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Struggling SOU enters tournament By RANDY HAMMERICKSEN ASHLAND -- The Southern Oregon University men's basketball team has done very little to please coach Brian McDermott three games into the season. But it's still early, the coach is quick to point out. The Raiders (1-2) will meet Willamette (2-1) Friday in the opening round of SOU's Rodeway Inn Classic at McNeal Pavilion. The game will start at 7:30 p.m. Oregon Tech (2-1) and Fresno Pacific will meet in the tournament opener at 5:30 p.m. Southern Oregon's record fell to 1-2 with a 95-63 loss at Lewis & Clark College Tuesday night. "There wasn't any part of our game that I thought we executed well," says McDermott. "Our kids haven't learned what level of play you have to play at in a game. "Most of it has to do with inexperience," says McDermott, who has only two returning starters from his 1999 Cascade Conference championship team, which compiled a 22-9 overall record and qualified for the NAIA national tournament. "We knew going into the season that it would probably be until January before we would find ourselves. But I still like this team. They need to learn how to compete and to prepare themselves for a game." Returning starters for the Raiders are 6-3 junior forward Shavon Haynes and 6-2 junior shooting guard Tom Chipps. Chipps has been slowed by a sprained ankle and didn't play at Lewis & Clark. But he's expected to be in the Raiders' starting lineup Friday against Willamette. "I hope he's back," says McDermott. "He gives us a different presence when he's on the floor because of his experience. He was our leading scorer and such a big part of last year's team." Chipps scored 20 points in SOU's season-opening 82-68 win over Patten College. He hasn't played since that game. Other starters for the Raiders will be 6-7 freshman forward Martin DeGroot, 6-7 junior center Reid Sorensen and either Obie Strickler or former South Medford High player James Wightman at guard. Wightman,a transfer from Southwestern Oregon Community College, leads the Raiders in scoring with 50 points in three games, an average of 16.7 points a game. "He brings a lot of energy onto the court and he can shoot it," says McDermott. "When he gets into his groove shooting, he can knock down three or four shots from the outside in a row." Other players destined to get significant playing minutes, according to McDermott, are 6-8 freshman center Nick Klemanhagen of North Bend; 6-3 junior forward Baron Lacey; and 5-9 junior guard David Blue, a transfer from Mount Hood Community College. The Raiders can also bring 6-2 shooting guard Todd Killingsworth off their bench for additional scoring. SOU lost 6-8 center Scott Logue and Ryan Valley, and 6-7 forward Amos Baker from last year's Cascade Conference championship team. "We went from having 270 games of starting experience to zero in our front line," says McDermott. "That hurts us a lot." Oregon Tech features former North Medford High junior guard Josh Woodson, senior guard Josh Conrad and junior wing Greg Regan. Woodson, Conrad and Regan played for the Owls in 1998 when they reached the NAIA national championship game. Bethel College of Indiana edged the Owls by two points in the title game. Today's Sports Index Mail Tribune Copyright� The Mail Tribune 1999, Medford, OR U.S.A.