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advocateadvocateadvocateNov. 21, 2014 Volume 50, Issue 10The Independent Student Voice of Mt. Hood Community College

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Highs and lows of marijuana

Music program prepares to perform

Volleyball spiked

the advocate

OPINION

2

November 21, 2014

The Advocate encourages readers to share their opinion by letters to the editor and guest columns for publication. All submissions must be typed and include the writer’s name and contact information. Contact information will not be printed unless requested. Original copies will not be returned to the author. The Advocate will not print any unsigned submission.

Letters to the editor should not exceed 300 words and guest columns should not exceed 600. The decision to publish is at the discretion of the editorial board.

The Advocate reserves the right to edit for style, punctuation, grammar and length.Please bring submissions to The Advocate in Room 1369, or e-mail them to

advocatt@mhcc.edu. Submissions must be received by 5 p.m. Monday the week of publication to be considered for print.

Opinions expressed in columns, letters to the editor or advertisements are the views of the author and do not necessarily reflect those of The Advocate or MHCC.

Cover graphic by Heather Golan

Cover graphic by Heather Golan - the advocate

Editor-in-Chief

Greg Leonov

Lifestyle Editors

Jon Fuccilo Adam Elwell

News Editor Hayden Hunter

Advisers

Howard Buck, Dan Ernst Bob Watkins E-mail: advocatt@mhcc.eduPhone: 503-491-7250www.advocate-online.net

#mhccadvocate Mt. Hood Community College 26000 SE Stark Street Gresham, Oregon 97030

Sports Editor Brandon Raleigh

Copy Editor

Hayden Hunter

Ad Manager

David Ahlson

Photo Editor

Beka Haugen

Opinion Editor

Emily Wintringham

Video Editor

Aurora Angeles

Graphic Designer

Heather Golan

Reporters

Adam ElwellAustin GuerreroHunter Holmes Daphne MartinJon FuccilloQ QuartermanJake SwindellJacob Young

the advocate

“Ducks.”

chatwithbarney@gmail.com

Curtis ReeseStudent, engineering

“I’m kind of in-between actually, but my family is for the Ducks so I will be rooting for them.”

Hannah Manning Student, Integrated

media

Chat withBarneyWho do you want

to win the Oregon

Civil War football

game: Ducks or

Beavers?

The sky is still holding up in Washing-ton and Colorado, the two states that legalized recreational marijuana in

2012. What’s to say it will fall in Oregon? It’s too early to tell what could happen. Since mar-ijuana was voted through this November, we at the Advocate believe things are not likely to change for the worst. The hope is that Mary Jane will be a low-key cousin to liquor and that dangerous or fatal accidents will not increase.

Come to think about it, is it really too early to tell?

Colorado’s Department of Transporta-tion (CDOT) website reports that 5.7 percent of drivers involved in fatal acccidents during 2013 (and in 2012) tested positive for canna-bis. That’s a significant decrease from the 8.9 percent reported in 2011.

However this works, no one knows, but the important thing is that since legalization took place in Colorado, statistics appear to be favorable.

Aside from impairing the individual psy-chologically, pot can cause lung disease, heart problems, immune deficiency, and a number of side effects we have yet to discover; but, we believe that it should not be grouped with the more severe drugs. According to the CDC, and DrugWarFacts.org, there have been zero deaths related to marijuana overdoses. You would need to smoke a shopping cart full to kick the can, maybe.

Alcohol damages the liver and can impair individuals to the point where they have no clue what they are doing. Waking up from a blackout, a person will not remember any events that took place during that point of al-cohol consumption. Though marijuana slows cognitive performance and - as new studies have found - can even lower IQ, users who get high can stay aware and adjust accordingly to their situation.

The main idea here is that if marijuana is similar to alcohol, but doesn’t surpass alcohol’s negative consequences, it doesn’t seem rea-sonable that marijuana is going to wreak more havoc on society.

People who smoke marijuana will smoke marijuana, just like they always have. People who don’t fancy the joint (as with alcohol) will continue merrily on the sober path.

Not only do we believe marijuana will cause negligible damage, it should prove to do more good to society, fiscally. A thriving economy in Colorado and Washington is budding. According to the Washington Post, recreational marijuana is set to be taxed more than medicinal marijuana, and rightly so. Those who need medical marijuana shouldn’t be punished for their ailments.

