Barlow’s Tom Johnson: He inspires, he mentors, he teaches life lessons, and he wins …
I walked into Barlow High on a recent Friday night to the sweet sound of basketballs bouncing in the gym, and the reassuring sight of fans filing in the doors and milling around in the lobby, awaiting a game.
There were no concessions being sold, no cheerleaders dancing, no pep band playing, and everyone was masked up.
Even so, it was a return — somewhat — to the normalcy that COVID-19 had stolen from us more than a year ago.
Gresham beat Barlow 61-47 before a crowd I’d estimate at about 300 spectators, seated in every other row in a facility with a capacity probably about 1,000.
With Dame, CJ and good health, Blazers’ outlook bright in ’20-21
Last week, toward the end of a Chicago-based podcast in which I was the guest, I was asked if the Trail Blazers might break up their backcourt of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum.
My answer was that I didn’t see Lillard — an institution in the Northwest, one of the franchise’s greatest-ever player — going anywhere, but that the Blazers might choose to trade McCollum “at some point” to bolster their talent at the forward spot.
In retrospect, I wish I’d thought the question through a little more.