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Well Played Coach Danny Miles & the Hustlin’ Owls

Danny Miles at Oregon Tech: 1971 — 2016

Reflecting on a 45-year, award-winning career Herald and News — Saturday, April 30, 2016

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Saturday, April 30, 2016

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Herald and News

Doing things the right way Oregon Tech’s Danny Miles reflects on 45-year, award-winning career coaching the Hustlin’ Owls

T

hree hundred wins.

Maybe a couple of conference championships.

It all sounded good to a 24-year-old Daniel Joseph Miles when he became Oregon Tech’s head men’s basketball coach for the 1971-72 season.

“I was hired as the offensive coordinator for the football team and the next baseball coach,” Miles says of his beginning with the Hustlin’ Owls. “Jim Partlow wanted me to be an assistant basketball coach, too.

“I always thought I would be a Division I football coach, or baseball coach,” Miles says.

“As it turned out, the basketball job opened, I applied and got the job at 24. I also coached football and baseball.”

The basketball team was 1-24 in 1970-71.

“I didn’t know if we could win very many games, but the one thing I knew we could do was hustle,” Miles says, thus Hustlin’ was added to the school’s Owls nickname.

The rest of the story has been well documented, starting with an 11-15 season in 1971-72.

Some of his closest colleagues say, despite being an intense competitor, there has been nothing pretentious about Danny Miles.

“What you see is what you get,” longtime assistant coach Mike Pisan says of Miles, with whom the former coached 17 seasons and was on the bench for all three Oregon Tech national basketball championships.

“He is one of the kindest, most thoughtful persons you could meet,” longtime radio broadcaster Bobby Thompson adds. “Look at what he did with Special Olympics. The Terrace. Things like that. He never had a prejudiced bone in his body. He has never been conceited. He has a heart of gold. He basically is always for the underdogs.

“In my mind, that’s Danny.”

There are four key insights into Miles says another longtime assistant coach, Doug Kintzinger.

“The best thing I learned about Coach Miles is that he is all about doing things the right way,” Kintzinger says. “Danny brought Stories by H&N Sports Editor Steve Matthies

1972 ‘I wouldn’t trade a thing.

I have been so blessed. ...

I loved coming to work every day. It was exciting.

I never thought about doing it for 45 years.”

— Danny Miles

diversity to Oregon Tech, he has a thirst for knowledge and continuous improvement, and he changed with the times.”

For a variety of reasons, some related to health, others to age, others to longevity, Miles opted to retire at the end of the 201516 season, a local legend, a hero to many but a person who learned from his own life mistakes to make a major impact on Oregon Tech, Klamath Falls, Southern Oregon, the Pacific Northwest and the country.

“Look at the awards,” Thompson says.

“Those are the things that show you Danny Miles.”

NAIA National Hall of Fame. Oregon Sports Hall of Fame. Southern Oregon University Hall of Fame. National Coach of the Year multiple times. Conference and/ or district Coach of the Year multiple times.

Numerous other national coaching honors.

He also has conducted clinics in Germany, France, Rwanda and other places.

He is one of the few NAIA national Champions of Character Award winners.

The Cascade Collegiate Conference will recognize its tournament champions, starting next season, as winner of the Danny Miles Award.

Most recently he was named Athletes in Action John Wooden Keys to Life winner, an honor Miles says may be the greatest of them all.

One would hardly know.

“My dad once told me people will remember you as long as it takes the water to replace what was gone after you pulled your foot out of the bucket,” the 70-year-old Miles says, reflecting on his long career with the Hustlin’ Owls.

“I wouldn’t trade a thing. I have been so blessed. To have the opportunity to win one (national championship) is amazing, let alone three.

I loved coming to work every day. It was exciting. I never thought about doing it for 45 years.”

Retirement had crossed his mind a couple of times.

Continued on page 4

Final score: Oregon Tech men’s basketball coach Danny Miles looks over a scoring sheet in the locker room following his final game Feb. 14.

H&N photo by Kevin N. Hume

Giving back Giving back is my way is my way of saying of saying “Thank you.”

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Saturday, April 30, 2016

A Tribute to Danny Miles

DANNY MILES AT OIT

Continued from page 2 “One thing is, when I committed my life (to Christ), I knew one way I could show that was by coaching rather than retire. Other people who came to Christ, how they lived their lives intrigued me.”

Miles quietly shared his faith off the court, as well as within the basketball community.

“He’s made a lot of personal decisions. To live the way he does is because of them. It’s who he is,” Pisan says.

“He admitted his mistakes,” Thompson says.

“Looking back, I know how fortunate we were to win three championships, to be in two other Final Fours,” Miles says. “To win one game at the national tournament is amazing. To win eight in a row (as OIT did in the 2004 and 2005 tournaments) is crazy.

“What might be more amazing is what we did in the first 20 years I was here. We won three district championships and were second five other times. Only one team (from the district/league then) went to nationals.”

National tournaments OIT made 17 national tournament trips, 14 after the NAIA split basketball into divisions, with scholarship limits the difference between the divisions.

The Hustlin’ Owls have won more games in the NAIA Division II national tournament than any other school, 33. They also had a 14-0 first-round record with Miles as the head coach.

“What we accomplished with little money might be more amazing. If we had it the way it is now, we might have won some more games. It was tougher those first 20 years when we played schools like Linfield, Eastern Washington, Central Washington, Western Washington, Whitworth.

“Those teams in my first 20 years were good.”

A key to Tech’s success was Miles’ ability to adjust, especially during games.

“He had such a great feel for in-game adjustments,” Pisan, one of three men who served as an assistant coach for more than 10 years, says. “He was so good at adjusting personnel, and getting guys to believe.

“He gave his coaches responsibilities. There was trust. He listens. He had the ability to Continued on page 5

Herald and News

RECORD BY SEASON National championships 2004, 2008, 2012.

National runners-up 1998

Oregon Tech men’s basketball coach Danny Miles addresses his team in the locker room after his final game Feb. 14.

Oregon Tech men’s basketball assistant coach Mike Pisan hugs coach Danny Miles after Miles honored him before coaching his final game Feb. 14. Miles and Pisan are both retiring at the end of this season.

H&N photos by Kevin N. Hume

Oregon Tech men’s basketball coach Danny Miles holds back tears as he addresses the crowd with his wife, Judie by his side during a ceremony to honor him for his 45 years of coaching following the game against Eastern Oregon Feb. 14.

Season Record Pct. 1971-72 11-15 .424 1972-73 14-12 .538 1973-74 25-5 .833 1974-75 25-4 .862 1975-76 18-10 .643 1976-77 22-6 .786 1977-78 17-11 .607 1978-79 24-6 .800 1979-80 19-11 .633 1980-81 19-13 .594 1981-82 20-10 .667 1982-83 20-12 .625 1983-84 18-14 .563 1984-85 13-15 .464 1985-86 32-9 .780 1986-87 33-5 .868 1987-88 27-6 .818 1988-89 26-9 .743 1989-90 24-12 .667 1990-91 15-17 .467 1991-92 21-11 .656 1992-93 12-16 .429 1993-94 20-13 .606 1994-95 20-13 .606 1995-96 17-13 .567 1996-97 30-5 .857 1997-98* 26-11 .703 1998-99 25-8 .757 1999-00 28-6 .824 2000-01 32-6 .842 2001-02 22-11 .667 2002-03 27-7 .794 2003-04* 31-6 .838 2004-05* 28-9 .757 2005-06 26-9 .743 2006-07 28-5 .848 2007-08* 31-6 .838 2008-09 29-6 .829 2009-10 30-5 .857 2010-11 30-5 .857 2011-12* 34-4 .895 2012-13 16-15 .516 2013-14 19-13 .594 2014-15 13-16 .448 2015-16 24-8 .750 Career totals 1043-434 .706 *Final Four appearances.

NOTE — Records for some seasons adjusted for recently acquired forfeits.

Herald and News

Continued from page 4 respond to situations. Nate Lewis is a good example of Danny’s intuition,” Pisan says.

Lewis, as a freshmen, had seen little action during the season.

