Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About The Bulletin. (Bend, OR) 1963-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2021)
FOUR-PAGE PULLOUT A7 S PORTS THE BULLETIN • THURSDAY, JANUARY 21, 2021 bendbulletin.com/sports PAC-12 NBA West Coast League Baseball Larry Scott is out as commissioner Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott is stepping down at the end of June, ending an 11-year tenure in which the conference landed a transformational billion-dollar TV deal but struggled to keep up with some of its Power Five peers when it came to revenue and exposure. Sports Business Journal first reported the news Wednesday night. It was a mutual decision between the 56-year-old Scott and university presidents who make up the league’s ex- ecutive committee. Scott’s current contract was set to expire June 2022, but he will not seek a new deal and instead finish out this academic year to assist with the transition to his successor. Under Scott, the Pac- 10 became the Pac-12 by adding Colorado and Utah to the conference in 2011 and created a foot- ball championship game. The additions helped the conference secure a 12-year, $3 billion media rights deal with Fox and ESPN that set the stan- dard in the college sports market at the time. “We appreciate Lar- ry’s pioneering efforts in growing the conference by adding new competi- tive university programs and accelerating the Pac- 12 to television network parity with the other con- ferences,” said Michael Schill, University of Ore- gon president and chair of the Pac-12 executive committee. “At one point, our television agreement was the most lucrative in the nation . … That said, the intercollegiate athlet- ics marketplace doesn’t remain static and now is a good time to bring in a new leader who will help us develop our go-for- ward strategy.” Ready and waiting — Associated Press In 2019, Kyle Nobach was an associate head coach for Everett Community College in Washington, the same team he played for prior to transferring to Oregon State. Nobach was hired to be the head coach of the Bend Elks in fall 2019, but the 2020 season was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. NFL QB Philip Rivers is set to retire INDIANAPOLIS — When Philip Rivers first started tossing footballs as a high-school ball boy, he heaved them any way he could. The throwing motion stuck — and suc- cess soon followed. On Wednesday, the 39-year-old Indianapolis Colts quarterback an- nounced his retirement. After being selected fourth overall in the 2004 draft, he was immediately traded from the New York Giants to the San Diego Chargers for Eli Manning. In the 2006 season opener, Rivers made his starting debut — and then the next 251 in a row including the playoffs. Rivers won 134 career games — No. 2 among quarterbacks without a Super Bowl ring — and was eighth all-time. He also finished his career ranked fifth in ca- reer completions (5,277), yards passing (63,440) and touchdown passes (421), and as the Chargers’ franchise record-holder in every major passing category. Rivers, an eight-time Pro Bowler, had the sec- ond-highest completion percentage of his career (68%) in 2020 while lead- ing the Colts to an 11-5 mark and their second playoff appearance since 2015. He already has a day gig lined up, becoming the head coach of St. Michael Catholic High School in Fairhope, Ala- bama, where he hopes to coach his sons just like his father coached him. — Associated Press New head coach Kyle Nobach eager to get started with the Bend Elks come spring Blazers’ McCollum keeping foot injury in perspective BY AARON FENTRESS The Oregonian Don’t feel sorry for Port- land Trail Blazers guard C.J. McCollum, who will be out several weeks with a broken left foot. He doesn’t need sympathy. “There’s a lot of people going through a lot worse situations than me,” he said Tuesday, a day after learn- ing his foot was fractured. “So, I’ll be OK. I’ve been through injuries before.” All McCollum needs is time to allow this unusual injury to heal. It’s an injury he suffered against Atlanta on Satur- day and through Monday afternoon was thought to be only a sprain that might cost him a handful of games. That changed by Monday night and now McCollum is looking at being out several weeks. See McCollum / A9 WOMEN’S COLLEGE BASKETBALL Submitted photo BY BRIAN RATHBONE The Bulletin O Full interview pening day for the Bend Elks is a shade over four months away, when they are scheduled to make their return on June 3 at Bend’s Vince Genna Stadium against NW Star Academy. It will have been nearly two years since the Elks last took the field, after the West Coast League canceled its 2020 summer season due to COVID-19. New head coach Kyle Nobach has been patiently waiting for his first crack at leading a baseball team. For the complete interview with Bend Elks coach Kyle Nobach, visit bendbulletin.com/sports. “The team is all ready to go, and we are just waiting to play some baseball,” said the former Oregon State outfielder on The Bulletin Sports Talk. Because no college baseball was played last spring or summer, Nobach has had to rely heavily on recommenda- tions from college coaches in order to fill out the Elks’ roster. The team will be made up of mostly college players from throughout the West Coast. Perhaps to no surprise, the Elks’ roster will have the maximum number of Oregon State players that the WCL allows. (Nobach was a member of the Beavers’ 2018 College World Series championship team.) “It’s really just using the connections with the coaches that I’ve really gotten to meet in my life and building the team from there,” Nobach said. “We are a little on the heavy side “It’s really just using the connections with the coaches that I’ve really gotten to meet in my life and building the team from there. … A lot of guys just want to play ball and get out there. We are all hungry.” — Kyle Nobach, Bend Elks head coach (numberswise), and I think a lot of teams in the West Coast League will be doing that as well. A lot of guys just want to play ball and get out there. We are all hungry.” In building the team, Nobach has em- phasized bringing in players he has pre- viously coached to help lay the founda- tion for success. “I thought that was crucial coming into the summer, having guys who have been around me and can build a culture in the short amount of time that we are with them,” Nobach said. See Elks / A8 Ducks tighten rotation for 2nd half of the season BY JAMES CREPEA The Oregonian EUGENE — With a lon- ger break between games than usual, Oregon has had a chance to recharge mid- way through its season and examine some changes it needs to make. Losers of three of their last four games, all to ranked teams, the No. 13 Ducks (9-3, 7-3 Pac-12) are tightening their person- nel rotations entering the second half of the season, beginning Friday night (5 p.m., Pac-12 Network) against Washington State. Kelly Graves liked the way his team practiced to start the week coming off a 57-41 loss at Arizona last Thursday. “They were competitive practices, the most compet- itive we’ve had in a while,” Graves said. “I think we’re trying. They’re engaged and I think they realize that we’ve got to be better this week. I can tell there’s been a little better focus. See Ducks / A9 NFL PLAYOFFS Bills’ defense is among those peaking in the postseason BY JOHN WAWROW Associated Press ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. — Leslie Frazier’s faith in his Bills defense never wavered even at the lowest point of Buffalo’s season. It was mid-November and the Bills were entering their bye week on the heels of a 32-30 defeat at Arizona. Im- mediately dubbed “The Hail Murray,” the Cardinals won on Kyler Murray’s desperation 43- yard touchdown pass to DeAn- dre Hopkins, who outleaped three defenders in the end zone with 2 seconds left. Frazier, Buffalo’s defensive coordinator, recalled collect- ing his thoughts on the flight home when frustration turned to hope in coming to the real- ization of how the experience could become a valuable moti- vating tool. See Bills / A8 Jeffrey T. Barnes/AP file Buffalo Bills’ A.J. Klein (54) strip sacks Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson (3) during a game in November in Orchard Park, New York. The Bills’ defense has been surging in the playoffs.
