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0 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories See Giants' World Series trophies up close Esquivel named vice-chairman of veterans committee Man on parole for robbery arrested after crashing stolen truck Churches start new year with messages of hope Car crashes into Medford yard New Year's Eve Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Man on parole for robbery arrested after crashing stolen truck Car crashes into Medford yard New Year's Eve Emergency services Emergency services Community blog: Mentoring=Crime Prevention Politics and Elections Councilman stirs online dust-up with anti-marijuana post State certifies recount showing failure of GMO-labeling measure Time running out for O&C funds GMO vote recount still shows little change Education Traveling artist sets the stage for Ruch School amphitheater Ruch school class focuses on the natural environment Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Logos may offer students 'fifth year' at RCC or SOU St. Mary's plays host to youth robotics tournament Environment Monument expansion expected to increase tourism, protect resources Biologist resigns over LNG reporting failure Bird flu discovered in Winston backyard flock Jackson County holds back on enforcing GMO ban for now No fish, no funding for problem dams State News Oregon fans get married Rose Bowl parking lot Earthquake off coast shakes Humboldt County Stranded sea turtle recovers at Oregon aquarium Oregon minimum wage rises to $9.25 Storm brings snow, cold to West Nation - World Obama makes Maduro’s ‘insolent Yankees’ line harder to sell Obituaries Jeannine Gardiner Dr. Kenneth Emerson Janet E. Leonard Lyle Roberts Death Notices Weather Photo Galleries Since You Asked Videos Web Cams Mail Tribune 100 Shareable In memoriam: 2014’s notable deaths Looking back: Do you remember 2014’s biggest stories? Sports Latest Stories And then there were two Challengers’ late charge falls short Buckeyes stun Alabama in Sugar Bowl Soft label fuels UO fire Rose, Bulls down Nuggets Varsity 541 College Sports And then there were two Buckeyes stun Alabama in Sugar Bowl Soft label fuels UO fire One to go Arizona at top of Pac-12 Pro Sports Rose, Bulls down Nuggets Capitals top Blackhawks 3-2 in Winter Classic LeBron to miss two weeks with injuries Ravens head of security charged with sex offense Lions’ Suh refuses to talk about incident Community Sports Business Latest Stories Ride & Drive: 2015 Honda Crosstour Positive Steps Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Milken economist headlines Southern Oregon Business Conference Real Estate News Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Rental owners group reports 2.48 percent vacancy rate People In Business Transportation Falling gas prices help spur travel at Medford airport Agriculture Rising prices bear fruit for local pear growers K-BAR ignites agriculture boom beneath Table Rocks Opinion Latest Granlund cartoon: Palestine statehood bid Michelle Teheux: Lucky to be alive (and white?) Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Michael Gerson: Clear choice, or clear trauma? Letters to the Editor. Jan. 2 Editorials Our View: Meeting in the middle keeps a mill open Our View: Help clear the air for the new year Our View: Caves expansion worth the wait Other Views: Oregon incomes still lag behind Our View: Council is barking up the right tree Letters to the Editor Letters to the Editor. Jan. 2 Letters to the Editor, Jan. 1 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 31 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 30 Letters to the Editor, Dec. 29 Guest Opinions Guest Opinion: Loved one chose death with dignity in Oregon Guest Opinion: Forest thinning means water for the future Guest Opinion: Suit threatens family farms and democratic vote Guest Opinion: SOU pool decision short-sighted Guest Opinion: It's time for biologists to let OR-7 go dark Lifestyle Latest stories Community blog: Get the New Year off to a Great Start Hobart Bluff offers top-notch views Fishing report: Jan. 2, 2015 'Wild' about hiking Churches start new year with messages of hope Food Community blog: Ring in new flavors with year's last appetizers Food for Thought: Tips for cooking when you have food allergies Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Kitchen Call: The comfort of creamy soups Community blog: Baking contest finalists combine