Month: December 2021

They called it a Classic, and it was

  Winter has tightened unrelenting claws on the Northwest, and if you’re ancient enough to recall the glory days of the Far West Classic in Portland, it’s all very fitting.   The tournament – in its glorious, eight-team iteration – would take place between Christmas and the New Year,...

A warm night with the Kamikazes

  “Are you Ronnie Lee?” a 40-something Oregon basketball fan asked, with a mixture of certitude, wonder and excitement in his voice.   Yes, it was Ronnie Lee, Oregon’s career scoring leader still. And it was also Doug Little — the Cowboy — and Ken Stringer and Burt Fredrickson,...

50 years ago tonight, it began to get crazy in Eugene

  Yep. If you weren’t already feeling a little long in the tooth, this might do it: Exactly 50 years ago tonight, on Dec. 1, 1971, the Kamikaze Kids basketball era of Coach Dick Harter launched at the University of Oregon.   The Ducks met Montana at McArthur Court...