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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

New Voice Gets Heard

For most, the dream is to play in the State B Tournament. For Bob Tyllia, the dream was to call a game over the public-address system.

So, go ahead and pinch him, because Tyllia’s dream turned real Friday morning. The Gonzaga University senior and 1994 St. George’s graduate had heard that veteran announcer Dan Birdsell might miss a few games because of jury duty.

It turned out that Birdsell and his two-man crew, which includes his son, didn’t need a broadcast wannabe. However, they gave the kid a shot and let him call the second, third and last quarters of the Tekoa-Oakesdale vs. Napavine game.

Tyllia, whose father, Ed, is an assistant coach for the St. George’s girls team, has been announcing the Dragons’ games for eight years.

The new guy’s early reviews were good.

Said Birdsell, the voice of the girls B’s since 1982: “His voice is very clear.”

Darrington’s newest threat

Tim Cousins, the Darrington High boys coach from 1971-90 and proud papa of two players on the Loggers State B girls teams in the early ‘90s, could be back as a rooting parent. However, he might have to wait until 2008.

Cousins, a 6-foot-8, 61-year-old basketball junkie, and his 59-year-old wife Sylvia, adopted a boy who’s now 5 years old. Last year, Cousins missed his first B Tournament since 1980 because he took his wife and young son Kenny to Disneyland. On five of his trips to state, Cousins was here as the Loggers boys coach and finished as high as fifth and seventh.

“I love coming back here,” said Cousins, a teammate of Elgin Baylor on Seattle University’s 1968 Final Four team. “I was going to bring Kenny, but he was a little too young this year.”

Cousins said it won’t be long before Kenny experiences his first B. First as a spectator, and perhaps as a player later.

The little guy already has won two shooting contests, the most recent at a Loggers’ fund-raiser, where he hit one from downtown. Or in Kenny’s case, from 4 feet out.

Maybe it’s a boys game

The Napavine girls team decided to wear their boys team’s uniforms in Friday morning’s game against Tekoa-Oakesdale. The general consensus among the girls was that their unis were small and uncomfortable while the boys’ were baggy and cool.

The switcharoo threw off some the fans and the T-O team because the numbers did correspond with the program roster.

“It was a little confusing at first,” said T-O coach Mark Stinson, whose team won the game 48-30. “But we still knew who the big kid was.”

The Tigers’ tallest player is 6-foot-2 sophomore Carrie Spencer. No matter what number was on her jersey, she still finished with a game-high 17 points.

, DataTimes