1977

Champions Forever: North�s last boys� basketball champ just might have been
the best ever

by Russ Fegles
North Eugene Caledonian, June 1997

In the 39 years that North Eugene High School has been on the planet earth, there have been many, many great sports teams. But there was one team that left the expectations, along with tradition and pride, that all of the Highlander sports teams today try to emulate. Twenty years ago, March 12, 1977 to be exact, the Highlander boys� basketball team, led by legendary coach Barney Holland, won their second straight state championship over Grant 56-44. That season might have been the best season ever at North.

The team consisted of: Danny Ainge, Mike Babb, Greg Niko, Matt Fahey, Mike O�Neil, Rick Dymock, Jim Steiner, Joe Behrends, Rodger Bates, Greg Jacobson, Steve Moulton, and Derek Swezey. They strolled to an undefeated 26-0 overall record. The team finished winning 38 straight games from 1975-76 through the championship game in 1976-77. That mark was the state record for consecutive wins. � We had 12 players who could probably start on any other team in the league,� says team member Mike Babb. � The thing I remember most is that we were undefeated, and nobody came close to beating us. Our average winning margin was about 30-35 points.�

Legendary hero Danny Ainge led the team almost by himself that year. That year, he accomplished some of the most amazing feats that the state has ever seen at the high school level. These included scoring 589 points overall and 524 in the regular season; setting the team record for most points in a game in three consecutive games with 38, 39, and finally the current record of 40 points; and getting all-state, all-tournament, all-league, and league MVP honors. North had three players on the all-league team that year: Ainge, Rodger Bates, and Mike O�Neil, with Greg Niko getting 3rd team. O�Neil was second on the team that year in scoring with 298 points in the regular season.

Other honors that various players won include: Rodger Bates, all-state and team most improved; Greg Niko for team leadership, and O�Neil for team best defensive.

One of the memorable games from the season included a 99-62 win against Thurston. The game was played at the historic MacArthur Court on the U of O campus. A crowd of about 6,000 was on hand to see the Highlanders win.

In the state tournament, they continued their winning streak. On March 8, they beat Roseburg 62-43. Two days later, they won against Corvallis 71-32. The next game was against then-undefeated Parkrose 51-40. That set up the game against another undefeated team, Grant, for the championship game.

One of the people who got to see all the exciting action was team manager Alan Quimby. � We had most of the guys from the previous year coming back,� he remembers. � We had our starting five coming back, and a lot of returning team members. We were a very cohesive unit. Everybody knew what their job was, and they all did their job very well.�

� I remember a lot of things from that year. One moment was Danny Ainge making a full-court shot at Mac Court. Another was when Danny tried to dunk, and he back-rimmed the ball out to about half-court. Coach Holland benched him after that.�

After 20 years, there have been many great seasons, but hardly any can match that incredible season. As the current squad won 3rd place in state, we can look back at the old times, and hope for a return of those times to North Eugene.

Special thanks to Mike Babb, Alan Quimby, and the Register-Guard for their help with this article.