The major con is that new regulation – and taxes – could still fuel the black market and drug cartels. Before legalization, marijua-na has been relatively cheap. People will want to purchase it for the same price. The black market’s hands are still unbound to do its dirty work in gangs and in targeting minors.

According to the Washington Post news-paper, recreational sales have surpassed medi-cal sales in Colorado, bringing in $29.7 million since January 2014. It’s not enough dough to compensate for the billions of tax dollars that

have been spent on incarcerating marijuana users, but it is a start.

Legalizing marijuana hasn’t been a sense-less act on Oregon’s part.

However, deep at the core, laws aren’t about statistics. They are about morals.

The Advocate agrees with the alarming number of facts that support marijuana re-forms, but they don’t make it moral, in some eyes.

Even if pot is less damaging than alcohol or other hard drugs, smoking is not necessar-ily healthy, obviously. Since our early years of education, we are taught to eat healthy, exer-cise, practice safe sex or abstinence, and avoid alcohol and drugs of all kinds. To some, these practices are still important. Whether because of our faith, ideologies or our well-being, not supporting marijuana breaks down to a moral complex that goes beyond how much new tax revenue marijuana can rake in.

The question boils down to what is most important: recreational use, economic impact, or moral perspective?

Regardless of the morality or the unhealthy repercussions, we at The Advocate believe that marijuana will not cause any new signif-icant damage from a public health and safety standpoint, except the sickly aroma that will linger everywhere now.

“IF THERE’S ONE THING AMERICA LOVES MORE THAN WASTING TIME, IT’S THINKING THEY’RE BEING ORIGINAL WHILE DOING IT.”

Check out Adam Elwell’s column on the web this week.

Joy KellyStudent, Physical Therapy Assistant

“Ducks.”

Joy’s mother

“I hate both of them.”

Anonymous

Graphic by Heather Golan - the advocate

Will marijuana benefit or harm our community?

Editorial |

“Beavers, they’re my team.”

the advocate

NEWSNovember 21, 2014

3

Not stocked yet: Barney’s Pantry still looking for donations

Jon Fuccillothe advocate

Fresh off the two-day campus closure forced by sleet and freezing rain last week, MHCC got smacked by a new facilities head-ache: A burst 8-inch water line, discovered Monday outside the Mt. Hood gymnasium.

The gym was instantly closed for classes and all sports activities by 3 p.m., and re-mained shut down through Tuesday.

After a full day of hasty repairs, normal gym activity resumed Wednesday morning.

Athletic Director Kim Hyatt said a quick assessment of the scene Monday resulted in the decision to shut off the gym’s water sup-ply.

“Safety is always a top priority for our faculty, staff, and students. After a deter-mination was made to shut down the water

supply, we followed the appropriate proto-cols (so) that all risks were mitigated,” Hyatt said.

Richard Byers, MHCC facilities director, further explained the closure.

Mt. Hood “can’t have people occupying a building without sanitary facilities – (it) be-comes a serious health issue,” he said.

The water line break had no connection to the freezing weather, Byers said.

Continued freezing temperatures didn’t cause any great difficulty during repairs, he noted.

But Hyatt praised MHCC staff for its quick response during frigid conditions.

“I am very grateful to Richard Byers and his team for working so hard to get us up and running again as quickly as they did, considering the challenges that they endured to correct this break,” she said.

Broken pipe shuts down athletic department

Photos by Beka Haugen - the advocate

All activity was cancelled late Monday night and all through Tuesday as a result of a leaking water main which has been repaired since then with activities resuming late Wednesdayw.

Hayden Hunterthe advocate

Members of the Mt. Hood community have several ways to give back this holiday season.

ASG Director of Community Affairs Jhoselyn Hernandez put together the Holiday Food Drive, and is in charge of coordinating Barney’s Pantry.

For students who may be unaware, Barney’s Pantry is just a room filled with food and toiletries. This room does not store Barney’s treats though – instead, Barney’s Pantry helps out multiple students in need, on a daily basis. “It’s just a room in the corner filled with a lot of food and toiletries,” said Hernandez.

Barney’s Pantry allows students who are in bad financial or living situations to visit the pantry three times a week to obtain food and toiletries. During each visit, students are allowed to take three food items and one toiletry, if needed.

