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Ashland coach starts basketball league By VICKI GUARINO A new league will have elementary students shooting hoops all winter long. The Southern Oregon Developmental League, organized by Ashland High School coach Manny Crump, will offer more than a dozen games for fifth- and sixth-grade boys and girls during the season, which will end with a tournament in March. Unofficially, local schools have dubbed the league "Manny's Basketball Association" in newsletters announcing the opportunity to students. Developmental League teams are open to all. "Every kid who calls gets on a team," Crump promises. "There are no cuts." The season opener is Jan. 8, at Superior Gym and Fitness, Medford; registration will remain open through that day. The cost is $60 for boys and $40 for girls. Boys are expected to play 16 games, and girls are scheduled for 12 games because there likely will be fewer sign-ups. So far, Crump figures, he has about 20 teams. Youngsters will be assigned to teams based on ability. Crump says he will mix skill levels to keep contests as close as possible among all of the league teams. In addition to a league schedule of weekend games through February, teams will have one or two practice sessions each week. The schedules attempt to match and complement school programs and schedules. Team coaches all will have college game experience, Crump says. The gym offers a separate program of coaching and private lessons to help boost players' skills. The Developmental League blossomed from a growing basketball program Crump developed at the gym since summer. He also runs adult league play. With the adult program, a growing youth program and duties at Ashland High, Crump has created for himself a full-time job of basketball coaching. He has coached in Ashland for the past 18 years. And he has played the game for as long as he can remember. "I wish I had something like this when I was a kid growing up," he says. Crump says there's a strong interest in youth basketball beyond what schools and other leagues can provide. He has organized matches for youngsters as young as third grade. Next winter, he says, he may lower gym baskets to 8 feet to offer a program for fourth-graders. To register for the league, parents may call Crump at Superior Gym and Fitness, 774-1070. Mail Tribune Copyright � The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, Oregon USA