How Baker is Like a Turkish Professional Team

Many months ago, I wrote an article about Baker using an ineligible player at the state tournament way back in 1921. Harry "Red" Blakey was Baker's best player and without him, there was little hope for them to bring home any hardware in Salem.

So Baker coach Dewey did what any other coach would do: he put Blakey in another players' jersey and put him into the game under the name Ray Stoddard. Stoddard/Blakey was the talk of the tournament, dominating the opposition as Baker raced to three wins.

When word filtered back to Baker, school principal George McIntire sent a telegram to Salem demanding, "If Stoddard is a big guy with red hair, send him home; he's ineligible." The tomfoolery was exposed, Baker was suspended from the tournament and Dewey resigned in shame.

Ironically, loyalties in Baker were split and McIntire took some heat for his decision. So much heat in fact that he traveled with a police escort for a time.

Well apparently Turkish first division team Galatasaray Cafe Crown is an avid reader of this blog because their coach, Okan Çevik, tried to pull the same shenanigans with their star player, Cemal Nalga.

From ESPN NBA Blogger TrueHoop:

The amazing thing is that the fraud almost worked. Even though the guy is hard to miss with both a big beard and a big build (watch the video), he was only detected, according to a report, after a rival team noticed suspiciously good statistics for Tufan Ersöz, the player whose jersey Nalga was wearing.

Let this be a lesson out there to all you aspiring coaches out there. If you have a suspended player, do not try to have him switch uniforms with another player. You will get exposed!

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Gym Photography Project

Now that the season is underway for most teams, I will use the occasion to remind everyone that I am still working on the Gym Photography Project.

I am aiming to see what gyms around the state look like, inside and out. They don't have to be professional photos, I am just trying to get a look at as many gyms across the state as possible. I know that people in Alsea don't always get to travel to Jordan Valley or people in Wallowa don't always travel to New Hope Christian and they might like to see what the gym looks like.

You might like to do what friend and reader Heath Merriman did, travel the back roads of Oregon and write about it.

Or perhaps you want to take your iPhone and snap a few shots of the gym and send them in. I have no preference, I would just like to see where all the teams play!

If you have any other pertinent information like capacity, year built or any other interesting factoid, by all means, send it along. But that is certainly not mandatory. Nor will I post your name if you do not wish to be identified. We at Oregon Hoops History understand the desire for anonymity and that will be honored 100%.

So lets share our gyms with people around the state with the Gym Photography Project, who knows, maybe in 100 years your photos will turn up on the Facebook of 2110 (Facebook log-in required). Read more!

When the Saints Go Marching...

Anyone who has been to Baker knows the halftime entertainment during the championship game is not to be missed. The Baker Drum and Bugel Corps plays rousing renditions of American classics and it is literally one of the only halftime shows I've ever been to where nobody leaves their seats.

One of the songs they usually play is "When the Saints Go Marching In," which is a fantstic song and always gets the crowd up and going.

Turns out there is a history there. In researching the 1950's All-Decade team, I came across some coverage of the 1950's tournament. In addition to the games they cover the halftime entertainment, noting that Union High School had a 42-piece high school band with five majorettes and eight cheerleaders.

The Oregonain goes on to note:

...however "When The Saints Go Marching In" still heads the tourney hit parade. Three renditions were heard over the four-game stretch.

History and tradition have always been important to the small schools. Some things never change as even more than 50 years later, marching saints still gets the crowd going.

Click here to hear the Baker Drum and Bugel Corps in action at the 2009 District Tournament. Read more!

1940's 1st Team Announced

The 1940’s was an era of change in small school basketball. The smallest classification finally got its own tournament, separate from the big schools. Many of the small, rural schools were closing and consolidating into bigger districts and new schools began making a splash onto the state scene.

Future dynasties were born in the ‘40’s. Powers, with 24 state tourney trips to their credit, won their first district title in 1942. One mini-dynasty was ending when Westport fell in the state final in 1942, ending a four-year run of success with a state title and a runner-up finish. The war years saw another change as the tournament dropped from eight teams to four and a tall center from Reedsport dominated the state and set a school scoring record that still stands today.

The late 40’s saw teams like Drain, Reedsport, eastern Oregon’s Union and Rogue River rise to prominence. Their stars are featured prominently in our 1st Team All-1940’s Team.

