Second Year Jaguars Focused On Finding A Basketball Home and Legacy In Willamette Valley
TMO Marion Clark and the Jags look to play 2025 TBL homes games in Philomath, Corvallis, and Albany as the organization grows.
Philomath, Oregon – Through the hefty glass double doors, down the hallway past the framed jerseys and massive jam-packed trophy case, rests Philomath High School’s basketball gym.
Over the years and through the support of this tight knit community, the Warriors have proudly hung numerous banners beaming in the Warriors trademark black and yellow. The girls basketball team earned a title in 2022, while the boys 2016 championship serves as a steady reminder about the hard work it takes to stack up OSAA 4A-3 Oregon West Conference hardware.
It feels like home because it is.
That’s the exact vibe the Jaguars of The Basketball League are in search of after spending their 2024 inaugural season billed out of Eugene. But this year is different. For the ‘25 season, Team Market Owner Marion Clark envisions the Jags being able to reach even a wider fan base by covering the entire Willamette Valley. First stop: the historic timber town of Philomath. On the sunny Saturday morning, 12 aspiring pros took part in day one of a day two Jags tryout in anticipation of the TBL tip-off in the spring. All but one of the attendees traveled from outside of Oregon to shoot their shot at making the team, including 6’4 forward Leland Jackson (Massasoit Community College) and 6’5 guard Cameron Holden (Towson State).
Led by Jags’ head coach Thomas Bullock and Kelly Long (Basketball Operations), players went through a number of skills and drills before getting into 5 on 5 full court games. The fact of the matter is, tryout camps – at times and at this level – can feel underwhelming or lack cohesiveness as dudes try to get all of their one-one-one moves in. But this tryout felt different. Players actually moved together and responded like a team instead of a bunch of individuals: guys brought a ton of energy, athleticism, and sportsmanship to the court. Respect was given and returned back.
“This year, we are taking the approach of being the Willamette Valley’s team and are looking to play games here in Philomath, Corvallis, and Albany for starters,” Jags owner, Marion Clark told Around The Basketball League.
“The biggest difference between last year and this year is, now I know what it takes to run a professional organization from the start of the season to the end. It takes a lot of time and resources to invest. You don’t know what you don’t know. Particularly from the basketball operations and working with local businesses on sponsorships, it’s hard building a brand while at the same time asking people to trust you with our plan for basketball in this area.”
A new season also means re-working the Jags logo, contacting potential partners and sponsors, and evaluating players at tryouts with another session slated for December in Eugene. Yet even while the Jags plan to parcel out their 12 home games next season, some things never change. Marion Clark, head coach Thomas Bullock and the rest of the organization continue to be committed to delivering affordable, family-oriented, professional basketball and entertainment to the local community, while also impacting disenfranchised youth by giving away free tickets to kids 12 and under.
Saturday afternoon after the pros shined, roughly 30 Junior Jags stepped onto the court for a free basketball clinic. On Sunday, the pros and the kids will run it back for Day 2.
“I wanted to be here today to show support to Marion and the Jags,” said Philomath Mayor Chas Jones, who spent the morning in the gym watching workouts while offering words of encouragement.
The incumbent Jones has served as Philomath’s mayor since 2020 after first being elected to the City Council in 2018. Jones serves as the CEO for Picea Consulting Group, an organization who serves tribal communities and their partners in a wide variety of areas to empower tribal sustainability.
“Playing some home games here in Philomath would be a great opportunity for the team and the community to show their support. Being able to make a difference for the youth, providing mentorship, and granting access to facilities are all important in moving the community forward. People will have questions about how the Jags will fit in to what we are doing. They want to know how can we integrate the two together.”
The action on the court at Philomath High School was a beautiful backdrop to the inspiring talks taking place off to the side between Marion Clark and Mayor Jones, who both moved to the Willamette Valley from Los Angeles and Illinois respectively. It was the land of opportunity then and still is today. The two shared thoughts on the lack of access to indoor basketball gyms in the area. They listened intently. They dropped knowledge. They contemplated what next season might look like. They laughed together knowing that the Jags and the community of Philomath are more alike than dissimilar.
They both want what is best for each other and a community at large.
“This is bigger than just this season for me”, explained Clark, a father of two young boys.
“I want this organization to grow here, but in the end I want to leave ownership for my kids. That’s what I’m doing all of this for. It’s for them and the community.”
Wendell Maxey is the author of Around The Basketball League and has written about professional basketball and sports for 20 years. He’s been featured on NBA.com, ESPN.com, USA Today, FOX Sports, and SLAM Magazine among other publications and media outlets. You can connect with him on Twitter and LinkedIn or read through his archive on Linktree.