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Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Advertisement Email Story to a Friend April 25, 2006 Sam never got over hump with Tornado Prep Notebook By DON HUNT Mail Tribune Tim Sam is one of those coaches who’s easy to root for. Simply put, he’s a good man. Hard working, affable, honest, humorous. And someone who cares about the athletes he coaches but would hold any of them — including the star player — accountable for bad behavior. Sam resigned his post as the North Medford High boys basketball coach Friday, declaring that the twin duties of coaching and serving as the school’s athletic director had grown too burdensome. If you know Sam, and how much he loves basketball, then you know there’s more to the story. It’s clear that Sam was under some pressure to step aside, mostly from concerned parents who felt the program needed new direction following five seasons of mediocrity. Advertisement The Tornado was 52-67 overall and 32-38 in the Southern Oregon Conference under Sam. His teams made the playoffs just twice in his five seasons as coach, losing in the first round both times. Perhaps most telling, Sam was 0-11 against South Medford coach Dennis Murphy, 1-10 against Bill Cowell, who stepped down as the Grants Pass coach last month, and 3-8 against Roseburg. North Medford may not be the most ideal place to coach basketball — football has always been king — but the school has too many good athletes for those numbers to be acceptable. Two years ago, the Tornado missed the playoffs with a group of seniors that had gone unbeaten as freshmen. In fairness to Sam, two players off that team — point guard Drew Herrera and forward Ben Running — played injured all season. Sam suffered another setback later that year when his best young player — Kendall Gielow — transferred to South Medford. But the best coaches overcome such obstacles, and Sam’s teams were never able to get over the hump. It’s hard to put your finger on exactly what was missing. Sam’s teams played hard, and seemed prepared, but when the Tornado had to get a stop or make a basket late in a game against a good team, it usually didn’t. "They just don’t seem like they believe," one opposing coach said of the North Medford players after a tough loss. Sam’s greatest contribution to the program may have been stabilizing its AAU program. It’s been one of the best in the Rogue Valley in recent years. Sam’s successor will have a boat load of young talent coming up the ranks. Jordan Ellis and Josh Pecktol are two of the top freshman athletes in the SOC — they were both on the varsity last season — and current eighth-grader Matt Maurer is similarly talented. Who will Sam’s successor be? Qualified local coaches include Hidden Valley’s Norm Hayter, Eagle Point’s Keith Williams, St. Mary’s Rick Jackson and Kevin Dixon, a longtime teacher at North Medford who recently stepped aside as the Phoenix head coach. Jackson said Monday he won’t apply, and Dixon said after he resigned at Phoenix that he wants to help coach his daughter, who will be a freshman at North next year. Williams, who coached Butte Falls to a Class 1A state title in 1992 and had Eagle Point in the playoffs four times before stepping aside last month, admitted Monday that he’s interested in coaching again. "I’ll probably throw my hat in the ring," he said. Hayter, meanwhile, has the most impressive credentials of the local coaches. He guided Hidden Valley to the Class 3A state title last month and has compiled a 71-9 record the past three years. A tireless worker, Hayter took his varsity and JV teams all over the Northwest last summer, playing 50-plus games. Hayter, 44, learned of the North Medford opening while coaching at a track meet Friday. Asked if he’d be interested in leading the Tornado, he smiled and said, "I think that’s a school you could win at." Of course, bringing in someone like Hayter would require finding him a teaching position. He’s currently a PE teacher at Allendale Elementary in Grants Pass. Ron Beick, an assistant principal at North who oversees athletics, said Monday that late April and May is the time when teaching positions become available. "In terms of timing, this was a good time (for Sam to step down) because we’ll have some flexibility," Beick said. "We’re just now entering the cycle where we’ll be finding out what positions are open." Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2006 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback www.bingo.com Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker Custom Build Computers Discount Hotel Reservations online casinos news Ashley Furniture HomeStore Send Flowers Southern Oregon Loans California Casinos GMAT Prep Windermere Van Vleet Sports Equipment Online Casino Reviews Online Bingo Entertainment Guide Online Casino Fundraisers Sudoku Online Casinos Canada Online Pharmacy Advertisement s