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Page 4 - -The Portland Observer October 31, 1990
1 Portland Observer
SttGTHE LOCKER ROOM
Gene Little Is a Big Time Coach
Reds prove no team is invincible
I>y Aaron Fentress
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Gene Little o f the Charlotte Hornets
Photo by Veronica Green
BY ULLYSSES TUCKER, JR.
Bernie Bickerstaff, Lenny Wilkins,
K.C. Jones, Don Chaney, Stu Jackson,
Wes Unseld, and Gene Little are all
black Head Coaches in the National
Basketball Association. Little coaches
the Charlotte Hornets. By no means is he
a stranger around the league. In fact, ask
Trail Blazer head coach Rick Adelman.
“ Gene is recognized around the league
as a very capable and organized coach.
He’s been in this league a very long time,
especially as an Assistant, and he just
hasn’t had the visibility as the other
coaches.
Little received his first Assistants’
job with the Utah Jazz (1979-82). He
later served as an assistant for the Cleve
land Cavaliers (1982-86), where he served
as head coach for a brief period (sixteen
games), the Chicago Bulls (1986-87),
and the Charlotte Hornets last season.
The Hornets hired Little full-time after
they fired Oregon’s Dick Harter. In
addition to Harter, Little has worked
under Head Coaches George Karl, Tom
Nissalke, now his Assistants in Charlotte
are, Doug Collins and Frank Layton.
Little did not feel slighted or overlooked
when it came to Head coaching jobs
because experience was something he
cared about more than securing a top
position. “ I’ve had the opportunity to
see how several organizations do busi
ness and 1 am thankful for every oppor
tunity. The league went through this
stage where they went after the big name
college coaches. In the process, they
learned that those coaches did not know
the game on this level. Now, you’re
seeing guys like Dick Motta (Kings),
Weiss (Hawks), Richie Adubata (Mavs),
and Bill Fitch (Nets) get jobs before
some college coach. Some college coaches
have been successful and others have
not. I think the league has moved away
TYRONE BOGUES
form that trend.”
Before Little entered the NBA
Coaching ranks, he served as the Head
Coach for North Carolina A & T Univer
sity in Greensboro, N.C., a member of
the MEAC (Mid-Eastern Athletic Con
ference). He compiled a 36-15 record in
two years. Little also played in the old
ABA with the Carolina Cougars and the
Kentucky Colonels. He was a member of
the Colonels 1975 ABA championship
team. Little said that he had no expecta
tions when Charlotte hired him as Direc-
tor/Player Personnel-Assistant Coach last
season. He was happy to be in manage
ment and glad to be contributing to the
growth of an expansion team. When Dick
Harter was fired halfway through the
1989-90 season, owner George Shinn
decided that Little was his man to finish
the season. Little won 11 games out of
42, but there was no doubt who would
coach the Hornets this season.
“ Our owner is committed to the
long term growth of this team,” said
Little. “ It’s so easy to go for the quick
fix in this league and we’re going to
grow through the draft. Last year. We
were the worst rebounding team in the
league. We hope to improve on that. We
also picked up Kendal Gill and Johnny
Newman from the Knicks. We will be a
competitive team this year. Our team
speed and quickness should also be bet
ter.”
When questioned about whether he
would concentrate on a management
position should things not work out, Little,
an NAIA All-American at High Point
College in High Point, N.C., smiled and
hollered to his players that it was time to
leave their shoot-around at Memorial
Coliseum. “ You know how this busi
ness is” , referring to how coaches come
and go.” I never think about not doing
good, all I think about is doing the best
that I can do each night out and accom
plishing the goals of the organization.
I’ll certainly be in basketball” .
When questioned about there being
only seven black coaches in the NBA,
Little downplayed the fact that race is an
issue. “ Timing is everything. I was in
the right place at the right time. Winning
is more important than race in this league.
Owners want to win. Now, if you’re
asking me about capable people who can
coach in this league, there are plenty.
Paul Silas, Fred Carter, Mack Calvin,
Cazzie Russell, and several more are
good assistants, who in time will be head
coaches. There are only so many jobs to
go around.
Little is a native of Washington,
D.C. and a graduate of McKinley High
School.
++++
Special thanks to Linda Jones of the
Cleveland Cavs for her research work
recently. You helped me to beat my
deadline this week. I owe you one...
Bestlaugh this week: J.R. Reid teas
ing Charlotte teammate Tyrone Bogues
about not being able to touch the ten-fool
high rim at a recent practice. Reid called
the 5-3 Bogues too short, but he backed
away when Rex Chapman suggested that
he put a twenty dollar bill up there to test
Bogues. What do you think? Stay tuned.-
Without a doubt in anyone’s
mind, west of Ohio, the Oakland
Addetics were clearly supposed to
whip the Cincinnati Reds senseless
in this years World Series. The only
problem was that someone forgot to
convince the Reds as they turned the
tables and swept the A’s and the
baseball world off of it’s feet and into
a collective state of baffiedness
asking the question, "What the hell
happened ?"
Without a doubt the Reds
World Scries victory is one of the
great upsets in baseball history, or
sports history for that matter. And
in a sports age where dynasties such
as the Detroit Pistons, San Francisco
49crs and formerly, the Oakland A’s
have dominated their sports the last
couple of years, the Reds have let it
be known that no team is "un
beatable." If the Reds had simply
won in seven games then there
wouldn't be that much to gawk at.
As everyone knows, anything can
happen in baseball. But to sweep a
team that was supposed to sweep
you, well that's an eight game turn
around.
And the A's are still
spinning.
"You don’t expect to win a
series like this and sweep a team that
was playing so well," said Reds
manager Lou Piniella. "But we felt
we’d play well and thought that if we
got some breaks, things would go
our way."
