Spring Break
Leaving home
John Daly
Issue date: 4/15/09 Section: Sports
In case you haven't noticed the trend over the past few seasons, or the past decade for that matter, no Oregon-grown high school basketball stars will sign up to play college ball with an Oregon team.
Many spend their young years here, attend middle and high school here, and then when it comes down to decision time, neither the 13th school on the NCAA men's basketball all-time win list - Oregon State University - nor the super-slick organization with multiple trips to the Elite Eight this decade - University of Oregon - can attract any of these high school superstars.
You know the names: Kyle Singler, Kevin Love (now NBA), Brad Tinsley, Mike Moser and Mike Harthun are a few notables. Great players like these routinely jump ship for the bigger, better basketball program somewhere far from home.
Just in case you aren't familiar with these names, these aren't your average ho-hum semi-shooters. These are fellows who took their teams deep into the NCAA finals, or are expected to, and will all most likely wind up in the Association if they aren't already there.
Kevin Love, although born in Santa Monica, Calif., moved to Oregon at a very young age and played high school basketball for Lake Oswego High School, where he excelled. Rather than keep it in the family and attend Oregon, he headlined at UCLA before eventually joining the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.
Brad Tinsley, a witty and agile point guard from Oregon City who nearly averaged a triple-double at Oregon City High School, committed to play for Vanderbilt after his tenure there, also refusing the offer from University of Oregon (and four other Pac-10 schools), as Love did. At least we got to see Love on a regular basis, as he kept it in the Pac-10 family.
Mike Harthun, a clutch 3-point-shooting guard, hails from the same school as Kyle Singler, South Medford High, and would not accept the Oregon State University offer, but rather joined the Washington State Cougars.
Mike Moser, a 6-foot-8-inch elite forward from Portland was good enough to play for the United States in the Nike Hoop Summit exhibition game at the Rose Garden last week. He refused offers from both Oregon Division-1 schools, and eventually signed with UCLA.
Many spend their young years here, attend middle and high school here, and then when it comes down to decision time, neither the 13th school on the NCAA men's basketball all-time win list - Oregon State University - nor the super-slick organization with multiple trips to the Elite Eight this decade - University of Oregon - can attract any of these high school superstars.
You know the names: Kyle Singler, Kevin Love (now NBA), Brad Tinsley, Mike Moser and Mike Harthun are a few notables. Great players like these routinely jump ship for the bigger, better basketball program somewhere far from home.
Just in case you aren't familiar with these names, these aren't your average ho-hum semi-shooters. These are fellows who took their teams deep into the NCAA finals, or are expected to, and will all most likely wind up in the Association if they aren't already there.
Kevin Love, although born in Santa Monica, Calif., moved to Oregon at a very young age and played high school basketball for Lake Oswego High School, where he excelled. Rather than keep it in the family and attend Oregon, he headlined at UCLA before eventually joining the NBA's Minnesota Timberwolves.
Brad Tinsley, a witty and agile point guard from Oregon City who nearly averaged a triple-double at Oregon City High School, committed to play for Vanderbilt after his tenure there, also refusing the offer from University of Oregon (and four other Pac-10 schools), as Love did. At least we got to see Love on a regular basis, as he kept it in the Pac-10 family.
Mike Harthun, a clutch 3-point-shooting guard, hails from the same school as Kyle Singler, South Medford High, and would not accept the Oregon State University offer, but rather joined the Washington State Cougars.
Mike Moser, a 6-foot-8-inch elite forward from Portland was good enough to play for the United States in the Nike Hoop Summit exhibition game at the Rose Garden last week. He refused offers from both Oregon Division-1 schools, and eventually signed with UCLA.
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Viewing Comments 1 - 1 of 2
Wayne Braun
posted 5/15/09 @ 9:41 AM PST
Hello,
My son Taylor Braun of Newberg high school in Newberg, Oregon signed to play at D-I North Dakota State. Portland State had the opportunity to sign him and passed. (Continued…)
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