Food and toiletries offered in the pantry can differ vastly. When it comes to food, shelf life is what counts. ASG is looking to stock anything in a box, bag, or container: If it’s sealed, it’s allowed. Toiletries range from soap bars and feminine cleaning products to tooth brushes and deodorant.

Hernandez said pretty much anything that a typical student might use is accepted. “Just donating something warm, like a can of soup, would be really helpful,” she said.

The pantry was put into effect a couple of years ago to “help out and be a resource for students who really need it,” Hernandez said.

This year, Barney’s Pantry is being helped out by the MHCC Bookstore. The Bookstore put cash donation boxes - with an explanation of what the Pantry is - up at its register and its cafe. Before leaving, customers are asked if they would like to donate. If a customer donates at the Bookstore, his or her Grapic by Heather Golan - the advocate

name is recorded onto a Thanksgiving-themed piece of paper that is hung on ASG’s bulletin board in front of the bookstore. Along with bragging rights, donors will also be entered into a drawing for a free Dakine backpack.

The funds are collected from these donation boxes by ASG and are then used to buy food and toiletries for Barney’s Pantry.

According to Julie Godat, Bookstore manager, since the Pantry started in 2010 the school has received over $3,000 from the cash donation boxes alone.

This holiday season, the Bookstore is creating even more ways to give back to the students. On Dec. 9, the Bookstore will offer a 30 percent discount on all clothing, gifts, and school supplies – textbooks excluded. The Bookstore will even be offering to wrap gift items for customers.

Along with Barney’s Pantry, Hernandez has been overseeing some other ways to help out students during the holidays.

The Holiday Food Drive has been going on for the past couple of weeks and is scheduled to end on Monday. School faculty decided to make it a friendly competition among departments. “I was really impressed with their (staff and faculty) motivation to help with students,” Hernandez said.

On Monday, all of the Food Drive boxes will be collected from each department and counted to see which department is the victor, having collected the most goods. The victor will be given a “mirror-ball trophy” to hold onto until the Food Drive next term.

Hernandez has also put together a Holiday Meal Door Prize to help one lucky student. Interested students are asked to complete a “two-minute” application for a chance to win a Thanksgiving dinner for themselves and their family, Hernandez said. She will then call the winner of the drawing herself to ask what he or she would like for Thanksgiving dinner.

Otherwise, “How am I supposed to know what they like to eat?” Hernandez said with a laugh.

Greg Leonovthe advocate

Mt. Hood’s symphonic band has been working hard preparing for a show called “The British are Coming: And They’re Bringing Jazz,” which is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Dec. 3, and will be followed by the Jazz Ensemble’s performance of swing and works that are reminiscent to the music of Stevie Wonder.

The concert will be held in the College Theater, and admission is free.

“The British are Coming …” will feature British band masterworks, according to Grant Linsell, MHCC band director.

Band members have been pushing themselves with challenging music. “I don’t think it’s too hard, but it’s right at the edge where a lot of the people have to step up to make it happen, and I think it’s going to happen,” said Linsell.

“It’s always difficult. There’s a level of dedication and discipline that every member of the ensemble has to have,” he said.

The end of fall term is particularly

challenging with concerts approaching. “This time of year, I spend a lot of time in office hours with students from the ensembles. My door (will) be open and students will come in and we’ll practice some stuff together. We get close to concerts and people start to panic,” Linsell said.

Winter term looks promising for Mt. Hood’s bands. With the theater department usually putting together a musical, the band usually provides musicians for their orchestra.

“There’s some really cool stuff going on with the orchestra in the winter as well,” said Linsell.

Enrollment in the bands is improving. “If they’re up to the standard of the ensemble, we can have them come in (new musicians) anytime throughout the year.

“We do have classes for people that don’t have music experience,” he said. “We have a class called ‘fundamentals in music,’ which is kind of like an intro to the music universe” for such students, he said.

Mt. Hood’s band program has a promising future, and is likely to see expansion with more sections being added.

“For the most part we’re trying to set up our ensembles so they meet on one consistent pattern,” said Linsell about matching students’ schedule needs.

“It’s very exciting. We have cool things happening.”

the advocate

LIFESTYLE

4

November 21, 2014

Jacob Youngthe advocate

In Christopher Nolan’s latest blockbust-er, “Interstellar,” Matthew McConaughey is a family man and farmer by the name of Cooper who is a former pilot for NASA. When oppor-tunity knocks in the form of a phenomena, he is beckoned by a now-underground NASA for a heroic mission to find another planet that the human race can inhabit.