Guards
Bob Cellars – Drain – Cellars competed in three state tournaments in the late 40’s for the Warriors of Drain. As a sophomore, the 5-9 Cellars was a first team All-State player and the third leading scorer in the state tournament. With Drain facing elimination after an opening round loss at the hands of Monmouth, Cellars poured in 23 points in a 40-37 win over Garibaldi to earn a shot at the fourth place trophy. Drain destroyed Oakridge 57-38 for the fourth place trophy led by Cellars 11 points. It was still somewhat rare for sophomores to factor that heavily into their teams’ success at the state tournament, but Cellars bucked that trend. In 1949, as a junior, Cellars again led the Warriors but there was no second team selected. He scored 12 points in a 45-44 victory over Perrydale in the opener and followed up with 11 in a 32-26 loss to Alsea in the semifinals. Out of steam, Drain lost big to Rogue River, 53-29 for the fourth place trophy, but Cellars did his damage, leading the Warriors with nine points. Cellars wrapped up his career in 1950 as the 8th leading scorer in the state tournament and a fifth place trophy. Undone by eventual state champs Rogue River in the semifinals, Drain then fell to Girabaldi in the third place game. Cellars tallied 32 points in the three games.

Don Wendt – Jacksonville – Wendt had good size for a guard, standing 6-0 and was a high scoring offensive player for the Redskins. Wendt made his mark as an underclassman in the Southern Oregon Normal School Invitational before Jacksonville ever made the tourney. Jacksonville lost their first two games at the SONS Invitational but Wendt led the Redskins both times, pouring in 17 points in a loss to Yoncalla as a junior and 8 vs. Gold Beach as a sophomore sub. By the time the 1948 state tournament came around, Wendt was a season veteran and one of the top guards in the state. Wendt was an unstoppable force in the tourney of 1948 as he poured in 59 points in three games to help Jacksonville capture the state title. He was the leading scorer in the tournament and outscored teammate Bob Harris by 16 points. At the conclusion of the tournament, despite the statistical dominance, Wendt was left off the 1st team all-state team and instead earned 2nd team all-state mention.

Forwards

Bob Bushnell – Powers (pictured at right) – The Bushnell brothers were two of the key members of Powers’ first dynasty in the early 40’s. The Cruisers would go on to become the winningest program in Oregon small-school history. Bob Bushnell teamed with his brother Jack and the Grove brothers Tom and Frank to make Powers a force in the 40’s. Bob Bushnell’s work in the 1942 district tournament as a sophomore probably fully entrenched him into Powers lore. Bushnell, in the championship game of the 1942 District 5 Tournament suffered a broken nose in the third quarter and had to retire from the contest. A week later in the state tournament, the scrappy sophomore earned 1st team all-state tournament mention as Powers nabbed the fifth place trophy. A year later, Powers returned to the state tournament after winning the District 5 Tournament at Marshfield and then a playoff game with Central Point to advance to the four-team tournament. The Cruisers fell to eventual champion Warrenton 27-26 in the opening game but rebounded the next night to capture third place. Brother Jack led the tournament in scoring with 20 points, but Bob wasn’t far behind with 15 and earned 2nd Team All-State mention. It was a very balanced team, as the Grove brothers, Frank and Tom were also in the top-5 in scoring with Frank tallying 17 and Tom chipping in 15. 67 of the teams 75 points came from that quartet. The 1944 state champion Cruiser team was a juggernaut and cruised to a 26-1 record on the season. The state tournament was a mere formality as Powers easily dispatched Grant Union 47-28 in the first round and Pleasant Hill 53-25 in the finals. Several spectators and media members during the tournament felt that Powers could have given “A” champion Ashland a good matchup if the single class tournament was still in use at the time.

Fred March – Umapine – The 5-11 March was a steady hand for a pair of state tournament teams for Umapine in the late 40’s. It had been 13 years since Umapine had captured a state tournament berth, and March was a big reason why. March was a consistent and reliable scorer for the Chiefs in their two-year run of success out of District 7. March led the Chiefs into the tournament as a junior and was fourth in the tournament in scoring with 33 points in three games in helping Umapine capture third place. High-scoring Jacksonville, led by Don Wendt and Don Harris outlasted Umapine by six 51-45 enroute to the state title. March and the Chiefs returned to the state tournament in 1949. Unfortunately the Chiefs drew Rogue River, holder of an impressive 23-0 record heading into the tournament. March and Umapine fought valiantly and led for most of the game and March did his part as a “long shot artist and sank four from way out in the final half.” [1] Rogue held off March and Umapine, seizing the lead late in the fourth quarter to hold on for a 38-35 victory. In the consolation game the following day, March teamed with center Wally Richartz to hold off Warrenton 43-42. Against Fossil in the fourth place game, the two teams were very even but Fossil’s Steve Harrison led the way with 19 points. March did his part, tallying 13 for the Chiefs who were undersized at every position. Ricartz, Umapine’s center, stood just 5-10 and relied heavily on the crafty March to control the defensive backboards.

