The print., November 25, 1981, Image 8

Sports
Mikleton predicts ‘81-82
season successful
With the onset of the
women’s basketball season on­
ly a week away, coach Nancy
Mikleton is optimistic about
having a successful 1981-82
season.
“We’re further ahead than
we were at this time last year,”
Mikleton said.
“Since this
year’s volleyball season didn’t
run as long as last year’s, those
athletes who play on both
teams were able to start prac­
tices earlier in the year, allow­
ing for full team practices
sooner.”
Staff photo by Duane Hiersche
COUGAR BOOTER JUGGLES ball away from opponent
Saturday during the OISA final game of the season in
which Clackamas lost their state title falling to Portland
Community College.
Cougars beam optimism
By Tracy Sumner
For the Print
While the Clackamas
Community College men’s
basketball team is beaming with
optimism for an improved win­
loss record during the 1981-82
season, assistant coach Dan
Slick’s outlook for the season is
one of cautious optimism.
“We’re better than last
year, but so is everyone else in
the league,” Slick said. “Any
team in our league could beat
any other team on any night.
Our playing together and play­
ing hard is the real key.”
The Cougars are coming
off a disappointing 1980-81
season in "which they finished
7-7 in league play and 12-16
overall, but Slick still believes
this year’s team, with only four
returning players, has the talent
to be a factor in league play.
“We’re going to be
tough,” Slick said. “It’s just a
matter of getting the guys to
play together which is tough in
a community college because
there’s a new batch of guys
every year.”
Slick declined talk of
specifics such as shooting or
defense, but gave a more
general description of the
team’s improvements.
“As a team, we’re just an
all-around better team,” Slick
stated. “You have to play this
game as a team. Last year we
had a bunch of individuals out
there, but this year our guys are
playing really well as a team.
They don’t care who does the
scoring.”
Slick wouldn’t comment
on this year’s projected starting
line-up or names of key
players.
“I really can’t say because
everyone’s been working really
hard and we don’t want to
discourage anyone,” Slick said.
“We aren’t totally sure of every
position yet. Any of the guys
could start for us.”
Slick sees last year’s
league champions, Chemeketa
CC and Mt. Hood CC, to be
two very formidable opponents
for the Cougars with both
teams returning most of their
players from last year. Despite
this, Slick believes that
Clackamas has the personnel
to beat out both teams for the
league title.
“On paper, they’ve got a
better team with all-staters and
all-leaguers playing, but that
doesn’t mean a lot,” Slick
pointed out. “What makes the
difference is who plays the best
as a team.”
In any level of basketball,
defense and rebounding plays
as big a part of a team’s success
as actually putting the ball in
the basket. Slick sees the
Cougars as no exception and
says that they are physically
able to defend and rebound
well enough to be winners.
“We’ve got a lot of good
jumpers,” Slick said. “We’ve
just got to get them to position
better. On defense, it’s just a
matter of getting out there and
working hard and going for it.”
Slick said that if the
Cougars continue to play well
as a team and can avoid
serious injuries to key people,
the outlook for a much improv­
ed season is excellent.
“Linn Benton will be the
team to beat,” Mikleton said.
“Every year our caliber of play
improves, but so do the other
teams.”
Last year Linn Benton had
a record of 27-1, and have only
lost two people from that team.
Mikleton said Linn Benton did
a good job recruiting, and that
some of the players she had
talked to about playing for the
Cougars were lost to the Road
Runners.
Other teams Mikleton feels
will be top competitors this
year, include Umpqua, which
went to nationals last year, and
Chemeketa.
Returning hoopster Cindi
Johnston appears to be taking
on the burdens in the Cougar
assault. Johnston was among
the top 10 in the league in re­
bounding and assists and was
12th in shooting last year.
Another floor leader for
this year’s squad is Denise
Wheatley who, according to
Mikleton, is “a really good
scrambler.” Wheatley’s high
school attributes include
honorable mention while play­
ing at Oregon City.
