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Page B6
August 17. 2005
EMBRACING DIVERSITY
S ports
Benson High Baseball Continues Success
Junior State
Team Qualified
for Tournament
Over the last four years, Benson
High School's baseball program has
put together winning summer and
fall teams.
These teams have included more
players, more games, and a higher
return of success. Much of the re
building of the Benson baseball
program and continued success
has come with the creditable iden
tity of sponsor Elmer’s Flag and
Banner.
This year, Benson’s summer
Junior State D2 team (freshmen)
finished as a co-champion and
qual i tied for the 16-team State Tour
nament. North Portland had some
local involvement in Benson’s run;
JakeChrest, Michael Mehrens, Jor
dan Rogers, and Jay Serhan where
all huge pieces for the Techmen’s
post season push.
Under Head Coach Rob Herder,
the Techmen definitely have up
ward momentum, finishing fifth the
past three spring P1L seasons with
very young teams.
“Our staff has simply tried to put
together a stable program where we
can win every year at every level.
We knew that was a bold mission
going into the Benson job, but re
alizing our goal of reaching the play
Benson High School's Junior State D2 Team, pictured here, recently qualified for the State Tournament.
offs in the spring seems to be get
ting closer,” Herder said.
In fact, many indicators are point
ing just that way. In addition to the
Ju n io r S ta te ’s team su c c e ss,
Benson’s AAA American Legion
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Auto Accident Injuries/
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club posted wins over Southridge,
Jesuit, W estview , L iberty, and
league champ Beaverton.
“ Playing against the Metro pow
ers this summer made us even bet
ter,” said Andrew Curtin, who is
Martin J. Codino D.C.
4317 NE Tillamook St.
Portland, OR 97213
(I block north o f Sandy)
(503) 493-9730
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Jefferson
Alumni
Football Game
Date: August 19, 2005
Time: 7:00 pm
Jefferson High School
Football Field
$5.00 Adults
$3.00 Students
For further information please
Assistant Coach Ryan Smith
adds, “From day one we have
preached that hard workers win in
life and hard workers win on the
field, and we work as hard as any
body.”
The Portland Trail Blazers are
holding tryouts for the first ever
Trail Blazers Hip Hop Dance
Team.
The team will perform at select
re g u la r seaso n hom e gam es
throughout the season and will
represent the Trail B lazers at
events throughout Oregon.
Dance team coaches Medora
Cesarano and Mari Nakama will
join a group of judges for the two-
day tryouts. They will select a 12-
person team.
Tryouts will be held Saturday,
Sept. 10 from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
and Sunday, Sept. 11 from 10
a.m. to 2 p.m. at the team ’s prac
tice facility at 7325 S.W. Childs
Road in Tualatin.
Cesarano has been a premier
hip-hop dance instructor and cho
reographer in Portland for many
years. With more than 25 years
of dance experience, she has fo
cused on hip-hop and funk as her
primary style over the last de
cade.
Nakam a brings a wealth of
various dance backgrounds and
styles to the team. Her expertise is
wide ranging, including acrobat
ics, gymnastics, modern dance
and hip-hop. For info em ail
H ipHopDanceTeam @ blazers.com
New Blazer Coach Faces Challenge
Takes on NBA
team with
youngest talent
Back Pain
Neck Pain
Headaches
Massage
dueling teammate Nick Breninger
for “T op G un” honors on the
mound. Furthermore, Seth Weitzel
and James Sowards supplied much
of the offense in the potent Techmen
line-up.
Blazers to
Form Hip
Hop Dancers
Cheeks, who was popular with the
players and the fans. But as a
“player's coach,” Cheeks w asn't
able to crack down on a team badly
in need of discipline. Portland play
ers had several brushes with the
law.
Former Blazerforward Rasheed
Wallace was suspended for seven
gam es three seasons ago after
threatening a game official on the
loading dock of the Rose Garden.
Former Guard Bonzi Wells had a
couple o f co n fro n tatio n s with
Cheeks before he was traded to
Memphis in 2004.
Then last year. Cheeks had a
verbal run-in with forward Darius
Miles during a film session. Miles
was suspended for just two games,
which many saw as a sign that team
over the past three years have come
straight from high school — for
ward Travis Outlaw and guards
S ebastian T e lfa ir and M artell
Webster. Miles also was drafted
out of high school.
