Kitsap Sun from Bremerton, Washington • 19

Inside Huskies Cougars Sports 1 i spark Supes Williams Storm troopers McMillan The 'old coach is perplexed and frustrated AP Photo ing The man says pain trom a twisted knee also lingers Sacramento was led in scoring by Derek Smith with 21 points Last game was the first of a four game homestand Milwaukee visits Thursday night followed by Indiana Saturday and the Los Angeles Clippers next Tuesday The Sonics plan anything special for the return of Jack Sikma Thursday night Before he was traded to Milwaukee last summer Sikma had played for Seattle since 1977 He was the last active Sonic to play on the 1978 79 NBA Championship team The availabil ity of forward Maurice Lucas is being watched on a game by game basis Lucas apparently has a pinched nerve in his right shoulder and did not suit up last night Eddie Johnson played in his 345th consecutive game last night which ties him for third for most consecutive games played with Michael Cooper of the Lakers and behind only Bill Laimbeer of Detroit and James Donaldson of Dallas Coming into last night Seattle ranked seventh in the NBA in scoring offense with 1130 points per game and its defense has allowed 117 points per contest the second highest in the league Before last game the Sonics were averaging 9393 fans per home game up 1300 from last final total injured reserve list this week was standing on the sidelines in Cincin nati charting plays Maybe Knox will go to Salisbury Sunday in the King dome when the Seahawks play Phila delphia 3 8 very very difficult to put your finger on one said Knox not a simple thing not an easy He says all the Seahawks can do is put their losses behind them and look ahead to their final five starts against Philadelphia Dallas the Los Angeles Raiders San Diego and Den ver Knox has never been to a Super Bowl but he coached his teams to the NL playoffs nine times five with the Ixs Angeles Rams twice in Buffalo and twice in Seattle in his first 13 seasons as a head coach He has a 125 76 1 coaching record order to win got to find a way to correct our he said the deep end not used to this I like it and it bothers me But I also like to think I can deal with The Seahawks who made the play offs for the second straight year with a 124 record in 1984 have hit rock bottom 5 6 now but lost five of their last six starts including the last four Knox lost four in a row once before but that was in 1978 in Buffalo in his first season of trying to rebuild the franchise which he did In 1983 after he left Buffalo in a dispute with owner Ralph Wilson he was hired in Seattle to rebuild the dismal franchise which he did The Seafiawks thought they had a chance to go to the Super Bowl last season Instead they finished with an 8 8 record and missed the playoffs Now they have the longest losing streak since 1981 and By Jim Cour AP Sports Writer SEATTLE In his 14 years as a head coach in the NL 54 year old Chuck Knox of the Seattle Seahawks never has been 'through anything like this bandwagon is always a crowd ed he said Win ning everybody wants a baton They want to lead the With a four game losing streak the Knox bandwagon has lost its wheels and the music is silent a lot of space on it too People who were singing praises two years ago are now ques tioning his coaching decisions And old as he called himself this week is aging rapidly losing you find out a lot of things about he said soberly got to be analytical got to be rational and you go off Defensive pressure equates to Williams and McMillan and the Kings no doubt will remember them when these teams meet again DOUBLE DRIBBLES Starting point guard Danny Young had a career high 11 assists Dale EUis led the Sonics with 28 points while Tom Chambers added 27 Xavier McDaniel scored 23 points last night despite playing on two bum legs One thigh is heavily wrapped because of a bruise and the other is wrapped because of a pulled hamstr biars noieooox vo NBA roundup C4 Scoreboard C6 looked abysmal in dropping four in a row: 20 13 in Denver 38 7 to the New York Jets in the Kingdome 27 7 in Kansas City and 34 7 in Cincinnati The Seahawks talking about the Super Bowl this season but they thought they had a chance to win the American ootball Conference West title or at least earn a wild card playoff berth The Seahawks appear no closer to a Super Bowl today than they did in 1982 when the Nordstrom family 51 percent owners of the team fired original head coach Jack Patera Knox is perplexed and frustrated tried about everything he can do made position changes He made a quarterbacking switch from Dave Krieg to backup Gale Gilbert but that work So he went back to Krieg in Cincinnati last Sunday That work either Rookie quarterback Sean Salisbury who is eligible to come off the Sea ttle period and their first nine attempts in the final quarter In all they shot only 15 tor41 in the second half for 37 percent game probably