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CLEAR Temp: 59 °F Wind: NE at 6 mph Monday, May 19, 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 April 16, 2003 No place like home for Hesia By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Levell Hesia has decided to stay in his own backyard to play college basketball. After weeks of weighing offers from other schools, the Mazama High standout signed a letter-of-intent with Oregon Tech on Tuesday. "I know he was looking for an opportunity to play at the Division I level, but that didn’t work out," said Oregon Tech coach Dan Miles, whose Owls went 27-7, tied for the Cascade Conference championship and advanced to the second round of the NAIA National Tournament last season. Hesia, who stands just 5-foot-6 and weighs 140 pounds but possesses extraordinary quickness, averaged 23.5 points, 8.2 assists and 3.5 steals while leading Mazama to a second straight Skyline Conference championship last season. He was a unanimous choice as the Skyline’s player of the year and was named to the Class 3A all-state first team. Hesia got lukewarm interest from bigger schools and was heavily recruited by many of the NAIA schools in the Pacific Northwest. He nearly signed with Southern Oregon University in early March but opted out at the last minute to further study his options. In the end, Hesia decided to stay in his hometown and play for Miles, the winningest college coach in state history with 704 victories against 323 defeats. "When the recruiting process first started, I definitely wanted to get out of Klamath Falls," Hesia said. "But the more I thought about it, the more I realized Oregon Tech would be a good fit for me. "They’ve got great tradition, great crowd support and a transition game that will fit me perfectly." Miles has watched Hesia play numerous times over the past four years at Mazama and allowed him to scrimmage against the Oregon Tech players last summer. "The things I like most about him are his quickness, his work ethic and his ability to pass the ball," Miles said. "He has that knack of getting his teammates the ball at just the right moment. "He’s a very unselfish player." With first-team, All-American point guard Todd Matthews returning next season for his senior year, Hesia will redshirt the 2003-04 campaign. "I told him he would only be getting about 10 minutes a game next season, and he’s too good of a player for that," said Miles, who will return all five starters from last season’s squad. "Levell was OK with it (redshirting)." Hesia will follow in the footsteps of an uncle, Willie Hall, who led the Owls to a 32-9 record during the 1985-86 season. Hall set a single-season assist record of 404 that still stands. Hesia’s signing with OIT came as a "huge surprise" to Southern Oregon coach Brian McDermott. "We thought it was a done deal that he’d sign with us, even as late as 10 days ago," McDermott said. "At that point he said he wanted to wait a little bit, hoping that a D1 school would sign him. "We said take your time and make sure of what you’re doing. This whole thing comes as a huge surprise. We’re just shocked." 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. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy Website Feedback A D V E R T I S E R S