At home against Southern Oregon, with Tech trailing, Miles sent Lewis into the game.

Known as a defensive specialist, Lewis knocked down a trio of three-point baskets in less than two minutes to fuel an OIT victory before a deafening crowd at Danny Miles Court.

“One of the things that really helped us was our (defensive) schemes,” Miles says. “It was easier for us to adjust. That’s one of the reasons we beat Rollie (Massimino and Northwood in the 2012 championship game).

“I can think of at least three times when we put in a new defense just hours before a game (at the tournament),” he says, one of which came when he drew a court in chalk in the parking lot of the team’s hotel.

Tech won.

“I learned as we went along that he was a no-nonsense guy,”

A Tribute to Danny Miles Thompson says.”But, he would see things other didn’t. Combined with (Pisan), they saw things other coaches didn’t. He would figure out what to do.

“He was an innovator with what he wanted to do. When Pisan came back (for his second coach tour with Miles), things changed.”

“I have been able to do this with coaches who are close friends, which is really special,” Miles says. “It’s a trust thing.

With Mike, Doug and Aristede (Agnimel), I wasn’t afraid to turn any part of the game over to them. They were all system guys, “We tweaked a lot of things,” Miles said.

Kintzinger agrees.

“Doing things the right way was non-negotiable for himself and his team,” Kintzinger says.

“Everything revolves around the good of the team, the good of OIT and the good of the community.”

He notes the annual Special Olympics game.

“The game is a blast to watch, everyone has a lot of fun and a it is a great reminder about the

Saturday, April 30, 2016

importance of all people, doing your best and having fun and joy in your life,” Kintzinger, who with Pisan and Agnimel served Miles for more than a decade, says.

“He has been unbelievably loyal and he has the heart of a warrior,” Kintzinger says. “He knows the true measure of one’s performance is not based on wins and losses, but how much one has given to the game and those around you.

“He is the ultimate Oregon Tech Guy.” That showed in his final season, one in which the Hustlin’ Owls went 23-9, tied for fourth place in the Cascade Collegiate Conference and allowed Miles to retire with a 1,040-437 career record. Both records have changed because of forfeits OIT has received.

“The last season ended positively and there were some things that we out of our hands,” Pisan says of the final year.

“When the season ended, we were where we wanted to be.”

Pisan opted to retire along with Miles.

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“I had told him I’d stay as long as he stayed, and we had thought about (retiring) after 2012. The last three years we were trying to get (OIT basketball) back to where it was,” Pisan says. “It was definitely a collage of things (which led to Miles’ retirement).

“It wasn’t because he was unhappy.

“But,” Pisan says, “it’s nice to have some flexibility, which is what I like (about retirement).

We can plan some stuff now.

We can spend more time with grandkids, and he’ll be doing that, too.”

Miles, like Pisan, says the thinks what will be missed are the preseason, practices, just the time to visit and talk about almost anything.

“I’m a guy who loved Oregon Tech, Klamath Falls, the Basin,” Miles says. “I have appreciated all the fans, the acquaintances we’ve met since we’ve been here.

This place has been good to us (he and wife Judie). I tried to do the best with the tools I had.

“I have a lot of great memories.”

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A Tribute to Danny Miles

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Herald and News

An opportunity to play Hustlin’ Owls players reflect on lessons learned during their time with Coach Danny Miles

D

anny Miles doubtlessly has had little time to read the dozens of letters he was presented at a social gathering before more than 400 people to begin the celebration of his final home weekend as Oregon Tech’s men’s basketball coach.

When he finally had the time, two words he saw throughout the book were simple — Thank You. From around the United States to Europe to Down Under — letters of thanks and tributes came in to honor Miles, whose final regular season game at Danny Miles Court was Feb. 14 when the Hustlin’ Owls hosted Eastern Oregon.

If only by the luck of scheduling, OIT hosted the Mountaineers, a team that has but a single victory over Tech since Jimmy Carter was President of the United States.

“Thanks for giving me the experience of a lifetime,” Scott Riddle wrote.

Riddle, who set records that still stand at Madras High School, had life issues when he started college. Once married, his wife is from Chiloquin, Riddle asked Miles for the chance to play at OIT when he returned to college.

Riddle, at age 33, was on the 2012 national championship team.

He also was among the almost 200 former players who were part of the weekendlong celebrations for Miles, one of only four men’s basketball coaches at a four-year school with more than 1,000 career victories.

Miles’ legacy always will be more than the wins, more than the championships, more than the numerous Coach of the Year awards, more than being a member of the NAIA Hall of Fame, more than being the Athletes in Action “Johnny Wooden Keys to Life” award winner, more than being the NAIA Champion of Character award winner.

See OPPORTUNITY page 8

‘Without your commitment to bringing in not only the best talent from around the world, but the best people from around the world, I would not be able to call myself a national champion or National Player of the Year.’

— Ryan Fiegi, former Oregon Tech player

H&N file photo

OIT’s Ryan Fiegi, left, and Josh Wetzler react after the Hustlin’ Owls defeated the Bellevue Bruins 63-56 during the 2008 NAIA Division II National Championship finals at Keeter Gymnasium at the College of the Ozarks in Point Lookout, Mo., March 18, 2008.

International athletes:

Traveling the world to play in Klamath Falls

Danny Miles has been called a father figure by many of his former Oregon Tech basketball players.

That holds true, especially by those individuals who have traveled to Klamath Falls from around the world — Australia, New Zealand, Germany, France, the Ivory Coast and Serbia, among others.

“He was a father figure to us all,” David Clarke, from New Zealand, said.

“He was not only a coach,” Greg Regan said, echoing Clarke’s sentiments.

“He not only taught us the game inside and out, but how to be a quality person,” Regan, one of several Australians to play for Miles and the Hustlin’ Owls, said.

“I can remember many times where I would go into his office and just talk about anything other than basketball … something the guys who were away from their families needed. He would also open up his home to us … and that was a credit to him and Judie’s kindness.”

That is one reason players remain in contact with Miles, and often watch OIT games when they have the chance.

“I am from France and Danny took a huge gamble giving a French guy a chance to go to OIT,” Florian Houguet said. “Not everyone today is willing to take big gambles which could jeopardize their reputation. Danny did.

“By doing so,” Houguet said, “I felt even more in need to do the best I could for the OIT basketball program as well as anything else involving OIT or Klamath Falls. Overnight, Coach gave me a hand to succeed. It was then my duty to make the best of it.”

Houguet did and was a key component of the 2004 national championship team.

“Danny used to come to the south of France to visit me and my family prior to my coming to the USA,” Houguet said. “Each year he came by, we always brought Danny to various site-seeing locations from my region. Each time, he would strike up conversations with complete strangers who wore some T-shirt that might indicate which school or U.S. city they have been to.

See ATHLETES page 7

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Herald and News

ATHLETES from page 6

“Such behavior amazed my dad and me so much. Danny was so friendly to others, and loved to have a conversation with random people. After many years being with Danny, on and off the court, I just knew that this was part of his character,” Houguet said.

“Danny is interested in people. He loves to hear their stories. Danny certainly has a huge set of stories to tell, but he always seems more interested in your stories. This is one characteristic trait of a humble man.”

It was that image that brought Max Gotzler to Oregon Tech.

“My first real impression of Coach was formed while sitting with him and my parents in a beer garden at the Staffelsee lake in southern Bavaria,” Gotzler said. “Firm handshake, strong eye contact.”

Gotzler, like Houguet, was amazed Miles would take the gamble on a foreign player.

“I was excited (to be offered a scholarship to OIT),” Gotzler said, “and, all of a sudden, scared. Oregon? That’s too far way. What if I don’t like it? What if they don’t like me? What . if I’m not good enough?

“Coach noticed my concerns and assured me that I would have the scholarship, if I wanted it.

A

n Oregon Tech Guy can come in any size, shape or color.

There is no common denominator except for a love for the game and a desire to get the most out of his ability. He is not only proud of his strengths, but understands his weaknesses. He is, first of all, concerned with the good of his team and knows that individual recognition will come through team excellence.

