Commentary

EUGENE — From the moment Greg Garrision returned to the Corvallis High campus in 2004 to coach the boys basketball program, there was a feeling success was right around the corner.

He brought that feeling and expectation into the first game he coached. The Spartans lost that game to North Eugene, 63-55, but Garrison set the bar high afterward.

“We want to be competitive every night,” Garrison said after the loss. “We think that if we play well and play the way we are supposed to, the wins will take care of themselves. We expect to win because we think our system is good and we have good enough kids to win.”

A prophetic statement indeed.

The Spartans reached the playoffs in Garrison’s second season, and advanced to the 5A semifinals last year before playing for their sixth state title on Saturday night.

And while Garrison and the Spartans came up short Saturday night at McArthur Court, falling to Jefferson 55-52 in the title game, what the Spartans accomplished this season shouldn’t be diminished.

The key to a lot of that success over the past three years?

Garrison’s approach.

“He’s really good at keeping things simple,” former player and current assistant coach Casey Williams said about an hour before the Spartans tipped off. “He demands a lot of the kids but he demands it in a way that they believe they can do it, they know they can do it. There’s a fine line and he’s got it figured out. I hope to be like that one day.”

Garrison has asked his players to buy into his system, especially on the defensive end of the court, and it has worked.

“He’s one of those guys who has a lunchpail mentality,“senior Nick Eason said. “You bring your lunchpail and go to work every day. He sells out so much for this program. He sacrifices so much of his time, he’s just one of those guys ... If we could work half as hard as he does. He expects the best from us, he’s a perfectionist, but he understands it’s all about effort.”

And he has led from the bench.

“He never panics about anything,” Williams said. “That’s what I’ve been most impressed with is his game management. He never tries to do too much. If we need a special play, it’s something we’ve done before. He doesn’t sit there and draw something new up. Everything we do we’ve been prepared for.”

That lack of panic was evident in Friday’s victory over Thurston in the semifinals. The Spartans trailed by five heading into the final eight minutes, but stepped up defensively, and seniors Nadav Heyman, Alex Hendrickson, Nick Eason and Cade Hearing all made big plays as the Spartans outscored the Colts 17-5 in the quarter.

It was there again on Saturday as well. Despite not playing their best basketball, the Spartans, who never led and trailed by as many as nine in the second half, tied the game at 46 on two free throws by Camron Horrell. They were within two after two free throws by Eason with 16.6 seconds left, but Jefferson had just enough to hold the lead and won the title.

It was a bittersweet end to the last two seasons that saw the Spartans go 50-5.

When the Spartans were looking for a new coach after the 2003-04 season, Garrison was the perfect fit for CHS, athletic director Bob Holt said. He had been at the school before, taking over the program before the 1991-92 season after previous coach Mike Doherty was fired.

In three seasons with the Spartans, Garrison compiled a 56-23 overall record, including 43-14 in the old Valley League. The Spartans were second twice and third the other year.

“He was somebody our other coaches knew and said would be somebody that would fit into our family,” Holt said.

He immediately fit in. The players that first year bought into Garrison’s program. And although they failed to make the playoffs, the foundation was set.

Corvallis reached the playoffs in 2006 and lost at Jefferson for a chance to reach the quarterfinals. That Jefferson team, led by Lathen Wallace, finished third in the 4A tournament.

When reclassification came about for the 2006-07 season, the Spartans had to be considered one of the favorites to challenge for a state title.

They did just that posting a 22-1 regular season record before reaching the 5A state tournament with a win over Crater.

The Spartans then exacted a measure of revenge in a way with a quarterfinal win over Jefferson before a tough loss to North Eugene in the semis. An uninspired performance against Mountain View a day later cost the Spartans third place, so they settled for fifth and a 24-3 mark.

The Spartans had to replace three starters off that team, but they didn’t miss a beat with another one-loss regular-season perormance.

Part of that is to the credit of the players, and part to Garrison.

“There’s not one characteristic about him, it’s just his whole approach,” Williams said. “Every single side conversation he has with the kids, every little thing he does makes such a difference.”

Steve Gress is the sports editor of the Corvallis Gazette-Times. He can be reached at steve.gress@lee.net.