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

garlingh13@up.edu

PJ MarcelloSta! Writer

marcello13@up.edu

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