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Show Page 1C North Edition Lakeside Review Wednesday, December 14, 1983 A Basketball Shutout 13-Ye- ar What Keeps Region One Teams From State Title? KENT SOMERS Review Sports Editor 4-- The last time a basketball team now in Region One won the state championship, Richard Nixon was still a popular president, Joe Frazier was preparing to meet Muhammed Ali for the first time, Americans were still landing on the moon and almost every basketball player in America wore Converse high-to- p tennis with Chuck Taylors signature on the ankle. It was 1971 when Weber High, under Coach Dick Conolly, won that title while the bids were still going to school in Ogden instead of the swank new building in Pleasant View. But that was 12 years ago, and state championships in Region One have been as scarce as red meat in Poland ever 4-- A since. The reasons, according to the coaches involved, vary from of defense to generalities, like breaks and specifics like types luck. - Conolly, whose teams have finished sixth twice since that championship season, said defense is the factor that has shut the title water off to Region One, causing the . drought. My opinion is that it (Region One) doesnt play good enough defense, Conolly says. I dont think you can win playing zone defense. The exception is Bountiful two years ago and Woods Cross played a little zone last year, but if you check the NCAA playoffs in the last 20 years, I doubt whether two teams were zone defensive teams. As you may have guessed, Conollys clubs rely mainly on defense, and the veteran coach speaks sounds like John Wayne denouncing communism when he talks about the increased use of the zone defense in high school basketball. Im prejudiced in my reasons, he says. I think we (Region One) have had the personnel two or three times to win, but defense is not taught well enough or stressed enough. But area Region One coaches disagree, saying that many Salt Lake teams, as well as Bountiful and Woods Cross, have won state championships using zone defenses. And Clearfield High Coach Craig Hansen believes that Region One is not a predominantly zone defense league in the 12-ye- ar man-to-m- an first place. We play Roy Layton play$ plays man and zone and Weber play man, so our league has more teams playing man than zone, Hansen says. , man-to-ma- man-to-ma- n, 12-ye- ar n, . Roy High Coach Ted Smith agrees that Region One doesnt play any more zone defense than any other region. n defense but we dont, We work a lot against a S man-to-ma- )BEG10M 1 ' VI K STATE i TOWfSNAMIEiNnr You do not run into (strictly) defenses too often. Most teams switch back and forth. They switch during the game to create some prob- get to use it, he continued. man-to-m- an -- A (f lems. Hansen says other factors like the size of enrollment and the fact the tournament is held in Salt Lake City every year have more to do with Region One teams being shut out of a In Defense of the Non-Ski- , ; er It creates a mad rush rivaled only by property tax deadlines o v IU vn r and rumors of toilet paper shortages. championship than types of defenses. Its a big advantage having the tournament in Salt Lake City, Hansen says. They (Salt Lake schools) are playing at home when they play a Region One team. It sometimes takes them five minutes (to get to the game) and we have to drive up there and fight the traffic." The Salt Lake players also get a chance to play at the University of Utahs Special Events Center more often than local players, according to Hansen. A lot of them play in that facility irf the summer, and, playing handicapper for a minute, Hansen adds that the home court advantage is worth a few points every game. Smith agrees that holding the tournament is Salt Lake every year does have an effect on the outcome of the tourney. The solution, it seems, is obvious: Move the tournament to the Dee Events Center in Ogden or the Marriott Center in Provo in alternating years. And coaches have suggested similar. moves, said Hansen, but economics keep the tournament in Salt Lake City. The tournament makes money at its Salt Lake location, Hansen said, and the Utah High School Athletic Association is reluctant to move it. But despite where the tournament has been, or will be, played, both Smith and Hansen agree that Region One has had the talent to win the state championship at least three of four times in the last 10 years. I think weve had three of four teams in the 10 years that have been capable of winning state, Smith says. Weve taken second, third and fourth a couple of times. And while the talent may have been sufficient to win the title, according to Smith, there may have been other factors missing. It takes a combination of good players and breaks, he says. The few times weve had the players we havent had the breaks at opportune