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- Subscribe - Contact Us - Rate Card - Place an Ad Archives Revels Classifieds Real Estate Menu Guide Wedding Weather Subscribe Contact Us March 19, 2005 Building for the now By Joe Zavala Ashland Daily Tidings The Raiders had all their ducks in a row. Then they laid an egg. ALL AMERICAN FORWARD SHEA WASHINGTON, RIGHT, automatically makes the Southern Oregon men's basketball team a formidable group. How much help he gets will likely determine how far SOU goes next season. File photo | Ashland Daily Tidings A week later, the smoke has cleared from the Southern Oregon men's basketball team's cruel demise at the NAIA Division II National Championships. The pain still lingers, but for the first time in years the Raiders enter an offseason knowing exactly where they stand nationally and exactly what they need to do in order to take the next step. "Well, we need to get a third and a fourth post, there's no question about that," SOU head coach Brian McDermott said Thursday, five days after his team blew a four-point lead to Cedarville (Ohio) with two minutes and 40 seconds left in the national quarterfinals. "That is an area that, you could tell, at the national tournament every team has 'em. Right now, we only have two posts so we need to get that squared away." SOU overcame its lack of depth inside during the Cascade Conference season and in the first two rounds at nationals, but the weakness proved fatal against Cedarville's Mugabe Thomas. The supremely athletic 6-foot-4 forward went off for 17 first-half points on his way to a 25-point, 13-rebound effort that ultimately cost SOU a shot at a national championship. McDermott believes recruiting another big body will stabilize SOU's greatest weakness on the defensive side and also take pressure off All-American forward Shea Washington, who was forced to play Thomas soft to avoid picking up fouls. "In the long haul, what it would allow you to do would be to rest people more," McDermott said. "There were times this year when we couldn't rest [Washington] enough. � That would make him a better player." Washington's backup, 6-5 forward Travis Elam, is one of only two Raiders that will graduate off the team. The other is 6-5 guard/forward Brad Coen, a starter who emerged as a defensive stopper and outside shooting specialist. If the Raiders can't replace Coen with a high-profile transfer or top-notch recruit, they'll promote either RaShawn McAllister or Matt Cowell. Both played sparingly for the Raiders last season - McAllister (6-3, 175 pounds) plays solid defense and has a nice outside touch, while Cowell (6-3, 165) is a scrapper who came on late and played key minutes at nationals. Returning The other starters return: Steve Farley at point guard, Ryan Gabel at forward, Jeff Williams at center and Washington. That lineup, along with Coen, molded into one of the best defensive units in the country last season. Indeed, when SOU struggled it usually was on offense. Washington has become a dominant offensive force, but no other Raider averaged more than 10 points per game. For those reasons, McDermott hopes SOU gets more perimeter scoring next season. From where, McDermott's not sure. He's looking to recruit a play-making wing - "We've got a nice list (of possible recruits) and we're feeling good about that list," McDermott said - but if that doesn't pan out Thomas Ward may be the answer. Ward, a 5-10, 165-pound sophomore-to-be point guard out of Gig Harbor, Wash., is the Raiders' best ball handler and has shown the ability to drive to the basket. McDermott also likes Ward's expressiveness in the open court. Even if Ward finds his niche, however, he may have a hard time picking up quality minutes. That's because Farley (5-10, 160 pounds) has gone from perennial backup to clutch shooter in the span of half a season after replacing Peter Nelson, who left the program, in the starting lineup. "He's a warrior and he's the kind of guy you can trust because you know what you're going to get," McDermott said of Farley, who was the Raiders' second-leading scorer at nationals. "A guy that takes you that far - he's our guy." Sports editor Joe Zavala can be reached at 482-3456 ext. 3020 or [email protected]. 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 Deep Muscle Stimulator Ceramic Piggy Banks FREE Entertainment Guide Women's & Men's Slippers Accelerate Weightloss Products Backpacks Generic Viagra Vegas Travel Guide Search Engine Optimization Sportsbook Absinthe Supply Student Loans Hotel & Airline Reservations African Safari Hammocks Helzberg Diamonds Online Casinos Community Bonus Casino King of Spirits ink cartridges Mortgage Calculator Security Systems Mailing Lists Click Here Advertisement .:Advertisements:. Site Search: RESOURCES - Mail Tribune News - ODOT Road Cams