September 19, 2014
Russell 'Pilots' with Reveno
Everything fell into place for Folsom High's Colin Russell when he was visiting the University of Portland last weekend. Heck, even the weather was glorious, with highs in the mid-80s. So when the question of him becoming a Pilot was put to him, he answered affirmatively.
Russell averaged 9.1 points and 7.2 rebounds as a junior last season Everything fell into place for Folsom High's Colin Russell when he was visiting the University of Portland last weekend. Heck, even the weather was glorious, with highs in the mid-80s. So when the question of him becoming a Pilot was put to him, he answered affirmatively.
“I liked the players and the coaches, the facilities are good, the emphasis is on trying to get better and everything is run uptempo,“ he explained. Plus there was one other important element for Russell—”I'm Catholic and Portland is a Catholic school.“
Academically, Portland can boast of a 100% graduation rate since Coach Eric Reveno took over in 2006.
It's also a resident of the West Coast Conference so most of the competition will be formidable and with four teams within driving distance of the Folsom area: Pacific, St. Mary's, San Francisco and Santa Clara.
Russell is ranked 11th in the NorCalPreps.com 2015 Boys Basketball Top 40.
For the Pilot fans, here's what the 6-foot-8 Russell will be providing to the program: “I'll bring a lot of energy and enthusiasm and a willingness to work hard. I really like the aspect of playing as a team and getting up and down the floor.”
Russell knew of Bryce Pressley (now a Portland junior but out of Jesuit High) and met him on his trip. “He's a good guy.”
Reveno loses 6-foot-11 Thomas van der Mars, 6-foot-10 Riley Barker and 6-foot-10 Volodymyr Gerun after this fast approaching season so the opportunity will be available to earn time on the floor. Asked if Reveno's 6-foot-8 height and his success playing at Stanford came up during recruitment, Russell said, “It wasn't a huge sales pitch but it was definitely mentioned to me.”
Russell is thinking of entering the firefighting field after college but he's currently not sure what his major will be. “Maybe business administration,” he offered.
What is especially exhilarating to Russell is the opportunity to play college basketball and have his education paid for is something relatively new. “It was only about a year ago that I found out there was interest in me. That gave me the motivation to train even harder than before.”
But first comes his senior season at Folsom, a team coming off a close to the end 63-54 loss to St. John Bosco in the state title game. After averaging 9.1 points and 7.2 rebounds as a junior including 11 points in that final matchup, Russell recalls 2013-14 fondly, noting one of his best basketball moments as “the whole playoff run.”