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CLOUDY Temp: 36 °F Wind: CLM at 0 mph Wednesday, April 2, 2003 SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion - Politics AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map EXTRA HomeLife Magazine W3 Magazine Jobs @ Mail Tribune Tempo A & E Oregon CarZone Wellness Connection Real Estate Newspaper in Education Prime Times Outdoor Journal Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People CLASSIFIEDS Find a Car Find a Home Find a Job Find Everything E SOUTHERN OREGON Automotive Communities Entertainment Publications Recreation Calendar ABOUT US FAQ What's New Advertise Home Delivery Classified Ad Contact Us Media Kit Email Story to a Friend March 18, 2003 Edwards hasn’t lost desire for basketball Prep Notebook By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Greg Edwards didn’t have long to savor his team’s Cinderella run through the Class 4A state basketball tournament last weekend. Less than 12 hours after his Hillsboro High squad lost 50-47 to Redmond Saturday night in the state championship game at the Rose Garden in Portland, Edwards was back in Hillsboro, coaching an eighth-grade AAU team. To those who remember the hundreds of hours Edwards spent coaching youth basketball in Medford during the early 1990s, this is hardly earth-shattering news. "I love coaching basketball and being around kids," Edwards, 33, says. "And if you’re going to be successful, then you better plan on working at it." Edwards’ Hillsboro team was the talk of the state tournament after it tied for fourth place in the Metro League and needed four straight playoff victories — all of them away from home — just to reach the tournament. Once there, the Spartans notched wins over Springfield, South Medford and league rival Jesuit — a team it had lost to by 30 points earlier this season — to reach the final. The clock struck midnight before the Sparts could work their magic one last time, but not before they had won the hearts of hoop fans around the state. "That (state championship) game was our eighth in 14 days," says Edwards, whose team finished with a 19-13 record. "I think our legs got a little tired." A little more than 10 years ago, Edwards helped launch the AAU program at South Medford while still a student at Southern Oregon University. He was the first bona fide hoops coach for players like Mike Vanderhoff, Justin Dickerson, Todd Meyerding, Travis DeManby, Adam Decker, Bryn Ritchie and James Wightman, who would all go on to highly successful careers at South Medford and — in some cases — college. Edwards routinely took his players to tournaments in Eugene, Salem and Portland, and led a group of 17-year-olds to the national AAU tournament in Winston-Salem, N.C., in 1996. "I think there’s always been a lot of talent in Southern Oregon," says Edwards, who also coached the South Medford junior varsity to two straight unbeaten seasons. "But back then, there weren’t very many good basketball players. "The way to develop them was to get them in the gym, and that’s what I did." Edwards served as a father figure for Wightman, who is now the freshman coach at South, and he’s credited for getting DeManby a scholarship to Fresno State thanks to his ties to former Bulldogs coach Jerry Tarkanian. Edwards’ father, Ken, was a college roommate of Tarkanian’s, and the two coached together at Long Beach State. Ken Edwards, who was the head basketball coach at Portland State from 1970-79, has lived in Shady Cove for many years. The younger Edwards remains in contact with DeManby and several of his other former players. In fact, he went out to dinner with Wightman, Decker and Vanderhoff following Hillsboro’s heart-stopping, 71-70 victory over South Medford last Thursday. The Spartans won the championship quarterfinals game on a last-second free throw from James Loe, their dazzling 5-foot-10 junior guard who would go on to lead the tournament in scoring (97 points in four games) and assists (36). South Medford coach Dennis Murphy was furious that a foul was called on the play, but Edwards thought it was warranted. "He (Loe) shot the ball 4 feet short from 15 out," Edwards says. "Either he got fouled or that’s the worst shot he ever took in his life. "Most people say don’t call that with two seconds to go and the score tied, but no question, he got hit on the arm." Edwards says he didn’t want to play South Medford that early in the tournament, knowing that one team would lose. "I wanted to see both teams have success," he says. "I was happy for us but disappointed for them. "Murphy has done a lot for me, including helping me get the job up here." Edwards has posted winning seasons in each of his three seasons at Hillsboro. And while his Spartans came up a bit short in their bid for a state title on Saturday, Edwards’ eighth-grade AAU team earned a tournament championship the following day in Hillsboro. Edwards was in the gym for more than 12 hours Sunday, not leaving until the final whistle had blown and the floor was swept. And loving every minute of it. NORTH MEDFORD is ranked No. 1 in the first softball poll of the season. The defending state champion Black Tornado garnered eight of nine first-place votes to out-point Westview for the top spot. Canby is ranked third, followed by Sprague and Tualatin. Roseburg and Crater each received votes in the coaches poll. Reach reporter Don Hunt at 776-4469, or e-mail [email protected] Printer Friendly Version Email Story to a Friend Subscribe Archive: Click to Search M Mail Tribune Home Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life Opinion - Politics | AP News | Archives | Site Map E Southern Oregon | Classified Copyright © 1997-2003 Mail Tribune. 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