Athletics
Portland Magazine
February 17, 2020
by Roya Ghorbani-Elizeh '11
MICHAEL MEEK WAS NAMED coach of the Portland Pilots women’s basketball team in April 2019, and his team is off to a strong start.
Over the past 25 years, Meek has built up a number of successful basketball programs. His nine years at George Fox University led to eight NCAA Tournament appearances overall, including NCAA Division III championship game appearances in 2012 and 2015. Before George Fox, Meek coached at Southridge High School, where his team won five state titles. Meek now ranks fourth in career winning percentage among active coaches with five-plus years of experience at all divisions of women’s college basketball.
But wins or track records aren’t his primary goals. For Meek, a positive experience is both the beginning and the end.
“My goal as a coach is to create an environment where our players can have an awesome time,” he says, smiling. “I feel that teams get off track when they aren’t having fun together.”
Through the years, Meek has developed a system for his teams to follow. His “non-negotiables” include effort, communication (both on and off the court), and focus, along with being a great teammate and being coachable. “The longer I coach, it has become less about the game and more about the people,” he says. “As a coach, I want to help teach our players life skills they can utilize in their future jobs and relationships.”
In addition to his successful programs, his coaching has been recognized. In 2012, he was named the D3hoops.com NCAA Division III National Coach of the Year and was three times named the NWC Coach of the Year, including in 2019.
“Coaches never know when jobs are going to open or when opportunities are going to be there,” he says. “I love my job, and I love that I get to coach here at UP.”
Come to the final game of the season against Gonzaga on February 29, and you’ll see not only a committed team, but you’ll also see Meek courtside in his signature sweater vest. Although he admits to being “teased from time to time,” Meek’s gameday sweater vest—now in Portland Pilots purple—is the only tradition he swears by.
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