as a head coach. Berokoff most recently served four seasons as head coach at NAIA Oklahoma City University. He led Randall University to three national titles and five national semifinals appearances in nine years (2012-21) at the National Christian College Athletic Association Division II level while serving as both head coach and athletic director.
• Separovich and Mclean are Australians that have helped solidified a strong pipeline for the Pilots Down Under. Separovich served as the AUSA Hoops Program and Recruiting Director from 2022-25. He was instrumental in recruiting, mentoring and guiding boys and girls players from Australia to earn college scholarships in the U.S. More than 500 student-athletes represented AUSA in AAU Tournaments across the U.S. in 2025. He helped place more than 100 student-athletes at U.S. colleges over the past three years, including a record 50 in 2024.
NATIONAL TEAM DUTY
• Four different players have been regular representatives on their home country’s national teams either at the youth or senior level.
• Jermaine Ballisager Webb (Denmark) played on youth national teams from U15 on and represented the Senior National Team this Summer at the FIBA Basketball World Cup 2027 European Pre-Qualifiers. He averaged 10.8 points and 4.8 rebounds over four games as Denmark secured a qualifying spot.
• Timo George (Netherlands) helped the Netherlands U20 National Team to a fourth-place finish at the 2024 FIBA EuroBasket where he averaged 12.3 points and 7.3 rebounds per game. He also represented the Netherlands at the U18 European Championships in 2023.
• Matúš Hronský (Slovakia) represented Slovakia at the 2021 U20 European Championships where he averaged 15.8 points in five games. Hronský also played for Slovakia’s Senior National Team at the 2021 World Cup where he scored eight points in four games.
• Dante Censori-Hercules (Canada) also trained this Summer with the U-19 National Team.
ABOUT PACIFIC (11-6, 2-2 WCC)
• The Tigers are 7-0 at home and 2-6 in road games this season. In league play, Pacific has home wins against Oregon State and Pepperdine with road losses to San Diego and LMU. Notable non-league victories came against Long Beach State and Cal State Fullerton.
• Elias Ralph leads the Tigers in scoring (17.5) and rebounding (6.8).
• Head coach Dave Smart is in his second year at the helm.
PORTLAND-PACIFIC SERIES HISTORY
Series: PAC leads 33-19
H / A / N: 12-11 / 6-22 / 1-0
Streak: Portland W4
Last: Pilots 81, Pacific 73 (Feb. 22, 2025 at PAC)
WE’RE RIVERBOAT PILOTS, NOT AIRPLANE PILOTS!
• Though a 1935 student contest resulted in the nickname “Chinooks” (after the Native American tribe that inhabited the area, and the largest of the salmon species in the Willamette River), the “Pilots” was chosen by presidential fiat. From that day forward, The Bluff had a new mascot, and he was Wally Pilot.
• When the University changed its name from Columbia University (its earliest sports teams were known as the Cliff dwellers or the Columbias), to the University of Portland in 1935, the name and University had already begun to adapt a more “nautical motif,” suitable for a campus site overlooking the Willamette River. At the same time, the Pilot athletic teams became associated with Wally (a stylized riverboat pilot), and the pilot’s wheel became the logical logo.
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