times. But Laytons Doug Moon believes size has been the element, at least for his clubs, that has shut Region One out of the championship. Size has got to enter into it, Moon said. The teams in the finals seem to have major college players and a couple of good, big kids. I havent had any big players at Layton since Johnny Gilbert, and what was that, six years ago? And, although the reasons for the championship involuntary sabbatical are numerous and clear, according the to coaches, the solution is hazy at best. Smith probably speaks for many of the region coaches when he describes his own feelings after his clubs have come close to winning state championships. Its sometimes frustrating and disappointing. The answer to future championships may come with one success. Smith says. Maybe producing a championship or two might change the trend. its a trend coaches and Maybe. But one thing is certain players in Region One would like to stop from turning into a tradition. v ? It sends people scrambling up canyons like confused runoff that has decided it really doesnt want to make the trip down the canyon and decides to reverse its course. People who complain about driving, in the snow and the shopping rush in December cities dont twitch a tissue when they head to the mountains. Somehow the thought of spending at least $15 for a day of skiing in freezing temperature makes traffic, crowds and slippery roads as palatable as eating fresh ice cream on your porch in 90 degree weather.1"'. And, to tell you the truth, I cant see why. No, this isnt a column from another I Hate Skiing Enthusiast' who would rather stay home on Saturdays and Sundays and. watch football and Three Stooges episodes. (I dont hate skiing, but I happen to be a fan of MOe, Curly and Larry.) No, Ive tried the sport a few times, even enjoyed it when I could stand up and think about the whole thing. g Utahn But to tell you the truth, all this talk about a being compared to a resident of Green Bay who doesnt like football rankles me. To me there is nothing wrong about not wanting to put chains on my tires to make it to resorts, not wanting to freeze, not wanting to walk in ski boots that feel like Eddie the Vise fitted you with cement shoes, and nothing wrong with prefering to play basketball indoors than to falling in cold, wet snow. But, as my colleagues in skiing apathy will tell you, you cant ex- plain stuff like that to a skier. They rebutt me with things like: You dont ski? Oh, you dont, know what its like to have powder up to here, pointing to their., waists, which are covered by something called bibs. That should auadult who wears tomatically tell you something. (Any clothes called bibs is suspect.) And you, Ill think, have no idea what its like to sleep to noon on a Saturday and no idea what its like to watch a Three Stooges movie in its uncut entirety. skiers arent so bad But if they can keep their mouths shut about the sport. p But many of these people who ramble about the virtues of skiing and about the ignorance of anyone who doesnt participate are the same people who complain in the fall about obnoxious BYU football fans who constantly ramble about this and that quarnon-skiin- "k' , mWT non-farmi- 20 styles-n- o terbacks Like I said, the skiers who , Plants for Gifts 10 STANDING fillers Selloumes Seiboldll Reg. $19.95 . be-cau- se 0S9S ' not if youre Subaru had probHonda can make it to the lems in Little Cottonwood Canyon. And, most of all, tell me why I should spend upwards of hala grand to equip myself to get wet, cold and miserable and, most;Of , V all, embarrassed. After like for atheists all, But perhaps there is hope myself. skiing upi until this summer 1 didnt think much of the game of golf either. I havent talked to you about golf? I havent told you about the1 third of a grand I'm seriously thinking of spending on a bunch of , metal sticks? like this... You it started chair. a see, Well, pull up , I $1400 POLE & TRELLIS PLANNTS Foiled and sleeved 6 inches box 48 Count ' ; slopes. I shovel off Tell me how many inches have to my driveway, not how many inches thousands of idiots were sliding on. Tell me if my ft Many More flDH&ARJGE dont talk constantly about the sport times. But the ones who whine at even are tolerable, friendly work when to its sunny, the ones who talk about have, they snow as if it were a blessing, the ones who wear moon boots below 3,000 feet for godsakes, (Moon boots and bibs? On an adult? Think about it) are as intolerable as the stomach flu. Nobody, they dont seem to understand, cares whether the snow or how many inches of new snow are on the was great on Saturday ' . Palms Peace Lilly Figs Rubber Trees and up non-sto- : .V DBASES.ETS ONLY peArhutts g)g)0 lb. Fancy and Salted. MONSTER SIZE BOSTON FERN 0400 Owoo CDcriCKX'OCD xno Ib c oaiOoo 1 1 Illll 0 1 li : 1 1 1 U I) OO A (fll vMMtt |