OPENING ACT: The 67th season of Seattle University men's basketball (post-World War II) begins Tuesday night as the Redhawks travel south to Portland for a matchup against the Portland State Vikings. This is the third straight year the Redhawks have started the regular season on the road, with head coach Cameron Dollar looking for his first opening-game victory as Seattle U head coach. With a combined record of 983-857 over the past 66 years, Seattle U has a chance to reach the 1,000-win mark this season. Five letterwinners from the 2010-11 season and two players who redshirted last year are joined by seven newcomers.
PROBABLE STARTING LINEUPS
Seattle University
Guard: #0 Prince Obasi - 6-2, 205 - Jr.Guard: #1 Allen Tate - 6-5, 205 - Jr.Forward: #2 Aaron Broussard - 6-5, 205 - Sr.Forward: #12 Clarence Trent - 6-6, 225 - So.Forward: #25 Eric Wallace - 6-7, 233 - Sr.Portland State University
Guard: #1 Lateef McMullan - 5-11, 170 - Jr.Guard: #2 Charles Odum - 6-0, 205 - Sr.Guard: #4 Michael Harthun - 6-3, 185 - Jr.Forward: #11 Chehales Tapscott - 6-5, 215 - Sr. Center: #42 Nate Lozeau - 6-10, 270 - Sr.THE PACIFIC LUTHERAN GAME: In a balanced effort, Seattle University prepared for the start of the regular season with a 101-53 victory over Pacific Lutheran in an exhibition game Saturday night at KeyArena at Seattle Center. Eric Wallace led the team with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Aaron Broussard hit his first seven field goal attempts on his way to a 15-point, four-rebound, three-steal performance. Clarence Trent and Allen Tate each earned 12 points and six rebounds, and Cervante Burrell made a significant contribution despite not scoring any points, collecting six rebounds and six assists.
QUICK FACTS: Seattle U has not won the opening game of the season when it was on the road since 1996-97, a 72-65 win over Concordia (Ore.). The Redhawks last won their first road game of the year in 2005-06, an 88-85 victory over Portland.
SCOUTING PORTLAND STATE: The Vikings enter Tuesday's game with a 0-1 record after losing its season opener to Seattle U's future conference foe Denver, 69-61. Portland State won its exhibition game over Western Oregon on Nov. 4 in Portland, 91-82. Against the Pioneers, Nate Lozeau led the Vikings with 19 points, while Chehales Tapscott notched a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Portland State shot only 36.7 percent from the field, including 1-of-8 from behind the three-point line. Meanwhile, Denver shot 48.0 percent from the field, including 8-of-20 from behind the three-point line. The Vikings did enjoy a comfortable rebounding margin, 42-26, including 19 offensive rebounds.
SEATTLE U VS. PORTLAND STATE: This is the 15th meeting all-time between Seattle U and Portland State, with the series tied at 7-7. The first meeting between these two schools took place in Seattle during the 1956-57 season, with Seattle U earning a 76-64 victory. Seattle U also won meetings in the next two seasons and in 1969-70 before Portland State broke through in 1970-71. Portland State defeated Seattle U, 82-76, at the 1977 Kentucky Invitational in Lexington, Ky. Seattle U earned another home win in 1978-79, and Portland State responded with a victory in 1979-80. In Seattle U's first season back in Division I (2008-09), the Vikings earned two victories over the Redhawks, first in the third-place game of the 2008 Great Alaska Shootout (81-67) and then a week later in Portland (73-68). In the 2009-10 campaign, Aaron Broussard hit a three-pointer with 0.3 seconds left to give Seattle U its first victory of the series in Portland (80-77), and the Redhawks also won the meeting in Seattle, 93-80.
LAST SEASON: Portland State swept the season series from Seattle U in 2010-11. In the first meeting of the season, the Vikings defeated the Redhawks, 83-76, on Dec. 1 at the Stott Center. Cervante Burrell led the Redhawks with 20 points and four assists, while Aaron Broussard contributed 15 points and eight rebounds. Melvin Jones led the Vikings with 23 points, and Chehales Tapscott notched a double-double with 12 points and 10 rebounds. On March 10, in the season finale for both teams, Portland State completed the season sweep with an 81-71 victory over Seattle U at KeyArena. Alex Jones completed his Redhawk career with a team-high 21 points, while Broussard and Sterling Carter scored 18 points apiece. Portland State shot 51.9 percent from the field, including 11-of-22 from behind the three-point line, and committed only 12 turnovers in the victory.
THE LEADER OF THE REDHAWKS: Cameron Dollar is in his third year as the head coach of the Seattle University men's basketball team. Last season, the team continued to make its mark on a national level, defeating Oregon State for the second straight year and also earning a win at Virginia. After leading the team to a 17-14 record in 2009-10, he was named Independent Coach of the Year. The squad picked up victories at Utah, at Oregon State, against Fresno State, and against Weber State during Dollar's inaugural year at the helm. He had been an assistant coach at the University of Washington under Lorenzo Romar for seven seasons. As a player, Dollar helped UCLA win the 1995 NCAA Championship at the Kingdome in Seattle.
THE RELUCTANT WARRIOR: Aaron Broussard has developed into one of the leaders of the Seattle U men's basketball team as he enters his final season with the Redhawks. Last season, he led the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.5 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, earning All-Independent honors in the process. Broussard was also named to the All-Tournament Team at the Irvine subregional of the 2K Sports Classic, scoring 25 points and 26 points in back-to-back games against UC Irvine and Navy. He has scored 963 points so far in his Redhawk career, just 37 points away from becoming the 35th player in Seattle U men's basketball history to reach the 1,000-point mark.
RETURNING TO FORM: Senior guard Cervante Burrell struggled midway through the 2010-11 season after suffering a knee injury, but he showed signs of recovery near the end of the campaign, and reports from preseason workouts signify that he is all the way back to the form he showed in 2009-10. He still finished last year fourth on the team in scoring, averaging 10.9 points per game, and he led the squad with 106 assists. Burrell also improved his free throw percentage, hitting 72.7 percent (80-of-110) of his attempts from the charity stripe last season. Burrell scored in double figures 15 times last year, including his first career double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds in a 75-68 victory at Cal State Northridge. He also scored a career-high 26 points against Washington on Feb. 22.
SCANNING THE RADIO DIAL: For the third straight season, Seattle U men's basketball games will be aired on 710 ESPN Seattle, with Dave Grosby and Gary Hill, Jr., providing the play-by-play descriptions of the action from courtside. Tuesday's broadcast will begin at 7 p.m.