Portland fires HC Terry Porter

Portland parted ways with head coach Terry Porter, the school announced Friday.

Assistant coach Ben Johnson will take over on an interim basis for the remainder of the 2020-21 campaign.

"I would like to thank coach Porter for his service to the university," Scott Leykam, Portland's vice president for athletics, said in a statement. "The timing of these changes is never ideal, especially with all the disruptions this season that have been brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Ultimately, it was decided that it was best to move forward now and focus on the future of the program and the search for the next head coach."

The Pilots went 43-103 during Porter's five-year tenure, including a disastrous 7-69 mark in WCC play.

Portland is 6-11 on the season and winless in eight conference games.

Porter played 17 seasons in the NBA, starring for the Portland Trail Blazers in the 1980s and '90s. He was a two-time All-Star and had his No. 30 retired by the club in 2008.