Walden congratulates Oregon Tech Hustlin' Owls men's basketball

HON. GREG WALDEN
OF OREGON
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

________

OIT Hustlin’ Owls – 2012 men’s basketball NAIA Division II national champions

Mr. Speaker, it is with great pleasure that I rise today to congratulate the Oregon Tech Hustlin’ Owls men’s basketball team for winning the 2012 NAIA Division II national championship.

Combining an impressive defensive performance with a 45-point second half outburst, the No. 2-ranked Hustlin’ Owls defeated the top-ranked Northwood University 63-46 on March 13 to take the national title in Point Lookout, Missouri. Oregon Tech set a new school record this year with 34 wins, and by notching their third national championship, they tied Bethel College for the most titles in NAIA Division II men’s basketball.

Bobby Hunter scored a game-high 20 points and pulled down nine rebounds en route to earning tournament MVP honors. Jason Gamblin added 16 points on 7-of-10 shooting and David Clarke scored 11 points with five rebounds. Kyle Gomez contributed nine points and six rebounds.

Congratulations to the Hustlin’ Owls are never complete without special mention of their legendary head coach, Danny Miles. In a day and age when personal advancement comes before loyalty far too often—especially in the sports world—Coach Miles has spent his entire coaching career at Oregon Tech. That’s 42 years and counting. His 971 wins make him the second winningest men’s coach in U.S. college basketball history. And his three national championships—in 2004, 2008, and 2012—are further evidence of the standard of excellence he has established at Oregon Tech.

But perhaps the most important statistic is this: 14 out of the last 15 years’ teams have all maintained a 3.0 or better GPA in the classroom—and that with a very challenging curriculum of a world-class technical institute. Coach Miles has built one of the finest athletic programs in the country, be it measured on the court or in the classroom. For this, I know I can speak on behalf of the entire Oregon Tech community and the state of Oregon itself when I say, “Thank you, Coach Miles.”

My colleagues, let’s recognize the tremendous effort of the Oregon Tech players: Jordan Kiely, Kyle Gomez, David Clarke, Liston Case, Bobby Hunter, Bryant Sentman, Alex Zerbach, Fred Corpening, Kyle Waits, Scott Riddle, Jason Gamblin, Josh Johnson, Braxton Miles, Austen Flint, Mihajlo Matic, Nathan Maddox, and Brandon Bautista.

And, of course, we must congratulate the great coaching staff behind them: Coach Miles, Associate Head Coach Mike Pisan, Associate Coach Jason de Vries, and Associate Coach Paul Poetsch.

Mr. Speaker, on behalf of the Oregon delegation and the House of Representatives, congratulations to the 2012 Hustlin’ Owls!