Courtesy the Coos Bay World

(March 7, 2011) While hundreds of basketball fans have traveled to the South Coast for the Class 3A state basketball tournament this week, a quartet of men with South Coast ties are providing the eyes for others around the state and world keeping track of the event online.

The Oregon School Activities Association broadcasts all the tournament games through its website, www.osaa.org.

Veteran North Bend broadcaster Rick Stevens and Marshfield voice Matt Jarvis are working games in the tournament, along with Dave Walker and Bob Akamian, who used to call games for the two Bay Area schools.

Walker, who graduated from Marshfield, first broadcast for OSAA during the 1977 boys tournament, which was won by Coquille, and has provided his services during the winters since then, often at Gill Coliseum in Corvallis, which hosts the Class 4A event.

'I get such a kick out of it," he said. 'You get to know the coaches and the players and you see the brothers coming up and the coaches who used to play in the tournament."

He was thrilled when he heard the tournament was coming back to the Bay Area.

'As soon as I heard it was at Marshfield, I said I'd like to come home," he said.

Walker spent years as the radio voice for North Bend.

He also was Akamian's tie to the area.

'I did North Bend games in Eugene in the '80s," Akamian said, adding that Walker often asked him to fill in so Walker didn't have to drive up for weeknight games.

Stevens replaced Walker as North Bend's radio voice about 15 years ago.

'I'm having fun," Stevens said between games Thursday in the familiar confines of North Bend's gymnasium.

This is the first year Stevens has helped with the OSAA broadcast.

'It worked out great," he said. 'I wanted to help out because I want to make sure it stays here."

Jarvis is a veteran of OSAA events, having started as the announcer at the state cross country meet in 1972 and also has been one of the stadium announcers for the state track and field meet at Hayward Field for years.

His first full-time radio gig was for Marshfield in 1981 and he's been the regular voice for the Pirates for a number of years.

'I just love it," he said. 'It's a lot of fun."

He also enjoys that in today's age of the Internet, people can listen to his broadcasts worldwide. Jarvis cherishes comments he hears from relatives of Marshfield players who keep tabs on the school sports through his broadcasts.

Both Walker and Jarvis were born in Myrtle Point, though Walker graduated from Marshfield and Jarvis from Newport. They were named Oregon Broadcaster of the Year in the same year in the 1990s, when Walker was broadcasting for North Bend and Jarvis for Waldport.

While Walker does most of his work in state tournaments now with most of his time spent anchoring news casts in Eugene, Jarvis is delighted to still be able to broadcast high school sports throughout the school year.

'I still think it's the best," he said. 'I like it better than college or pros."

Which makes this week extra fun.