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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us June 14, 2006 Rogue Valley pro basketball team in the works Former SOU forward Shea Washington could join franchise, along with other R. Valley stars By Don Hunt For the Tidings Is the Rogue Valley ready to support a professional minor league basketball team? Local sports radio personality Jay Reese thinks the answer is yes, and he’s busy forming a franchise that is scheduled to begin play next spring. The team will be called the Southern Oregon Swish and, pending approval from the Central Point school district, will play its home games at Crater High School. “Right now it looks real favorable,” said Reese, 45, a Central Point resident who hosts a sports talk show weekdays from 4-5 p.m. on radio station KAJO (AM-1270) in Grants Pass. “We have three people who are very interested in becoming owners and we also have several title sponsors in the works.” The team would join the International Basketball League, which currently features 24 franchises in the West and Midwest. Squads already exist in Portland, Salem, Eugene and Bend. The Swish would play a 24-game schedule beginning in late March or early April. The season would extend into June. The Rogue Valley’s last pro sports franchise was the Southern Oregon Heat, an arena league football team that lasted for just nine months in 2000 and 2001. Medford has played host to a number of minor league baseball teams, but none since 1999, when the Southern Oregon Timberjacks packed their bags for Vancouver, British Columbia. Reese believes a minor league hoop team can make it in the Rogue Valley if it is wisely marketed and vigorously promoted. Reese served as promotions director and radio play-by-play man for the Medford A’s — the name of the local minor league baseball team until it was changed to the Southern Oregon Timberjacks — from 1984 through 1987. “The key is, you have to be willing to invest a little extra to entertain people,” Reese said. “Every timeout and every quarter break, you’ll see a dance team on the floor or some kind of contest going on. You’ll see someone shooting free throws from a recliner — that sort of thing. “It’s going to be PG family entertainment.” Tickets will average roughly $10 per person per game, with less expensive rates for kids and season ticket-holders, Reese said. Of course, the quality and makeup of the team will undoubtedly be the biggest factor in fan interest. Reese hopes to lure mostly players with ties to the Rogue Valley, such as former South Medford High and recent Corban College graduate Eric Fiegi, Southern Oregon University All-American Shea Washington and former Grants Pass High stars Tyler York and Ian Elseth. Brandon Lincoln, who just finished up his eligibility at Oregon, former Oregon State player David Lucas and Oregon Tech senior-to-be Lavell Hesia are also possibilities, Reese said. “I believe this area will support a group of guys with local ties that they can connect with,” Reese said. “We want the players to mingle with the kids and fans.” With a 22-second shot clock, games in the IBL have been high-scoring, with 140- and even 150-point totals lighting up scoreboards. “I think the players and the fans will love the style of play,” Reese said. “It’s racehorse basketball.” Reese said the Swish will need to average 400 to 500 fans per game to break even. “Quite frankly, I think we’ll do better than that,” he said. “I think when people see the product that they’ll want to come back. “This area is starved for a pro team. There’s only so many times you can go to the movies.” DailyTidings.com Home Page Archives | Revels | Classifieds | Real Estate Guide | Weather | Subscribe | Contact Us Copyright 2005 Ashland Daily Tidings and Ottaway Newspapers All Rights Reserved Ceramic Piggy Banks Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Mailing Lists Custom Made Computers Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Student Loans Hammocks Water Filter Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams