South Medford came as close to dominance as it could during the Southern Oregon Conference boys basketball slate, and that trait carried on to the all-conference voting recently with three first- team selections.

Paced by unanimous SOC player of the year Kyle Singler, all five of the Panther starters were honored in voting conducted by the conference’s coaches.

Joining the junior standout on the first team were sophomore point guard Michael Harthun and senior post Kendall Gielow, with senior post Brent Johnson and senior wing Myles Daley named to the second team.

Rounding out the first team were Roseburg senior Eric Thompson and Grants Pass senior Jason Nunnemaker.

"I can’t remember a team ever having three players on the first team," said 18th-year South Medford coach Dennis Murphy. "I’ve never had three, I know that."

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Then again, Murphy hasn’t had a team like his current top-ranked Panthers.

South (23-1, 14-0 SOC) outscored its league foes by an average of 84-45 per contest, with its lowest margin of victory being 21 points.

"I think one of the things that has gotten them to the point they are is they’ve all worked very hard to make themselves good basketball players," said Murphy. "Secondly, they have all learned to appreciate each other and respect one another and realize it’s not about an individual, it’s about us collectively."

Nurturing that team concept is easier said than done, and for his efforts Murphy’s peers voted him co-coach of the year with Klamath Union’s Bret Crawford. The Pelicans (15-10, 8-6), who tied for third place with Roseburg, advanced to the state playoffs for the first time in over a decade.

"I think Bret Crawford did a great job this year," said Murphy, whose team earned at least a share of its fifth straight SOC title. "He does a tremendous job in getting his kids to overachieve and work hard on the basketball court."

For his part, Murphy said any personal acclaim is merely a reflection of his players but it’s always an honor to be recognized by your peers.

Interestingly, the biggest challenge Singler had to claiming his top honor came from his peers in the South lineup. Still, the 6-foot-8 wing’s impact on South and the landscape on the SOC was undeniable when it came down to voting.

Singler averaged 21.7 points, 7.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists and almost two blocked shots per game to pave the way for an undefeated run through the SOC. He converted 70 percent of his field goal attempts (121-for-173), and was 10-for-22 from 3-point range.

Making those numbers even more impressive is that Singler typically defended an opponent’s top offensive threat outside of the center position. His success there landed Singler a second straight spot on the SOC’s all-defensive team.

"As hard as it may be for some people to fathom, he keeps getting better," said Murphy. "I just think he’s got a great sense for the game as it goes. He obviously has the ability to take over whenever he wants, and when he does it’s fun to watch. And probably the best part is that he doesn’t do it in a selfish way or anything like that."

In only his second varsity season, Harthun appeared more comfortable in the Panthers’ system and showed the kind of poise and control at the point well beyond his years. The 6-3 sophomore averaged 14.7 points and eight assists per game, converting 41 percent of his shots from 3-point range (28-for-68) and 54 percent overall.

Harthun’s nonstop need to push the ball up the floor also resulted in numerous high-flying dunk opportunities for Singler, Gielow and Daley.

"He’s understanding the role of a point guard so much better and doing things to make his teammates better," said Murphy. "He probably pushes the ball as well as any of the point guards that I’ve seen. He really does a great job of that."

Gielow was the Panthers’ leading scorer during the nonconference schedule and early part of the league slate before focusing in on other aspects of the games to make South better. Gielow’s average of 14.9 points per game still put him in the top 5 of the SOC, with Thompson leading the way at 24.6 points per game.

While the aforementioned South trio garnered much of the limelight, Johnson (8.9 ppg) and Daley (8.1 ppg) provided a backbone to the team with their relentless play on defense and unselfish offensive stylings.

"Both those kids are two kids who really accepted their roles well and at times often sacrificed some scoring to give us what they could on the defensive end," said Murphy. "I was really pleased to see them get recognized for their hard work."

Daley also joined Singler on the all-defensive team, along with Seth Hughes of Klamath Union, Jordan Snook of Roseburg and Colin Reinstedt of Ashland.

SOC Boys Basketball All-Stars

FIRST TEAM

Player School Yr. Pos. Ht.

Kyle Singler SM Jr W 6-8

Michael Harthun SM So G 6-3

Jason Nunnemaker GP Sr P 6-6

Kendall Gielow SM Sr P 6-7

Eric Thompson Ros Sr P 6-7

PLAYER OF THE YEAR — Kyle Singler, South Medford.

CO-COACHES OF THE YEAR — Dennis Murphy, South Medford, and Bret Crawford, Klamath Union.

SECOND TEAM

Player School Yr. Pos. Ht.

Seth Hughes KU Sr G 6-3

Brent Johnson SM Sr P 6-7

Derek Grieve EP Sr P 6-4

Josh Cornelius ASH Sr W 6-3

Myles Daley SM Sr W 6-7

THIRD TEAM

Player School Yr. Pos. Ht.

Austin Wiersma GP Sr G 6-0

Mychal Williams EP Sr G 6-0

Jordan Snook Ros Jr G 6-0

Alex Foster KU Sr G 6-1

Jordan Ellis NM Fr G 6-0

HONORABLE MENTION — Craig Dolmage, Jr., Grants Pass; James Oshel, Jr., Crater; Colin Reinstedt, Sr., Ashland; Daniel Landrum, Sr., Klamath Union; Sam Littleton, Sr., Ashland; Jason Slowey, Jr., North Medford; Nick Brothers, So., Crater; Josh Pecktol, Fr., North Medford.

ALL-DEFENSIVE TEAM — Kyle Singler, Jr., South Medford; Myles Daley, Sr., South Medford; Seth Hughes, Sr., Klamath Union; Jordan Snook, Sr., Roseburg; Colin Reinstedt, Sr., Ashland.

Reach reporter Kris Henry at 776-4488, or e-mail khenry@mailtribune.com.