With the help of an inside connection of a former colleague, Professor Brand (Michael Caine), Cooper gets the job. He then embarks on the mission, along with Brand’s daughter fittingly named Amelia. What happens next defies space, relativity, and the imagination – but all of this comes full circle to show that family and love for one another can come through any obstacle.

Directed by Nolan (“Memento,” “Incep-tion,” “The Dark Knight” trilogy) he does it again by leaving you on the edge of your seat, keeping you guessing, and leaving you in awe

of good film making. His stories are mostly original; even with the Dark Knight trilogy he provided a sense of plausibility without dam-aging the story. He does the same thing here, proving that he is one of, if not the best, writ-er/director in Hollywood today.

The script is written by Christopher and Jonathan Nolan. The dialogue is realistic, logical, believable, and fits with the story. The Nolan brothers, as usual, do a good job

of keeping the story flowing without ruining or spoiling anything. They write characters with realistic depth to them so the audience can connect. The casting is well done, quickly becoming Nolan’s trademark. With each actor living up to his or her full potential, the actors show good camaraderie and chemistry while looking into the depth of each character to see what drives them.

McConaughey, Anne Hathaway, and Jon

Lithgow plus a few other surprises draw you in but it is Sir Michael Caine who steals the show and portrays why he is the veteran.

The cinematography, imagery, and spe-cial effects are flawless, flowing well togeth-er. There are scenes that are reminiscent of the Apollo missions, deep space scenery that leaves your imagination wondering like a child looking at the stars, along with painful deci-sions of a loving, single parent doing what is best for his children.

There is also scenery, that while remain-ing original has a Stanley Kubrick-esque feel, leaving this generation with its own “2001: A Space Odyssey.” But, where most sci-fi or end-of-the-world movies leave you either hopeless or rebuilding, “Interstellar” leaves you hopeful - looking to the future of what not only a per-son can do to better themselves, but what we as the human race can do to better ourselves by just looking at two simple factors: love and family.

All of these factors are reasons for why I give this movie five stars. Keep it up, Nolan.

Nolan defies space, relativity, imagination

Grant Linsell

MHCC band jumps into action on campus

Web photo - Interstellar

Greg LeonovThe Advocate

Mt. Hood’s choir will be singing at The Grotto’s Festival of Lights, taking the north-east Portland stage at 9 p.m. on Dec. 1, at 8840 N.E. Skidmore St.

“If people are interested in coming up for it, they should arrive a little bit early. It’s nuts up there, the Christmas lights are just crazily beautiful, (and) they have a petting zoo, they have puppet shows, they have carolers out-side,” said Kevin Lambert, Mt. Hood’s choir director.

The festival is located on “sacred ground,” said Lambert, so the choir will sing songs ap-propriate for the occasion. “We do tend to be respectful of the space that we’re singing in. Not all of our music will be sacred, but again, we are trying to be respectful that we are singing in a sacred space.”

For instance, MHCC’s choir will sing “Ave Maria,” which was arranged by Edwin Elgar, composer of the “Pomp and Circum-stance March,” which is performed at almost all commencement ceremonies in the U.S.

The group will sing “O Magnum Mysteri-um,” a song that Lambert describes as “about this great mystery that Jesus, who Christians hold to be the Messiah, was to be born in a stable,” and details how animals, rather than kings, were the first to witness the miracle.

The version chosen by Lambert is from the 16th century, and was put together by

Tomas De La Victoria from Spain.The choir will end with a gospel-like ar-

rangement of Leonard Cohen’s “Anthem,” which will transition into their closing song “Oh Holy Night,” the original version that happens to be the one performed in the first “Home Alone” movie.

“Oh Holy Night,” is Lambert’s favorite Christmas carol. “It’s just stunningly beauti-ful - simple, beautiful to listen to,” he said, al-though it’s often been overdone, he believes. “There’s been, in my opinion, really bad re-cordings of it out there.”

About 60 singers will perform at The Grotto, with a few that have never performed with a choir.

“For anyone who hasn’t sung in a choir - to have this be their first experience, in that space, is really just incredible. It’s gonna be pretty spectacular for them,” Lambert said. “It’ll be a little bit of a slap in the face, but in a great way.”

The Mt. Hood choir is open for anyone to join and is available every school term. This year will be the third time Lambert accom-panies the choir to The Grotto, and the first time he will be in charge of it.