“W e’ve got our work cut out for
us. It takes four or five years to
figure it out. Even Michael Jordan,
Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett— very
few come in here and dominate
quickly,” McMillan said.
How long will it take?
“I don’ t know. I didn’ t come here
to lose. I know I have to be patient
and I know what I’ m working with.
But 1 don’t like losing. I don’t take
it well,” he said.
McMillan compiled a 212-183
record with the Sonics, who pro
moted him from assistant in No
(AP) — Nate McMillan is em
barking on one of the most chal
lenging jobs offered in the NBA
this offseason: head coach of the
PortlandTrail Blazers.
It’s a team that over the past five
years has dealt with player misbe
havior, personnel changes from the
front office down, fan disenchant
ment and tw o years w ithout a
postseason.
McMillan comes to Portland af
ter five years as head coach of the
Seattle SuperSonics, where before
that he was an assistant coach after
a 12-year career as a player. He was
so beloved he won the moniker
“Mr. Sonic.”
B1 azers owner and M icrosoft co
founder Paul Allen clearly coveted
the 6-foot-5 former guard, waiting
until McMillan was ready to ven
ture beyond Seattle while rumors
swirled about other candidates —
including former BlazerTerry Por
te r and S u n s a s s is ta n t M arc
— Blazer Coach Nate McMillan
Iavaroni.
On the surface, McMillan ap
pears like the perfect solution for management did not support its vember2000.
Not much was expected of the
the Blazers. He is known for his coach.
S
o
n ic s th is p a st se a so n , but
C heeks was fired in M arch and
strict rules, including bans on
McMillan
led them to 52 wins and
headbands and on cell phones on Blazers director o f player person
they
took
the
San Antonio Spurs to
the team bus. He enforces a dress nel Kevin Pritchard served as in
six
games
in
the Western Confer
terim coach the rest o f the sea
code.
ence semifinals.
“Character and talent are the son.
McM illan was originally se
McMillan, who by NBA coach
things w e're looking for in aplayer,”
he said. “It’s important that the ing standards is young at just 41, is lected by the Sonics out of North
players understand they have to taking on one of the N BA ’s young Carolina State with the 30th overall
respect the game. They have to est franchises. Three years of thor pickofthe 1986 draft. In his 12 years
respect the league. And they have ough housecleaning has resulted with the team, the Sonics made 11
to respect the fans. You must be a in a team with an average age hov postseason appearances — and
McMillan appeared in 98 playoff
ering around 23.
professional at all times.”
The team 's top three draft picks games, more than any other player
M cM illan replaces M aurice
in team history.
“There’s a guy who understands
his strengths and weaknesses, and
understands the importance o f self-
discipline. He w asn’t the greatest
athlete, but he worked hard and
was able to overcome his short
comings,” said Bernie Bickerstaff,
coach and general manager o f the
Charlotte Bobcats.
Today, M cM illan’s No. 10 je r
sey hangs from the rafters at
Seattle’s KeyArena.
MeMiI lan said he’ s spoken to al 1
o f his new players, either in person
or on the phone. He watched O ut
law, Telfair and W ebster play in the
Las Vegas summer league.
He has spoken with forward
Ruben Patterson, one of the team ’s
few remaining veterans who was
/ didn’t come here to lose. I
know 1 have to be patient and 1
know what I ’m working with.
But I don’t like losing.
distraught when Cheeks was fired,
and Zach Randolph, the N BA ’s
Most Improved Player in the 2003-
04 season.
The coach said he’ll come up
with new rules to usher in the new
era as he goes along.
“I’ll take a look at who we are and
what we need to do to be focused.
There are some things I demand:
Y ou’ve got to show up on time.
You’ve got to work hard,” he said.
“And you have to respect who you
work for, from the league to the
fans.”
contort (503) »14-5180 ei«. 1352
Silver Bullets Finish
Third in Oregon
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The 18A Silver Bullets Girls Softball
Team recently celebrated finishing
third in the state o f Oregon. Led by
Coach Winston, the Portland team has
student athletes that graduated in
2005 going to a variety o f colleges.
Tryouts for the upcoming season
begin Sunday. Aug. 21 from 9 a.m. to
1 p.m. at Westview High School.
Clinics are also held throughout the
year. For more information, visit
www.silverbullets. org.