Center

Clyde DeWitt – Reedsport – (pictured at left) One of the most prolific scorers during the early years of the small school basketball in Oregon. DeWitt’s scoring was legendary and prodigious and he helped the Braves to two-straight state tournament berths and a state championship. The Braves nearly captured two titles in a row but were thwarted by a stellar and well rounded Clatskanie team in 1945 29-26. As a sophomore in 1944 DeWitt nearly carried the Braves to an upset win over Powers in the first round of the District 5 tournament at Marshfield. Powers held on for a 30-26 victory but a young Clyde Dewitt went to-to-toe with Bob Bushnell, Shirley Shorb, Tom and Frank Grove and the Cruisers and tallied 16 points in the contest. It was Powers’ closest playoff loss of the season. DeWitt was an unstoppable force in the state tournament as a junior. His 25 points per game average was double the closest competitor. By the time his senior year came around, DeWitt was the top scorer in the state. The Braves cruised to a 23-2 record, the only two losses coming at the hands of the University of Oregon freshman team. Reedsport cruised through the season and into the Douglas County championship game. DeWitt went ballistic on the boards and tallied 46 points to help lead the Braves to the championship. The 46 points is believed to be a school record to this day at Reedsport. DeWitt outscored Glendale, who could only tally 43 points in the 84-43 loss. DeWitt poured in 104 points in the four games, good for 26 points per game average. They wrapped up the District 4 championship the following week, once again trouncing Glendale, this time 50-25. At the state tournament, the two best teams met in the first round. Pleasant Hill came in with a 18-1 record and played the Braves tooth and nail. The game went to overtime before Reedsport prevailed 47-45. St. Paul, who was unbeaten at 22-0, fell in the semifinals by a margin of 48-28 and the Braves captured the title with a ten-point win over North Powder 42-32. DeWitt once again led the tournament in scoring with 59 points in three games. His two-year scoring average of 21.8 points per game ranked him as one of the most prolific scorer at the state tournament in his era.

[1] “Bobcats, Rogue, Alsea, Drain Clash in Semifinal tonight,” LaGrande Observer, March 4, 1949, Page Unknown
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1940's All Decade Second Team Announced

The 1940’s All-Decade Team continues to roll on. The Honorable Mention team was released last week and today we unveil the Second Team.

The 1940’s Second Team has a decidedly early 1940’s feel to it as four of the five members of the team played before 1945. Two members of a juggernaut Powers squad, their first ever state tournament team, make the list and they made up the core of a group of guys that some old timers at the 1944 state tournament believed could have given “A” champion Ashland a good game.

To find out who earned Second Team All-Decade mention, click on the “Read More” link below.


Guards

Ernie Easley – Oakridge (pictured at right) – The Warriors were a strong program in the late 30’s and early 40’s. Qualifying out of the Lane County/Lower Willamette Valley was a chore due to the sheer number of schools competing in basketball at the time. To win the Lane County championship alone, Oakridge had to win four games at Mac Court in Eugene. Easley led the Warriors in scoring all year, tallying 132 points in 21 games. Oakridge finished the regular season at just 4-6 and in fifth place in the league standings. They got hot come playoff time and swept four games to the Lane County title. At the District 8 tournament at Junction City, Oakridge stayed hot, defeating Siletz and upsetting Harrisburg to capture the district title. Despite not capturing any all-County Tournament or All-District honors, Easley led the Warriors at the state tournament with 33 points in their three games enroute to a Second Team All-State award. Oakridge went 1-2 for the tournament.

Walter McBride – Union – Union made three straight state tournament trips at the end of the decade. McBride was the leader of the 1947 squad that finished as the runners-up to Pleasant Hill and got the run started. All three games for Union were close and McBride led the way in each. He led the tournament in scoring with 45 points and garnered First Team All-State tournament honors. He tallied 22 points in a 43-42 semifinal win over Star of the Sea to help neutralize Stars of the Sea’s high scoring duo of Dick Moore and Don Turina who combined for 26 on the night. The championship was a low-scoring affair and McBride led Union with nine points as they fell 33-32 to Pleasant Hill.

Forwards

Jack Bushnell – Powers – As of 2009, Powers leads the state in state tournament appearances at the smallest classification with 24. This tremendous program really took flight in the early 40’s behind names like Bushnell, Shorb, Stallard and Grove. Make no mistake, the 1944 team was loaded with talent. Jack Bushnell, referred to as “Commando” in a Statesman Journal article was a senior in 1943 and the leader of the Cruiser team. He led the tournament in scoring with 20 points and was a First Team All-State tournament mention. Powers dropped a heartbreaking game to Warrenton in the first round 27-26 but rebounded to dismantle Union 50-25 for third place. Jack was the second highest vote getter at the conclusion of the tournament, second only to Virgil Burke of Harrisburg.

