S ports
Joyce Washington All Stars Pile Up Points
Event brings
community
together
by P atrick
G rlhler
T he P ortland O bserver
Jefferson High School senior Johnathan
Scott won Most Valuable Player honors at
the second annual Joyce Washington All-
Star Classic Saturday leading all scorers
with 28 points and bringing down at least
10 rebounds as the visiting team beat the
home team 94-91 in front of a packed gym
at Self Enhancement, Inc.
Jefferson’s Nyesha Sims scored 22
points, including several three pointers in
a blowout third quarter as the home team
trounced the visiting team 76-59 later in
the afternoon, winning the MVP in the
girls game.
See related photos,
page A8
The classic featured the best guys and
girls from Portland area high schools,
mainly coming from Portland Interscho
lastic League. It was sponsored by the
Portland Observer, in memory of its late
publisher.
Each game also featured several play
ers who are used to playing on the same
team squared off from opposing benches/
The home team in the boys game was
coached by Paul Kelly, coach at Jefferson
High School. The visiting team was
coached by Michael Holton, formerTrail-
blazer and former University of Portland
men’s basketball coach.
“We don’t really have a strategy,”
Holton said before the game. “I just want
to make sure that these kids have a posi
tive experience.
“We haven’t had time to set up plays
and we probably won’t do much trapping,
1 just want the play hard and unselfish, and
hopefully we can have a fun afternoon."
The boys’ game was a high paced
game that featured a lot of quick three
pointers and fast break points, every
thing that is standard in an all star game,
making it a fun afternoon for the fans
and for the players.
PHOTO BY N lA
Scott came out firing early, scoring nine
points, grabbing several rebounds and
getting two huge blocks in the first quar
ter, leading his team to an early 19-13 lead.
When Scott went to the bench it was
Jefferson teammates Herschal Slaughter
and Tyrone White who took the scoring
load. Slaughter used his size to get a
variety of close to bucket layups, and
White hit several jumpers to pace the
visiting team toa44-37 halftime lead. White
ended with 21 points and Slaughter fin
ished with 17 points.
The home team was led by Richard
Townsend-Gant, also from Jefferson.
David McNairfrom Franklin,chipped in 11
points.
In the second half, Scott scored eight
straight points, several of them on tip-ins
and rebounds to quickly give the visiting
team a 57-42 point lead.
“I just took advantage of the height
Sports Commentary
Should Barry
Bonds enter the
Hall of Fame?
P atrick G rlhler
T he P ortland O bserver
This weekend reports
came out that San Fran
cisco G iant’s outfielder
Barry Bonds many not
share some of his record
mementos with the Base
ball Hall of Fame.
Bonds, as most people
know, is 10 home runs shy
of breaking Hank Aaron’s
career home run record of
755, which Aaron has held
for over three decades.
Bonds’, as most people Barry B onds
by
also know, has been tied up in a steroids
controversy. What keeps Bonds separate
from other superstars who have been tied
up in the steroids mess- such as Sammy
Sosa, Juan Gonzales and Jeremy Giambi-
is that Barry had a Hall of Fame resume
before his head grew several sizes.
Hall of Fame voters and fans who want
to have an educated opinion on Bonds
have to look at two bodies of work.
Barry won his first NL MVP in 1990
when he played for the Pittsburgh Pirates.
At the time, he was a home run threat, a
threat to steal any base and was a golden-
glove outfielder. His body was about half
the mass of its current state.
That 1990 season he hit 33 home runs,
had 114 hits, 53 stolen bases and had an
impressive .301 batting average. Those
are stats to be marveled at. It was the first
of 7 MVP seasons for Bonds, the first of
13 all star appearances and the first of
eight golden glove awards.
Bonds also led the league in on-base
percentage 16 times, batting average six
times, once posting a season average of
.370 and .362 in a separate season. Those
statistics take my breath away.
D|NG/T h E PORTLAND OBSERVER
Coach Floyd Hall (from left) M o st Valuable Player N yesha S im s and Coach o f th e Year M ichael B o n te m p s at Sa tu rd a y's
Portland O bserver Joyce W ashington All Star Classic.
Since 1990, Bonds seemingly trans
formed his game when we became the
powerful slugger who hit 73 home runs in
one season.
Barry has been tied up in Balco steroids
investigations since they started five or
so years ago. He has had
leaked grandjury testimony
that has linked him to ste
roids. His former trainer is
the firs, one to get caught
up in the investigation,
seemingly tying Barry to
steroid use.
His head and feet both
seem to have grown, not
just a little bit, but several
sizes since grown men
should have stopped grow
ing.
All the evidence points
the Bonds using steroids,
even though there is no definitive proof
that Bonds did actually use steroids.
To make matters worse Barry has al
ways been terrible to the media. It’s not
like voters are looking for a nice guy.
Bond’s has turned himself into public
enemy number one.
So, with both of those resumes, the
baseball one and the steroid one, the
question remains; Should Bonds be elected
into the Hall of Fame?
The answer is yes.
I don't see any possible way that you
can just ignore the baseball resume. Bonds
is the greatest player of my generation. 1
don't think we will come close to seeing
somebody be able to hit like he did, as
consistently, accurately and powerfully,
and also be as good a, defense and as
much of a threat on the bases.
In an era now where sluggers like David
Ortiz and Manny Ramirez are defensive
liabilities, and are useless on the base
path if they don’t hit a home run, you can
not overlixik how Bonds' had it all.
Barry Bonds' deserves to be in the Hall
of Fame, even if the hat he wore on the
Pirates is t<x> small.
advantage I had,” Scott said. “I tried to get
as many rebounds as possible.”
