^ J J o rtla n b ©hseruer
Page B8
February IS, 2006
BLACK HISTORY MONTH and the American Experience
PCC Basketball Grows with New Gymnasium
Focus on
academics adds
to success
LaM arcus Stew art has praise for his
grandm other and Portland C om m unity
C ollege’s basketball program for helping
him “better” his life.
Stewart has dom inated the court as a 5-
foot, 8-inch point guard this season. But
success has not com e easily for the north­
east Portland native. He has had to over­
come the challenges o f growing up w ith­
out his mom and dad who were in jail
because o f the bad decisions they made.
In 2002, S tew art g ra d u a te d from
Helensview High School, an aw ard w in­
ning alternative program in M ultnom ah
County. W hile at H elensview he played
basketbal 1 for Roosevelt High School. H e’s
taking general studies at P C C ’s Cascade
Cam pus with plans to make a career out of
his interest in business.
PCC Coach W ayne M endezona says
Stewart is becom ing a leader on the team
because he is listening and accepting re­
sponsibility and has gained confidence in
LaMarcus Stewart defends the lane during a basketball game at Portland
Community College's new gymnasium on the PCC Cascade campus on North
Killingsworth Street.
his academ ic abilities.
S tew art’s story resonates with many
on both the men and w om en’s basketball
teams. W hile PCC is building a reputation
on the basketball court, coaches and the
athletic director have launched a targeted
effort to em phasize academ ic success as
well. D em anding that players thrive in
education goals has been m atched by a
com m itm ent o f staff to m onitor their
progress, including specialized tutors to
insure success. It is working.
Players from southw est Portland like
Avery Rosen on the m en’s team and Leah
D avidson on the w om en’s team model
w hat coaches w ould like to see from all of
their athletes. Rosen graduated from Cleve­
land H igh School. A ttending Joliet Junior
C ollege in Illinois last year and part o f the
team that w ent to the N ationals where they
lost by one point, Rosen returned to Port­
land for fam ily reasons. He now has found
more success not only on the basketball
court, but also in the psychology class­
room.
D a v id s o n ’s en e rg y as a sh o o tin g
g uard on the co u rt is e x p ected to propel
her into a stro n g ca reer as a p erso n al
train er o r p h y sic al th erap ist. F ittin g d i­
rectly w ith in the g o als o f the p ro g ram ,
she ex p ects to m ove in to a fo u r-y ear
p ro g ram at a local co lleg e or u n iv ersity
o n ce she gets the ca re e r req u irem en ts
o ut o f the w ay.
Portland area students have a wide
range o f possibilities for college. Because
o f that the PCC program put extra effort
into the new coaches and facilities. A $5
m illion dollar, tw o-story athletic building
along North K illingsw orth Street has be­
com e a jew el in the program with both the
men and w om en’s team s playing to strong
audiences in the gym.
The coaches, W ayne M endezona for
the men and Rob Pridemore for the women,
focus on a revitalization o f the program
and expanding it. The goals are straight­
forward. They, and athletic director Karl
Easttorp, believe that a strong athletic and
academ ic program will bring in more stu­
dents to PCC and an ever increasing qual­
ity o f players. A nd they believe it helps the
students, the college and the com m unity,
providing a path for many students w ho
w ould not otherw ise have access to higher
education and skilled jobs.
They also like the idea o f seeing good
basketball with enthusiastic players and
spectators from throughout the com m u­
nity. W ith players like Stew art, D avidson
and Rosen, the program expects to grow
substantially over the next few years.
Focus on Community HomeTown Buffet builds bridges
iò c z iz ii . S a t e e t
Here when you need uel
A.D. Williams
213 N.E. Hancock
Portland, OR 97212
9 am-8 pm Tuee.-Sat
Shop 503-282-2820
Ceti 503-308-4488
Your friends at
Killingsworth, St John ’s and
Lombard Little Chapel o f the Chimes
have relocated!
Horntown Buffet employees and neighborhood leaders gather in the spirit of Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., recognizing his philosophy
o f nurturing a ‘Beloved Community,' during the restaurant’s grand re-opening at 10542 S.E. Washington. Pictured (from left) are
Pastor Robin Wisner, Rizq Mesid o f HomeTown, Vanessa Gaston o f the Urban League o f Portland, Maureen Edington o f HomeTown,
Lovell Jones of the Urban League, Michelle Miller o f HomeTown and Sharon Smith of the Healthy Birth Initiative.
~~
¡2 “
BUYABBQ DINNER
OR SANDWICH
To Support
Peninsula Little League
New location, same great people, same great
service and same attention to detail
Sign-up for your
Little League Player on site
Ross
H ollyw ood
Chapel
Come Get Youf JBarbeque
Saturday February 18th, 2006
11 pm*- 4 pm
4733 NE Thompson
Portland, Or. 97213
(503)281-1800
Teresa Davis
Family Service
Counselor
Located in the Parking Lot of
Portland Obseryer N ew spape^jB
\ Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd
D a v e H in to n
General Manager
www.rosshollywtxxlfuneralehapel.net
Portland attorney and former Democratic State Rep. Joe Smith
brings a message of equality and justice to members of the King
Elementary School Choir at HomeTown Buffet's community
awareness event.
photos by I saiah B ol ie /T he P ortland O bserver
Get Reliable
Insurance from
Peninsula Little League 2006
(Serving the Youth of Inner North & Northeast Portland ages 5-15)
vist our website at: www.eteamz.active.com/peninsulalittleleague
Saturday, January 21. 2006
Saturday, January 28, 2006
•
*
rally Hirn sign ups (»iv.vu amount, inru 1 ¿a wo oniyt
Softball Program
Level
Minor
Major
Junior
1
Ages
7 -9
1 0 -1 2
13 - 15
Questions coniaci
M ark W ashington ~
3 1 ) 3 - 9 1 ) 1 - 1 /2 2
1
1
Saturday, Februaiy 4, 2006
Saturday, February 11, 2006
Saturday, February 18, 2006
P eninsula P ark C om m unity C e n te r
700 N Portland Blvd
10:00 am ~ 2 pm
&
j
| Level
j T-Ball
Fann
1 Minor
1 Major
j Junior
P ortland O bserver
4747 NE M L K J r Blvd
1
Baseball Program
Ages
5 -6
7 -8
7 -9
1 0 -1 2
1 3 -1 5
Item s to bring to aign-ups
Proof o f Address
Doctor/Insurance Information
Player Fee
O N LIN E
R egistration
NOW AVAILABLE!
Go to o u r website listed
above and click on
R egister N o w !
PO Box 11581
Portland. OR 97211
HOME OFFICES:
BLOOMINGTON.
Â
M a n a g e n , C oaches <& E m p ires
Needed
Coaches Cluuc TBA
•
50Î-99J-0846
90)5 SWBurbur. Suite 109
Portland, OR 97219
(503)221-3050
STATE FARM
INSURANCE COMPANIES
1
Hours 1 0 a m - 5 pm (M o n - Friday)
1 Participation Pee - $85.00 (per player), $65 for T-ball
$150 00 Family Maximum (2 or more cluldren)
The fee includes prepay o f liindraisei
Birth Certificate
Michael E. Harper, Sr.
IM IU B A N C I
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