cookies, candies Home and Garden Dear Monty: Best start for 1st-time homebuyers Dear Monty: Can a rookie real estate agent be a good choice? Bathtub or shower: What’s best for you? Home Help: Home safety tips for a safe and happy winter season How NOT to install drywall Health Community blog: We Don't Have To Conspire Against Good Health HealthStyle: New year, new you Health Watch: Build up your glutes in the off-season Dr. Jeff Hersh: What's a monoclonal antibody? Dr. Murray Feingold: Have a happy and stress-free holiday Hiking Biking Faith Churches start new year with messages of hope (No heading) Churches, synagogs host seasonal events Bethel Church helps families at McLoughlin Middle School Milestones and Achievements Little Yaretzi is county's first baby of 2015 Local landowners see no public good in proposed pipeline Pear Blossom queen has open heart surgery Hundreds enjoy Christmas dinner, gifts at St. Vincent de Paul SinceYou Asked: SBA would work with Mt. Ashland Ski Area about loan Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer Top 10 CDs of 2014 Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you Theater Camelot's 'Fiddler' is a charmer ACT presents reading of 'The Quality of Life' Meet the real Jacob Marley This Nutcracker ballet will have a superhero twist Plumbing the depths of meaning Music Jefferson State Choral Coalition presents 'Reason for the Season' The Farr Side: Top 10 album count-up for 2014 Top 10 CDs of 2014 A tribute to Joe Cocker Ring in 2015 at a New Year's celebration near you Community Events New Schneider Museum exhibits highlight First Friday Celebrate winter solstice with the Bad Film Society Tomaseen Foley's "A Celtic Christmas" returns to the Craterian Theater Stefan Baumann and Eugene Bennett highlight Third Fridays Dancing People Company celebrates the solstice Dining Jackson Creek Pizza Co. is a good downtown haunt Dobra Tea menu offers hundreds of brews Food for Thought: Wintertime wining and dining Coffee shops roll out holiday-inspired drinks Over Easy serves 'pop-up' brunch Sundays Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines & Special Sections NEWS NOW Man on parole for robbery arrested after crashing stolen truck ... Car crashes into Medford yard New Year's Eve ... Expanded library hours begin today ... Man on parole for robbery arrested after crashing stolen truck ... Car crashes into Medford yard New Year's Eve ... Expanded library hours begin today ... Medford referees will work Blazer tilt By DON HUNT MailTribune.com By DON HUNT Posted Dec. 4, 1999 @ 2:00 am Updated Dec 17, 2010 at 2:00 AM By DON HUNT Posted Dec. 4, 1999 @ 2:00 am Updated Dec 17, 2010 at 2:00 AM » Social News Of the thousands of fans who show up for tonight's Portland Trail Blazers intrasquad game at the Rose Garden, very few will take note of the fellows wearing black and white striped shirts with whistles in their mouths. But for the four men who will alternate manning the three officiating positions, the game will be as exciting as space is to a group of astronauts. All four -- Jay Reese, Brian Koppang, Bruce Corson and Bobby Collins -- grew up in Medford. It's a chance of a lifetime for someone like myself, says Collins, the No. 1-ranked official from the Rogue Valley Officials Association. I can't wait to get up there. Collins, who officiated the Eagle Point-Crater boys game Friday night, is the only member of the quartet to currently reside in Medford. But all four are Medford High graduates who cut their officiating teeth in the Rogue Valley. Reese and Koppang have lived in Salem for the past several years, working high school and college games, while Corson has been working the high school and college circuits in Anchorage, Alaska. It's a neat deal that we're all from Medford, but these guys have the ability to officiate at any level, Reese said. Reese is the one who has his foot in the NBA door, and he recruited the other three to help out. After officiating 10 years of high school ball and 13 years of college competition, including games involving Pac-10 Conference schools, Reese developed a working relationship with former Trail Blazers coach P.J. Carlesimo and assistant general manager Jim Paxson. Along with Koppang, a longtime official in the Portland high school association, Reese began to officiate scrimmages at the Trail Blazer training camps at Linfield College. When Reese was asked by current coach Mike Dunleavy to put