With Michael Harthun at the helm for his senior season, the South Medford boys basketball team had to be considered one of the favorites to claim the 2008 Class 6A title.

Given the recent news that the Harthun family is uprooting and moving north this summer, that definitely puts a crimp in the Panthers’ prospects. But what does it really mean for South Medford, and for the landscape in the 6A ranks overall?

First of all, Harthun’s loss (or gain for another team) cannot be understated. The 6-foot-3 point guard ranked sixth in the state at 20 points per game and can typically be counted on for about five assists per game. Harthun’s ability to take over a game at any time has been well-documented, most notably the state championship game against Lake Oswego one month ago. Working with the Panther coaches, Harthun went from a set shooter on the perimeter to one of the state’s deadliest at pulling up from anywhere on the court to drain a pure jump shot. Always fearless, Harthun also made great strides this past season in his ability to take the ball to the basket and finish with either hand.

So, to say the Panthers won’t miss Harthun would be a major injustice. His name most definitely will be in the mix for 6A player of the year next spring, along with the likes of Oregon City’s Brad Tinsley and Sunset’s Garrett Sim.

But, the world still keeps on spinning in Panther-land even without Harthun. Juniors-to-be E.J. Singler and Mitch Singler were already in line for major roles next season, so that won’t change. They’ll both be charged with providing a little more offense, but both are capable of doing just that. At point guard, Gonzalo Duran-Chaparro proved in limited minutes last year that he can compete at the varsity level, and you can bet he’ll be asked to have a basketball in his hand from sunup to sundown throughout the summer. Griff Boyd was a standout on the JV team until a late call-up to the varsity, but he also showed tremendous poise when he got into the game. And prior to his injury, Conner Egan was one of South’s top players off the bench. That group alone makes the Panthers a contender for the Southwest Conference title. If Harthun were in the mix, who knows?

What will be most interesting to see is who steps up among the next wave of Panthers. If history has shown anything, it’s that there will be a player or two willing to put in the hours to develop into something special. Last year’s JV team certainly has candidates, but it will be up to them to take the next step.

And while it never hurts to have a major star leading your team, there’s no reason to think a team that plays together, works hard and commits to defense can’t come home with a state trophy.

While the Panthers must replace Harthun, he’ll be leaving a one-of-a-kind atmosphere he had at South Medford. That level of pandemonium can’t be found just anywhere.

The landing spot for the Harthuns is expected to be in father Steve Harthun’s territory as an insurance adjuster, from just north of Salem to the southern end of Portland. There aren’t too many 6A schools that fit in that landscape, but possibilities include Canby, Tualatin, Tigard and West Linn. Anyone familiar with the Portland area knows traffic concerns also are likely to eliminate some sites — sorry Beaverton-area schools — but anything is possible.

A dream scenario (nightmare for others) would be if Michael Harthun wound up at Oregon City to team with Tinsley, 6-9 post Sam Schafer and a host of talented young Pioneers. Oregon City would be my favorite to claim the 6A title next year even without Harthun. With him, forget about it. Of course, there’s only so many shots to go around, and it’s doubtful either premiere player would want to share the spotlight in their senior campaign.

Rumor-mill talk has Michael Harthun favoring Sam Barlow High School, partially because he knows a couple of their players, but given the distance from the Harthuns’ target area, that also seems unlikely. Barlow does, however, return three juniors-to-be who earned all-league recognition this past season.

A more likely scenario may be found at Canby, where the Cougars return 6-5 junior-to-be Cody Hickey (a first-team all-league pick) and second-team all-league senior-to-be Jake Fowler (6-4). Canby has been to two of the past three state tournaments under coach Dane Walker, and the Cougars have had no qualms over the years letting their guards dictate the action in spite of the presence of former Medford residents, centers Alex and Clint Chapman. Canby has also shown a knack for supporting its basketball team in recent years, with fans flocking to Mac Court in droves despite not having much to show for it. The Cougars went a combined 0-4 at the state tourney in 2007 and 2005. Something tells me that might change with Harthun at the helm, especially since he’s always saved his best for last.

