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The NCAA selection committee did Portland State no favors when it unveiled its men's basketball bracket for this year's editon of March Madness. The Vikings--making their first ever tournament appearance--were made a 16 seed, and will face the region's top team, the Kansas Jayhawks.
The 5-6 point guard--the Big Sky Conference newcomer AND player of the year--is a force to be reckoned with when PSU faces Kansas on Thursday in Omaha, Nebraska. And Jeremiah is ready. "I'm going to enjoy the experience," Dominguez told me in a telephone interview. "Our chemistry is great. Everybody knows their role and we create together."
His first two college seasons at the University of Portland were admittedly frustrating. The coaching staff for the Pilots limited his playing time and frequently played him out of position on the wing--a less than advantageous role for a man of his size. "I didn't get the opportunity to take chances and that was hard," he says of his time at the Chiles Center. But Dominguez tried to be patient. "I kept working hard, waiting my turn and for a situation that worked, " recalls Jeremiah. But that situation never materialized at U of P. So Dominguez made the decision to transfer to Portland State, a move that meant he would have to sit out a season. But he also knew that he was going to play, and that reduced his frustration significantly. When he finally got a chance to play in the Park Blocks, Dominguez won over his Viking teammates. "They trusted in me to make the right decisions and the right calls," says Dominguez about his early games. "I was accepted as one of the leaders. I was kinda quiet, but as the season went on, we grew together." Grew together they did--to the tune of a 23-9 record and the school's first ever NCAA bid. Dominguez spent time fine tuning his game, not only working out with his teammates but talking extensively about game situations. He also has spent significant time in the weight room, bulking up his small frame from 150 to 165 points at one point. He slimmed down to 155 for the season. Jeremiah's success is no surprise to people who know him well. Former South Salem coach Rick Havercroft coached Dominguez for three seasons, and says his former player's maturing process has gone beyond the court. "He has taken responsibility for things not working out at the U of P and has moved on to make the most of this opportunity at Portland State, " says Havercroft proudly. "In watching him play he still possesses the quality I've always admired the most in him--the ability to bring out the best in other members of his team."
And they have to give an awful lot of credit to the small man with the big heart who only needed a chance to show what he could do. For the complete NCAA bracket, click here Mark Gilman can be contacted at mark@fullaccesssports.com
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But if Portland State is in a David vs. Goliath situation, it seems there is no better player to fill the role of the guy with the slingshot than former South Salem star Jeremiah Dominguez.
Dominguez has been the maestro of the Viking hardwood orchestra, averaging 14.4 points a game, while standing tall as one of the best in the Big Sky in assists, steals and three point shooting percentage. It's a melody the former Oregon high school player of the year has spent years trying to perfect.
Win or lose against Kansas on Thursday, Portland State has an awful lot to be proud of in finally reaching the big stage of college basketball.