P age B2
A pril 26, 1995 • T he P ortland O bserver
STOUDAMIRE
AWAITS FUTURE
Howard Cosell dies
at 77:
Howard Cosell a legendary
figure in sports broadcasting died
Sunday at New York University
Hospital for Joint Deceases. His
grandson Justin C ohane said
Cosell died o f a heart embolism.
Cosell is most remembered
for his 14 years as a broadcaster
on “Monday Night Football" and
his verbal sparring matches with
Muhammad Ali. Cosell was re
vered and ridiculed for his tell-it-
like-it-is approach to broadcast
ing.
In 1954 he left a lucrative law
practice, for n ABC radio jo b that
paid $250 a week.
“ Howard Cosell was one o f
the most original people ever to
appear on American television."
said ABC News president Roone
Arledge, in charge o f ABC Sports
during Cosell's hey day.
GOLF
Jacobsen Comes In
Second:
Peter Jacobsen the Portland
based P.G.A. golfer regained the
top money winner honors on the
circuit with a second place tie
with JeffSIum an. Both men had
an opportunity to win but let it slip
away as Jom Gallagher made a
phenomenal comeback to win the
Greater Greensboro open.
Jacobsen shot an even par
and Sluman was two over, as
Gallagher manage a 6 under in the
fin a l. J a c o b s e n ’s c h e c k o f
$132,000 for second place tie lift
ed him past Davis Love III as the
top money winner with earnings
of$870,321 forthe 1995 season.
Jacobsen has two first, two sec
onds and a third.
GYMNASTICS
A young Oregon State team
making its first appearance in the
six team finals NCAA national
W omen’sGymnasticsChampion-
ships. Finished sixth Friday be
fore a crowd o f 7,758 in the Geor
gia Coliseum.
BASKETBALL
Blazers will play the Phoenix
Suns starting Friday in the best o f
five play-off. Phoenix swept the
B lazers during the regu lar season.
bv
D anny B ell
Damon Stoudamire the stellar
guard for Arizona, decided in the last
week to by-pass the Desert Classic a
showcase for the top seniors in the
country at which many pro scouts
will be attending.
Instead he spent the week in
Oregon, visiting parents and friends
and taking a break from his studies.
Stoudamire who has a good chance
to end up in the lottery felt that the
risk o f hurting his standing with the
scouts out-weighed the chance o f
D anny B ell
Jimmy Jones who had been a
fixture in the early television era o f
P o rtlan d ’s sport scene and once
served as the voice o f the Portland
Trailblazers and Seattle Super Sonics,
died at his Bellevue home last Thurs
day on April 20th.
Jones who was 62 had suffered a
history o f heart problems dating back
to 1975 when he experienced a seri
ous seizure on Super Bowl Sunday
while in Phoenix on a road trip with
the Trailblazers.
In the last few years, Jones had
worked as a TV play by play an
nouncer for Prime sports. His last
telecast was Easter Sunday in which
he called a baseball game between
Oregon State and Portland State at
Coleman Field on the Oregon State
campus.
Jones, was born in 1933 was an
all-city fullback at Grant High in
Portland, then played football forthe
University o f Oregon for three years
Jones began his career in televi
sion at KPTV in I960, eight years
after Portland s initial T V. station
took to the air It was while at KPTV
that Jones became one o f the states
best known figures in sports doing
play by play in a variety o f sports He
became best known for his coverage
o f the Portland Buckaroos hockey
team, delayed football games, then
later for announcer and T.V. play by
play man forthe Portland Trailblaz
ers.
During all this, Jones stayed on
to anchor sports for KPTV.
In 1983 Jones left channel 12
television and Portland to become
the play by play announcer for tele
cast ofthe Seattle Supersonics games.
Doug LaMear. a long time local
sports anchor at KG W-T V w ho knew
Jones as a competitor and a friend.
Jimmy Jones
said "I considered him a great guy to
work with although we were com pet
itors I'm very sorry to see him go he
was a nice guy to have in the busi
ness.”
Reached at Palm Springs, C a
lif. Harry Glickman. president emer
itus of the Trail Blazers, said “ I can't
recall anyone who ever had an un
kind word to say about J immy Jones.
He was a great guy, a great friend.
and in my opinion, a very great sports
caster."
George Wasch the executive
producer/director for Blazer Broad
casting, grew up with Jones and
worked with him from the beginning
at KPTV and with the Blazer organi
zation as well. "After col lege his first
jo b was in radio in Salem, Wasch
said. “ I encouraged him to come up
to Portland and audition for some
sports. One o f the first he auditioned
for and got was for Hollywood Ford.
Then we had a show called "Sports
By line" and he did that. He did such
a terrific job they hired him full time."
“Jones," Wasch said was “as
good as any body in the business and
better than most. When he went on
the air, he was really prepared He
had a great announcing voice, had
nice style and was enthusiastic. He
was a real pro.
Oregon State sports information
director worked with Jones early in
his career and his last baseball game
on Easter Sunday , commented "from
a professional stand point he said" I
always thought he w as one o f best in
the business. He was a consummate
pro. You knew he was always "And
he was one o f the best friends I ever
had."
Funeral service are to be held to
day, Wednesday April 26 at 1:30
p.m. at W estminster Presbyterian
Church
Kloppenburn. Seattle vice president/
player personnel. “To me he's a can’t
miss player. I think you’ll be talking
about him like you do about Kevin
Johnson in three or four years."
