Day 4

* Showtime Saturday night was indeed showtime. And unanimous All-Tournament selections Molly Schwegler and Derek Piete lived (and lived up to) the dream. Both turned in dominating performances that delivered championships. The scary thing for the rest of the 3A field is both will be back. Which means a repeat isn't a dream, its a realistic goal for both of the "R" programs.

* Showtime Saturday night was also sellout Saturday night. While Willamette was spacious enough for most sessions with room to spare, problems with seating matched the problems with weekday parking. And will someone PLEASE explain to some zealots that there are people who are NOT directly associated with either team that watch these games. A general admission ticket is good for any and all seats in the house, and for both games in the session.

* In addition to the best teams, and best players of the tournament, and the dubious worsts, there were some other bests of the week:

* Best student section chant of the tournament has to be Valley Catholic's observation "The ball is bigger than the basket!", which they reminded opponents of whenever a free throw or key bucket was needed.

* Best Mascot hands down was the Westside Christian Eagle. The art of being a mascot appears to be in decline in general, and that's a sad development. But the WC Eagle worked the building, the crowd, and the officials. Considering the Cone Field House heat and the fact that not 1 square inch of skin is exposed with that outfit, it may have been the most demanding individual effort of the week. It was almost sad to seen him retire to the upper reaches in the last minute against Harrisburg, when it was evident the run had come to an end.

* Best (?) words of encouragement for a player (and this came obviously from a mom!), as they subbed into the game were "OK 43 - Lay someone out!" (Number changed to protect the guilty.) With all the complaining about the non-calls, there was obviously someone that understands tournament basketball is a very physical thing.

* Best effort under frustrating conditions goes to my help at Oregonprepsports.net. Technical bugs always wait until tournament time to surface, and we suffered a couple of doozies. And just like on the floor, when things happen, there is zero time to deal with it. Kelly Atkinson, Sven Svenson, and also, and especially, Bruce McCain up in Pendleton at the 2A tournament, did an incredible job given the unexpected technical challenges that arose. Great job guys (and Golly)!

* Best imitation of the energizer bunny goes is a tie, and goes to the Regis twins, Jake and Joe Obersinner. The 5'7" seniors play flat out from the first warmup until the final horn. It never matters how often they get hammered onto the floor, the twins only seem to go at bigger opponents faster and harder each time. As Joe explained, "Being small, you have got to do it with quickness." As Coach Andy Sydow noted, "The twins are irreplaceable!" And unstoppable. Coach Sydow explained, "Joe (who started for the Rams) had a temperature of 103 degrees on Wednesday. I don't think anything could hold him out though!" As to how that works, Joe O. simply explained "It's all about wanting it." It's one thing to say it, and want it (about 200 athletes arrived in Salem that all wanted it), but another to do it. When asked how they have developed the ability to perform at such a level, Joe O. explained "I go against my brother like this every day!"

* Best bruises were on the knees of Sam Sanders, Myrtle Point's great point guard. The Statesman-Journal's Bill Poehler first spotted it, and being the crack reporter he is, Bill was right on. No one played harder than Sanders, and she had the battle marks to prove it.

* Speaking of Sanders, and earlier Schwegler, no disrespect to the rest of the great Rainier and Myrtle Point teams, it might have been just as good a show, and just maybe the same outcome, had we just rolled the ball out to midcourt and let Sanders and Schwegler go one on one for an hour and a half. Because that's essentially what we did, and it was a pleasure to watch.

* In looking at the All Tournament selections, I can't make a valid argument against any of the selections to the boys' first team, but it's a head scratcher to me that Horizon Christian's Nick Gowen wasn't on the first team. Having had the privilege of not only watching, but interacting with Nick this week, the only explanation I can think of is that Nick is not a boy. He is clearly a man among men and boy. And as a bonus, he can play a little hoops as well.

* Lots of discussion all week (again) about the issues around public vs. private schools, and with Marist and Jesuit and Central Catholic still in business, don't expect the forums to die down any time soon. But you win with a combination of talent and desire. Doesn't matter how you come by it, only whether you do. And anyone that watched the teams that played Saturday night can not deny that those guys (generic term applying equally to the gals) are good!

