6 The Clackamas Print
Wednesday, March 2, 2011
Cougars ready for
upcoming NWAACl
tournament game
By John Howard
The Clackamas Print
All photos by John Howard Clackamas Print
Freshman Max Jacobsen goes for the tip-off against
Lane Community College in the game on Friday, Feb.
25, held at Clackamas in the Randall Gym. Jacobsen
has led the Cougars in scoring for the season, hitting
the bucket for 27 in this game alone.
Coming off back-to-back
championship seasons, men’s bas
ketball Head Coach Clif Wegner
is getting used to facing hungry
teams.
“For a lot of teams, beating us
is like their (Northwest Athletic
Association of Community
Colleges) championship,” said
Wegner. “I don’t want our kids
to dance on the floor after every
game, but I always tell them,
‘You have to match that emotion.
You have to match that energy
because they want to beat you
more than anybody, so you have
to come out feeling the same
way.’”
Although the season got off
to a rocky 0-2 start, Wegner’s
team has come storming back to
take the Southern Region title,
finishing at 19-6 and looking
ahead to the upcoming tourna
ment. The team has been led in
scoring by freshman post player
Max Jacobsen, who Wegner said
has been central in the Cougar’s
successful season.
“The impact of Max is that he’s
brought a lot of poise and leader
ship. He came out of a Division
1 program at Portland State, so
he’s been around big-time college
basketball,” said Wegner. “He’s
so good in the low post that he
makes it so people can’t guard
him one-on-one, so they either
-have to double him and give us
something on the perimeter or he
just does his thing.”
Jacobsen’s dominant interior
play has placed him with the
leaders in points and rebounding,
averaging 20.1 points and 8.1
rebounds for the season. Jacobsen
is also one of the league’s most
efficient players. He leads the
league in field goal percentage
and is fifth in scoring but has
played fewer minutes than all
Region Championship. Not
did the team win the regioi
they clinched the region titli
finished with a three game
ion over the four teams tie
second place.
As is standard for Wes
team, they didn’t celebrate 1
after winning the title.
“They didn’t talk about it
much. They started talking]
the NWAACC champions!
like that,” said Wegner, ■
team stayed as calm and]
posed as they do all game]
sitting on the bench and sin
ing their teammates. “I’ve I
H
on them at different times
being more emotional andH
energetic, but that’s just a p
of how good we’ve been an
bad teams want to beat us.’
Both Jacobsen and soph
Travis Robbins agreed that,
they dropped a few games
had a successful season an
were prepared for the playc
“As far as progress as a a
we know we could havi
those games and we could )
played a lot better,” said Ro
“I think those losses are
to make us a better team a
going make us real fired I
when we get to the touma iei
Wegner is happy wiB
team’s focus, and is positivfl
the outcome of the challenge]
this weekend’s 16 team M
ment presents.
“I think everybody ifl
really good state of mind]
Wegner. “I like the team at]
I like how they’re playing tl
er. Kids are coming off the I
and contributing; they’re nol
ing selfishly. They’re buyiifl
the big picture and trying to|
championship together.”
The team leaves Friday fl
NWAACC tournament, whi I
be held in Kennewick, Was]
Cougars tip off at 6 p.m. al
Clark Community College«
but three of the league’s top 15
scorers.
Wegner said that he would go
beyond putting Jacobson as the
team’s most valuable player.
“He’s the most outstanding
player on the championship team,”
said Wegner. “I would think he’d
be the (Southern Region) MVP
and there won’t be much discus
sion about it.”
Despite Jacobsen’s strong
nightly showing, the significant
injury to wing Paul Walter, whom
Wegner deemed as the team’s
“glue player,’’ has opened oppor
tunities for a host of other play
ers. Assistant Coach Paul Fiskum
noted that it was important to
have a deep team in order to take
the next step in competition.
“It really was a total team
effort this year. 'We’ve had a lot
of different contributions,” said
Fiskum. “I think that’s a good
sign as we get to the (tournament)
because you definitely need more
than a starting lineup to win the
championship.”
Fiskum went on to say that the
team lives and dies on the effort
that they put into each game.
“The low point (of our play)
is whenever we hit the floor and
we’re not ready to play. We don’t
have the energy that you need
to play and win college basket
ball games,” said Fiskum, who
has been teaching PE classes
and coaching at Clackamas since
1976. “We felt like every loss
we had this year, we contributed
greatly to it by not going quite as
hard as we could have.”
Focus and energy issues aside,
the Cougars have had a remark
able season. After setting a goal
of shooting 50 percent from the
floor for the season, the team has
emerged as the best percentage
team in the league and the only
team to shoot over 50 percent.
They have also accomplished
their goal of winning the Southern
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Sophmore Brandon Troxel (24) shoots for two of his 18 points against Lane’s defense.
Troxel shot a team high nine free throws in the 79-61 win for Clackamas.