An Oregon Tech Guy has the enthusiasm of an evangelist, the discipline of a monk, the heart of a warrior and never loses that honesty and character of a small child.

An Oregon Tech Guy appreciates the support of hundreds of fans, but is much more aware of the example he is setting for some small child watching from the sidelines. He is happy when he scores, but never forgets that a teammate threw him the ball. While he never lets up at either end of the floor, the other team is not the real opponent. It is the full

Saturday, April 30, 2016

extent of his own potential that he is always playing against.

An Oregon Tech Guy is made, not born. He is constantly striving to reach his potential, knowing that he will bypass other players who cannot withstand the strain of this quest for excellence. He realizes that the challenges and competition of today’s game will better prepare him for tomorrow’s world. He knows that the true meaning of one’s performance is not recorded in wins and losses, but how much of oneself is given to the game.

An Oregon Tech Guy never realizes when the odds are stacked against him. He can only be defeated by a clock that happens to run out of time. He is what a small child wants to become, and what an old person can remember with great pride that he, or she, once was.

Editor’s note — This is a piece Oregon Tech coach Danny Miles wrote this and has included it in his team handbook given to each player at the start of each season.

See ATHLETES page 9

Danny, Thanks for the memories...

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Saturday, April 30, 2016

A Tribute to Danny Miles

‘Thank you for teaching me the value of being a ‘Tech Guy.’ ... a ‘Tech Guy’ gives 100 percent effort in every aspect of their life, lessons that far transcend the basketball court.’

— Josh Conrad, former Oregon Tech player

H&N file photo

Oregon Tech’s Brandon Bautista listens to coach Danny Miles during 2014-15 season game.

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OPPORTUNITY from page 6 “Your optimism and energy for each day, as well as your focus on repetition, has been a great inspiration to me,” Justin Parnell, who has been named the next head coach, wrote in his letter to Miles.

“The impact you made in my life cannot be measured. I will never be able to repay you.

“I plan to have a great coaching career at Oregon Tech, but this will always be ‘The House That Danny Built,’ ” Parnell wrote.

“I appreciate all the answers you provided,” Joseph Foster wrote. “I’m appreciative for being part of reading to the kids and the Special Olympics events, as it was added experience and knowledge to my life mentality.

“I tell everyone I know that YOU are the greatest coach, if not, the top three of all time at any level. You had plenty of opportunities to go, but you stayed … you took that town, flipped it around, so it wouldn’t drown ...no more frowns.”

It was not just the players who were leading scorers or rebounders, guys who reached the career charts.

It was not just players who wrote about their OIT experiences with Miles. There also were football players, baseball players, softball players.

Those who responded to a request for letters were from small schools as well as big.

Taking a chance “Merci Coach for taking a chance on a French kid,” Florian Houguet wrote.

“Thank you Coach Miles for taking the chance on me and bringing me to America,” David Clarke wrote.

“Thank you Coach Miles for giving me the opportunity to have life experiences not available to many players in Australia, or many other places overseas,” Josh Johnson wrote in his letter to Miles, who still refers to himself as a dinosaur in coaching because of his 45-year tenure at OIT. “Thank you for allowing me to move across the country to play pure college basketball and pursue my engineering education,” Matt Smith, who transferred to OIT after having played at Wake Forest University, wrote.

“I don’t know if I can thank you

Herald and News

“You’ve been my mentor, counselor, uncle and friend. Thank you for taking a chance on me.”

Woodward wrote what many former OIT players, as well as community members who have been called often by Miles the greatest fans in the world: “Imagining you not on the court is heartbreaking, in a way, but I’m so happy that you’ve finally reached this point.”

The ‘Rudy’ moment While Miles cherishes the three national championships his teams have won, probably no one moment stands out more than what the veteran coach calls his “Rudy” moment, when Jake Carr hit a pair of free throws with one second left to give OIT a onepoint win over Life University.

It was Life’s only loss in a national championship season.

“I always wanted to have a team where the last guy on the bench could do something like that,” Miles has said several times.

Carr, a 5-foot-11 guard who still lives in Medford, calls that his favorite memory.

“It is the only time in my career a player was carried off the court,” Miles has said often.

“Having the opportunity to play college basketball was a dream come true,” Carr wrote in his letter to Miles. “I got one of the best degrees and made some life-long friends.”

“Whenever we need a smile, a laugh, an Oregon Tech teammate is almost always who we reach out to first,” Joshua Wetzler, one of several Australians to play for OIT, wrote.

Several players alluded to the challenges they faced playing for Miles.

“As a coach, your attitude every day was tough, ferocious, committed and always putting our team in the right position for victory,” Ryan Bittle wrote. “You made me want to play as hard as I could for you, my teammates and myself.”

Josh Conrad wrote: “Thank you for teaching me the value of being a ‘Tech Guy.’ This entailed hustle, sportsmanship and selflessness mixed with maximum effort, intensity and enthusiasm.

Most importantly, a ‘Tech Guy’ gives 100 percent effort in every aspect of their life, lessons that far transcend the basketball court.”

See OPPORTUNITY page 9

Herald and News

A Tribute to Danny Miles

OPPORTUNITY from page 8

ATHLETES from page 7

Not every former player was a standout. Many went through trying times.

“I often look back at my time of playing OIT basketball and think about a great games we had, sometimes a regret, a funny memory or the privilege of playing with my older brother Alan my freshman year,” Brent Johnson wrote.

“I am most appreciative of how you cared about your players. I will always be thankful for how patient you and Coach (Mike Pisan) were with the ups and downs I went through as a studentathlete. Players know when a coach really cares about them.”

Mike Hansen, one of many junior college transfers, had a couple of rough moments, too.

“I will always be thankful for the opportunity that was given to me to play basketball at OIT,” Hansen wrote.

“Looking up,” Gotzler said, “I just knew that I could trust him. And the more I heard and read about him, the more I wanted to play for him.”

Gotzler played two seasons before he transferred to Boston University, where he played for two years after having changed his major.

“During my sophomore year at OIT, I decided to pursue some of my other academic interests more,” the affable German said.

“Even though I knew it was the right decision for me, I felt terrible because I felt that I let down Coach Miles, the basketball program and the school that had done so much for me.”

That included the chance to play basketball in the USA, something Gotzler said is the dream of almost every young German player.

“Coach Miles, however, was very understanding and immediately offered to help me with the transfer,” Gotzler said. “A couple of days later, I received a call from BU’s head coach, who offered me a spot on the team, over the phone.

“Coach Miles had already sent over tapes to Boston and had given ‘the best recommendation for a player (Boston University coach Dennis Wolff) ever heard from a coach.’ ” Down Under players Regan joined a series of Australian players, the first of whom was Sammy Fotu.

Gotzler was referred to Miles by former OIT player Christian Maerz, one of several German players at OIT. Clarke discovered OIT after another school’s offer fell through.

“Coach Miles was the only reason I came to America,” Clarke said. “He made us be a champion — on and off the court.”

The growing up that I did during my two years in Oregon is still incompa-

Cultural exchange He made reference to being part of the first men’s collegiate basketball team from the United States to travel to China in an exchange program.

“One of my favorite memories was playing basketball during the summer in China,” Hansen wrote. “It was an amazing opportunity to experience a different culture.”

Danny Mills, an Australian who organized the first alumni game several years ago and shares the same middle name, Joseph, with Miles, also wrote about the trip to China and the numerous conference titles and trips to Branson, Mo., for national tournaments.

“Above anything else, Coach’s ability to connect with his teams year after year, to play to their strengths and get his guys to buy in and play hard every single day is what has made him one of the most successful coaches at any level in the country,” Mills wrote.

Some players noted their experiences at summer camps at OIT. See OPPORTUNITY page 10

rable to any other period in my adult life,” Gotzler said. “Coach is a no-nonsense guy, he shows everyone respect but his expectations are high and he can be very tough if you don’t live up to them.

“An OIT basketball player is a man, not a boy any more.”

Gotzler took to heart Miles’ team handbook letter, “An Oregon Tech Guy” to heart.