Mt. Hood’s choir will be the last to per-form on Dec. 1.

The Festival goes from 5 to 9:30 p.m. and costs $10 for adults, $9 for seniors with ID, $5 for children ages 3-12, and is free for any-one 2 and under. For more information, visit http://www.thegrotto.org/christmas/.

Choir gears up for The Grotto’s Festival of Lights

the advocate

LIFESTYLE

5

November 21, 2014

Austin Guerrerothe advocate

Mt. Hood’s production of “The Storytell-ing Ability of a Boy,” will open tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre.

The play consists of a dynamic cast of three, in a dark comedy: a young teacher, a brilliant student, and a close friend. Three people and three motives create a love triangle that is hard for them to overcome.

Lead actress MaKayla Kott, 20, like her character, defies tradition by counting this as her first lead role.

She plays Caitlin Skreeting, a high school teacher in her mid-twenties who is transfixed by her slacker student’s enchanting writing ability. Kott said the MHCC play is a whole new experience and that she’s had to get used to missing out on her friends “almost every weekend” for rehearsal.

“(Director) Mace Archer is great! He’s very helpful. Very supportive,” Kott said. “He wants you to try, and try, and try to create your own understanding (of the character) until it clicks,” she said.

From the outside, the story is of small scope. But within, the play unfolds the en-gaging story of Skreeting’s perseverance to inspire Peck, the singular student, to contin-ue writing. As she continues to support Peck she finds herself drawn into something she can’t control, spending more and more time with him. The unstable love triangle begins when another character enters into the tense mix: Dora, an old “friend” who has a dramat-ic history with Caitlin, is back in town.

Kott lands first lead role at MHCC

Photo by Beka Haugen - the advocate

MaKayla Kott landed her first lead role in MHCC’s production of “The Storytelling Ability of a Boy,” which will open tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Studio Theatre.

THE GRISWOLDS | MISSISSIPPI1

GENERATIONALS | YOURS FOREVER2

THE ROYAL CONCEPT | ON OUR WAY3

RA RA RIOT | BOY4

DOG IS DEAD | GLOCKENSPIEL5

Tonight @ 7:30 p.m.

Saturday@ 7:30 p.m.

Sunday@ 2s & 7:30 p.m.

MHCC Studio Theatre

SONGS5 OP

Each week the advocate supplies you with our top

five songs for your playlist. Guess what this week’s

theme is? We miss the sun! Here are five songs that

make you want to dance.

THE

STORYTELLINGABILITY OF A

BOY

The characters of the play may have heated drama in every scene but the actors playing them sure don’t.

“We get our lines wrong all the time,” said Kott. She also said that laughter is a common sound during rehearsal for the production, and that the environment during rehearsals is very calm but also very focused.

Outside rehearsals, Kott also manages to focus on her hobbies. Among them are read-ing, drawing, writing, hula hooping, singing, cooking, sewing, playing video games, watch-ing Netflix, and riding her bike, she said. She also works at Gresham’s Chipotle Mexican restaurant and attends classes at Mt. Hood.

This is Kott’s final year here at MHCC, and she doesn’t have any set plans yet. In any case, she said that she will be auditioning for the upcoming winter musical, “The Drowsy Chaperone,” and then figure out what comes next.

The play starts tonight at 7:30 p.m. in the Mt. Hood Studio Theatre, and runs again at the same time on Saturday and Sunday.

Advance tickets are $5; students and se-niors pay $7 at the door, while adults pay $10.

the advocate

NEWS

6

November 21, 2014

Hunter Holmesthe advocate

The Associated Student Government’s (ASG) themed “Casino Night” attracted high-rolling students to a night of fun on Nov. 12.

Orchestrated and funded in its entirety by the ASG, the event started at 5:30 and went until 7:30 p.m., in the Student Union. About 50 people attended; admittance was free to Mt. Hood students, and $2 (or a donation of two food cans to Barney’s Pantry) for non-students.

The Student Union was decorated in black and red decor, with a card suit motif. The raffle, magician and catered food were on one side of the room, and the gambling tables on the other. The “casino” included two blackjack tables, a craps table, a roulette table, a high-low poker table and

a standard poker table.Five professional dealers worked the

tables, and guests placed bets with a supply of chips received at registration. Though actual money was not in the mix, players could cash in $500 worth of chips for a ticket in the prize raffle at the end of the night. Throughout the night, the magician, Craig Martin, performed tricks for an audience gathered at his table.