Tommy Grove – Powers (pictured at left) – On a team of great players, Tommy Grove’s explosion onto the scene in 1943 might have been the most surprising. It was still rare at this time to find freshmen playing on the varsity squad, rarer still to find them among the top scorers. But that’s just where Tom Grove was after the 1943 tournament. The slender freshman was tied for fourth in the entire tournament in scoring with 15 points, tying teammate and fellow forward Bob Bushnell. By the time Powers had cruised to the state title in 1944, the younger Grove brother was the leading scorer with a 17 point per game average. Grove started the state championship contest against Pleasant Hill on fire, connecting on 5 of his first seven shots from the “pavilion corner.” His accuracy was so deadly that according to the Statesman Journal “when he finally missed one the crowd chided and honored at the same time with, ‘take ‘em out, he missed one!’”

Interesting that in Grove’s final two years with Powers, they never did make a state tournament. Check back next week for the reason why!

Center

Don Nelson – Westport (pictured at right) – Big Don Nelson, 6-1 as a sophomore, was a dominant big man for the coastal boys of Westport. Westport was a power house in the late 30’s and early 40’s, making four-straight state tourneys in the early part of the decade. Nelson was a three-time All-State honoree, including First Team honors in 1939 as a sophomore when Westport finished third. He earned second team mention as a junior as Westport lost two close games and finished fourth out of four teams. Then, in 1941, Nelson and the Pirates captured the first place trophy after handling Corbett and 1940’s Honorable Mention Center Ray O’Neil 52-34. Nelson was not one of the top scorers, he wasn’t even in the top-5 as a senior in 1941, but his steady play, rebounding and defense were a cornerstone to Westport’s success during the early part of the 1940’s.
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1940's All-Decade Honorable Mention Team Announced

It turns out my fear of the 1940’s All-Decade team was unfounded as research over the past couple of weeks has led to another solid three teams. Having not been around during that time, I can really only base my selections on the information I have so I have again left some worthy candidates off the list. If any of them are reading, I sincerely apologize.

The 1940’s were a groundbreaking time for the smallest classification. It finally received it’s own tournament, separate from the big schools with equal representation. It had some very good players and teams including the 1944 Powers state champions who some watching the tournament felt could have taken on “A” school champion Ashland and given them a good game.

World War II took many of our nation’s finest boys and forced them to grow up much too fast. Rationing and reassessment of priorities led to smaller state tournaments as citizens were encouraged to forsake their own desires for that of the nation. And the nation complied.

Then, with the war won and the US standing tall as the most powerful nation in the world the little brothers of our soldiers took to the floors and fields throughout the country to begin the slow healing process from the devastating war. They were years of unparalleled prosperity and security for the United States. A complete 180 from the Depression years and the war years of the past 15-20 years. Our boys and girls could be kids again!

The 1940’s were epic in terms of national events and monuments. In the much smaller scheme of small town basketball in Oregon, they were no less epic.

Click the "Read More" link to see the 1940's Honorable Mention Team.

Guards
Earl Elkington – Umapine – Umapine, located in Umatilla County, actually made four trips to the state tournament before 1950. They went back-to-back in 1935 and 1936 and then again in 1948 and 1949. Elkington, a 5-7 guard helped lead the Chiefs into the state tournament in 1949 and was a good scoring guard. He tallied 11 points in each of the first two games of the ’49 tournament, including 11 in a 51-45 loss to Jacksonville in the semifinals. In the third place game, Union, one of the top programs in the state during that era, defeated Elkington and the Chiefs 51-33 with Elkington scoring eight points for Umapine.

Ralph Wallace – Monroe – Possibly the younger brother to former Bellfountain standout Harrison Wallace, Ralph moved over to Monroe when Bellfountain closed its doors not long after the championship run. Wallace led Monroe with 27 points in the two state tournament games, barely edging out Butte Falls forward Eddie Ellis for scoring honors. Monroe won two close games at the state tournament in 1940, knocking off Helix 19-17 in the first round and outlasting Butte Falls 42-38 in a thrilling overtime game to capture the state “B” title.

