Gonzaga WCC opponent preview: Portland Pilots reload through youth movement

The Bulldogs host a young Pilots squad from the Spokane Arena on Thursday

Portland Pilots head coach Shantay Legans brings his squad to Spokane for a matchup against the Gonzaga Bulldogs / James Snook-Imagn Images

While most college basketball programs fixate on acquiring older talent in the offseason, the Portland Pilots are one of the few teams drinking from the fountain of youth.

Loading up on upperclassmen hasn’t always benefited Pilots head coach Shantay Legans, now in his fifth season at the helm, despite it benefitting some of his other colleagues in the West Coast Conference as of late. He’s coming off his worst season record-wise in his eight seasons as a head coach (12-19), though part of Portland’s struggles stemmed from injuries. In fact, the Pilots had just six scholarship players available for their season-ending loss to San Francisco in the WCC Tournament. 

Perhaps if everyone else zigs, it’s time for the Pilots to zag. Upon losing five of his top seven scorers from last season, Legans added eight true freshmen (plus returned three redshirt freshmen) to help replace the team’s outgoing talent, as well as a trio of transfers who each have a couple of years of eligibility remaining. 

“I think we’re in a good spot,” Legans said during WCC media day. “We’re healthy, guys are excited to play with each other, get out there and do their best. I’m really excited about the defensive intensity that practices have been going with, so we’re really excited about that.”

A look at the 2024-25 Pilots roster:

GUARDS/WINGS:

Few players have been around Division-I basketball as long as Chris Austin has, as the 6-foot-4 Pasadena, California, native is entering his seventh season of eligibility in 2024-25. His freshman year, the 2018-19 campaign, was cut short due to injury, then he got a COVID-19 year, plus another medical redshirt in 2022-23. Austin averaged just under seven points last season and shot 36.5% from 3-point range last season.

Through 15 games in 2024-25, Austin has made 11 starts and is putting up 5.7 points per game.

Vukasin Masic averages 10.2 points and dishes out 3.4 assists per game. The 6-foot-5 Serbian is a solid complementary piece next to 6-foot-6 junior Max Mackinnon, a native of Brisbane, Australia, whose game resembles another Aussie who recently came through the Pilots program: Tyler Robertson. The Melbourne native ascended to All-WCC status during his three years in Portland in large part because his physical style of play overwhelmed opponents’ smaller guards in the post. Mackinnon has a similar flare to his game.

Redshirt freshman Vincent Delano backs up Mackinnon at the point guard spot. Delano could’ve played last season given the lack of depth on the roster, though now the Compass Prep (Arizona) product can reap the benefits of having an extra year to train and prepare for the physicality of the WCC. He's fourth on the team in scoring at 7.0 points per game while shooting 37.9% from the field.

Legans added four freshmen from California to the backcourt in NaVaughn Long (Livermore, California), Mikah Ballew (Palmdale, California), Wyatt Miller (Santa Barbara, California) and Preston Lee (Laguna Hills, California). Carlin Briggs, another Australian, could see the floor as a 6-foot-7 freshman with some guard skills. Jinup Dobuol, a 6-foot-8 freshman from Saint Cloud, Minnesota, is another skilled and long first-year player who could log minutes anywhere from small-ball “4” to guard.

FORWARDS/CENTERS:

The Pilots found who they hope to be the future of the center spot in Austin Rapp, another Melbourne-born player on Portland's roster, provides a blend of skills as a 6-foot-10, 230-pound freshman. Following a strong debut in the opener against Lewis & Clark, Rapp has guided the Pilots to the tune of 14.4 points and 6.3 rebounds per game.

Rapp is joined in the frontcourt by fellow freshman Todd Jones, who was rated the No. 1 player in Louisiana by 247Sports. Jones helped Isidore Newman — Peyton Manning's alma mater — win a third straight title in the Division III select classification.

Redshirt sophomore Bol Dengdit looks to build off an impactful first year with Portland. The 6-foot-11 Melbourne native started in 14 of the final 15 games of 2023-24. In that span, he averaged 9.5 points and 7.5 rebounds in 32 minutes per game. Dengdit hasn't quite recaptured that level of productivity in year two — perhaps WCC play offers an opportunity to get it right.

Jermaine Ballisager-Webb makes the journey from the nation's capital to Portland, Oregon, following two seasons at American. The 7-foot, 240-pound native of Denmark averaged 7.4 points and 3.8 rebounds his sophomore year. With Dengdit's ability to space the floor, Ballisager-Webb's presence down low provides a nice one-two punch in the frontcourt.

UC Santa Barbara transfer Mezziah Oakman is a wild card for Portland. The 7-foot, 230-pound redshirt junior played one game last season after being named an all-conference player at the JUCO level.

WRAP IT UP:

NIL has complicated how schools like Portland recruit high school players, though money hasn't stopped Legans from finding and bringing in players who fit his identity as a coach. The blend of versatile wings and guards from Australia combined with lengthy forwards and big-bodied centers is just how Legans likes to play ball. But in a competitive WCC, the Pilots could be in for another building year.

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