Regardless of where Harthun ends up, that school will instantly become a challenger for the state title.

i remember it like it was yesterday, except in all actuality, it was about six years ago. April 12, 2001 to be exact.

there i stood at the top of the stairs heading into the lower bowl at the Pepsi Center — that’s the arena in Denver where the Avalanche and the Nuggets play. just FYI. my eyes had to squint at one of the most beautiful things i’ve ever seen in my life. definitely an unforgettable moment.

before me lay 200 feet of fresh, unadulterated ice in its purest form — freshly zambonied and untouched by any skates, any sticks. a glowing, radiant white that i don’t think is even on any color spectrum, and 18,129 seats waiting to be filled. there was a quiet hum coming from the 60,000 pound, four-sided scoreboard above the center of the ice. that hum was the greatest song ever. and i mean EVER.

it was the first round of the 2000-01 Stanley Cup playoffs with the President’s Cup-winning Colorado Avalanche (52-16-10-4) taking the ice against the Vancouver Canucks (36-28-11-7). it was the start of the Avalanche’s eventual run to winning the Stanley Cup — most memorable because it was when Ray Bourque finally won the coveted trophy.

my seat was on the ninth row for that game. it was the closest i had ever been to professional hockey, and the excitement and intensity bled out of me like it did the Canucks’ players who got creamed against the boards.

that intensity is back. well, almost. i won’t have the chance at sitting nine rows up at an arena anytime soon, but the Stanley Cup playoffs do start in a week.

i realize it doesn’t mean much to the Rogue Valley. around here, hockey seems to just pack up its bags and roll on down I-5. i know there’s a handful of die-hard hockey fans and, as always, there’s the fellow skaters i face off against every week, but other than that, hockey is dead to the Rogue Valley.

it’s so dead that i can only watch hockey twice a week on tv on a channel that i can’t picture being around too much longer. and once in awhile, i can view a game on NBC, but that’s it.

frankly, it’s ridiculous.

but the intensity and excitement of the playoffs are still there.

there’s so much parity in the league right now that there’s not even a clear favorite to take the Cup. it’s anybody’s game.

sure, there’s going to be the usual playoff contenders like Detroit (whom i can’t stand and actually shudder to mention), New Jersey and Dallas all lacing up their skates next week, but look at the new faces who have a chance at winning the Cup.

take Pittsburgh for instance. a team who wasn’t even sure if it would be in the same city next season, who dumped all of its veterans over the years and decided to go with young faces. a team lucky enough to have the first pick in the NHL draft not too long ago and snag a Hall-of-Famer in the making (Sidney Crosby 117 points, 36 goals, 81 assists), but yet still had to start the season battling with Russia for the rights to another young player, Evgeni Malkin (85p, 33g, 52a). and now, the Penguins are poised to make a run in the playoffs.

and in the Western Conference? look at the Vancouver Canucks. they haven’t made the playoffs since before the lockout. granted, that’s not too long ago, but it makes a point. then they go out and steal goaltender Roberto Luongo from Florida who skates them into a playoff spot with his 2.26 goals-against-average, a .922 save percentage and ranks second in the league with 46 wins. all i can say is it’s gonna be tough to sneak goals past him when the playoffs start. and right now, it looks like Dallas is going to have that task. not even their star player, Mike Modano, can handle that.

but the seedings aren’t even set yet.

the East is still up in the air with four teams still competing for a spot. and in the West, it’s even tighter with the Avalanche and the Calgary Flames fighting for the one final spot. One Avs’ loss or one Flames’ win and that’s it for the Avalanche’s playoff hopes. if they miss the playoffs, it’ll be the first time since the 1993-94 season. back then, they were still in Quebec, they’ve always been a contender as the Avalanche. how is that not intense? how is that not exciting?

i guess i’ve rambled on here and there. maybe i just get overly excited about hockey, but hey, somebody in the Rogue Valley has to.

so get ready, ’cause the playoffs are coming.

