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47 °F Forecast | Road Cams Wednesday, March 23, 2005 Today's News | Classifieds | Autos | Homes | Jobs | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend January 21, 2005 Becoming offensive SOU’s Brad Coen, always a defensive stalwart, has found his touch on offense this season By KEVIN GOFF Mail Tribune Brad Coen always had an offensive presence smoldering within a defender’s frame. The Roseburg High product just needed a little time to let it out. Now a senior on the Southern Oregon University men’s basketball team, Coen’s offensive production has spilled out, and the Raiders have reaped the rewards. Coen is averaging 11.6 points per game — second on the team to All-American center Shea Washington’s 18.8 per — and is shooting 43 percent from 3-point range as the main outside bomber for the 24th-ranked Raiders. Advertisement "My confidence level has gone up," says the 22-year-old Coen. "That’s the key. You’ve gotta trust in your own shot. "I expect to make them and my teammates have the confidence in me to make them." SOU started clicking on offense about the time the 6-foot-5 forward began finding his groove. The Raiders (10-7, 7-2 Cascade Conference) have won nine of their last 12 games since opening the season 1-4 against a tough nonconference slate. Five of their seven losses came by a combined 13 points. "Every team takes a while to develop its personality," says Raider coach Brian McDermott. "We didn’t have a feel for what we were good at, particularly on offense. Now we’re more comfortable and have an idea of where the shots will come from. "Brad’s been a big part of that." The offense is coming along, but defense is where the Raiders are overwhelming their opponents. And that’s where Coen provides the most help, says McDermott. "Some nights his defense is more important," says McDermott, whose team spends most contests in a man-to-man look. "There are other guys that can score for us on any given night, but every night (Coen) has to guard somebody pretty good." Coen has held a number of the top Cascade Conference forwards in check. He limited Eastern Oregon wing Mark Carollo, who is averaging 16 a contest, to just two shots and no points and held Albertson’s E.J. Costello to four points, eight below his season average. "I was never a real big scorer at Roseburg," says Coen, who earned Southern Oregon Conference defensive player-of-the-year honors his senior season with the Indians and leads SOU with 19 steals. "I love to guard whoever the other team’s best offensive player. Having my man score on me is the worst." Coen and the Raiders have their biggest challenge of the season at 7:30 tonight when second-ranked and conference-leading Western Baptist (21-1, 7-1) rolls into McNeal Pavilion. Southern has won six straight at home, capped off by last Saturday’s triumph over then fifth-ranked Albertson. Tonight’s contest may go a long way in determining the conference champion. "I think it will be an upset if they beat us at our place," says Coen, whose team dropped a 94-67 decision to Western earlier in the year. "If we come out with the defense that we have, and execute on offense, then I think we should beat them. "I mean, they’re a good team. They’re the No. 2 team in the country for a reason but our team right now, with the way we’re playing, would beat our own team back then by 20 points." Former South Medford standout Eric Fiegi, who leads the nation in scoring (27.4 per game) paced the Western Baptist attack with 28 points the last time the two teams met. Coen gets the job of guarding the Warriors’ second-leading scorer in senior all-star Jeff Dunn, who leads the conference with 55 3-point makes and is contributing 20.2 points per game. "He is the toughest matchup," says Coen. "He’s one of the top 3-point shooters in the country, not just the league. "I love guarding him. It’s a challenge, that’s for sure." Coen’s defensive nature stems from his days as a defender for the Roseburg soccer team, where he earned first-team all-SOC honors. He initially wanted to go to Colorado to play collegiately but ended up spending his freshman year at Oregon State University focusing solely on academics. "I wasn’t a big fan of Corvallis," says Coen, a health promotions major who spent the summer playing soccer and teaching English to second and third graders in Guatemala. "I was looking for a smaller atmosphere, and I missed basketball. I came down here and fell in love with Ashland." Coen showed flashes of what he could do during his first two seasons, and turned into a full-time starter last year, averaging 4.5 points while playing just under 20 minutes a contest. But his senior season has been a breakout. He scored a career-high 19 points against Warner Pacific and has twice poured in 18 this year. "I’m definitely a late bloomer," says Coen. "I’ve always been a smart player, someone who understands the game. Then I realized the ball could go in the hoop." McDermott felt Coen’s conditioning and work ethic would pay huge dividends coming into the season. "Without question, the footwork was there, the stamina was there," McDermott says. "His maturation as a basketball player and his understanding of how to do things has really come along. I think Brad feels more comfortable now with what he’s doing." All he needed was a little time. Reach reporter Kevin Goff at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] . Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Student Loan Consolidation Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg Slippers Student Loans afsa teleconferencing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoo Advertisement s