Getting some breaks, as
Piniella pul it, is selling the Reds
effort short. The fact is that the Reds
simply pounded the A's by a four
game run total of 22-8. They out
hit the Athletics, .317 to .207, while
maintaining an ERA of 1.70 against
a lineup which featured Rickey
Henderson, Willie Mcgee, Mark
McGwire, Dave Henderson, Carney
Lansford, Harold Baines and last and
definitely least, Jose Canseco.
For Canseco his 1990World
Scries performance may live forever
as a reminder that no matter who you
are, or what you've done, no man is
worth
four
million
dollars.
Especially if that man's purpose is to
hit a baseball,
which Canseco
managed to do only once, while
batting a miserable .083 in 12 at-
bats.
"He's
a
punk,"
said
Canseco's wife, Esther Canseco,
about Oakland manager Tony La
Rusa, after La Rusa decided to bench
Canseco for the fourth game. "Let
them sweep us. I should have worn
a red dress.
"Tony's gone too far. He's
putting the blame on Jose when it's
the whole team."
The fact is that the whole
team didn't play exceptionally well.
But the other side is that Canseco
didn't even play bad. He simply did
not show up.
Ironicaly for Canseco he did
get his chance for redemption in that
fourth game. With one out in the
bottom of the ninth and trailing by
only one run Canseco was called
upon to pinch hit for Baines. Alas
Canseco failed as he dribbled a pitiful
grounder to third. Mighty Canseco
had fallen again. While another Jose
was the hero.
The name Jose Rijo, not
exactly a house hold name before the
series, became a nationally known
name after he was named the series
MVP. In two games Rijo pitched 15
and 1/2 innings, surrendered only
one run and held Oakland to a
pathetic .163 batting average.
"It's not incredible for me. I
thought I could do it," Rijo said.
"We've got one of the best teams in
baseball now. I guess the A's arc
second."
Definitely the best team
when it counted most. The Athletics
are undoubtedly the most talented
team in baseball, on paper.
Eight
all-star's grace the Athletics roster,
including
two
late
season
acquisitions in Mcgee and Baines,
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I 5(131 232-7546
Saturday during a match-up between G.l. Joe 's/Jefferson and Whitaker
o f the fifth and sixth grade Pop Warner football league, #86 Derek Hell scored a
touchdown on a 50-yardpass play. G.l. Joe 's/Jefferson beat Whitaker, 20-6. G.l.
Joe 's/Jefferson will compete fo r the city championship Sunday at 3:00 p.m. at Mt.
Hood Community College. Jefferson’s seventh and eighth grade team will play
at 5:00 p.m. Good luck to both Northeast Portland teams.
MRS C’S WIGS
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3RD ANNUAL
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The Portland Pro-Am Basketball
League will be starting up on November
3rd & 4th at Pordand Community Col
lege Cascade Gym located on N.
Killingsworth across the street from Jef
ferson High School. The six teams are
generically named after NBA mascots
and league play is governed by N3A
rules. The league also features the devel
opment of NBA referees. All games are
played on the weekends 4:30ptn & 6:00pm
on Saturdays and Sundays.
The Portland Pro-Am Basketball
League will be having it’s Third Annual
Basketball Preview, featuring a total of
14 teams from Seattle & Portland. The
dates of the preview are November 3rd
(Sat) 7 4th (Sun), 1990.
Eight games will be played on Sat
urday & Sunday at the PCC Cascade
Gym. Games will be played from 8:30am
to 7:00pm on both Saturday & Sunday.
Following the games on Saturday
there will be a Dance involving the play
ers at the Inn at the Coliseum from 8:30pm
to 1:00am. There will also be an after
hours party following the dance. Cost for
the dance will be S5.50 (with a ticket)
and S6.50 (without). There will be no
charge for the games.
Featuring Seattle vs Portland
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PORTLAND PRO-AM
BASKETBALL LEAGUE
1990/91 FALL/WINTER
PROGRAM
Portland Observer!
November 3rd & 4th, 1990
HUNDREDS OF WIGS
who figured to be the pieces which
would make the A's invincible. But
come world series lime that piece of
paper was set a blaze by the Reds.
Like Canseco,., both Baines and
Mcgee, who led the national league
in hitting with a .332 average before
being traded to the A's late in the
season by St.Louis, failed to show
as the two combined for just three
hits in 17 at-bats for a .176 average.
"We just didn’t hit like we're
capable," said Henderson, who was
actually the only Athletic who did
show up to play. Henderson batted
.333. "That's the key. When you
don't hit, you don't win."
Needless to say the A's
pitching performance also lacked it's
magic of the regular season. Cy
Young candidates Dave Stewert, Bob
Welch
and
Dennis
Eckcrsley
combined for a sub-par 4.38 ERA
while going 0-3 for the series.
But enough about how bad
the A's played.
Although many
people will have you believe that the
A's simply choked, you can't forget
that the Reds came to play. And
played well.
Although Rijo was selected
the MVP some other Reds made a
bid for the award. Center fielder,
Mickey Hatcher set a new record for
a four game series while batting
.750, including four doubles and a
triple.
While Hatcher and Rijo
played well enough to cam MVP
honors, and Rijo did, it was third
baseman Chris Sabo who delivered
the knock out blow in game three
when he homcred twice to lead the
Reds to an 8-3 victory.
Sabo, who voiced his
opinion after the scries about the fact
that no one gave the Reds a chance,
let it be known who was the best
team in baseball.
"We're the best team in
baseball, bar none," said Cincinnati
third baseman Chris Sabo. "I don't
care what anyone says."
Last week, they were.
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