together a crew for this year's training camp at the Blazers' new $8 million facility in Tualatin, he put in calls to Koppang, Corson and Collins. The coup de grace is tonight's intrasquad game, in which Blazer officials handed out free tickets for all 25,000 seats. It's going to be a lot of fun, but none of us is taking this for granted, Reese said. The fans may think this is a low-key deal, but for some of the players, the game might mean the difference between getting a roster spot or getting cut. For us, it's a chance to work a game with the highest level of players in the world. We're going to give it our best shot. Reese, a former television and radio sportscaster in Medford and a 1978 graduate of Medford High, is hoping to wedge his way into the NBA officiating ranks on a full-time basis. He has traveled to NBA games with longtime NBA official Ed Middleton and says he is on the short list to officiate college all-star games prior to the NBA draft in June. Reese also hopes to officiate NBA summer league games. I'm on the fringe of their development system, he says. I've had contact with Ed Rush (the supervisor of NBA officials), who's a good friend of Ed Middleton. I'm hoping to get my shot. Reese has spent a lot of time recently studying the NBA case book, which details a staggering 419 possible plays during a game, everything from basket interference to a flagrant foul. At the age of 39, Reese knows his window of opportunity won't last much longer. And although he runs a successful business in Salem, supplying contractors with accessory items, his salary doesn't match the $105,000 a first-year NBA official makes. They're not going to hire me much after 40, he admits. They'd rather hire a 28-year-old and say, `We've got this guy for 10 more years,' Reese says. If this is going to happen, it's going to happen soon. Corson, meanwhile, has been on the floor for major college games at the Great Alaska Shootout the past three years. He officiated the championship game of the tournament in December between No. 2-ranked Duke and No. 5 Cincinnati. Corson, a 1979 Medford High graduate and former football star with the Black Tornado, also regularly officiates games involving the University of Alaska Anchorage, not to mention high school games in the Anchorage area. He is the vice president of the Anchorage Sports Officials Association. I've had to revamp my goals because I keep getting opportunities I never dreamed I'd get, the 37-year-old Corson says. I've worked state championship games in Alaska the last two years. I've been on the court with Notre Dame, Duke, Cincinnati, Syracuse, Seton Hall, UCLA -- a lot of top-notch programs with big-name coaches. I've just been real fortunate. And what about stepping onto an NBA court for the first time? It's the stuff dreams are made of, says Corson, who recently built a spec house in Seattle and fishes for sockeye salmon in Alaska in the summer. Koppang, an all-conference basketball player for Medford High in the mid-1970s, has officiated games in the Portland association for the past decade and has also worked small college games in the Portland and Salem areas. Collins also worked college games for several years but grew weary of the travel and, as of this year, is focusing on high school basketball in the Rogue Valley. Tonight, though, he'll find himself on a much bigger stage. There's going to be a few more butterflies than usual, Collins says. I worked at the (Blazers) training camp with Jay (Reese) last year and there was a nice-sized crowd at Linfield for this (intrasquad) game. But this one's at the Rose Garden and I'm sure there will be a lot more fans. By DON HUNT MailTribune.com By DON HUNT Posted Dec. 4, 1999 @ 2:00 am Updated Dec 17, 2010 at 2:00 AM » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. fantasy football Cardinals vs. Panthers: Latest Odds and Stat Predictions for Top Fantasy Stars Jan. 2, 2015 at 9:00 am Ravens vs. Steelers: Latest Odds and Stat Predictions for Top Fantasy Stars Jan. 2, 2015 at 9:00 am Fantasy Football Playoff Rankings 2015: Weighing Studs and Duds at Each Position Jan. 2, 2015 at 8:00 am Daily Fantasy League Guide to Playoff Saturday Jan. 2, 2015 at 7:53 am Daily Fantasy Football Lineup Advice Jan. 2, 2015 at 7:00 am Latest Odds, Predictions for Bengals vs. Colts Jan. 1, 2015 at 9:00 am calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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