“Strong on the inside” for
the Cougars is Mary
Christensen, who earned the
distinction of second All-District
while at Canby High. Another
person who shows potential,
but hasn’t had the opportunity
to get in too much practice time
so far this year is Terri Kelly,
who was All-State in volleyball
and basketball while attending
Yoncalla High.
There are about three
women with equally strong
abilities, adding power to the
Cougar women, according to
Mikleton.
The main thing the
hoopsters are lacking is college
game experience, but Mikleton
is looking to pre-season action
to iron out this problem.
“Our key to success is learning
to play together and jelling as al
unit,” Mikleton said. “You
need to have an understanding
of how others play, when
they’ll pass the ball, where peo­
ple can shoot and just knowing
what people wilLdo in different
situations.”
Mikleton said there are
also some bugs in the offense
and defense that need to be;
worked out, “but as a whole we
are well ahead of where we
were this time last year,” she
said.
The Cougars have begun
scrimages and Mikleton feels
the College women “played
pretty good” in their first com­
petition against Mt. Hood last
Wednesday. “This looks to be¡
a great season and I’m ex­
tremely optimistic about our
team’s success,” Mikleton said.
Clackamas grapplers enter
season, young/aggressive
By Wanda Percival
Of the Print
Finishing third in the
Region and second in the Con­
ference last year, Cougar grap-
pler coach Norm Berney feels
good about coaching and an­
ticipates a good season for his
young squad if they “work hard
when they compete.”
Berney has eight returning
grapplers and was able to
recruit 13 men from area high
schools.
On the returning list of
grapplers, Clackamas has Troy
Wentworth wrestling at 118 lbs
and Nathan Winner at 134 lbs,
both of whom placed fourth in
the Region in their weight
classes last year.
Other returnees for the
Cougar squad include Terry
Massey at 126, Craig Jensen at
134 lbs, Tim Tilander at 142
lbs, Mike Martin at 167 lbs,
who was third in the Region
last year and competed at na­
tionals, Scott Marks at 177 lbs,
and Wayne Jones at 190 lbs.
Recruiting of high school
seniors wasn’t at its prime this
year, and Berney said, “A lot
of top people were juniorsj,
The ones that were seniors
ended-up on scholarships for
four-year colleges.”
Despite this misfortune
Berney was able to recruit 13
new men, four of whom were
state and national competitors
in high school.
Among newcoming-grap­
plers for the Cougar squad is
Mike Bulf at 126 lbs. Bulf is a
graduate of Eagle Point who
won the state championship
three years ago. Craig Siekman
of Clackamas at 118 lbs, who
was third in state AAA com­
petition will join the Cougar
squad, along with John Brewer
a West Linn graduate at 142
lbs, Mark Winner of Eagle
Point at 158 lbs, Doug Gunnels
of Hillsboro at 177 lbs, who
was third in state, John Führer
of Sheridan at 142 lbs, who
placed third in state for two
years, Brian Patterson of
Tigard at 142 lbs, Shawn Kelly:
of Molalla at 158 lbs, Kevin Pa-i
quett also of Molalla wrestling'
heavy weight, Dan Tuck of
Colton at 158 lbs, John Shaef­
fer of Colton at heavy weight,!
Al Valentine from Alaska at
190 lbs and Tim Englet of!
Gladstone also at 190 lbs.
Last year the Cougar!
squad started their season with
44 men, so this year with a
shortage of men, it’s important
to Berney that his team doesn’t!
suffer any injuries.
“We’re short on numbers!
this year,” he said, “and any in­
juries are key injuries for this
team.”
“I feel good about)
coaching and I think we should!
have a competitive group,”
Berney said. “We have some
good talent and a good team.”
Berney said his team’s
goal this season is to place as!
high as they can in any tourna­
ment they go into.
“We’re a young team andj
we’ll have to tackle it match by
match, and work hard when
we compete,” he said.