Image provided by: Clackamas Community College; Oregon City, OR
About The print. (Oregon City, Oregon) 1977-1989 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 24, 1988)
If I I (■ Í i; SPORTS INSERT Page ¿42^ February 24,1988 Stein ‘everywhere/ leads Cougars past Portland by Christopher Curran Design/Sports Editor Jeff 'Stein went to Portland Community College’s Cascade campus and showed the Panthers why Clackamas is in the playoffs and Portland is at the bottom of the NWAACC’s Southern Division. The Cougar guard was everywhere creating torment for the miserable Panthers, 3-11 in the division and 8-16 overall, en route to an embarrassing romp 97-69. Stein started things off by connecting on a 15 foot jumper on the first ^possession of the game. A layin from guard Todd Harris, jumper courtesy center Nate Pyatt, and another Harris layin quickly ran the score to 8-0 with just 1:59 of the contest underway and Portland knew it was in for a long night. The time out they took at that time did little good except getting Portland on the. scoreboard, which was inevitably bound to happen. A pair of free throws helped the Panther cause, but just then Stein struck back, hitting an uncharacteristic three pointer and Clackamas had their hands on the light switch, ready to flip it off and let the Panther players go home. Portland managed to keep within seven to 12 points until, with the score at 19-12, the Cougars got tired of humoring the Panthers and went on a 11-2 run to take a 30-14 lead. That lead just expanded and the Cougars assumed their largest lead of the half at 46-20 when Trev Kiser linked up with his third three pointer of the game. Shortly thereafter, Stein stole the ball and delivered it through the hoop for a 53-28 advantage. Harris’ drive from the left with five seconds remaining in the half was the capper on a flawless first half which ended with the Cougars at a 56-32 command. Tqe nightmare was only half over for the Panthers and not even ball boy Troy Clardy running up and down the baseline could give the team any energy. As the second half opened Portland attempted to make a run, but it was soon halted by Pyatt who compiled a pair of free throws, an alley-oop from Kiser, and a one handed dunk that scared Clardy legless, as he learned that his energy wouldn’t help the Panthers for 10 years or so. Stein, who would eventually score a dozen points in the second half, hit another three pointer with 4:48 left and two free throws with 3:57 remaining in the game to lead all scorers in the game with a modest 25 points.' Dave Stahl’s tip in at the :40 mark gave Clackamas their largest lead of the game 97-66. It took all the talent the Panthers had, to limit the Cougars to less than 100 points. Harris broke the Cougar defense for 17 points, Kiser hammered 11 of his 13 in the first half, and Pyatt and forward Jeff Hoffman claimed 12 each for the Cougars. Michael Kelly and Courtney Garrett each came off the bench to pound in 16 and 10 points respectively, and forward John Thompson provided 10 for Portland. “We played good,’’ said Cougar Coach Royce Kiser, seeming preoccupied with Clackamas’ upcoming playoff matchup. Cougar Notes: Clackamas will be competing with Chemeketa Fri day night in Roseburg at Ump qua Community College., Also Friday night, Umpqua will play SW Oregon. The winner of both games will meet Saturday to determine the seedings to the NWAACC tournament from the Southern Division.. .Trev Kiser ended the season as the highest scoring Cougar player with 16.7 points per game, Jeff Hoffman was close behind with 16.3, Jeff Stein scored 12.3, and Todd Har- ris was fourth with 10.5.. .Clackams has won their last four games after dropping three straight.. .a year ago, the Cougars were entering the playoffs as the second place team from the Southern Divison.. .this season Clackamas’ highest point total this year was 100 points at Pacific Lutheran University on Dec. 5 when they controlled PLU to a 100-82 win.. .Their lowest point total was when they survived a 60-53 scare from Mt. Hood on Jan. 9. photo by Tim Zivney Clackamas guard Jeff Hoffman looks for the open man. Kiser’s outstanding contributions rewarding by Mark Borrelli Staff Writer Only once a year does a coach from the Northwest Athletic Association of Community Col leges lead his team to the regional championship. Last year that coach was Clackamas’ Royce Kiser. Kiser, in his eighth year as the Cougars’ mentor, took his team all the way last year with a 23-4 record, leading them to a state championship season. In his nine years of coaching here at Clackamas, Kiser has amassed a impressive 228‘-74jrecord. Broken down even further, that means that 76 percent of the time Royce Kiser coaches a game, he walks off the court a winner. None of those wins have been more satis fying for Kiser than they were last year. “Winning the state cham pionship last year has been my highlight. I thought that last year for us to have a chance to win the championship, that we would have to play a perfect game and we did.” Kiser was bom in Texas, he moved to southern Oregon at a very young age and attended school there. He attended Camas Valley High School, where he participated in four sports: foot ball, basketball, baseball, and track. “In those days they would let you get away with that,” said Kiser. Kiser then went to Southern Oregon State College (SOSC), where he once again was very active in sports. Kiser was a member of the SOSC football, basketball, and track teams. After graduating from college, Kiser returned to his alma mater, this time to begin his very suc cessful coaching career. Kiser coached two years at Camas Valley, as the head basketball ... _ Kiser calls time out. Kiser credits his success in coach, the head track coach, and the assistant football coach. coaching to coaching a team Kiser’s love for coaching even oriented game. “I mainly work tually brought him here to ZZi a lot of fundamentals. I coach Clackamas, where he is one of and play a team game.” Kiser the most successful coaches in also wins and loses as a team. “I the state of Oregon. “I like to get mad at my players when we coach. It can be in your blood lose, but I’m not going to blame and in other ways it can be like a them. We win as a team, we lose hobby.” In Kiser case it’s in the as a team.” In Kiser’s time as a coach, he has learned that blood. coaching has its ups and downs. “Coaching has its highs and lows. You get good attention when you win, but when you lose you get negative attention.” But along with those lows, Kiser points out there are the good times also, “putting a team together, watching them im prove, seeing kids develop, seeing them making it to a four year school.” Photo by Both Coffey athletes.” For now Kiser is hap py coaching here at Clackamas, “I really like coaching here, it’s different than it would be at a major college. I really like our student athletes.” Kiser feels a good student makes a good athlete. “It’s easier to coach a good student because he has the mental toughness that is necessary to be a good athlete and a good student.” Currently Kiser’s latest team at Clackamas is 2-2 in league and 11-3 overall, but Kiser doesn’t seem to be worried. “Don’t worry, we’ll be back.” Kiser would like to end his coaching career with a cham pionship, but doesn’t want to think about when he might decide to retire.. When finally a bit of free time arises, Kiser knows just how to use it. “I don’t like wat ching basketball on T.V., I don’t even like watching our games on video tape.” So then what do you like to do? “Go fishing. In the summer, me and my wife spend a lot of time camping and traveling.” Coach Kiser is not sure on how long he will remain a coach, but does have some ad vice for young coaches hoping to be college coaches, “Attend a lot of clinics, develop your own style, copy other coaches, but do what you think is right...do what you do best, and do it well.” Future coaching goals are not in mind for Kiser, but if a coaching job at a four year col lege came around, he would take it. “I don’t know if I would like to coach at a four year school, they buy their Kiser has certainly done what he has done well and that’s be ing an outstanding college basketball coach and teacher of the game. His contributions to Clackamas basketball can attest to that.
