Morrow's Musings
- By Jeff Morrow
509-582-1507
Posted March 4, 2000
Former CBC players headed to nationals
Notes from hither and yon:
-- Former Columbia Basin College men's basketball standouts Ty Shaw and Neal Robertson have had a great season so far at Albertson College in Idaho. Both were named to the 2000-01 All-Cascade Conference men's basketball team.
Shaw, a 6-foot-7 forward, leads the team with 14.6 points per game and 9.5 rebounds a game. Robertson, 5-10 junior guard from Richland, averages 14.3 points and 2.3 assists a game. Robertson set the school marks of most 3-point field goals in a game (10) and most treys in a season (116).
The Coyotes have qualified for the NAIA National tournament that begins Thursday in Branson, Mo.
-- Randy Price is the new USSSA Tri-Cities area director after being appointed by Washington state director Dick Calvo in November. Price comes from New Mexico, where he was an area director there, running tournaments and is well-respected by his peers from there.
The National Softball Association is starting an organization in the Tri-Cities this season. So now softball teams have a choice to make: which organization to go with.
USSSA softball came about as an answer to the ASA in 1982, and has thrived over the years. Almost everyone who has played softball has played USSSA in the last 20 years, with its classifying teams to different talent levels.
Since 1985 Washington USSSA has been among the top five states in the entire country in overall tournaments that have been available to our teams, and Darren Idler of Burbank, who still plays for major clubs on the west side of the state, was inducted into the Washington USSSA Hall of Fame in 2000 as a player.
Price's goal will be to meet the teams, managers and players and discuss concerns and recommendations.
"I will also work to obtain state tournaments here in the Tri-Cities and would like to host an NIT (National Invitational Tournament) in the near future," he said.
Here's hoping that the two organizations can find some compromise.
-- Richland High grad Brian Barton is expected to pitch in relief for the University of Washington baseball team this season, and he possibly could close for the Huskies. However, he hasn'y played yet, thanks to his recovery from an elbow injury.
-- Kamiakin High grad Craig Hays picked up the victory for the Oregon State University baseball team over Oklahoma on Feb. 18.
-- Talk out of Spokane is that former NFL quarterback Mark Rypien is going to attempt a comeback at the age of 38.
-- Wenatchee High baseball coach Ed Knaggs usually coaches the Apple Valley Packers senior American Legion team during the summer. Instead, he'll coach the Wenatchee Apple Sox semi-pro team this summer. Speaking of legion, it appears the Richland Knights and the Kennewick Dusters will merge into one senior team this summer, because of dwindling numbers for senior players.
-- Kamiakin grad A.J. Giesa and his Western Washington men's basketball teammates have qualified for the NCAA Division II National tournament by playing host to the six-team West Regional in Bellingham beginning Thursday.
WWU is 24-3 and ranked No. 1 in the West. Giesa averages 14.7 points and 5.9 rebounds a game.
WWU plays the Cal State Bakersfield-Humboldt State winner at 8 p.m. Friday.
- Jeff Morrow can be reached at 582-1507 or via e-mail at jmorrow@tri-cityherald.com
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