“There is one part that really stuck with me, and that I am still passing on to fellow teammates, friends and players I coach — ‘Be an idol to the little boy in the stands, watching you in awe and striving to be like you one day. Act like you want to be perceived by him. Act like you want yourself to be seen through his eyes.’

“This is one of the most powerful messages I’ve received from Coach Miles,” Gotzler said.

Challenging, amazing “My time in Klamath Falls was not an easy period in my life,” Gotzler said. “Quite the opposite. I remember it being quite tough. Now, after nine years since my arrival, however, I look back at it with so many amazing memories and realize that this was really the time when I started growing up.

“Coach Miles was a huge part of the process, teaching me not only the game of basketball, but how to prepare the right way, stand up for myself, be thankful for the opportunities I get and never forget that little boy in the stands.

“I experienced Coach Miles as a man with tremendous integrity who never gives up on

Saturday, April 30, 2016

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you, tries to help you however he can and pushes you to live up to your potential. And … I experienced Coach Miles as a man who loves beef jerky, loves the movie “Caddyshack” and knows a ton about the JFK assassination,” Gotzler said.

Houguet said, simply: “Coach cares.

“Danny Miles cares about each player individually and wants to make sure they all know that they are important to the success of the team,” Houguet said. “He demands a lot from each player, such as being on time, being classy on and off the court, working hard at practice, keeping your grades up and, mostly, do the best you can in anything you do.”

What have Oregon Tech basketball players learned from their coach?

“Respect others.” “Teamwork is how you succeed.” “Failure is part of winning.” “Hard work will pay off.” “Winning is giving it 100 percent, whatever the outcome.” “Thank God.” “I was always confident going into games, that Coach had gone above the call of duty to prepare us the best way he could,” Regan said, “especially the crucial first game of the national tournament.

You knew your opponent better than anyone would expect.

Coach was definitely someone you would bust you ass for.”

Clarke may well have best summed up what Miles means to his players, whether from the United States or not.

“He is a true legend,” Clarke said.

Congratulations Danny Miles on one INCREDIBLE Career at OIT!

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A Tribute to Danny Miles

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Herald and News

OPPORTUNITY from page 9 “I remember attending the OIT softball camps for as long as I can remember, growing up in Klamath Falls,” Tia L. Williams wrote. “Having the chance to play for you as a Hustlin’ Owl was the highlight of my softball career, and a dream come true.”

Jevon Struve, who played at Lost River, did basketball camps.

“I can remember growing up as a little boy attending Oregon Tech basketball camp each summer,” Struve wrote. “I always dreamed of playing for you and playing close to home at Danny Miles Court.

“The dream came true. Thank you for letting me come home (as a transfer from Western Oregon) to play and thank you for some of the best basketball memories a player could have.”

Bonanza grad Mike Nieraeth also is thankful he could play close to home, as were players from Mazama, Henley, Klamath Union, Chiloquin, Lakeview, Triad, Hosanna Christian, Tulelake and others.

“Words can’t describe how grateful I am to have you in

H&N file photo

Oregon Tech Coach Danny Miles talks to some of the more than 18,000 summer camp participants he has worked with.

my life,” Nieraeth, who played part of his OIT career while his father battled cancer, wrote.

“You’ve always been more than just a coach to me. I will always be indebted to you for taking a chance on a small-town kid.

“You taught me hard work pays off.”

Few OIT players were as deco-

rated as was Ryan Fiegi, one of the almost two dozen Oregon Tech basketball players to gain All-American honors, many as first-team picks.

“Without your commitment to bringing in not only the best talent from around the world, but the best people from around the world, I would not be able to

call myself a national champion or National Player of the Year,” Fiegi wrote.

“You helped me create friendships that will last my entire life, and for that I’m especially grateful.”

OIT’s career scoring leader Levell Hesia, a Mazama grad, noted Miles’ influence far beyond the basketball court.

“I would like to thank you, Coach, for being a great example for not only me, but the entire community of Klamath Falls,” Hesia wrote.

Dennis Bryant helped emphasize the point when he wrote: “In a world of constant change, your loyalty to your players and Oregon Tech is inspiring.”

“Without a shadow of a doubt, the time I spent as an AfricanAmerican student-athlete at Oregon Institute of Technology still resonates within my spirit,” Jeri Marshall, who went on to become a lead engineer for the city of Los Angeles, wrote.

“Thank you for the memories … and if there is a basketball heaven, the name Dan Miles is written in the book of basketball life. Well done, Danny.”

It’s time to get your spoonful Danny Miles!

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A Tribute to Danny Miles

Herald and News

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Integrity, Passion, Adaptability Colleagues share their observations of Danny Miles’ career, coaching success

I

t is more than the wins — a lot more.

When Danny Miles’ colleagues talk about the longtime Oregon Tech basketball coach, victories seldom are part of the conversation.

Integrity, passion, class, nice guy, professionalism and the ability to adapt are what they say.

“When I hear the name Danny Miles, a lot of ideas come to my mind, all of them positive,” former Warner Pacific head coach Bart Valentine says.

“I have been amazed over the years how Danny’s teams can always play their best when the moment is the greatest,” Valentine says. “I have learned to never count them out of a game.

“I have seen them come back and win when facing next to impossible odds, and I have seen them consistently play their best games when the most is on the line,” he adds.

“The thing that stands out to me

is the way Coach Miles has been able to adapt his coaching style to each generation of players,” former College of Idaho coach Marty Holly, now his school’s athletic director, said.

“The game that Dan coaches now does not even resemble the way the game was played when Dan started.

He not only adjusts to a different game, but he adjusts his style year-by-year, depending upon the talent he has.”

Concordia’s Brad Barbarick, who is one of the longest tenured coaches in the Cascade Collegiate Conference, also notes the adaptability Miles has shown in his 43 seasons with the Hustlin’ Owls.

“I think of a coach who has given his life to one school,” Barbarick says. “Any person who can coach or do the same job for 42 years at the same place has my utmost respect.

“To be able to do what Dan Miles has done at Oregon Tech, in Klamath Falls, borders on the unbelievable. The average person has no understanding of the travel, stress, long hours, focus and discipline it takes to coach at a

small college.

“Dan is truly one of the best coaches in all of college basketball,” Barbarick says.

Southern Oregon coach Brian McDermott says class is what he thinks of when Miles’ name comes up, as well as the reason he believes Miles is so successful.

“Danny is all about the kids and the game of basketball,” McDermott says.

“He does things for the right reasons.

He is trying to help his players become better people using the platform that basketball at OIT gives him.

“I think he represents the best of college athletics.”

Barbarick says it made him proud to be part of the coaching fraternity when he was in Atlanta at the end of 2013 season, to be present when Miles was honored by the National Association of Basketball Coaches at its annual banquet held during the NCAA Division I men’s final Four.

Continued on page 12

‘To be able to do what Dan Miles has done at Oregon Tech, in Klamath Falls, borders on the unbelievable. The average person has no understanding of the travel, stress, long hours, focus and discipline it takes to coach at a small college.’

— Brad Barbarick, Concordia University

H&N file photo

Oregon Tech Coach Danny Miles talks to team members during the 2012 NAIA national tournament in Branson, Mo.

11

12

Saturday, April 30, 2016

A Tribute to Danny Miles Continued from page 11

The Toughest Lab

The toughest lab on campus — the athletic department.

“We have our kids every day for six months,” Oregon Tech men’s basketball coach Danny Miles says, “and there’s more teaching, more going on, than anywhere else. Coaches see kids 20 hours a week. Even in their major, a professor may see them five hours a week.

“Coaches get to see the kids in their negative and positive moments, to miss a free throw and take a loss before 2,000 people is tougher than getting a ‘D’ on a paper that’s only seen by one person. We get to see them score a game-winning touchdown.

“Coaches get to help young people understand the highs and lows, to see how they handle those things.

“Sports reveal character.”

That is why the veteran coach calls the athletic arena the best lab on campus.

“For the most part,” Miles says, “the most fun part of the game, for me, is practice. It’s the time with the kids I find most enjoyable, but I think that comes with experience.

