^^LACKAMASPfifif
February 23, 2005
«Q
basketball legacy that waits to be fulfilled
basketball isn’tjust a
game of skill to this
Cougar, it’s life
. Michael McCormack
I Sports Co-Editor
Jeff Sorensen Clackamas Print
an Freeman shows off his 6’9” frame, which has
bven to be a key asset for Clackamas this season
[they approach the NWAACC post-season
By the time Brian Freeman
picked up the game of bas
ketball, he had set a goal for
himself that for some is just a
dream.
“It’s always been my goal
to play Division One hoops,”
Freeman said.
In order for one to play at
such a high level, determination
and motivation has to be set at
a young age, and for Freeman
that motivation came from his
father, who in his younger days
starred for the Oregon State
Beavers in hoops.
Freeman was born in
Corvallis and at two years old
his family made the short move
over to Albany, Oregon. In
Albany, he learned the game
he would grow to love from his
dad, a man that he considers
his hero.
In the state of Oregon, kids
normally don’t start playing
competitive basketball until
they are in the second or third
grade, but for Freeman, he
couldn’t wait to lace up the
shoes and hit the hardwood.
“Albany is not a very excit
ing town, so I had to make my
own fun through basketball,”
Freeman said.
So as a kindergartner his
parents signed him up to play
with the local second grade
team, and ever since, he has
not allowed his aspirations of
playing at the highest collegiate
level be derailed.
As Freeman got older he
wasn’t growing as fast as every
one had expected, but his lack
of size didn’t discourage him to
become all that he could be on
the ball courts of Albany.
As a freshman at West
Albany High School, Freeman’s
dreams of playing hoops hit a
crossroad, in the sense that he
was told by coaches he was
too short to play. He stood at a
modest 5 feet 10 inches, but his
short stature didn’t discourage
him from playing the game he
loved.
“I was just a little guy, and
I wasn’t very good, but they
kept me because they thought
I would grow because my dad
was tall,” Freeman said.
His stick-to-itiveness paid
off, and by the time Freeman
entered his sophomore year he
had shot up to 6 feet 5 inch
es and was swinging between
the junior varsity and varsity
teams. As a junior he became
a full-fledged starter for the
varsity squad and by his senior
year he had became an All
League performer in the Valley
Conference.
After his senior year Freeman
had to make a choice Of where
to continue his playing days.
The University of Wyoming
showed interest in Freeman,
but when they didn’t offer any
thing to him, he decided to
head northbound and play for
Clif Wegner and the Clackamas
Cougars.
During the summer between
his junior and senior years of
high school, Freeman played
for Wegner’s exclusive Ice
team and saw that Wegner was
a winner.
“I wanted to come to a place
to win, and I knew that Wegner
was a winning coach,” Freeman
said. “The decision seemed easy
enough.”
When Freeman showed up
here on campus he wasn’t quite
sure who his teammates would
be, but when he did see them he
realized that they were going to
be pretty good.
Freeman has yet to declare a
major for his college years, but
in the meantime he is content
with taking classes that he is
curious about.
“I find that psychology is
really interesting,” Freeman
said. “It probably won’t be my
major, but I think it is impor
tant to understand later on in
my life.”
In a similar way Freeman’s
basketball future is as uncer
tain as his educational goals,
but if the D-l offers start com
ing in, he will have no other
choice than to take them; if
not, he is content on finishing
his two-year college career as
a Cougar.
Basketball runs through
Freeman’s veins, stemming
from his father, who after his
OSU playing days played a sea
son in the NBA, but Freeman’s
high morals come from both
parents.
His mom and dad set stan
dards of life for him to follow,
which in turn built an everlast
ing respect for one another; to
this day his parents still attend
every game he participates in.
“I have a great relationship
with my parents,” Freeman
said. “When I get frustrated
with life I always turn to my
dad first; he is my go to guy.”
Albeit Freeman is very hard
on himself, saying that he feels
he has underachieved if he
doesn’t make a Division One
program, he needs to know that
he is right at home here in
Oregon City as he helps the
Clackamas Cougars advance to
the NWAACC playoffs.
en hit playoffs; ready to roar
of team depth and early foul trouble
from Cougar post Brian Freeman,
Ks Co-Editor
the Cougars looked dead in the
water.
■Jespite a loss to conference rival
To start the second half Clackamas
^Mood C'C last Wednesday, the
came out strong and went on an 8-0
men clinched third place run in a 1:05 span to cut the Saints’
■ Southern Division of the
lead to three, but the Saints were too
KACC to guarantee them a spot
strong and once Freeman had picked
up his fourth foul with 15 minutes
bis year’s tournament.
The Mt. Hood contest was
remaining, Mt Hood had built its
■bed by the Clackamas players
lead back to 11.
he game of the season for them.
‘We don’t have many options
I suiting up eight players due to
on the bench, so we can’t afford to
VUd injuries,
111J LU IVO,
get into foul trouble;
■ous
Mougars came
Brian never was able
I of the locker
----------
to get into a groove,”
Wegner said.
in the first half
aWe were
Si a determined
Clackamas shot
and
|on their faces.
a dismal 40 percent
for the game, while
■rough
the
the
the Saints stayed
it 10 minutes of
were
hot throughout the
ly, Clackamas
k [with the no.
game, shooting a
Iced Saints by
blazing 56 percent
just
from the field, and in
of great perim-
didn fall. ”
Mshooting and
the end, the Cougars
had lost their third
ing on pure
^Kline.
straight game 101-
Clif Wegner
■hiring a five-
79.
Men's basketball
Bute span, the
On
Saturday,
■iigars hit five
the Cougars head
Head Coach
■secuiive three-
ed south to face
Mnter. including
the Umpqua CC
■■straight points
Timbermen
in
»■phomore Wes
Roseburg. The game
Jen, to take a 28-24 lead at the was tight all the way through, but, in
■45 mark, but that lead disintegrat
the end, Clackamas was able to
es as Mt. Hood started to make a
prevail and come away with a 61-57
^Hclose out the first half.
victory.
^■e didn’t get back on defense; I
Freeman was able to recover from
W guys just jogging back, and that his forgettable night on Wednesday,
^jay to win a basketball game,”
scoring 16 points, as well as pulling
^Koach Clif Wegner said.
down 14 rebounds, dishing out five
■tk half. Mt.Hood had built a
assists and leading the team with
Hi 11 points, and with the lack four steals. Jensen topped all scorers
chael McCormack
with 20 points.
‘We were open and the shots
we took were good shots; they just
didn’t fell,” Wegner said.
Shooting only 38 percent from
the floor, the Cougars found other
ways to produce on fest breaks.
Clackamas was able to force the
Timbermen into 14 turnovers, which
.
open
shots we
took
good shots;
they
led to 15 Clackamas points, while
handing over only 10 turnovers of
their own.
The Cougars will travel to
Portland Community College tonight
to close out their regular season. In
the first match-up between these two
teams, Clackamas blew away PCC
with an impressive 96-65 victory.
The
NWAACC
playoffs
start next Thursday, March 3, in
Kennewick, Wash. The Cougars
will face the no. 2 seed from the
Western Division, which as of today
is Pierce College.
Tonight’s game with Portland CC
is slated for a 7:30 p.m. start time on
the PCC-Sylvania campus.
ill!®
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