The visiting team lead 70-59 at the end
of the third quarter, but the fourth quarter
is when Townsend-Gant started to take
over.
He started the quarter quickly taking
the ball to the hoop and hitting a spinning
lay-up going around several defenders.
Slaughter and Scott kept hitting buckets
for the visiting team, keeping up with
Gants ten points in the first four buckets
in the quarter.
The visiting team cooled off and Gants
teammates started to chip in. Isiah Johnson
finished the game with 9 points, 7 in the
fourth. And Antwon Wooten of Jefferson
knocked down a few huge threes late in the
quarter, bringing the home team within
five points with one minute left.
The home team fouled White several
times in the last minute and he knocked
Sports Review
down all four free throws.
“I knew he was going to make them,”
Jefferson teammate Scott said. “He was
doing that all year.”
With seven seconds left the home team
took the ball out 94-91. Gant had a shot to
tie but it was just off.
“I didn’t think it was going to go in,”
Townsend-Gant said. “I got the ball too
late.”
“I was worried,” Scott said. "I was pretty
sure he would make it.”
The game was big from the community
standpoint. M ost o f the players and
coaches grew up in northeast and north
Portland and were very familiar with each
other.
“It was a fun experience,” Townsend-
Gant said. “I’m used to playing with a lot
of the guys, but I have played against so
many of these people for years, it was like
a pickup game.”
in P atrick G ri iiler /
P orti and O bsers er
NFL’s Hill Drowns
The body of New England Patriots
defensive end Marquise Hill was
found Monday, according to Louisi
ana state officials. Hill was reported
missing Sunday after a jet-ski acci
dent on Lake Pontchartrain in New
Orleans. Hill, 24, played on LSU’s
2003 national championship team and
was a second round draft pick for the Patriots in 2004.
NBA Playoffs
The San Antonio Spurs beat the Utah Jazz Monday in
Salt Lake City to take a 3-1 lead in the Western Confer
ence series. After getting the game within two points
with about six minutes left, they Jazz
struggled to make a field goal the rest
o f the way and the Spurs 91 -79, seiz
ing control of the Series. Tuesday
night the Detroit Pistons play the
Cleveland Cavaliers in Cleveland. De
troit leads the series 2-1. Cleveland
won game three after a 32 point, 9
rebound. 9 assist game from Lebron James, silencing the
critics after not scoring 20 points in the first two games.
Mariners Hot
The Seattle Mariners have been hot lately, winning four
in arow after sweeping the KansasCity Royals in Kansas
City over the weekend, and taking game I in their series
with division leading LA Angels Monday night. The
series will play pivotal in the Mariners quest for first
place in the AL West. They are currently 3.5 games
behind the Angels.
College Baseball
The defending champion Oregon State Beavers (38-17)
hope to repeat in the NCAA baseball tournament. They
are in the Charlottesville Regional with Rutgers(41 -19).
Lafayette(33-18) and No. 8 Virginia,43-14). They open up
play against Big East Champion Rutgers on Friday. It
would lake three straight victories for the Beavers to with
the regional and move on to the Super Regional.
Prep Sports
The semifinals of the state high school baseball and
softball championships took place on Tuesday, with the
finals set for Saturday. In 6A baseball, Wes, Linn is at
Westview and North Medford is at Tualatin. In 5A,
Crater is at Pendleton and Churchill is at Ashland. In 6A
softball, Jesuit is at Central Catholic and Westview is at
Fores, Grove. In 5 A,Corvallis is a, Crater and Eagle Point
is at Glencoe.
“It was nice to see everybody,” Scott
said. “ It was a whole com m unity gath
ering.”
The girls' game started out to be very
competitive in the first half as the visiting
team led 38-34 at halftime.
The home team was coached by Floyd
Hall, and the visiting team was coached by
former trailblazer and Riverdale High
School coach Michael Harper. Harper also
helped run the event, announcing the
boys’ game, and setting up a free throw
competition for kids in attendance during
halftime of the girls’ game.
In the first half the scoring was bal
anced for both teams, as May Bates-Patten
of Benson had 6 points and 5 assists. She
ended the game with six points and had at
least lOassists. Tara Cook cam eout firing
scoring all 12 o f her points in the first half,
nailing three pointers. Tryisha Blake scored
consistently throughout the game and led
the visiting team with 16 points.
But in the second half coach Hall came
out with defensive pressure that the vis
iting team was not ready for. They threw
out all kinds of traps that forced several
turnovers and only allowed four points in
the quarter. The home team had no trouble
scoring, with Sims catching fire in the
second half, capped off the a three pointer
at the end of the third quarter giving the
home team a 54-42 lead.
The visiting team played tough the
whole fourth quarter with Patten collect
ing several more assists, but couldn’t keep
up with Sims and her three-point shoot
ing. The home team won 76-59.
Micaela Pin and Kara Kasch, both of
Franklin, ended the game with 10 points a
piece as the other players on the home
team with double digit scoring.
Josephine Young, of Grant, ended with
13 for the visiting team, as Blake, Young
and Cook were the only players in double
digit scoring for the visiting team.
With several hundred people packing
into SEI to watch the two games, the Joyce
Washington Classic proved to be very
successful in its second year.
“It was a fun day,” Harper said. “Over
all. I wasexcited by the number of support
ers who came out for our young athletes.
It was good for the athletes to show the
supporters that they have a future with
athletics in their lives.”
“Anytime we acknowledge the youth,”
Holton says, “then we have done good for
the community.”
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