“Our system has two or three defenses we can go to, and you usually win according to how you play defense.

“We have enough of an offensive package to do a lot of things.

If you have a system in place, that makes making adjustments easier,” Miles says.

“When I was younger, we didn’t have the package in order, so it was harder to adjust.”

Most of those adjustments take place in a live lab, in front of hundreds, maybe thousands, of people.

Value Point System Danny Miles’ value point system is a mathematical formula designed to identify the complete basketball player.

It tallies the positives of a player in each game or scrimmage, and is divided by a series of negative statistics from the same event.

The positives are the accumulation of points scored (one point each), rebounds (one point each), assists (two points each) and recoveries (two points each). A recovery is a combination of steals, blocked shots, a charge drawn from an opponent and actively participating in forcing a turnover when a steal is not credited.

The negatives that are combined are field goals missed (two points each), free throws missed (one point each), personal fouls (two points each) and turnovers (two points each).

Anything that is 1.75 or above is considered superior play, with a 1.501.74 considered excellent. A 1.25-1.49 is considered good, while 1.00-1.24 is fair and anything 0.00 or under is poor.

In Miles’ 42 seasons to date, a season-long value point performance of 2.00 or better has been attained only 10 times, by five players, with Joshua Wetzler’s 2.54 in the 2008-09 season being the best ever.

Greg Regan has the best career value point score at 2.16. Wetzler had a 2.15. They are the only two players over 2.00 for their OIT careers.

Miles has used the system to track some National Basketball Association players, and Magic Johnson has the highest value point score for his career, at 2.07. John Stockton has a 2.04. Larry Bird has a 1.67.

Of active players, Steve Nash has a .166, Dirk Nowitzki 1.46, LeBron James 1.45 and Kobe Bryant 1.29.

Miles won the association’s Guardian of the Game Award.

“This prestigious award is one of the highest honors that can be bestowed on a college basketball coach,” Barbarick says.

“It was truly amazing and very inspiring to see one of my close coaching colleagues and friends receive this amazing award.

“This award is given based on four specific criteria — advocacy, education, leadership and service. Dan,” he says, “continues to represent Oregon Tech, Klamath Falls and the Cascade Collegiate Conference with all of these qualities.”

Northwest University coach John Van Dyke says there is a reason for that.

“When I think of a Danny Miles team, I think of a group that will play hard and share the ball,” Van Dyke says. “They will make the extra-effort plays that don’t show up in the box score but are the plays that win games.

“When I think of Danny as a person, I think of a man who is comfortable in his own skin,” Van Dyke continues. “He has

Oregon Tech Assistant Coach Jason DeVies, left, Jason Gamb enport of Michigan in the 2012 national tournament.

A Tribute to Danny Miles always been willing to share his expertise, even with the guys like me who are in the same league.

“There is no ego with him.

“To me,” Van Dyke says, “Danny’s legacy as a coach will be how he taught the young men in his program the value of the team. He teaches his guys how to be part of a family and community, which, in the end, makes them better husbands and fathers.”

Will to win Greg Crawford, who writes a threetimes-a-week blog in Portland, notes that Miles has passion and is innovative with the will to win.

The key, Crawford says, is that Miles’ will to win does not come at any cost.

“I have never heard one person say a bad thing about Coach Miles,” Crawford says, “which is a rarity in life and in sports, especially these days.”

“Danny conducts himself with class in every setting,” Valentine says. “His players follow suit and demonstrate class on and off the court, year-in and year-out, Danny

Saturday, April 30, 2016

13

been to develop a system that he is comfortable with, a system that is designed to maximize the talents of his players, a system that was developed with his standards as the linchpin,” McDermott says.

does things right. He respects the game, respects his opponent, respects the officials and represents his institution with the highest level of integrity.

“Because of this leadership, his teams do the same things,” Valentine says.

Holly says there are two constants that are part of Miles and Oregon Tech basketball.

“The first is he gives his players the most confidence in their own ability,” Holly says. “In my opinion, his teams always play better than their talent because he makes them believe they are simply the best team.

“Not all coaches can do that, and Dan has his teams believing in themselves year in and year out.”

Holly says the second constant is class.

“It comes from Dan and trickles down to each player, and from year to year,” Holly says.

Part of that success is what opposing coaches, OIT players and others call the system.

“I think Danny’s whole approach has

Redshirting “I think Danny was probably one of the first of the small-college coaches to use redshirting as a tool to develop young people — both on the court and in the classroom,” he adds.

“I think Danny’s system on the court is probably most remarkable for its simplicity, which must be on his list of standards of the game,” the SOU coach continues.

“They don’t do a lot of different things, but what they do, they do well, and are able to plug players into the system.”

Valentine calls it preparedness.

“His teams are always prepared to the nth degree,” Valentine says. “I pride myself on having my teams well prepared, but I certainly had a tough matchup in this area with Coach Miles.

Continued on page 14

The Assistant Coaches The following people served as assistant coaches for the Oregon Tech men’s basketball team over the 45-year career of Danny Miles: Aristide Agnimel, Dan Andretta, Bill Brite, Greg Brosterhous, Tim Bruner, Tom Connors, Jared Davis,

Jason deVries, Dan Fast, Josh Garrett, Kent Gooding, Fred Hess, Dick Jevons*, Doug Kintzinger, Tom Loney, D.T. Matthews*, Matt Miles, Milija Mitrovic, Justin Parnell, Mike Pisan, Paul Poetsch, Bob Polski, John Riggs, Phil Scher, Dennis Thomas, Tommy Tompkins.

Winningest Men’s Coaches Through March 30, 2016

H&N file photo

blin, Coach Danny Miles and Kyle Waits celebrate a semifinal victory over Dav-

Coach, last school Years Harry Statham, McKendree* 49 Danny Miles, Oregon Tech* 45 Mike Krzyzewski, Duke 41 Herb Magee, Philadelphis* 48 Don Meyer, Northern, S.D. 36 Dave Holmquist, Biola 38 Bob Knight, Texas Tech 42 Glenn Robinson, Franklin/Marshall* Dean Smith, North Carolina* Jim Boeheim, Syracuse*$ 39 Larry Holley, William Jewell 44 Adolph Rupp,Kentucky* 41 Jim Calhoun, Connecticut 39 Jim Phelan, Mt. St. Mary’s* 49 Clarence Gaines, Winston-Salem* Jerry Johnson, LeMoyne-Owen* Willie Holley, MidAmerican Christian* Eddie Sutton, San Francisco Jim Smith, St. John’s, Minn.* Lefty Driesell, Georgia State 41 Bob Huggins, West Virginia 33 Lute Olson, Arizona 34

W L Pct. 1101 480 .696 1043 434 .706 1043 320 .765 1032 407 923 423 .740 921 358 .720 902 371 .709 44 912 333 36 879 254 878 344 .718 877 533 .622 876 190 .822 873 380 .697 830 524 .613 47 828 447 47 821 447 42 813 527 37 806 326 51 786 556 786 394 .666 786 315 .714 780 280 .736

*all wins at one school. $Jim Boeheim had 108 wins taken away by the NCAA for various violations.

.733 .776

.649 .647 .607 .712 .586

14

Saturday, April 30, 2016

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Herald and News

From the Store You Can’t Ignore to the Coach you Can’t Ignore...

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H&N file photo

Oregon Tech Coach Danny Miles and Assistant Coach Mike Pisan call a time out during a Feb. 5, 2010, game.

Continued from page 13 “As a coach, I had no doubts Danny would have his teams ready for whatever strategy I threw at him. If I did surprise him with a tactic, I knew for sure Danny would have his teams make the proper adjustment and they would be ready to go.

“Danny is a sly one,” Valentine says.”He may come off as unassuming, but no coach at our level is consistently better prepared than Coach Miles.”

Roger Kaiser and Todd Eisner both saw that in Miles’ OIT teams.

“He is a kind and giving person who has helped more people than anyone can ever know,” Kaiser, who coached Life University teams, says. “He is a competitive person and coach who is constantly encouraging and coaching his players.

