1930's All-Decade Team 1st Team Announced

The 1930’s the finest small school basketball in the state associations’ short history. By the time the 30’s came around, the small schools were continuing to improve their play and their footprint on the state scene.

The smaller schools began to show their mettle on the main stage as several teams won games against the bigger schools at state, players began to earn mention on all-state teams and one superstar would go on to become a future national champion for the university of Oregon.

I believe that the 1930’s gave birth to the small school basketball that we see today.

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1st Team Small School All-1930’s Team

Guards

Jake Fischer – Oakridge – Oakridge was the talk of the tournament in 1935. Sure it featured 6-4 Lauren “Laddie” Gale at center but it was a quicksilver guard who might have made the difference for the Oakers in their run to the 1935 semifinals. Gale would go onto incredible things on the basketball hardwood, but Fischer was not to be overlooked. He was second to Gale in scoring with 25 points in the four games but it was his heady guard play and ability to connect when teams surrounded Gale that allowed the Oakers to advance to the semifinals before losing to eventual champs Astoria in the semifinals.

At the conclusion of the tournament, Fischer was named First Team All-Tournament.

Lowell Jenkins – Athena – Jenkins was the trigger man for Athena’s back-to-back state tournament teams in 1932 and 1933. He was voted first team All-State Tournament in 1933 and it was his work as “running guard” that helped pace Athena to the semifinals of the 1933 campaign. Jenkins wasn’t the leading scorer, that job was usually taken by his brother Leland or big center Jack Webber, but he was a solid all-around player, capable of running the team and defending. His work defending “the mighty Canessa, scoring ace for Astoria and all-state forward to two points” was key to Athena playing defending state champions Astoria down to the wire for third place in 1933.[1]


Forwards

Lauren “Laddie” Gale (pictured at left) - Oakridge – Gale actually played center for the Oakridge Oakers, magnificent small school entry in 1935. But he was a great shooter, capable of hitting from long range. Gale drew all the attention from opposing defenders and actually didn’t put up huge scoring numbers during the tournament. He led off with 14 points vs. Gardiner in the opening round but could only tally six in a loss to Astoria in the semifinals. Gale, who according to the Oregonian, was quickly making a case for the best player in the tournament, had a lot tough luck in the loss to Astoria. “He sent numerous howitzers to the hoop that seemed almost certain to go in, but spun around and out.” [2]

The “Ridgers” would go on to lose to Salem in the third place game.

After the tournament, Gale attended the University of Oregon and teamed with many of the players he played against in the 1935 tournament for the Webfoots’ 1939 National Championship team.

Gale also played two seasons of professional basketball for the Detroit Eagles of the National Basketball League. He left the team to join the World War II efforts. He spent a decade after returning to America playing and coaching various semi-professional teams including the Oakland Bittners and Salt Lake City’s Deseret Times.

He was inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in 1977 as a player for his stellar collegiate play and for being the first player to regularly use the one-handed shot. [3]

Wayne Geisey (pictured at right) – Amity – Geisey noses out several worthy candidates for the forward position opposite Laddie Gale. Geisey led Amity high school to back-to-back state tournaments in 1937 and 1938. In ‘37, Geisey and Amity lost their two games but the junior forward did his damage while he was there. He scored 14 of Amity’s 28 points in a 43-28 loss at the hands of eventual state champion Bellfountain. In the third place game, Athena held Geisey to 7 points enroute to a 25-13 win.

When 1938 rolled around, Amity was a juggernaut. After a pair of early season losses to Independence and Dallas, Amity won 18 of its next 20 games heading into the state tournament. Geisey was at the center of it all from his forward slot.

Geisey scored 16 in the opening round win over Adams, battling Frank Morrisette shot for shot until Amity could prevail 42-30. He was plagued by foul trouble in the championship tilt with Chiloquin and managed just five points in the contest. Still, his counterpart on the other side only put in three so his work on defense helped carry Amity to the 26-21 win. Amity now had the look of a Bellfountain. They were sitting at 24-4, winners of 20 of 22 games and peaking at the right time. McLoughlin was next in the semifinals and while Geisey’s field goal shooting was off, he was clutch at the foul line, sinking seven free throws enroute to 13 points on the game. Amity prevailed, thanks to their marksmanship at the line, when they sank four straight at the charity stripe in the last minute to overcome a late deficit. Amity’s opponent in the finals was Baker, another team on a roll. They stood at 27-5 on the season including a loss to the University of Oregon freshman team. For Amity to repeat Bellfountain’s magic from 1937 was going to be a tall order. The “B” league champs, or “Bees” as they were sometimes referred to, up a good fight, leading at half. Baker’s depth and strength took over as they prevailed for a 27-18 win. Giesey struggled mightily and never got going. He finished with just three points in the championship game, surely a disappointing finish to a stellar career at Amity.

Center

Dick Kessler (pictured at left) – Bellfountain – It would be tough to have an all-1930’s team without a member of the Bellfountain Bells. The Bells were the only small school to win the actual state title, against the “B” schools AND the “A” schools. The Bells accomplished the feat in 1937, one year after advancing to the semifinals and losing to eventual champion Corvallis. Kessler was the catalyst for the Bells as the “springy-legged center”. The star center put up 30 points in the games against Umapine and Myrtle Creek to capture the “B” league title as a junior in 1936. At the conclusion of the tournament Kessler was named to the All-State “B” team. Against Corvallis in the semifinals, Kessler could never get going and finished with four points in the loss. Bellfountain and Kessler rebounded to win third place over McLoughlin. Kessler chipped in 8 points in the 29-17 win.

Despite it’s lack of enrollment, in 1937 the Bells were head and shoulders over their opposition. They lost just two games, once to Corvallis early on by two points and midway through the year fell to St. Mary’s by two. After the second loss, the Bells reeled off 16 straight wins, including wins over Salem, the Willamette University freshmen team and rivals Thurston in the District championship game.

The state tournament was a relative cakewalk, their closest game was a 14-point win over Lincoln in the finals. Against the “B” league competition, Kessler dominated, scoring 20 points in a 43-28 win over Amity and 16 points in a 39-21 win over Chiloquin to capture their second straight “B” title. Portland powerhouses Lincoln and Franklin did no better than Bellfountain’s “B” league counterparts and the Bells easy cruised to the state championship. Kessler led the Bells with 13 points in the 35-21 win over Lincoln for the state championship.

[1] “Jenkins Makes All-State Team,” Athena Press, March 24, 1933, Page Unknown
[2] Forrester, Bud. “Democrats Upset Vikings 45-20; Fishermen Defeat Oakridge 33-20” The Oregonian, March 22, 1935, Page Unknown
[3] http://hoopedia.nba.com/index.php?title=laddie_gale; date accessed August 17, 2009