Forwards

Bob Hoefs – Butte Falls (pictured at right) – Hoefs was a two-time first team All-State tournament player for Butte Falls. Hoefs was the MVP of the 1939 tournament after scoring 20 points in two games and teaming with fellow forward Eddie Ellis to lead the Loggers to the “B” championship contest vs. Monroe where they were undone by a high-powered Oakridge team. Hoefs led the Loggers back to the state title game in 1940, only to lose the close one to Monroe in overtime. Hoefs tallied 37 points in four games over two years at the state tournament.

Eddie Ellis – Butte Falls (pictured at left) – Ellis and running mate Hoefs were a handful for opponents during the height of Butte Falls’ run in the early 40’s. Ellis came back in 1940 after earning second team honors in 1939 to capture 1st team honors in 1940. Ellis was second to Wallace in the 1940 scoring race with 26 points in the two-games of the “B” tournament. Though I have no stats for Butte Falls’ contest with Baker in the 1940 consolation game against Baker, Ellis and teammate Hoefs had to factor in heavily in a 34-32 double overtime loss.

Center

Ray O’Neil – Corbett – O’Neil manned the center slot for the Cardinals in their first ever trip to the state tournament in 1941. It was a successful run, as the Cardinals advanced all the way to the state finals before losing to Wesport, who was in the middle of an incredible run of four-straight state tournament trips. O’Neil made the Cardinals click and led the 1941 tournament in scoring after tallying 50 points in the three games. He led off with 18 of Corbett’s 28 points in a 28-23 win over Lowell in the first round game. The Cardinals breezed into the finals after a 40-18 win over Reedsport in the semifinals where O’Neil scored 14 points. In the finals, battling Westport’s star center Don Nelson, O’Neil poured in 18 points in a 52-34 loss. He was the second-highest vote getter during the 1941 tournament to Wesport’s Nelson though Nelson didn’t even crack the Top-5 in scoring.

Others

Lawrence Tuom – Wesport (pictured at right) – Tuom, the 6-1 forward was second to Ray O’Neil in scoring at the 1941 tournament. Tuom was a part of three-straight state tournament trips with Westport and was named second team All-State as a sophomore and first team all-state as a senior in 1941 when Westport captured the state championship.

Jack Bradbury – Drain – Bradbury led Union to the 1949 state championship over Alsea. Bradbury played in the frontcourt for Union and led the 1949 tournament in scoring with 38 points in three games. He was second to teammate Frank Baum in the all-tourney voting.

Doug Strahm – Arlington – Not a high-scorer for Arlington but helped lead the Honkers to a third place finish in 1941. Twice named to the all-district tournament team.

Buster Clough – Arlington – Clough, like Strahm, was a two-time all-district performer and played a key role on Arlington’s back-to-back state tourney teams in 1941 and 1942. Clough was the third highest vote-getter in the 1942 tournament, despite his teams’ 1-2 finish in the tournament.

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About a Photo

One of the things I enjoy about this blog and the research is uncovering old photos. It’s part of why I started the Gym Photography Project. In the absence of words, pictures give you the authority to wander. You’re solely limited to what your mind can conjure up.

You could be completely wrong. Your assessment could be way off base but that’s the joy, it’s a matter of what you perceive.

I love this photo.

Particularly, I love the young man on the front row, on the far left when you are looking at the photo.

Look at his arms! That is 100% unadulterated muscle. Pure and simple, that kid is strong as an ox.

I imagine he got those arms from working in the forests or on the farm or ranch during the morning and after school. Those are the arms of a worker, someone with a bigger job than being a student and a kid.

I imagine that young man waking with the sun every day to get his chores done. And getting chores done in the 1920’s has a completely different connotation then it does today.

Doing chores in rural Oregon in 1920 was as much about survival as it was about doing the right thing. Don’t want to build that fence around your ranch? Say good bye to your cattle. Don’t want to move the hay? Say good-bye to your feed and any profit you hoped to have.

Don’t feel like fixing up that barn? Your animals will get sick because you can’t keep them out of the weather.

It wasn't easy to run to the nearest Safeway to pick-up meat or milk or eggs or flour. Everyone pitched in to get these items from the ranch, no matter the weather or other normal schoolboy commitments.

I am reasonably sure that kids in the 1920 complained about their chores. Surely this young man woke up one morning and thought to himself, “I am not working this morning” and hit the snooze button and rolled over. Only to have his dad throw open the door, pull back the covers and demand the boy do the work.

But those are true muscles aren't they? Built from years and years of hard work and demanding labor. They weren’t built in a weight room. They aren’t the product of a sophisticated weight training program or steroids or a protein shake. They weren’t built to achieve a scholarship or as the means for a greater end.

They are the product of the first Human Growth Hormone:

Hard Work.
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