“He is a person who entered my life unexpectedly, and has become a treasured friend to Beverly (Kaiser) and me.”

Kaiser’s Life teams played in a tournament for several years in Klamath Falls, although the intended invitation was supposed to have been to Life Bible College, not Life University in Marietta, Ga. Eisner has coached only two games against Miles and the Hustlin’ Owls.

OIT won both games against Bellevue University of Nebraska, for the 2004 and 2008 NAIA Division II national championships.

“The one thing that has

always stuck out to me was the first championship game in 2004 and the class Coach showed our program,” Eisner says. “When the final horn sounded, I was not sure what the reaction would be on the OIT bench with the players and coaching staff.

“With it being the first championship for Coach Miles, I would not have had a problem with the entire bench ‘going crazy’ and celebrating on the court.

“But,” Eisner says, “I looked down the sideline and, within seconds, Coach Miles was walking down the sideline toward me to shake hands. To me, that sums up the type of person Coach Miles is — a class act.

“In a time that was, to that point, the pinnacle of his career as the head coach at OIT, he made sure to congratulate our program. To think of others during a special moment in your own coaching career showed the true character of Coach Miles.

“That is,” Eisner says, “what I think of when I hear the name Coach Miles — not 1,000 wins or the national championships, but the person.”

“I know Danny has made a boatload of friends through his years in teaching and coaching,” McDermott says. “I am just proud and honored to have a seat in that boat.”

College of the Ozarks athletic director, and former head men’s basketball coach, Al Waller says Miles is a winner and nice guy.

“He is a great example of ‘nice guys don’t finish last.’”

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Herald and News

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Learning & sharing life’s lessons

Submitted photo

Oregon Tech Coach Danny Miles is seen at Mazama High School early in his career in this photo with his three sons, Tim, Josh and Matt.

Danny Miles’ sons reflect on family life, and the value in remembering what is important

T

he lessons have lasted throughout their lives, even when home was a challenge.

“He taught us at a young age there are people less fortunate than us and that we needed to look out for them,” Matt Miles said as he reflected on the role his father, Daniel Joseph Miles, has played on the lives of he and his brothers.

“When we were growing up, Dad was coaching three sports,” Tim Miles said.

“The fun part was going into the locker room, being a bat boy for the (Klamath Falls American Legion) Falcons. Going to practices.”

“He was just Dad to us, and we really didn’t have an understandings of who he was until we were in high school,” Matt Miles, the second of the three brothers, said. “I gained a complete appreciation of the message as a coach.”

Life was not always easy.

“Tim and I have talked about it,” Josh, the youngest of the three boys, said.

The elder Miles coached football and baseball as well as basketball.

“It cost me my first marriage,” Danny Miles said. “I was trying to make it and had three directions to go. I learned a life lesson. I got to raise all three (boys) as a single parent, which was difficult. We had road trips.

“I was pleased we both (ex-wife Julie) were able to raise the boys.”

Miles never took a film home, in fact, hating to watch game film.

“The new technologies have probably saved a lot of marriages,” the veteran coach said. “I look at (Oregon football coach Mark) Helfrich. I feel if I had gone in that direction, I probably could have gotten to that level.

“But,” the elder Miles said, “I wouldn’t change a thing. I have been so blessed.”

“When I was young he was always the coach rather than our dad, and he was harder on us than others,” Josh said. “He expected way more out of us, which made us expect more out of ourselves. He always loved us for the effort we put it, not the results.

Continued on page 16

15

16

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Herald and News

‘A coach with those insights as my father has, knowing you have to be held accountable, life is bigger than ourselves. Our actions reflect on many more people than ourselves. Take responsibility to do it right.’

— Matt Miles, OIT head baseball coach

Continued from page 15 “Nobody lit my fuse more than my dad. We went face-toface. I had a temper and still regret it. He was a competitor, too.”

Home was not easy, either.

“Things were tough. My mom and dad split when I was 14,” Tim said. “My brothers went to Eugene (with their mother) and I stayed with dad. And we have a great mom, too. They never put each other down, and talked highly of each other.

“They raised us with great values.”

All three brothers are in accord.

“He was a totally different person when my mom and dad divorced,” Josh said.

All three brothers (Tim was born in 1967, Matt in 1969 and Josh in 1971) are in complete agreement — they are unabashedly proud of the person their father has become as a coach, a parent, a friend and a grandfather.

“We talk about it all the time,” Tim said. “He grows all the time. My dad means so much to me. The things he does with his status, I’m proud of. He gives back. It’s always about treating everybody with respect. Stand up for the little guy. I teach my own guys that.

“Even though our family has

H&N file photo

Tim Miles, left, and his father, Danny, talk before a game against George Fox, which Oregon Tech won for Miles’ 800th career victory.

gone through some tough time, he’s owned up to it,” Tim said of his father.

“My dad has made tremendous changes in his life, and I am proud of him being a man who was willing to change,” Matt said. “I can’t be judgmental because we all have different experiences, but we had some tough times growing up.”

“One thing that sticks in all of our heads is to say that he was disengaged as a parent is certainly there, but he always had the character, the wisdom,” Josh said. “He always told us to love others for who they are.

“That stuck. That is the dad

Congratulations Danny Miles on your MANY years of SUCCESS!

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he is.

“He doesn’t do (what he does) for the recognition. That’s who he is. Everyone has his (her) own struggles, and we learned from that.”

“It has been cool to watch him grow,” Tim said.

“What I want my own kids to remember about my dad are the things that are important.

He is loyal to his friends. The true test of character is to take the high road, and that’s one of things I’m proud of. He and my mom always took the high road.”

Matt has the unique perspec-

tive, too, of seeing the veteran OIT men’s basketball coach as a colleague.

“Even here, in this office, we talk a lot about building character and using sports as a lab of life skills,” Matt, OIT head baseball coach, said. “A coach with those insights as my father has, knowing you have to be held accountable, life is bigger than ourselves.

“Our actions reflect on many more people than ourselves.

Take responsibility to do it right.”

The lessons we were being taught were to be good teammates, and not just in sports.

“Sports pale in comparison to other things in life, but the lessons work throughout life,” Matt said.

Find a passion and then hold yourself accountable, have compassion and a strong work ethic.

“Aren’t we defined by our impact on others,” Matt said.

All three brothers remain close, and all said many people never see their father’s sense of humor.

“It’s his practical jokes,” Josh said. “He’s always looking for an opportunity for a joke, and he has the humility to say: ‘Me, too.’”

Tim said: “He will remember things and still milks the joke.

He finds the connection.

“He is a human being who has overcome things in his life.”

Danny, it’s time to relax!

Let Merry Maids do the dirty work!

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A Tribute to Danny Miles

Herald and News

O Steve Matthies H&N Sports Editor

Saturday, April 30, 2016

ver the last few years, as the Herald and News has done special sections celebrating the efforts of Oregon Tech men’s basketball coach Danny Miles, I have asked former sportswriters, fans and others to share thoughts, ideas, stories to use for print.

On the edge of my seat

As we look back on what clearly has been a legendary career, there are more than a few stories to share — including some of my own.

Former Herald and News sports editor Mike Quigley covered most of OIT’s games during my first 11 seasons with the paper. I have had the honor the last 15, but did more than a couple of pieces while Quigs covered the Hustlin’ Owls.

Here are some of my favorite Oregon Tech moments with Danny Miles and the men’s basketball team:

Stories to share from covering Hustlin’ Owls games, career of Coach Danny Miles for the H&N

No more prayer One of the first OIT games I covered was Tech’s only game against Athletes in Action (AIA). Current University of Washington head coach Lorenzo Romar was on that team, as well as Craig Sladek, who had been my roommate in Seoul, Korea, the summer I spent with AIA. Continued on page 18

17

Judie Miles listens in as her husband, Danny, talks with Bobby Thompson after a game in Branson, Mo., at the NAIA national tournament.

H&N file photo

18

Saturday, April 30, 2016

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Herald and News

Continued from page 17 Sladek asked me to do AIA’s team prayer in the locker room before the game.