had our two most different halves of any game this said coach Phil Johnson who was ejected with his second technical foul early in the fourth quarter came out and played very well in the second half They put defensive pressure in the backcourt and that hurt By Jim Rothgeb Sun Sports Writer SEATTLE While a blustery wind swirled around Puget Sound last night a couple storm troopers were giving the Seattle SuperSonics a breath of fresh air inside the Coliseum Guards Nate McMillan and Kevin Wil liams made the Sacramento Kings wish battened down their shudders Two of the youngest players on the roster were like a couple tempests un leashed Their inspired calamity led Seattle to an easy 119 105 National Basketball Associa tion victory over the Kings before only 5411 fans the smallest crowd of the season And again it was a case of the Sonics feasting on a team with an inferior record Can they make it three wins in a row Thursday when the 74 Milwaukee Bucks drop in? not get ahead of ourselves While the marquee players Tom Chambers Xavier McDaniel and Dale Ellis combined for 78 points it was the young guards who provided the spark in fifth win against four losses thought we got a nice lift from our bench said coach Bernie Bicker staff thought the pressure on (Sacra guards was The pressure was provided in some quality playing stints by Williams a transfer from the Continental Basketball Association and McMillan the surprise draft pick in the second round of last annual college lottery In the first seven minutes of the second quarter McMillan contributed four points two rebounds and two assists and was the ringleader that brought Seattle back from a 43 35 deficit By the time he left the floor it was 47 all In the late third and early fourth quarters the rookie from North Carolina State returned to the game and added two more points and four assists And it was about that time Seattle finally was blow ing a group of stubborn Kings right off the floor did a nice said Bickerstaff who seemed to be purposefully holding back his praise for the rookie one thing we want to do is put pressure on him not playing like a young player right now but fie is a young player So we want to be McMillan has played in three Sonic games since he came off injured reserve and replaced the now traded Gerald Hen derson on the roster In those appearances he has averaged 18 minutes seven points and four assists His quick ness helped last night against guards Derek Smith Reggie Theus and Brook Steppe guess they figure a little slow or I go to the said McMillan who demonstrated just the opposite last night He said that while he may not have had much of a reputation in college the professional game may be more his style basketball is totally different than college The NBA is all about run ning pushing the ball up the court shooting and having he said: college basketball setting up every time down court and not that much running better suited to running and pushing the ball like they do in the hard to get a handle on a guy after just three games but if McMillan contin ues to play like he did last night Bicker staff will have to consider starting him at point guard He finished with six points six assists two rebounds one steal one blocked shot and no turnovers in 17 minutes is very instinctive made the plays and created some Bick erstaff said know when ready You always Bickerstaff prefers to use Williams in a different way The 6 3 dynamo from St who failed in NBA stints with San Antonio and Cleveland was simmering on the bench last night until late in the third quarter By the time he hit the floor with 2:51 left in the period Williams was boiling want a guy to give you a lift and the role that told (Williams) he will said Bickerstaff just frustrates people defensively because always right Williams pumped in a 15 foot baseline jumper to end the third quarter and put Seattle on top 85 81 After Russ Schoene gave Seattle a six point lead with a 20 footer on the first play of the fourth Williams and McMillan went to work irst McMillan blocked shot and Williams canned a 16 footer on Seat next possession Then Williams stripped the inbounds pass from Theus turned and buried a 15 footer to give Seattle a 91 81 lead in the wink of an eye The lead gradually increased to 100 84 before Bickerstaff finally called off his young guards Sacramento never drew closer than eight from that point forward The first half belonged to Sacramento which hit its first seven shots of the game and led 61 55 at halftime The Kings had shot 57 percent from the field (26 for 56) while the Sonics struggled with 25 for41 (47 percent) and converted only three free throws But the host team tightened its defen sive screws in the third quarter The Kings missed nine of their first 13 shots in crowded When win every bandwa gon is always a ride ning body wants a baton They want to lead the Chuck Knox Section The Sun Bremerton Wosh