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SPORTS INSERT
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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.