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Mt. Fiegi MT file photo South Medford's Eric Fiegi averaged 20.3 points per game for the 23-1 Panthers during the regular season. South Medford post Eric Fiegi earns MVP honors after leading the Panthers to a 14-0 mark in the Southern Oregon Conference By TIM PYLE Mail Tribune In the off-season, Eric Fiegi added 30 pounds of muscle through intense strength-and-conditioning work. During the season, Fiegi dominated the Southern Oregon Conference through intense post play made all the more effective by his bulkier frame. The SOC's leading scorer and the 23-1 South Medford boys basketball team's inside force, Fiegi has been named the conference player of the year by SOC coaches. The 6-foot-9, 240-pound senior center averages 20.3 points per game for the Panthers, who went undefeated in SOC action to earn an automatic berth in the Class 4A state tournament. They begin play at Portland's Memorial Coliseum with a first-round game either March 5 or 6. "We definitely feel like we can compete with anybody in the state; we feel like we can beat anybody in the state," says Fiegi, whose squad's only loss was to El Camino (Calif.), 71-67, on Dec. 21 in the Red Bluff Daily News Classic. Since then, South has won 18 straight games. A first-team all-SOC performer last season, Fiegi says his ability to finish and battle around the hoop has improved with the added muscle. "I think it's helped a lot," he says. "I can really tell. Especially when we played Roseburg. "It was a lot easier this year to be in the post and take the contact and finish." Speaking of Roseburg, post Joe Newton is a fist-team all-SOC performer for the third straight year. The SOC's most valuable player a season ago, Newton is also the conference's 2001-2002 defensive player of the year. The 6-7 senior held that same distinction in football, which he will play at Oregon State beginning next fall. The other first-team all-SOC members are: senior point Ryan Heil of South Medford, senior point guard Tyler York of Grants Pass and senior wing Brant Minor of Grants Pass. Heil, who stands 6-1, is a repeat first-team selection, and he, like Fiegi, was also a second-team pick as a sophomore. He averages 16.3 points per game. York and Minor powered the Cavemen to the SOC's second seed for the state playoffs, secured with a tiebreaking victory over Newton and the Indians during the weekend. South Medford head coach Dennis Murphy caps his 14th regular season with the Panthers as the SOC's coach of the year. Murphy, who won five conference titles during the 1990s, guided his program to its first crown of the 21st century this season. The all-SOC second team is: senior guard Derek Petersen of Crater; senior post Gabe Burchfiel of North Medford; senior wing Jeff Pisan of Klamath Union; junior post Andrew Norum of Crater; and senior guard Tom Cohen of Grants Pass. Third-team selections are: sophomore point guard Kerry Hall of Roseburg; junior guard Bryan Clevenger of Ashland; junior forward Boomer Marshall of South Medford; senior post Brennan Garrelts of Roseburg; and junior wing Tim Martinen of Eagle Point. In addition to Newton, the SOC's all-defensive team includes: junior post Kory Mahr of Grants Pass, senior wing Alan Johnson of South Medford, Fiegi and Garrelts. A complete listing of all the teams and those players named honorable mention is shown below. FIRST TEAM Player Ht. Yr. Eric Fiegi, South Medford .................... 6-9 Sr. Joe Newton, Roseburg .......................... 6-7 Sr. Ryan Heil, South Medford .................... 6-1 Sr. Tyler York, Grants Pass ....................... 5-10 Sr. Brant Minor, Grants Pass ...................... 6-2 Sr. Player of the year - Eric Fiegi, South Medford. Coach of the year - Dennis Murphy, South Medford. SECOND TEAM Player Ht. Yr. Derek Petersen, Crater ......................... 6-0 Sr. Gabe Burchfiel, North Medford ........... 6-4 Sr. Jeff Pisan, Klamath Union .................... 6-0 Sr. Andrew Norum, Crater .......................... 6-5 Jr. Tom Cohen, Grants Pass ........................ 6-1 Sr. THIRD TEAM Kerry Hall, Roseburg ............................. 6-0 So. Bryan Clevenger, Ashland ..................... 6-0 Jr. Boomer Marshall, South Medford ........ 6-4 Jr. Brennan Garrelts, Roseburg ................. 6-7 Sr. Tim Martinen, Eagle Point ................... 5-11 Jr. HONORABLE MENTION - Zach Taylor, North Medford, Sr.; Alan Johnson, South Medford, Sr.; Kory Mahr, Grants Pass, Jr.; Jacob Wynn, Klamath Union, So.; Bruce Voges, Grants Pass, Sr.; Zach Tucker, Klamath Union, Jr.; Chris Pettegrew, Crater, Sr.; Rocky Johnston, Eagle Point, Sr.; Nick Palmesano, Ashland, Jr.; Travis Baker, Klamath Union, Sr.; Garrett Stembridge, Roseburg, Sr.; Brian Goode, Crater, Sr. ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM Player Ht. Yr. Joe Newton, Roseburg ........................... 6-7 Sr. Kory Mahr, Grants Pass .......................... 6-5 Jr. Alan Johnson, South Medford ............... 6-3 Sr. Eric Fiegi, South Medford ..................... 6-9 Sr. Brennan Garrelts, Roseburg ................. 6-7 Sr. Defensive player of the year - Joe Newton, Roseburg. Reach reporter Tim Pyle at 776-4483 or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.