Tech won, 114-106, in a Feb. 5, 1990, game.

Two days earlier, I also did OIT’s 114-82 win over Eastern Oregon, which was coached by Bill Ciancio, who also had been the head coach for the 1987 summer tour that included time in the Philippines and Japan.

After the AIA game, Romar looked at, Sladek, grinned and said: “No more prayers for him.”

Defining terms After the Herald and News stopped its sponsorship of OIT’s annual tournament, Cell Tech took over. Of recent, it has been Midland Empire Insurance.

The second year with Cell Tech, at a pre-tournament dinner, Life University coach Roger Kaiser, who has become a friend, went up to speak and told his players, as well as those from Arkansas Tech and Point Loma Nazarene, they needed to understand some terms.

“Over the hill,” Kaiser said, “does not mean what you think it does. Here, it means going to Medford.”

Continued on page 19

A plaque honoring Danny Miles’ 500th career victory in 1996 was placed at Danny Miles Court at Oregon Tech.

Submitted photo

Thank you Danny Miles for your 43 years of Outstanding Coaching!

Congratulations on your well-deserved retirement.

3140 South 6th St. • 541-882-8000 2583 Campus Drive • 541-851-9000

Herald and News

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Saturday, April 30, 2016

19

Continued from page 18 Going green Toward the end of the 2009-10 season, Kelly Burke from one of the Medford television stations was doing specials on Miles, considering the coach’s background having been reared in Medford.

Late for a game one night, no clue who the opponent was, Burke had stopped and picked up a salad to go, with dressing on the side.

She was sitting next to me and had just opened the salad when Miles, upset at something on the court, turned around and slammed the table in front of Burke and me with his fist.

The salad flew, with a sizable amount covering me — lettuce, olives, cucumber, a couple of other things.

Fortunately, I happened to be wearing a green sweater.

Miles saw what happened and looked dazed.

He has not slammed the table along press row since.

The comeback Of all the games, and the 24 OIT wins I have seen at the national tournament, my favorite game from Branson, Mo., is a loss.

Continued on page 22 Coach Danny Miles watches his team during the semifinals of the 2012 NAIA national tournament in Branson, Mo. File photo courtesy of Kelly Caleb

Here’s to your well-earned retirement...

CONGRATULATIONS, DANNY!

Anytime. Anywhere.

•

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20

Saturday, April 30, 2016

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Herald and News

(Danny) Milestone Victories — 1971 through 2016

No. 200 — Oregon Tech 93, Lewis & Clark College 59, Dec. 20, 1981.

13, 2001. Owls win Cascade Collegiate Conference championship.

No. 250 — Oregon Tech 67, Columbia Christian 63, in overtime, Feb. 1, 1984, in Portland.

No. 675 — Oregon Tech 66, Southern Oregon 60, Feb. 2, 2002. Miles passes Ralph Miller as the winningest basketball coach to have an affiliation with a college or university in the Pacific Northwest.

No. 300 — Oregon Tech 97, LaVerne University 60, Nov. 22, 1986, in LaVerne, Calif.

No. 329 — Oregon Tech 75, George Fox 69, March 3, 1987. Oregon Tech wins district championship, qualifies for national tournament.

No. 330 — Oregon Tech 67, Northwestern, Iowa 63, March 11, 1987, in Kansas City, Mo. Oregon Tech’s first national tournament victory.

No. 350 — Oregon Tech 77, Northwest Christian 69, Jan. 29, 1988, in Eugene.

No. 400 — Oregon Tech 130, Simpson University 52, Jan. 19, 1990, in Redding, Calif. Game was played in two different gymnasiums because of a shattered backboard after a dunk shot. In the terms of time, it is the longest game in OIT history at more than five hours.

No. 450 — Oregon Tech 97, Southern Oregon University 72, Dec. 29, 1992.

Following are the milestone victories in the career of Oregon Tech men’s basketball coach Danny Miles:

No. 1 — Oregon Tech 106, Northwest University 71, Dec. 7, 1971, Klamath Falls. This game is Miles’ home-court debut.

No. 50 — Oregon Tech 55, George Fox 54, March 4, 1974. OIT wins third-place game in district.

No. 100 — Oregon Tech 103, University of Great Falls, 73, Dec. 18, 1976.

No. 128 — Oregon Tech 57, Western Washington University 53, Jan. 28, 1978, in Bellingham, Wash. Miles becomes Oregon Tech’s winningest basketball coach.

No. 150 — Oregon Tech 110, Brigham Young-Hawaii 81, Feb. 3, 1979.

No. 156 — Oregon Tech 109, Hawaii-Hilo 74, March 7, 1979. Oregon Tech wins district championship, qualifies for national tournament.

No. 500 — Oregon Tech 73, Humboldt State University 56, Dec. 10, 1995. Oregon Tech’s Owl Court is renamed Danny Miles Court.

No. 523 — Oregon Tech 77, Life University 76, Dec. 7, 1996. This is Life’s only loss in a 37-1 season in which the Eagles won the NAIA Division I national championship.

No. 540 — Oregon Tech 90, Southern Oregon 70, Feb. 20, 1997. Oregon Tech wins first Cascade Collegiate Conference championship.

No. 550 — Oregon Tech 80, Western Oregon 61, Jan. 2, 1998.

No. 568 — Oregon Tech 82, Northwest Nazarene 75, March 16, 1998, in Nampa, Idaho. Win comes in Oregon Tech’s first semifinal appearance at national tournament.

No. 575 — Oregon Tech 71, Northwest Nazarene 55, Dec. 4, 1998. Games opens league season.

No. 600 — Oregon Tech 100, Pacific Union University 43, Dec. 12, 1999. This victory allows Danny Miles to become the first coach from an Oregon college or university to win 600 games, and he passes Oregon State legend Armory T. “Slats” Gill as the state’s winningest college coach. Gill was 599-392 with the Beavers.

No. 650 — Oregon Tech 68, Warner Pacific 55, Feb.

No. 700 — Oregon Tech 73, Southern Oregon 60, Feb. 8, 2003, in Ashland.

No. 734 — Oregon Tech 81, Bellevue, Neb., 72, March 17, 2004, in Point Lookout, Missouri. This victory gives Oregon Tech the NAIA Division II national championship.

No. 750 — Oregon Tech 82, Albertson College of Idaho 63, Jan. 15, 2005.

No. 800 — Oregon Tech 84, George Fox 73, Dec. 8, 2006, in Salem.

No. 847 — Oregon Tech 63, Bellevue, Neb., 56, March 18, 2008, in Point Lookout, Missouri. This victory gives Oregon Tech the NAIA Division II national championship.

No. 850 — Oregon Tech 93, Pacific Union 77, Nov. 9, 2008, at Angwin, Calif.

No. 855 — Oregon Tech 91, Southern Oregon 81, Nov. 25, 2008, at home. The win was Danny Miles’ 100th career victory over SOU, his alma mater.

No. 875 — Oregon Tech 82, The Evergreen State 72, March 3, 2009, at home. The victory allowed Oregon Tech to win both the regular season and tournament championships of the Cascade Collegiate Conference.

No. 877 — Oregon Tech 82, Indiana University East 78, Oct. 31, 2009, at home. The win allowed Miles to past Adolph Rupp and move into sixth place on the career win list of men’s basketball coaches.

No. 880 — Oregon Tech 119, Multnomah 73, Nov. 7, 2009, at home. The win allowed Miles to move past Dean Smith into fifth place on the career win list.

No. 900 — Oregon Tech 101, Southern Oregon 76, Feb. 13, 2010, at home. The win made Miles the fifth men’s coach at a four-year college win 900 games, and the second on Feb. 13. Philadelphia University’s Herb Magee won his 900th win earlier in the day. It also was the Hustlin’ Owls’ 35th straight home-court win, a school record.

Continued on page 21

Congratulations Danny Miles on a GREAT Career!

Thank You Coach Miles

Knowing God. Transforming Lives. Serving Others.