* Horizon Christian (Tualatin) continues to be confused with 1A Horizon Christian of Hood River. The fact that they are both the Hawks, both actually have 1A enrollments, and both win a lot of boys' basketball games doesn't help. But I believe there is an solution. The Tualatin group should consider a more accurate name for their endeavor. With all due respect to their inspiration, the "Tual" Hawks, who went from not having a brick or a board, much less a book or a ball, in two years, to not only playing for a championship, but also having a competitive football program in only their second outing, are no longer on the "horizon" in 3A. The Hawks have arrived. Not all of their programs are so strong yet, but they are already established. And the standard the boys' basketball team have set, off the court and on, will only speed things along.

* One of the things that probably should not remain a part of the schedule was the OSAA vs. the Media game that took the late afternoon slot when the Portland Adventist game was rescheduled to the evening. At least as long as a bunch of over the hill journalists have to deal with a twenty-something tree like the OSAA's Kyle Stanfield, who also has three point range. Who does he think he is anyway, Joe Jaeger? We did learn that the OSAA guys have entirely too much time on their hands, if Steve Walker can develop some of his Globetrotter-like ball handling moves.

* The game did bring new light to the low shooting percentages the real teams posted. As the Oregonian's Jerry Ulmer noted, it doesn't account for the air balls (ours or the high schoolers), but first hand experience revealed that the Willamette temporary rims are VERY tight and unforgiving.

* We won't be including the final score in the scoreboard section, and don't look for individual stats either. But I can attest that Bill Poehler knows what he is talking about if he comments on rebounding in a given story.

* The elevated floor installed at Willamette is interesting as well. A dribble that hits exactly on on of the mortised joints where the floor panels are joined, which are MUCH harder than the floor generally, produce a much higher bounce. This you don't learn without actually getting on the floor. While its a part of the facility, which teams must adapt to, its also something most high school players have minimal experience with.

* The issue with the floor and the temporary baskets, and the permanent baskets that were hoisted above the temporary backstops, and inconveniently impairing the view of the scoreboards in the process, was a continual topic of conversation. The Willamette teams supposedly wanted the temporary baskets in place because they are what they had to prepare for in their playoffs. It was also noted that the permanent basket supports at Willamette, very heavy wooden affairs made of laminated beams, were set for the original floor, and would be slightly low with the newer floor. However, its a matter of inches, and easily resolved by remounting the backboards higher on the supports. Its also something that needs addressed for the future. And surely easier to fix than the air conditioning.

* Another amazing issue is the condition of the Willamette University scoreboard. The scoreboard does not include a time out count, and when there is less than a minute to go, the clock shows there are 97 seconds left, not 57. This is an NCAA facility for Pete's sake!

* The issue of physical play is always a hot topic of conversation come post season, and that applies to the NCAA and the NBA as well, so people SHOULDN'T be surprised. Yet there continue to be people who don't understand basketball isn't just a contact sport, its a heavy contact game.

* Many basketball officials also work football, and perhaps they should bring their flag as well as their whistle when they come to the court. In football, you can engage an opponent high or low. However, if one player engages an opponent high, while a teammate cuts the legs out from under that opponent, it is a personal foul for an illegal cut block. At Willamette, this technique was NOT flagged on several occasions.

* My parting thought, as it always seems to be from the tournaments and playoffs, is about the incredible young men and women we have the privilege of watching. I personally don't like the terms "boys" & "girls" as applied to differentiate from the collegiate level. Yes there is a big difference, but these "kids" are an impressive group to say the least. Well spoken for the most part, and simultaneously emotional and poised to a level we shouldn't be able expect, but have come to count on, its clear our future will be better for what these young men and women will contribute. And we still have 2 weeks of playoff basketball to enjoy!