The Florida Gators captured their second consecutive NCAA men’s basketball championship Monday, but Ohio State’s Greg Oden came out the real winner.
The 7-foot freshman center was the most impressive player on the court in a losing effort. Oden’s spectacular performance almost overshadowed the Gators accomplishment of being the first team since Duke in 1991-92 to repeat.

Oden was a man among boys. He dominated Florida’s impressive trio of big men — Al Horford, Joakim Noah and Chris Richard. Horford and Noah will probably be NBA first-round draft picks this year.

Oden has the rare combination of agility, timing and an innate feel for the game. Against the Gators, Oden was unstoppable on offense, avoided the foul trouble that had plagued him in earlier tournament games and was a defensive force with five blocks.
Oden and Texas freshman Kevin Durant were being discussed as the No. 1 overall pick in the upcoming NBA draft. But Oden’s performance in the title game secured him the top spot and the millions of dollars that go with it.

With the NBA’s two best big men — Shaquille O’Neal and Tim Duncan — on the downside of their careers, Oden should step in and be a factor in the NBA right away and the best post player in the league for many years. The chance of Oden remaining at Ohio State seems remote. If he decides to stay, along with his former high school teammate and fellow freshman Mike Conley Jr., the Buckeyes will win the title next year.

Go big or stay home
By Tim Trower

The previous rounds had their share of scrappy, small-lineup teams or mid-majors making noise, but the Final Four is heavy on the bigs, particularly Florida, Georgetown and Ohio State.

In the Georgetown-Ohio State matchup, it’s heralded freshman Greg Oden against 7-foot-2 Roy Hibbert. I expect Oden to follow form and get in early foul trouble. With him idle, the Buckeyes’ smaller, quicker lineup will again rally the team. Ohio State is the best foul-shooting team in the field and will lean on that down the stretch in a 67-65 win.

In the Florida-UCLA game, Florida’s big men and balanced attack will be too much for a UCLA team that has fewer offensive options and whose best player, Aaron Afflalo, has run hot-and-cold in the tournament. I’ll say Florida 77, UCLA 69.

In the championship, a rematch of the BCS title game, it’ll again come down to Florida and the Gators’ many options. The experience of having all five starters back in this situation and Oden’s inability to control the middle spells an 84-81 win for Florida.

Gators to the house
By Frank Silow

All five Florida starters returned from last year’s national championship squad to try to win another title. Just avoiding the upset to get back into the Final Four can be the biggest challenge. Now that the Gators are within two victories of achieving their goal, I don’t think they will be denied being the first team to repeat since Duke in 1991-92.

Florida has the best balanced all-around team in the Final Four. The Gators have demonstrated all the intangibles necessary to be successful on the largest stage. They have the experience. They play an unselfish brand of basketball. They don’t depend on any one or two players. Any of their starters can carry the team depending on the matchup and situation. That was demonstrated by Lee Humphrey’s seven 3-pointers in Florida’s victory over Oregon in the Elite Eight.

Florida hammered UCLA in the finals last year. This year’s semifinal matchup will be closer, but the Gators should be able to exploit a decided advantage inside. UCLA has not allowed an opponent in the tournament to score more than 55 points. Florida has averaged 84 points in its tournament games. UCLA does not have enough firepower to stay with the Gators.

The glamorous pairing in the finals would be a repeat of the football BCS national championship game with Florida meeting Ohio State. But I don’t think the Buckeyes will get past Georgetown in the other semifinal.

Ohio State has been skating on thin ice in the tournament. The Buckeyes’ run in the tournament will come to an end against the tough-minded Hoyas.

In the championship, Florida will beat Georgetown, 74-68.

Oh by the way, I’m somewhat biased, being a Florida graduate.

Gators too much, again
By Kevin Goff

Is Oregon still alive? Seriously though, this field is the strongest, seeding wise, since the 1993 season. So let’s get started.