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Herald and News

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Saturday, April 30, 2016

21

Oregon Tech Hustlin’ Owls Men’s Basketball Team — 1975

Submitted photo

(Danny) Milestone Victories — 1971 through 2016

Continued from page 20 No. 905 — Oregon Tech 66, Warner Pacific 64, March 2, 2010, at home. The victory gave OIT unprecedented back-to-back Cascade Collegiate Conference regular season and tournament championships.

No. 924 — Oregon Tech 80, Southern Oregon 54, Jan. 15, 2011, at home. Miles becomes second winningest coach in the history of men’s four-year college basketball, and passes Don Meyer who retired at the end of the 2009-10 season.

No. 925 — Oregon Tech 93, Eastern Oregon 80, Jan. 21, 2011, at La Grande. The win came in Miles’ 1,300th game as OIT’s head men’s basketball coach.

No. 930 — Oregon Tech 81, Concordia 62, Feb. 18, 2011, at home. The win gives Oregon Tech its second straight outright Cascade Collegiate Conference championship.

No. 935 — Oregon Tech 88, Eastern Oregon 83, March 1, 2011, at home. OIT wins its third straight conference tournament championship, which no other team has done. It also is OIT’s fifth overall conference tournament title, and tied with The College of Idaho for the most.

No. 950 — Oregon Tech 68, College of Idaho 59, Dec. 16, 2011, at Caldwell. It was a rare OIT win at CofI. No. 971 — Oregon Tech 63, Northwood of Florida 46, March 13, 2012. In the lowest scoring game in NAIA

Division II men’s national tournament history, OIT won its third national championship.

No. 1,000 — Oregon Tech 71, Corban 51, at Salem, Feb. 1, 2014, in just the second try by the Hustlin’ Owls to give Miles his 1,000th career win and make him one of just four coaches in men’s college basketball history at a four-year university, to win 1,000 career games.

No. 1040 — Oregon Tech 79, College of Idaho 58, Feb. 24, 2016, at Caldwell. Tech had lost twice to the Coyotes during the regular season, by four and two points, and then opened the conference tournament with a resounding victory in what would be Miles’ next-to-last career game.

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A Tribute to Danny Miles

Saturday, April 30, 2016

Herald and News

H&N file photos

Pink Out: Oregon Tech celebrated the first Pink Out with a victory over Southern Oregon, which also was Danny Miles’ 900th career win.

Tech first: Athletic Director Mike Schell, left, president Martha Anne Dow and Danny Miles celebrate OIT’s first national championship after the team arrived home in 2004.

Continued from page 19 The Hustlin’ Owls opened the 2003 tournament with a win over Husson of Maine, the only time in my decade of trips to Branson an opponent was housed in the same hotel, and then met the Fighting Swedes of Bethany of Kansas in the second round.

About a minute into the second half, during a timeout, longtime Oregon Tech broadcaster and former sports information director Bobby Thompson took his headset off, looked at me and said: “Danny just took his coat off. We have a game.”

At the moment, the Swedes led by 33 points against a shorthanded OIT team. Milija Mitrovic could not play because of a foot injury, Michael Nunes could only use one hand because of an injury. The beat went on.

With 63 seconds left to play, a three-point attempt by David Michaelis rimmed out. Had it gone it, Tech would have taken the lead. Bethany made its free throws in the final minute for an 89-83 win.

Had Tech held on, it would be the comeback people still would talk about at all levels of college basketball.

Chasing the milestones How many sportswriters/ editors are fortunate enough to see a coach pick up career wins

No. 500, 800, 900 and 1,000? It was the quest for No. 700 I most remember.

OIT had the nation’s longest home-court winning streak, at any level, 68 straight at Danny Miles Court.

The Hustlin’ Owls were leading Corban (then known as Western Baptist College), when Marty Reid suddenly gained the hot hand and made several three-point, second-half shots in a 101-96 come-from-behind victory that denied Miles his 700th career win at home.

The Herald and News sent reporter Peter Martini on the road.

Tech lost at Cascade and Warner Pacific the next weekend. Two weeks after its homecourt streak ended, the Hustlin’ Owls finally gave Miles win No. 700 with a 73-60 victory over his alma mater, Southern Oregon, in Ashland.

The titles Oregon Tech’s 33 NAIA Division II national tournament wins lead all schools. I have been blessed to see 24 of those wins, including all three national championship victories at Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of the College of the Ozarks.

I know a lot of sportswriters who have never covered a state championship team, let alone a national championship team.

After Kevin Baker hit a long, three-point shot to defeat

Dominican of California in the last game of the first day of the 2004 tournament, the game ended early in the morning there, I walked out of the gym with Florian Houguet.

Flo looked at me and confidently said: “If we played like that, no one here can beat us.”

It did not hurt to see Albertson College (what The College of Idaho then was called) upset in the second round by Daemen of New York.

Going pink There are two touches to the Oregon Tech basketball program especially personal for me — the Pink Out and national anthems.

Chris Maples and I were having lunch and he asked what we could do to honor Martha Anne Dow, his predecessor as OIT president, who died of breast cancer in the summer of 1987.

The idea of a Pink Out came up. Danny Miles liked the concept and bought into it well enough to decide the men would wear pink uniforms. The Hustlin’ Owls now are 7-0 in pink, including a 101-76 win over Southern Oregon Feb. 13, 2010, for win No. 900 on Senior Night to clinch the Cascade Collegiate Conference championship.

Justin Parnell said it might be the most intense game he ever has played in.

I appreciate, too, Miles opting to play the national anthems of

foreign players on Senior Night if they claimed their native hometown throughout their OIT careers.

Those Midwest coaches Southern Oregon, Miles’ alma mater, went to the erstwhile NCAA Division II North Central Conference for its last two head coaches — Tom McCracken from Morningside College in Sioux City, Iowa, and Brian McDermott from the University of South Dakota in nearby Vermillion.

Being able to share background on both because of my time with the Sioux Falls Argus Leader and Augustana College in Sioux Falls helped bring looks at both McCracken and McDermott no one in the Cascade Collegiate Conference had, or could have provided.

A few years back SOU had a player named Thiefenthaler, and there were several quality basketball players from South Dakota by that name. McDermott was caught off guard, had not really thought about it, and we both laughed.

He realized I probably was the only sportswriter around the league who would have even thought to ask the question of whether Thiefenthaler was from South Dakota.

The anguish Two events made the job difficult.

Continued on page 23

Herald and News

A Tribute to Danny Miles

Saturday, April 30, 2016

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Continued from page 22 In 2005, H&N photographer Ron Winn was with me in Branson for the national tournament. I, unfortunately, became all too familiar with Skaggs Medical Center.

Winn was battling what was discovered to be the early stages of supernuclear palsy, which a couple years later would claim his life. I ferried Winn to the medical center for daily blood tests as doctors in Branson worked with doctors in Klamath Falls.

He was required to drink three cans of vegetable juice every day, and the OIT sponsors went out of their way to make sure Winn had what he needed.

Then came the 2012 suicide of Nathan Maddox, which weighed heavily on several players. There were many latenight sessions to allow a couple of the guys to talk about their pain, their anger, their hurt shed some tears and be ready to focus so they could play for a national championship.

File photo courtesy of Kelly Caleb

Oregon Tech players and sponsors celebrate the 2012 national championship. Josh Johnson holds a warm-up T-shirt to honor the memory of teammate Nathan Maddox.

BE Accountable BE Unified BE Tough BE Humble GET over YOURSELF The legacy is strong because Oregon Tech’s values stay the same.

Cheer for the Oregon Tech men and women who make us proud for their winning attitude on and off the court.

Call the Oregon Tech Athletic office at 541.885.1635 to reserve your 2016-2017 Season Tickets.

Game schedules will be published in September on oitsports.com.

Keep the Legacy Alive

A gift from you will help our winning teams travel to national championships and help provide recruiting scholarships for ALL sports at Oregon Tech.

Contributing to the endowed Danny and Judie Miles Success Fund honors them for the countless students they have shaped into incredible scholar athletes.

Contact the Oregon Tech Foundation at 541.885.1130 to make a gift, or visit www.oit.edu/give for more information.