" If he’s not the top, he’s the
second best point guard in the guard,
said Jon Jennings, Boston's director
o f basketball development. “ He has
phenomenal talent. He’s probably
the best guard when it comes to the
pick-and-roll which is conducive to
offenses being employed in the NBA
today."
Stoudamire is a shooter and scor
er, but the typical set-up point seems
to be fading from the horizon.
“He is one o f those players who
has to somewhat dominate the ball to
be effective," Jennings said. "A team
has to understand he is going to have to
be focal point o f an offense. The good
thing is that he is a initiator, a creator
and willing to make decisions.”
Obviously as Stoudamire accli
mates to the N B A there will be a
period o f adjustment.
But as Dave Twarzik, director
player personnel for the Charlotte
Hornets said. H e's a guy you’re go
ing to play and a guy you're going
have to live with... I think you have to
let him go. To corral him too much,
it may inhibit his game."
At 5" I O’ Stoudamire is kind o f
smallish, however he has dem on
strated he has the quickness to com
pensate for lack o f size. Its too early
to know where Stoudamire might go
in the draft. However there's strong
indications that lie'll be chosen in the
top 15.
He said “ I'd be very disappoint
ed I went after 15.”
Several teams that are in imme-
d iate need o f a point guard also are in
the lottery they are Detroit, the L. A.
Clippers, Miami, Milwaukee, M in
nesota and Washington.
Stoudamire said he's made up a
list and all the lottery teams are on it.
He said “ I know Minnesota has shown
extreme interest, and I've even heard
they’ve told a couple o f people they
would like to have me. But those are
just words" going to a losing team
doesn't seem to faze Stoudamire, in
fact he seems to invite the opportunity
to be on a team like “ Washington or
Detroit, or teams with good young
talent." Stoudamire said. “I think I
could blend right in, be successful and
be a part o f something on the rise."
SECOND SEASON BEGINS
JIMMY JONES VETERAN SPORTCASTER DIES
by
climbing in the draft.
“ I sat down with my family, I
talked to my coaches at Arizona and
they called a lot o f people for me" the
Wilson High Graduate said "the con
sensus was, 1 had four solid years at
Arizona and I had proved m yself by
playing international ball over the
past couple o f years “ It w asn't that I
thought I didn’t have anything to
prove at Phoenix (the Desert Clas
sic) but what more could I have done
to improve my stock in the draft.
In light o f that Stoudamire de
cided since he is only taking two
courses at Arizona this term to visit
his girlfriend Renee Evans, who lives
in Eugene, visit with his parents,
Willie Stoudamire and Liz W ashing
ton, and play some hoop with the old
gang including cousin Antoine, a
former Oregon Duck guard.
Stoudamire said he carries a 2.4
grade point average and is only a
semester short o f graduating with a
degree in media arts. He claims to
have every intention o f one day get
ting a diploma.
“ Most people tell me it doesn’t
make any difference, that I ’ II be play
ing pro ball" he said “but it’s impor
tant to me. It’s something I want for
myself. I’ll feel like I’ll have accom
plished something important".
One o f the most pressing issues
for Stoudamire to resolve now is the
selection o f an agent. Since last sea
son he has been a hot item. He will be
glad to have the process over. “ There
are so many people coming at you, or
trying to, he said.
“ I’d say I’ve heard from 60
(agents) at least, maybe more.
You go to your hotel room on a
road trip and you might have four or
five messages waiting for you from
agents. Y oujustdon’tcall them back.
“ I’ve narrowed it down the best
I can. My parents are helping me.
You have to find someone you feel
comfortable with, but its hard to trust
someone with handling your mon
ey.”
Evidently there will be money to
handle. Opinion varies among NBA
executives on how good he will be,
but just about everyone likes the 5
root lOinch guard. He averaged 22.8
points, and 7.3 assists and shot .476
from the field, 465 from the 3-point
line as a senior.
“ In my opinion, he is the best
point guard in the country " said Bob
by
E ric N oon
For the 13th straight year The
Portland Trailblazers are intheN B A
Play-Offs, and for The Blazers the
Second season will bring new life to
a team who has struggled at times.
The feeling among players is the real
season begins in the Play-Offs and if
your on a roll you can make a run at
the finals.
T hisyearm ight be a little differ-
ent.
The Blazers face off with The
Phoenix Suns in the first round and
are 0-5 in that season that decides if
you get to move on.
The Suns are a deep team and
put a lot o f points on the board. The
Suns will also let you back in the
game and try to finish you off by
relying on the outside shot. The Blaz
ers need to slow down the tempo and
use their size to force The Suns into
a half court game. A half-court game
and The Blazers usually don't go
together. With the addition o f Otis
“My Man" Thorpe down in the paint,
and Harvey Grant inserted in the
line-up the Blazers have a different
look. Thorpe has been able to control
Charles Barkley down low in the
past. In a close game with Chris
Dudley on the bench Thorpe could
be the man to shut down Sir Charles
and give The Blazers an inside threat
on offense.
Kevin Johnson is back and
healthy for the play-offs and The
Suns have a speed a d v an tag e
at p o int as E llo it Perry has hurt
T he B lazers in the p ast w ith his
q u ic k n e ss like Jo h n so n . T erry
P o rte r has to hit his o u tsid e shot
to keep Perry o u t o f the p a ssin g
lanes and fo rce the le a g u e ’s se c
ond leading b a ll-s te a le r to w ork
hard to d efen d the o u tsid e shot.
G ran t w ill sta rt at the tw o g u ard
and has play ed w ell th ere in the
past few w eeks.
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