Georgetown vs. Ohio State: I’ve never been that impressed with Georgetown, but the way the Hoyas rallied from 11 down to beat a good, but young North Carolina squad did catch my eye. And Jeff Green is a phenomenal talent, and if he starts well, he could wreak havoc against the Buckeyes. I see the centers (Georgetown’s Roy Hibbert and Ohio State’s Greg Oden, you may have heard of him) essentially being a wash. That leaves Green and the much more disciplined and experienced Hoyas to slowly pick apart the very young Buckeyes. Final score: Georgetown 72, Ohio State 64.

Florida vs. UCLA: If you like ugly but effective basketball, watch UCLA. Something about this group forces teams to miss the gimmies around the hoop (i.e., Kansas). Unfortunately for the Bruins, Florida can play and win ugly if need be. The Gators, as my once pristine bracket displayed, have all the pieces to race through the Final Four and win a second straight crown. And if Florida’s big guys in the middle (Joakim Noah and Al Horford are two of the best in the game) don’t get it done, then it’s the deadly outside shooting of Lee Humphrey or Taurean Green, or the slashing style of Corey Brewer that will do in the Kevin Love-less Bruins. Final score: Florida 83, UCLA 70.

Championship game: This will be all Florida. Georgetown’s bigs will get in foul trouble trying to keep up with Florida’s quicker counterparts and Humphrey will stay hot to hand coach Billy Donovan another title on his way out the door to coach at Kentucky.

Final score: Florida 81, Georgetown 62.

Hoyas ready to hoist the big trophy
By Don Hunt

Two weeks ago, I penciled in UCLA, Florida, Ohio State and Georgetown to advance to the Final Four. Hey, even a blind squirrel finds an occasional acorn. I also projected Florida and Georgetown moving on to the championship game, with Florida winning a second straight title.

I’ve got a sneaking suspicion now that UCLA will beat Florida. The Gators have been prone to turnovers in this tournament and the lockdown Bruin defense, which aggressively traps and double-teams, will make them pay. Final Score: UCLA 62, Florida 55.

In the other semifinal, I’ll stay with Georgetown. The Hoyas will neutralize Greg Oden with their own 7-footer, Roy Hibbert, in what could be the best big-man showdown in the tournament since Georgetown’s Patrick Ewing faced Houston’s Hakeem Olajuwon in the 1984 national championship game. I like Hibbert’s supporting cast more than Oden’s — Jeff Green was the Big East player of the year. And the Hoyas, led by classy John Thompson III, seem to be a team of destiny. Final Score: Georgetown 57, Ohio State 55.

Georgetown will then edged the Bruins 47-46 in the championship game. Hope y’all like defense.

Gators chomp UCLA, Ohio State
By Warren Blenkush

The Ohio State-Georgetown matchup may depend on which foul-prone big man gets in trouble first.

Although, if Greg Oden picks up two early ones, Ohio State may thrive in his absence as they did early in the season when the 7-footer was injured. Even at times in the tournament, the Buckeyes have played better without Oden, relying more on Mike Conley Jr., Ron Lewis and the rest of their stable of guards to step up.

I love Jeff Green’s game and his versatility for the Hoyas, but I expect Conley to distribute the ball and make good decisions while drilling 3-pointers alongside Lewis, whose been clutch for the Buckeyes all season.

Whichever way the calls swing, all I know is I can’t wait to see the Oden-Hibbert matchup … best big-man matchup in a longtime. THE Ohio State rolls, 72-64.

In the rematch of last season’s championship, I don’t expect the Bruins to get their vengeance. Florida has the same team as last season, but with more experience. There are simply too many weapons on both the outside and obviously on the inside with Joakim Noah and Al Horford controlling the paint.

Aaron Afflalo was exceptional for UCLA in the Elite 8 and I don’t expect anything less of an effort from him against the Gators, but Corey Brewer — one of the best perimeter defenders in the country — will do his best to lock down Afflalo while a smaller Bruin interior struggles with Noah and Horford.

And my wildcard, Lee Humphrey who played out of his mind against Oregon (23 points, including seven from downtown) will provide a perimeter threat what will stretch out Ben Howland’s superb defense, allowing Brewer to slash inside while taking away double teams that may swarm around Noah and Horford.

