Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, February 21, 2001, Page 9, Image 9

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    Page B3
February 21,2001
© b semer
Metro/Sports
Tech Girls Race To The Finish
Class 4A Girls
Subtournament
Tuesday
A: C lac k am a s at B end
B: C h u rch ill at W est A lbany
C: C e n te n n ial a t R ed m o n d
D: G ra n t at St. M a ry ’s
E: T u a la tin at A sh la n d
F: K lam ath at G resh am
Thursday
A at B en so n
B a t G len c o e
C a t W illa m ette
D a t T ig a rd
E at S o u th S alem
F at S ilv erto n
G: L ak e rid g e at Je fferso n
Saturday
The B enson H igh School Techsters g o to the line in a victory o ver Jefferso n la st week. Both team s q u a lified f o r
A at B arlo w
B at S o u th M ed fo rd
C at L ak e O sw eg o
D at P en d le to n
E a t S h eld o n
F a t C o rv allis
G a t B e av erto n
the C lass 4A Girls State Tournam ent that began on Tuesday.
(P hoto by M ark W ashington /P ortland O bserver )
Benson and Jefferson
Prepare for Matchup
C e n te r . T h e 5 ,0 0 0 - s e a t a r e n a
com es close to selling out for ev ­
ery gam e. “ It’s given us a chance
to be on both sides o f the fence,”
s a id J e ff e r s o n c o a c h M a rs h a ll
H askins, w ho took over before the
1998-99 season. “T he first year I
w as h ere, th e y w ere th e b e tte r
team . Last year, w e w ere the best.
O n W ednesday, No. 1 Jefferson
w ill play No. 3 B enson at the Chiles
C e n ter for the second tim e this
seaso n . Je ffe rso n w on the first
m eeting 74-65 on Jan. 19.
A ssum ing Jefferson beats W il­
son at hom e T uesday and Benson
beats M arshall, a w in over Benson
(1 8 -4 , 15-1 P IL ) w ill g iv e th e
D em ocrats (20-2, 16-0) their sec­
ond co n secu tiv e PIL ch am p io n ­
ship. I f Benson w ins, it will force
a third m eeting betw een the team s
for the PIL title this weekend.
By D ave C harbonneau
W hen Jo n T in n o n tran sferred
from Benson to Jefferson before
h is ju n io r year. Jo n h elp ed the
D em ocrats to a state ch a m p io n ­
ship« 1999/2000)
“ J o n w a s th e d i f f e r e n c e ,”
B en so n c o a c h D on E m ry said .
“T hey w o u ld n ’t have w on it w ith ­
out Jon. “T h a t’s w hen the rivalry
started, in m ore w ays than one.”
O ver the last three seasons, there
has been no bigger regular-season
g a m e in th e s ta te th a n w h e n
Jefferson and B enson meet.
T he gam es alw ay s have been
crucial in w hat has becom e a tw o-
team race for the P ortland Inter­
sch o lastic L eag u e ch am p io n sh ip
the last three seasons. T he gam es
have gotten too b ig for the sc h o o ls’
g y m s and, sta rtin g la st se aso n ,
have been m o v ed to th e C hiles
Psychologist: Rasheed’s Problems Will Only Get Worse
E y L a MDOCLH a LUAP
It w as the m ost explosive outburst
ofR asheed W allace’s 5 1/2-yearNBA
career: Late in the Portland Trail Blaz­
ers’ victoiy over Phoenix on Feb. 1,
W allace w as ejected by referee Gary
Benson and becam e so incensed that
he charged at the official and threw a
tow el that grazed his face.
The image ofW allace spewing pro­
fanity at Benson, held back by team ­
mates and coaches, w as surprising,
even considering the player’s turbu­
lent history. W allace w as suspended
for two gam es and fined $ 10,000.
But two weeks later the Blazers, with
the best record in the W estem Confer­
ence, dism iss the incident as no big
R a sh eed W allace
deal. ”I f he cares too m uch and is too
excited about it, that’s part o f his
m akeup,” Portland president and gen­
e ra l m a n a g e r B o b
W hitsitt says. “But (for)
all these people that
decide that they’re psy­
ch o lo g ists an d c a n ’t
even spell the w ord —
and I ’m not saying I am
either — these are not
n ew su b jects. R ig h t
now w e’re a first-place
basketball team . B ut
they always w ant to find
things they d o n ’t like.”
O thers, how ever, in­
cluding som e real psy­
chologists, see deeper problem s with
the talented yet volatile player.
W allace’s inability to control his
anger threatens the stability o f his
team and even his playing career, they
say. Furthermore, his recent blowup
— and the relatively light punishm ent
he received for it— could signal worse
trouble to come. “Itd o esn ’tsto p ato n e
level. It escalates,” said Tom Tutko, a
respected sports psychologist and re­
tired professor at San Jose State Uni­
versity. ”I f you’re not going to be
punished for this kind o f behavior, it
just m oves up a notch. N ot only am I
going to throw a towel in the official’s
face, I’m going to deck the official. If
they’re ju st going to slap me on the
wrist for something this serious, why
not keep doing it?” ’ A former col­
league o f Tutko’s is Bruce Ogilvie,
f
9S.S
JOIN THE JAMMIN 95.5 NIKE
CHARITY BASKETBALL TEAM
Kevin Garnett to commitfive turnovers
in Portland’s 109-88 rout o f M inne­
so ta ,
w h ich
sn a p p e d
th e
T im berw olves’ 11-game w inning
streak.
Then there’s the dark side. W allace
has 27 technical fouls, ahead o f the
pace to break the NBA record o f 38 he
set last season. H e’sbeen ejected three
times, and during his suspension, the
Blazers lost to the L. A. Clippers, 90-89.
”Y ou always worry about being at risk
for him getting thrown outofthe game,”
coach M ike Dunleavy said after the
Phoenix game. W allace’s teammates
unequivocally support him, praising
his selfless play and desire. B ut even
they hint that he needs to chill out.
who was the B lazers’ team psycholo­
gist from its first year, 1970, until coach
Jack Ramsey left in 1986. Ogilvie, 80,
said Wallace clearly needs anger-man­
agement counseling.
”If I was his shrink, I’d be working
with him one-on-one. I’dbe seeing him
at least five times a w eek to see what ’ s
going on,” he told The Oregonian.
Between the lines, Wallace, 26, is
having his finest season. The 6-foot-
11 pow er forward’s averages o f 19.3
points and 8.2 rebounds are career
highs. Last Sunday he played in his
second straight All-Star game.
On Tuesday night, he had a typi­
cally solid game: 18 points, eight re­
bounds and six assists, while forcing
j
I
1 TAKE PRIDE
IN HONORING
SATURDAY MARCH 17™ AT 7PM
DAMON STOUDAMIRE
MY ANCESTORS.
AT S.E.I. 3920 N. KIRBY, PORTLAND
MY HERITAGE,
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IT IS THROUGH
THEIR COURAGE
IKE BIG BALLER
AND SACRIFICE
vs.
THAT I AM ABLE TO
The ^orfianh ©bscrue
FULFILL MY DREAMS.”
DAMON STOUDAMIRE
CORY COUGARS
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JAMMIN 95.5
WHICH INCLUDES ENTERTAINMENT AND PRIZES.
PORTLAND TRAIL BLAZERS GUARD a COMMUNITY ADVOCATE
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AT \
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,
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HONOR THE TRUE TRAIL BLAZERS IN BLACK HISTORY.
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