peril in paradise
DESCRIPTION
Peril In ParadiseTRANSCRIPT
IIIIIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHPeril in
paradise
When senior Matt Mardesich’s
class was asked who had the most
exciting spring break story, his
hand quickly shot up.
“I survived a tsunami,” Mar-
desich said.
While the baseball team was
in Hawaii facing the University
of Hawaii in a four-game series,
a 9.0 earthquake hit the coast of
Japan, sending Pacifi c coastlines
into a panic.
After news of the quake
reached Hawaii, state offi cials
forced residents on the coast to
head to higher ground. The Pilots
were staying in a hotel on Wai-
kiki Beach. They left the hotel
after being there for only hours
and headed to sophomore J.R.
Bunda’s house, located further
inland.
The Pilots found out about the
quake after their fi rst game, a 5-1
win as sophomore right-handed
pitcher (RHP) Chris Johnson al-
lowed only two hits in seven in-
nings.
“We started hearing about the
earthquake from the parents after
the game but didn’t realize how
serious it was until we got back
to the hotel,” Johnson said. “Then
we started hearing police sirens
and were soon told we had to
leave the hotel and head to higher
ground.”
Many of the players had to
sleep in a nearby church and and
had to improvise their sleeping
arrangements.
“I used pew cushions as a bed,
an old couch cushion as a pillow
and a cushion as a blanket,” soph-
omore Jeff Melby said. “Needless
to say, I didn’t get a very good
night sleep.”
While no physical damage
came of the warnings, Johnson,
After reaching their school re-
cord 3rd straight 20-win season,
the men’s basketball team lost to
Hawaii in the opening round of
the CollegeInsider.com Postsea-
son Tournament.
The men’s team traveled to
Oahu for the tournament where
they faced the University of Ha-
waii in the opening round. The
Pilots led for much of the fi rst
half, but a late 25-12 run put the
Warriors up 38-32 at half. From
there, the Warriors kept the lead,
ending the game in a 76-64 loss
for UP.
“It was a learning experience.
As a team it was nice to go to Ha-
waii but we are disappointed with
the end result and we have to use
it to grow and get better for next
year,” junior Nem Mitrovic said.
Coming into the game, the Pi-
lots were shooting an impressive
41 percent from beyond the arc.
However, against the Warriors
the Pilots struggled and only
hit 35 percent from three point
range.
According to the Pilots, though
they came home with a loss, they
have a lot of great memories from
the season and a lesson from the
tournament that will leave them
hungry for next year.
“This is the third year in a row
that we have made it to the post-
season and the third straight year
that we lost in the fi rst round of
a tournament,” junior guard Eric
Waterford said. “We want an-
other opportunity and a different
outcome.”
Overall, the Pilots believe
they overachieved this season
and are happy with the progress
they have made over the past few
years.
“A lot of people thought this
would be a rebuilding year for us.
We take pride in the fact that we
aren’t just a team with a couple
good seasons,” Mitrovic said.
“It’s nice to see the program get-
ting some respect. When I was a
freshman, this was a considered a
small school without much tradi-
tion. It’s changing, and I’ve been
able to witness that change.”
Next year’s seniors are look-
ing to make history by being the
most successful class ever for Pi-
lots basketball.
“If we have a good fourth year
we’ll be the fi rst class with no
losing seasons,” Waterford said.
“The program has come a long
way and we want to work hard
our last year because we have big
goals.”
The accomplishments of the
past three seasons have re-defi ned
Portland’s basketball reputation
which has garnered the attention
of both media and recruits.
The Pilots will be losing se-
niors Jared Stohl, Luke Sikma,
Kramer Knutson and Jasonn
Hannibal this year. To replace
them the Pilots have a strong
recruiting class this year led by
three star prospect Kevin Bailey
(whose highlight video is must-
see material), three point special-
ist David Carr and power-forward
Dorian Cason.
“We have some key pieces to
fi ll next year and we’re excited
about the freshman class from
this year and the new incoming
class,” Mitrovic said. “Whether it
is a freshman or a returner, we’re
going to need people to step up
and we’ll fi nd out who those peo-
ple will be.”
Pilot baseball goes 2-2 against the Hawaii Rainbows after a tsunami scare evacuated their hotel
Bruce GarlinghouseSta! Writer
PJ MarcelloSta! Writer
Pilots deal with tsunami, Rainbows in Hawaii
Hawaii sends Pilots packing early, team looks to young players, recruits
See Tsunami, page 15
Pilot of the Week Alex Ferrero is a di! erent
type of tennis athlete Page 15
THE BEACON16 ! March 24, 2011 www.upbeacon.net
SPORTSSPORTS
Photo Courtesy Je! Melby Courtesy Oregonlive.com
Photo Illustration by Rosemary Peters