Catering was covered by an MHCC hospitality department student, who prepared the themed food - including die-shaped gelatin and suit-shaped cookies - as a demonstration of her culinary skill.

The event was planned by ASG reception coordinator Nuvia Ramirez, and staffed by various members of the student council.

Beyond the food donations collected, Ramirez said the Casino Night “was just to let college students have a little fun.”

Check out the Casino Night video at www.advocate-online.net

MHCC students hit thejackpot at Casino Night

Forensics keeps it upGreg Leonovthe advocate

MHCC’s Forensics team had an exceptional weekend at the 42nd Annual Mike Dugaw Smelt Classic, hosted by Lower Columbia Community College on Nov. 8-9.

Every team member won awards and the Mt. Hood team finished in first place for community colleges and came in third in the overall sweepstakes.s

“The level of competition was the same and in some ways, more intense, especially in debate. Very competitive field,” said coach Shannon Valdivia.

All members on the team brought home awards, ranging from first to fourth place.

The team is taking a three-week break from competition, but continue to prepare for a showdown at Clark College on Dec. 6-7. “We are adding new events in preparation for Clark College but just putting our noses to the grindstone and keeping the machine moving forward,” said Valdivia.

Asked who might be the Saints’ most promising contender, Valdivia replied, “THE WHOLE TEAM!”

Hayden Hunterthe advocate

A couple of weeks ago, Sunny Klever, MHCC Foundation development officer, retired from her position after 16 years at the college.

According to Al Sigala, director of foundation and alumni relations, it was because they “couldn’t talk her out of staying.”

Judi Charman, former Foundation development specialist, will slide into Klever’s position. “They are really big shoes to fill, but I think that I am up to the task,” Charman said.

The development officer differs from the development specialist greatly. The officer deals with event planning for the most part, whereas the specialist mostly handles administrative work - scholarship paper work and data management.

Charman’s new position is effective immediately. She said, “I do hope to stay in touch with her (Klever)” as she grows into the job.

Klever bidsfarewell

Slice of LifeSlice of Life

Photos by Beka Haugen - the advocate

Thursday, students decided to get together for ASG’s Turkey Bowl to have some good ol’ fashioned fun with the pigskin before Thanksgiving. Students can be seen running, stealing flags, and even hud-dling up for their next play in the photos above.

the advocate

SPORTS November 21, 2014

7

Aaron MarshallGuest column

Since the 2010-11 season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are four-time Northwest Division champions, but thanks to early injuries to super-stars Kevin Durant (fractured foot) and Russell Westbrook (small fracture in right hand), it seems the title is open for the Blazers’ taking.

As of Thursday, Portland sat at 8-3, first in the division, and were riding a five-game win streak. OKC’s issues are clear without its leaders as the Thunder are 3-9 and on a three-game losing streak. It’s ironic to see a team have big health is-sues, and have it not be Portland, as everyone here knows the Blazers’ depressing injury-riddled past.

This year’s Portland team is already on a hot start. Earlier this month the Blazers had big wins, including smacking the LeBron James-led Cava-liers by 19 (101-82) and two days later thumping the Western Conference-contending Dallas Mav-ericks by 21 (108-87). Even though the Denver Nuggets are not contenders this year in the West, Portland had an impressive showing on the road, embarrassing Denver, 130-113, and scoring 84 points in the first half. The Blazers had six differ-ent players in double-digit scoring in that game.

I like this year’s team. Adding point guard Steve Blake and center Chris Kaman, both veter-ans, has made the Portland bench a lot better than last year and it seems like Blake is a better fit in the Portland system than current Minnesota Timber-wolves point guard Mo Williams, who filled that Blazers roster spot last year.

Statistically as a team, Portland has been doing well, as it’s currently first in the league in rebounds per game at 46.8, sixth in assists per game at 23.8, and eighth in points per game scored and points allowed, at 104.4 and 95.9. Portland’s starting five has always been consistent but now the bench is starting to actually contribute. Kaman aver-ages 10 points per game off the bench, and both Blake and shooting guard C.J. McCollum average five points. Unfortunately, it was announced this week that McCollum will be sidelined for an esti-mated month with a fractured finger.