Not only can the Gators play in the half court, they can get out and run as well. Billy Donovan has Florida playing as a team once again and they have a great complement of players.

I know how tough it is for a college team to repeat in this tournament, but the Gators, led by three potential top 10 picks in the NBA draft, will breeze by the Bruins before repeating as national champs over Ohio State. Florida 76, UCLA 59.

Championship: Florida 81, Ohio State 74.

Just tune in late
By Kris Henry

Are you actually still reading this? The games could’ve been played in the time it’s taken to get down to this point.

Everyone else sounds pretty astute in their observations, so go with them because I really don’t have a feeling either way on the Final Four matchups or championship final. My guess is that all remaining games will be played at a dull, defensive tempo that will ensure every team has a chance to win in the final two minutes. Hibbert’s a stiff and Ohio State’s been playing a game of survival. Noah’s chest-pounding antics are wearing thin — as is Florida’s us-against-the-world mentality — and it’s physically not possible to stomach any more of CBS’ flashes in the crowd to former UCLA great Bill Walton.

Final Four, you mean Frozen Four
By Carl McCutchen

For me, it doesn’t even really matter. My bracket took a fatal hit when the Terps ate it pretty early. Throw in the fact the Fighting Irish never even saw a glimpse of the Elite Eight, and that was it. My attention will really be on the other Four taking place shortly — the Frozen Four. For that, I choose Michigan State to ice everybody else. There you have it.

You may have read our Local Report item about former South Medford baseball player Logan Boyd in Wednesday’s Mail Tribune. He’s tearing up the California junior college ranks as an outfielder for the College of San Mateo, leading the state with eight home runs. He hit two, including a grand slam, Saturday, and the game before that he was 4-for-4 with a triple. If you missed that news item or want to read even more about Boyd, a sophomore who led the Bulldogs in homers last year despite batting at the bottom of the order, click here. 

Contrary to what you may have heard, there isn’t a lot of money in the newspaper biz.

I know, I’ll give you a moment to digest that while I clean out the moths in my wallet and make room for my Megabucks ticket — correction — my WINNING $5.8 million Megabucks ticket (you’ve got to think positive).

I’m sure many of you out there are like me in that you know you would make an excellent lottery winner. I’ve thought for years about how much I could do for my community if only I had the funds: safer schools, better sports fields, free ice cream days in the summer, etc.

But whereas those things are a fantasy for me and my modest lifestyle — until I win tonight, of course — giving back to this community is a reality for Sherm Olsrud and his wife Wanda. The local philanthropists have had a hand in just about everything that’s right with the Rogue Valley, and shy away from credit like a little leaguer facing their first fastball.

The Olsruds — unwillingly I’m sure — were at the center of attention Friday night during a net-cutting ceremony to celebrate the new gymnasium at Kids Unlimited in Medford tabbed “Olsrud Court.” A $250,000 donation by the Olsruds got the ball rolling on the 34,000-square-foot complex that provides activities for at-risk, low-income youth.

But if you think that’s the first good deed by the Olsruds, you must be new to town.

We’re covering some boxing championships tonight at the Olsrud Arena at the Jackson County Fairgrounds. A few months ago some of the 30,000 pounds of food donated to ACCESS’ Food for Hope drive by the Olsruds, who own Sherm’s Thunderbird markets in Medford, Klamath Falls and Roseburg and Food 4 Less in Medford, most likely went by that same venue.

The Olsruds have a history of benevolance that includes donations for field turf at Spiegelberg Stadium, funding for rooter busses during South Medford’s state-championship run in boys basketball, various participation in 4-H activities at the Jackson County Fair and so on and so on.

When a winning Powerball ticket was sold last year at Sherm’s Thunderbird, the company namesake donated all the funds the store received in its payout to Jackson and Washington elementary schools because “we felt those two schools could use it.” When McLoughlin Middle School was struggling to raise funds to erect a fence around the facility to offset safety concerns, Sherm went straight to his personal checking account and wrote out an $18,000 check to cover the expense.