Day 3

* Now we are into tournament basketball! Two overtime games and a double overtime! And the stands were shaking! Most exciting day in a while, and the advantage the east side tournaments had in exciting games was turned to the west today.

* Willamette is a "cool" building, but it is definitely NOT a cool building! The heat is incredible in there.

* It would take a lot of time to go back over game tapes and play by play to quantify exactly, but the alternating possession rule assumes that, well, possessions alternate. Not necessarily. I've not seen as many issues with this in a long time. Not sure why either.

* One problem that has been an issue several times this season, and is arising even more, now that we have very loud playoff crowds, is coaches making proper calls for time outs that are not being honored in a timely matter, because they are neither seen or heard. With two officials, if they get focused on the play, I can understand the problem with noticing the coach. But when coaches are past mid court, and out on the court, and some times several of them, all jumping up and down and yelling, and it still takes more than five seconds to be noticed, its only a matter of time before one of these close games is swung at the end by a turnover.

* Who ever thought black numbers on dark purple uniforms, as seen on the road unis for the Harrisburg girls and Cascade Christian boys, was a good idea should be forced to score a game with this color combination.

* Willamette must consider doing something about the sound system and announcing package. It is almost always impossible to make out anything being said.

* Would restrooms and water fountains be too much to ask?

Day 2

* Shooting continues to be an elusive thing. Partly defense, partly nerves. It appears to be less of an issue in Baker, from the scores. It's not all the temporary baskets, but I still wonder if it partly is.

* An all private school boys' final 4, with Cascade Christian facing Horizon Christian, and Regis taking on Portland Adventist. Meanwhile, Valley Catholic, the only private in town on the girls' side, is a good bet to take the girls' title, but the semis should both be great battles.

* Horizon Christian, in just their second year, is an impressive program. I think some 3A powers have a problem on the horizon. The Hawks' 5 year plan to go from a vacant lot to a premier 3A program appears to be ahead of schedule.

* Too much might have been made of the challenge of the Cascade Christian Challengers moving up. As Coach Brian Morse notes, before the split of now 3A and the rest of what was 2A, almost all the now 3A teams were playing each other anyway, so its really business as usual for the top teams.

* If you read the local paper, you know about the tournament. Those who live in Salem, but don't take the paper, have few if any clues about what's going on. It might be time for some more visible marketing. With 3 of 4 local teams in the girls' final 4 in Pendleton, and 2 local boys' teams, compared with only a single team from within about an hour's drive of Salem at Willamette, there are more area folks in eastern Oregon than in the Cone Field House.

Day 1

* Willamette has installed padded benches, but not on the press row side of the isle. Pays to be a season ticket holder after all.

* The first team to hit a decent percentage from the field will dominate the week. And it might be Vale. The temporary baskets that Willamette brought in to practice for their tournament, because that’s what they will be faced with, aren’t the problem either. If you don’t get it close to the hole, it doesn’t matter if the rims are tight. The best shooting of the first three games was 31%. The Vikings, by contrast, hit 50% in the first three quarters, and over 40% for the game. Don’t count the only unranked team out of the hunt.

* The thing most lacking from the 3A tournament are bands. Most schools don’t bring a band, and compared with higher levels, it’s a difference. The student sections for some teams are just as good, but piped in music is no match for a good band, especially in a brick box like the Cone Field House. This would be a great high school gym.

* What a difference a call makes. The difference in the way the afternoon games and the evening games went were as different as day and night, and not because the doors were open to let the heat out, and the light in.

* Myrtle Point’s Sam Sanders is the most dangerous player here, but Vale’s post Katy Lutjens may be the best player here. An ankle injury earlier in the season doubtless cost Vale some wins, and some poll votes. Lutjens’ 16 point, 10 rebound was one of three double doubles on the day. Harrisburg’s Erica Traw had a 10 points and 10 rebounds in the Eagles losing effort, and Jeni Picken had 13 points and 12 rebounds for Valley Catholic in the opener.

* Hope Bruce is having as much fun in roundup town!

Liverworts & I will be back tomorrow, as the boys get it going.

Night all-

CC

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