Eleven games into the fresh season, Blazer

fans have to be excited with what they’ve seen, although the team has lost some winnable games, including a 95-90 loss to the Warriors on Nov. 2. That was close all game long, but Portland col-lapsed late, then also lost Nov. 8 to the Los Angeles Clippers by four (106-102). That loss was tougher, considering the Blazers were up the entire game and blew it late in the fourth quarter. The oth-er Portland loss was to the Sacramento Kings on Halloween, which was its first road game, when they struggled to contain Kings forward Rudy Gay as he finished with 40 points.

Besides those three games, the Blazers have looked impressive and even showed resilience as they have come back from big deficits. They bat-tled back to beat the Charlotte Hornets, 102-100, after being down 23 at one point, and again this past Monday they came back on the New Orleans Pelicans after they trailed by 16 in the third quar-ter, winning 102-93.

I predict that Portland will win the Northwest Division as long as they consistently keep a legit lead over OKC while they’re missing their star players.

Overall, I see Portland as a top-four team in the West. As long as they win the division they will clinch a home court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. I’m still cautious about the bench continuing to play at this level because lat-er in the season, the starting five will wear down somewhat and you can’t depend on the starters like the Blazers did last season – finishing 54-28 and fifth in the West. Once Durant and West-brook come back, it will be intriguing to see how the division turns out.

Tonight at 7:30 (televised on ESPN), the Chi-cago Bulls come to the Moda Center for a good battle as even though they’ve only had Derrick Rose for five games so far. The Bulls, too, sit 8-3 in the Eastern Conference and are first in the Central Division. Ironically, it was last year in Portland on Nov. 23 when Rose tore his meniscus, forcing him to miss the remainder of the season.

This fall is Portland’s opportunity to real-ly make an impact. As long as the Blazers don’t choke down the road, us fans will enjoy watching them, come April, in the playoffs again.

Blazers’ time to shine?Web photo

Photo contributed by Luke Davis

Tough exit for SaintsBrandon Raleighthe advocate

Last Saturday, the Mt. Hood vol-leyball season came to a screeching halt with a loss to Southwestern Oregon in a play-in game to make the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) champi-onship tournament, an ending sooner than any Saint would have liked.

SW Oregon defeated MHCC in a four-set match (21-25, 25-19, 25-11, 25-20). The Saints started off strong with a victory in the first set, but the Lakers were too much to handle, taking the next three, including a dominating 25-11 third-set victory.

In her final game at Mt. Hood, soph-omore setter Shea Lindsey provided 27 sets for the Saints. Freshman outside hitter Jessica Pedro contributed 13 kills; sophomore libero Kiana Miller added 10 defensive digs.

Coach Andrew Clifton discussed the Saints’ finale: “We won the first one. Second one, they got to a pretty big lead, pulled it back together towards the end. Third game they got off to a big lead again, fourth game was close through-out.

“Kind of the same things that have happened before,” he added. “(We) went in with a game plan and played well, kind of got pushed a little bit, and just didn’t deal with the recovery.”

The Saints finished the year at 13-29 overall, 3-7 in league play. It was quite a transition from the high-flying years under former coach Chelsie Speer, when the Saints captured or shared five

straight South Region titles and won the 2011 NWAC championship.

Clifton, completing his first season as Mt. Hood coach, took a look back. “It was a learning experience. I think that like most seasons it had its up and downs and I think at the end we all learned a lot about ourselves as athletes and as a team,” he said. “We had higher goals for ourselves, but in the process of trying to reach those goals we grew as individuals.”

Sophomore setter Rachel Wood-cock, who played her last game in a Saints uniform, gave her thoughts on the year.

“It sucks that we didn’t reach our goal of making NWACs, but we did reach a lot of other goals along the way and I got to spend my last season here at Mt. Hood with a great group of girls and coaching staff,” she said.

Clifton hasn’t let the season go, quite yet. “I am excited for what’s coming in the future, but it’s still kind of early. I’m still reflecting on this season,” he said. “So, I haven’t quite just switched over. It takes awhile to reflect on your season. Reflect on what went right, what went wrong, what changes could the team make.”

Yes, the season did not unfold as many might have expected but there is a lot of promise for the future. The Saints will return many of this year’s fresh-men next year, meaning there will be a lot of veteran leadership for incoming players. Mt. Hood has the opportunity to make a big push in the NWAC once again, next year.

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