Setting The Score Straight O’Conner Holds Down Fort As Master Bracket Keeper

Kathy O’Conner lost all 10 fingernails, scraped both knees and probably swallowed enough ibuprofen to kill the pain of a horse. And this was from someone who didn’t play in the world’s largest 3-on-3 street basketball tournament.

But she certainly participated in Hoopfest ‘98. O’Conner was the master scorekeeper at the three-trailer-long scoreboard that was parked in Riverfront Park over the weekend.

This year’s tournament involved 302 brackets, the most in its nine-year history.

“It’s unbelievable,” said O’Conner on a rare break Sunday. “But you know our part isn’t even the hardest. Getting all the bracketing and putting all the teams on the brackets along with having the schedules, that’s just unbelievable to me.”

O’Conner, a bank employee the other 363 days of the year, started as a Hoopfest monitor in 1992 and worked her way up to master keeper of the brackets three years ago. She has a lot of help - three shifts of 26 people on Saturday, two shifts on Sunday - but the marking pen still went non-stop for two days.

And then there are the hundreds of questions she was asked while walking the planks of the scoreboard area.

“It ranges from how to find friends to who plays where and when,” she explained. “We get people who come up to us and ask about particular players like, “Where does Tom Jones play?”’

(Last time we checked, it was Vegas.)

Papa Karl will be proud

Coby Karl, son of former Seattle SuperSonics coach George Karl, hit the winning 2-point shot to give his Lonnie Bills’ the title in the boys’ freshmen division.

The young Karl, 15, teamed up with his cousin Tyler Weisen of Spokane, Michael Larson of Boise and Marc Herring of Spokane for his first Hoopfest experience.

The team was coached by Jaryl Weisen, Tyler’s uncle. As far as coaching Karl’s young son, coach Weisen said, “You just let them play. You sub them in and out and I just tell them how to go inside.”

But the best plan proved to be Karl’s outside shot. After Lonnie Bills went through their bracket undefeated, they lost in the semifinals to Wise of Coeur d’Alene. The Bills came back in the title game, winning 20-14 on Karl’s long ball.

“It was fun. I did this before to win a league game,” Karl said.

Karl made the trip here without his family, which was in Las Vegas.

“He (Dad) was doing something with the NBA,” Karl said.

Just your typical Hoopfest family

Did this sound like your family’s weekend?

Two children and one parent playing in three different divisions. One kid, Sprague and Wall; another kid, Riverside and Howard; dad, Washington and Main.

Such was the saga of the Pooles of the South Hill who dragged themselves around practically every city block this weekend.

Tony Poole, played in the 10-and-unders. Tyler Poole competed in the 12-and-unders. Scott Poole played in the coed 6-feet and over division, which Scott had no problem qualifying for at 6-foot-8.

Although the kids’ teams were eliminated by early Sunday afternoon, Scott’s Deaconess team of Lon Serbousek, David Templeton and David Henley played all day and ended up with the championship T-shirts.

“I probably should be playing on the main court, but I’m too old and fat for that,” joked Scott, 35, a member of the University of Montana’s 1982 Big Sky Conference championship team.

Scott’s weekend accomplishments did not come without a price tag. Throughout the two days, he was forced to ice his knees.

Naturally, his nurse and courier was his wife of 13 years, Lisa.

“It’s worth it over the weekend,” Scott said. “But on Mondays it’s not worth it.”

Women of Seattle looking sharp

It took two games to decide the women’s open division winner, but in the end, the Hoopaholics dethroned reigning champion Red’s Bar of Missoula, 20-15.

The champs - Joyce Walker, C.J. Sealy, Cheryl Bishop and Debra Augurson - were first-timers at Hoofest, but old-timers in 3-on-3 competition. Last year, Walker, 36, Sealy, 39, and Bishop, 34, won the Hoop It Up national championship in Venice, Calif.

“This was great,” said Sealy of Hoopfest. “It’s beyond imagination of how many people are here. I think it’s fabulous and I love to see the family courts and the little kids.”

Let’s hear it for the Orediggers

In the men’s 6-feet and under division, Vu Villa’s Shawn Huse, Jarod Tait, Jeffrey Bellach and Brodie Kelly beat the Drive He Said team from Post Falls 20-18.

Huse and Kelly both played at Montana Tech while Tait and Bellach still are members of the Orediggers. It was Huse’s free throw that iced the win. Two years ago, his team also won the division with Huse on the line. They didn’t make it to the finals last year.

Explained Huse: “I didn’t get to play. I had to go to a wedding.”