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http://www.omniture.com --> Sections Home Page Local News AP News Blogs Archives Business Classifieds Event Calendar Forums Life Opinion Obituaries Multimedia Photo Gallery Readers Photo Gallery Sports Tempo Weather Road Cams Special Coverage 2006 Britt Festivals --> Shop Our Valley AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Search Our Valley Special Sections Distinctly Northwest Readers' Choice Homelife Magazine Joy Magazine Oregon Golf Info Oregon Wine Info Other Publications Local Links Ashland News eSouthernOregon Newspapers In Education Personals Moving Here Movie Listings TV Listings Volunteer Customer Service Advertise With Us Media Kit Place Classified Ad Contact Us FAQ's Home Delivery Site Map --> Email Story to a Friend February 6, 2007 Rupp lends a positive tone to South girls Prep Notebook By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Tim Rupp smiled, clapped his hands and yelled words of encouragement at a South Medford High girls basketball practice on Monday night. "You've got to focus," implored Rupp as the Panthers went through a full-court layup drill. "There's no reason we can't make all of these." Rupp then turned to players on the side of the court who had yet to enter the drill. "Hey, we need you to encourage your teammates," he said. "We're all in this together." Rupp took over the winless Panthers last Wednesday after second-year coach Melanie Wagoner resigned under pressure. Advertisement The program is a mess. At 0-10 in the Southwest Conference and 0-19 overall, the Panthers are the only winless Class 6A team in the state. The team has but one senior and no player over 5-foot-10. Starting sophomore point guard Sheena Barkley quit last week. It's as if Rupp dropped himself on to a sinking ship in a nasty storm, hundreds of miles from land. And yet he's finding a way to put a positive spin on a near-impossible situation as the season winds to a close. "The main things I'm providing are more structure and bringing some intensity to practice," said Rupp, who coached the JV team for seven years before stepping away following the 2004-05 season. "We've got some hard-working kids who want to learn and get better. They've been great so far. They've responded." Wagoner came to South Medford two years ago with good credentials. She was a star player at Jesuit High in Beaverton and at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. She spent two years assisting both the men's and women's programs at Alaska Fairbanks and served as the JV coach at Lincoln High in Portland for one year. But despite a wealth of knowledge about basketball, Wagoner, who couldn't be reached for this story, had never been a head coach and was just 25 when she was hired. Parents at South felt she lacked maturity, had problems communicating with the girls and wasn't well organized in certain areas, such as heading up the AAU program. Could she have grown into the job? Maybe, but the South Medford administration wasn't willing to wait out the storm. And so now the school will be looking for its third girls hoop coach in four years. The job is tougher than ever now that South Medford has joined the Southwest Conference, where, unlike the old Southern Oregon Conference, there are no weak links to fatten up on. But the right person — a motivator and communicator whom the kids like and respect — could turn the program around within two or three years. His or her first order of business will be to get the best athletes playing and keep them playing. For varying reasons, many talented hoopers jump off the South Medford boat long before they're seniors. No Class 6A coach can win with freshman and sophomores flooding their lineup. There are some promising young players coming up through the ranks. A sixth grade, Kid's Unlimited team coached by Tom Cole cleans up on all its local competition and has won several out-of-town tournaments. Cole also leads a seventh-grade squad that has enjoyed nearly the same success. Most of the players off those youth teams are headed to South. Rupp, 40, said Monday he hasn't ruled out applying for the head coaching job. He acquired his administrative credential last year but wouldn't mind heading up a program before becoming an athletic director or principal. "I've always had that itch to be a head coach," he said. "And this probably would be my last shot." u THE NATIONALLY-RANKED, 19-1 boys basketball team notwithstanding, it hasn't been a good school year for South Medford sports. The football, volleyball and boys and girls soccer teams suffered through losing seasons, the girls cross country team settled for fourth place (out of six teams) at district and the boys cross country team finished last. The often-overlooked South Medford wrestling team, meanwhile, is having a good season. The Panthers took third at last weekend's SWC district meet and qualified six wrestlers for the Class 6A state tournament Feb. 15-17 in Salem. u CRATER, EAGLE POINT, Grants Pass and Roseburg have fielded some of the state's top wrestling teams in recent years, and those four schools locking heads always made for an exciting, competitive district tournament. But that competitive flavor went out the window last weekend because of the state's new six-class system. While Crater and Eagle Point were dominating the Southern Sky Conference tournament, Roseburg and Grants Pass were ruling the Southwest Conference affair. Crater and Eagle Point combined to win all 14 weight classes in the former, and Roseburg and GP did likewise in the latter. The six-class system has its pluses, but I believe wrestling has suffered because of it. At the SWC district tournament, only three wrestlers competed in the 103-pound bracket. Grants Pass' Kyle Perry lost his only match and still qualified for the 6A state tournament. There is something wrong with that. Advertisement Copyright © 1997-2007 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback online casinos news Home Security Systems Online Casino Reviews Fundraisers UK Homeowner Loans Casinos Canada Cord Blood Banking Entertainment Guide Texas Electric Choice Compare Electric rates in Texas Windermere Van Vleet Trunks, Footlocker Men's Clothing Debt Help