So while my son Nick dreams of becoming the next Kyle Singler or Steve DeClerck, I’m holding out hope on being the next Sherm Olsrud — because the Rogue Valley won the lottery having the Olsruds as their neighbor.

So, you average 20 points and 4.5 assists per game for the state’s top-ranked (at least for most of the season) basketball team. You’re the point guard, the engine of the team. In your head-to-head matchups with the state’s other top guards, you either match or out-shine the opposition.

That’s why the exclusion of South Medford junior Michael Harthun on the Class 6A first-team all-state list is a major head-scratcher for me.

Harthun, fresh off a 24-point night in the Panthers’ state-championship victory, was a second-team member for the second straight year. I understand his second-team status last season. He was a sophomore on a team filled with experienced talent.

But this year, the offense revolved around what Kyle Singler and Harthun did. And, 27 wins and a state title later … well, you can see how that worked out.

I realize coaches vote before the state tournament (a three-day event where Harthun shot 69 percent from 3-point range and 61 percent overall) but wasn’t his body of work during the regular season enough?

Of course, earning a second-team nod is still quite an honor. I would have been thrilled with such accolades during my playing days. But apparently my 4.5 points per contest as a starting guard wasn’t enough. It wasn’t my fault I was a vertically challenged, sometimes turnover-prone hooper packed into a 130-pound frame. Right?

Maybe the third time will be the charm for Harthun. Maybe his senior season, coaches (especially those up north) will see the light. What else can the guy do?

Some names of note have surfaced lately:

Jason Allred, for instance, came across my e-mail on a Google alert because his record score in a college golf tournament had been matched.

In the 61st annual Western Intercollegiate at Pasatiempo Golf Course, John Streibach from Xavier was the individual champion, finishing with a final-round 63 Tuesday and a three-day total of 199. The 63 tied the record first set by 1964 U.S. Open champion and former CBS-TV golf commentator Ken Venturi, who played for San Jose State in the 1950s, and matched by Allred and Bryan Pini of the University of the Pacific. Streibach also tied Allred’s tournament record for a 54-hole score.

Allred, a member of the Nationwide Tour, will be in Medford on April 3 to speak at a Fellowship of Christian Athletes banquet at Rogue Valley Country Club. The banquet is at 6 p.m., and the cost is $40. For information, call Jim Winans at 261-2809.
Allred’s appearance will follow a tournament in Livermore, Calif. This week, the Nationwide Tour resumes in Broussard, Louisiana, after a month layoff.

Meanwhile, in boxing, Central Point super heavyweight Mike Wilson has qualified to represent the U.S. in the Pan Am Games. He lost in the championships of a qualifier in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Tuesday, 13-10 to Didier Vence of Canada but still gains a berth.
The Pan Am Games are July 13-29 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

And former North Medford baseball player Brett Timmerman helped Corban College of Salem to its fourth straight win with a game-winning single up the middle that scored two in a 5-3 victory Tuesday over Simpson. Ex-South Medford player Ryan Heil had a run-scoring bunt single early in the game and later scored on Timmerman’s winning hit after reaching on an error.
Former North Medford player Nate Mayben is in his first as coach of the team.

Well, it wasn’t that bad, really. But a couple of callers wondered why we would give prominent play to UNLV — Oregon’s opponent Friday in the NCAA Midwest Regional — in Tuesday’s paper rather than do something big on the Ducks.

The fact is, the piece on the Runnin’ Rebels came out of The Associated Press bureau in Nevada, and it was the only wire story that moved Monday pertaining to the that matchup. We figured something was better than nothing.

Why not do a story ourselves, you might ask. Our staffing on Mondays is thin, and I’m guessing access to the team would have been difficult as they returned late Sunday from Spokane and began preparations to head to St. Louis.

In a conversation with AP in Portland, I was told we’d be getting stories on the Ducks the next couple of days, and we’re hopeful of lining up freelance help to enhance our coverage this week and possibly beyond — similar to what we do during the football season.

I hope that sheds some light.