Sports

Vikings make debut in the ‘big dance’

By Jon Fuccillo

At this point we don’t know if the Oregon Ducks will be representing our state in the NCAA Division I tournament. But one thing is for sure: Our very own Portland State Vikings will, and when I say “our very own,” I am hopping on the bandwagon since I have such a love for Oregon sports, especially basketball.

At the beginning of the year I would have never guessed that the Vikings would have had a chance in hell of having the season they had and make it to the “big dance.” But that’s where they’re going after winning both of their Big Sky tournament games over Idaho State Tuesday night then beating Northern Arizona in the championship game Wednesday night in the home of the Blazers the Rose Garden.

The Vikings won the bragging rights for the first time in their school’s history to represent the Big Sky and try to make a name for itself when the NCAA tournament begins next week. Unfortunately, I feel the team doesn’t stand much of a chance considering it will most likely face a top-seeded team. Nevertheless, there is a little Viking standing on my shoulder whispering “Cinderella story,” which would make a great story for the tournament and the city of Portland.

The fast-paced offense is led by 5’6’’ point guard Jeremiah Dominguez who attended South Salem High School and transferred from the University of Portland after two years of playing for a struggling Pilots team to come help the Vikings. He will be getting a lot of help from the highly talented Big Sky tournament MVP Deonte Huff who, in my opinion, is the most talented and well-rounded player on the team. Huff led the way on offense in the tournament with an average of 18.5 ppg and 6 rpg in two games during the tournament.

The team is going to have to play the best basketball they’ve ever played because this is the biggest stage in college basketball and one of the best events in any sport out there whether college or professional. Getting past the first round in the field of 64 is hard enough, but imagine for just one second if the Vikings made it far into the tournament. When all is said and done, the Vikings had a great year with an overall record of 23-9 and earning their first berth in the NCAA Division I tournament. It makes a great story in its own.