PORTLAND, Ore. – When the search for a new head coach for the Portland Pilots men's basketball program began, Shantay Legans stood out immediately. Even through Zoom, Portland Vice President of Athletics Scott Leykam could tell that his personality was a perfect fit in Portland. He knew the coaching was pretty solid, too, considering Legans had just taken Eastern Washington to the NCAA Tournament, almost upsetting the Kansas Jayhawks in the first round. Leykam could tell he would be a top candidate.
"Even on Zoom, it jumped through the screen," Leykam said about Legans's personality. "After the first conversation as we brought other people in on campus, it was like 'Yeah, this is very much a guy who could work at UP and have a lot of success.