They have to figure something out.
The shooting concerns for the Portland State men’s basketball team got worse on Thursday as the Viks shot just 19% from 3-point range in a 63-58 loss to Eastern Washington at the Pavilion.
Portland State was missing three of its four leading scorers in the effort, with James Jean-Marie, Marlon Ruffin and Michael Carter III all sitting out with what the school described as illness and injuries. Even with those absences the Vikings defense held EWU to 38% shooting and just 63 points, marks that are typically good enough to leg out a win at home.
However, the latest poor shooting performance marks the ninth-straight game the Viks have shot 30% or less from long range, and the third time this season PSU has shot less than 20% from 3.
The advanced numbers are worse, with the Viks latest poor shooting night dropping the squad to the second-worst effective field goal percentage in all of Division I at 39.3%, a hair above Alabama A&M. Their 3-point shooting percentage is better than just three other schools and their offensive efficiency numbers are nearly as bad, ranking in the bottom 25 in the nation.
While the addition of those three players likely would’ve helped a bit on Thursday, it doesn’t account for the team-wide shooting slump this season. Just four players on the team are shooting higher than 30% from 3 this season, and only one of those has shot the ball at a significant clip — reserve guard Ian Burke, who is shooting 47.4% this season.
The team’s most prolific shooters — Ruffin, Khalid Thomas and Paris Dawson — are all shooting 25% or less from deep.
The sample size is getting large enough that it would be a stretch to see a stark turnaround in those numbers this season. Does that mean a change of strategy? A shift in lineups? Drawing the emphasis away from long shots the team has trouble hitting?
“Our defense is giving us a chance every night,” Vikings coach Jase Coburn told the school website after the game. “We just have to figure out how to get the ball in the basket more often. I'm proud of the effort though.”
Whatever the fix, PSU has some more time to figure it out after Idaho canceled its games this weekend due to a COVID outbreak in Moscow. The Viks are off until Jan. 6, when they hit the road to Big Sky-leading Southern Utah.
Speaking of those COVID protocols on the Palouse, the Vikings women’s basketball team got an extra week’s rest because of postponements by the Eastern Washington and Idaho teams.
That’s now three of the Viks’ last four games canceled or postponed because of opponent outbreaks. By the time PSU tips off against Southern Utah on Jan. 6 (again, tentatively), they will have had just one game since Dec. 12, a span of three weeks.
And since we’re talking about COVID and basketball, Portland State alum Dan Burke earned his first victory as an NBA head coach on Thursday, serving as the fill-in for the 76ers with three other coaches, including head coach Doc Rivers, out in the league’s health and safety protocols.
Burke, who graduated from PSU but never played for the Vikings, has been an assistant in the NBA since 1989, getting his start under his uncle, former Portland Trail Blazers coach Rick Adelman. Since, he has proven to be a stalwart defensive coach in the league, serving stints with the Blazers, Indiana Pacers and 76ers. While he filled in as head coach a handful of times during his two decades in Indiana, he hadn’t recorded a win.
He is now the second PSU alum to coach in the NBA this season. Former All-Big Sky standout Ime Udoka has led the Boston Celtics to a 16-19 record this season.
The football team added two more defensive commits this week, raising the number to three since the end of the early signing period.
The Viks picked up Ezriel Vasquez, a high school cornerback recruit from Stockton, California:
And Geri Theodore, a transfer defensive end from the University of Toledo, who entered college as a three-star recruit out of Canada. Theodore made his commitment with a bit of bravado, already gunning for votes for the nation’s top defensive player.
Speaking of Buck Buchanan winners from the Big Sky, former Idaho State standout Jared Allen is officially a finalist for the Pro Football Hall of Fame. It probably won’t take very long for the four-time All-Big Sky defensive end to earn his induction to Canton.
Thanks for reading Big Sky Valhalla. Short edition this week with interference from the holidays and a two-year-old’s sleep schedule. We’ll have previews of the Big Sky season ahead next week and make sure to subscribe to the free newsletter for new content sent right to your phone/computer/internet-enabled device.