Wednesday Nov 19 AP Photo Sonics' Xavier im (nr tha knckpt hut first must naviaate McDaniel' Seattle's ZeTand baH bench ploy inspired it to 119 105 victory lost night at the Coliseum 9 jL nr WliWIIIk 4 jBBhsx JBBkBBJjpg' JgHBI JI wHHIHHNr' fegOjr 'Vjf a I touch to Kelso bound Trojans Rich Arena brings long shot an opening for a part time business teacher and a social teacher and Rich fit the said Olympic coach and athletic director Doug Smith feel fortunate He does an excellent job glad to have him not a first year coach by any means He came to us with his six year tenure at Olympic want to work with me and those that do end up quitting They say my personality but I believe kidded Smith one of the easiest going guys around ARENA SAYS SMITH not ever shaken up incredibly calm He just thinks out what going to do inspite of whatever is going on really admirable He seem to get caught up in the emotional side like some coaches at other places if things the way he wants them sure let you added Arena CONTINUALLY assembling a coaching staff take a guy like Marty (Osborn) here three years as a substitute teacher but looking for a teaching job all the said Smith going to lose him eventually Go back a few years and we had Lane Dowell a teacher from another district We lose him It seems like an endless turnover as I reflect on it Every year scramblings upsetting to your program and upsetting to your But Smith feels blessed that the coaches had have been good ones been DOwell now at North Mason' Osborn and his current crew of Mark Bergsma Ken Anderson Robin Campbell Thorsen and Arena a lot of experiencce going to be our head track coach We feel fortunate also a strong Coaches are hard to come by these days Chris Thorsen remains the only assistant been with Smith during High school basketball fans in this area still talk about the play that lifted East Bremerton to its first state AA basketball championship It was March 24 1973 before a packed house at the University of Puget Sound ieldhouse East Bremerton holding the ball for a last second shot was tied with Timberline 52 52 guard Kevin Olson misfired on an outside shot Dan Pratt a 6 foot 6 forward had position and appeared to have the rebound but East Rich Arena went over him to take it away and banked it off the glass in the same motion before his feet touched down It was a magnificent play and it lifted the Knights to the first of what would turn out to be back to oacK state championships Arena around for the second title He was back on the University of Puget Sound campus where he played football for the Loggers After a successful career as a receiver at UPS Arena landed at Peninsula High ih 1979 where he served as an assistant football coach and later as head track coach WHERE ARENA thought he would be this year but a last second job opening at Olympic High brought him back to the Bremerton area Unlike his last second shot that won the state title for East the job kind of a said Arena something I really wanted because my wife (Christi) teaches in the (Central Kitsap School) district (Woodlands Elementary) pregnant and I wanted to be closer to 4 The adjustment he said was tougher in the classroom where he teaches senior social studies and keyboarding than on the football field coaching tight ends and defensive backs for the Trojans who can move one step closer to Kingbowl by winning at Rlcn Saturday nisht was a whirlwind trying to said Arena who joined the five days into the practice season in late August day I was at practice and the next day I was A SPOT OPENED when Marty Osborn took a job late at Mount Rainier had 3 Staff photo by Larry Steagall Olympic High assistanrRich Arena tapes up a Trojan before practice yesterday Bergsma like Osborn will vanish in a minute if he can locate a full time teachingcoaching job doing his student teaching and will be out in the job market next year Campbell would prefer to stick to his baseball duties where head man but he helps out with the football program mostly because Smith needs him content with his role and Arena still feeling his way around is ihore than happy He can recognize a good program when he sees one year has been a continuation of been done in the said Arena got a good thing going here at Olympic good kids and good got a good thing going at his old school Peninsula too The Seahawks a class AA school coached by higniy organized Karst Brandsma have also reached the quarterfinals of the state playoffs have virtually everyone back from last said Arena knew be Arena expeneuveu uic uum '4 winning a state championship like nothing better than for Olympic and his ex players and coaches at Peninsula to do the same Two more victories by both schools will' get them to the Kingdome on Dec 6 x' At this stage of the season it would be a long shot for that to happen but Arena 4 knows about long shots too See STARK COLUMN on C2 cs a JEMMI CHUCK STARK Sports Editor.