Earl Sandness

If the state of Oregon had an award for the state’s Most Improved basketball player in 1937, Astoria’s Earl Sandness would have been the hands-down recipient of that honor.

Sandness missed the first four basketball game of the season while an injury he incurred playing football mended. Once he joined the squad, he averaged 5.9 points-per-game in 20 regular season games.

Another injury kept him out of another five games in late February. He returned just in time to lead the Fishermen to the District Tournament championship, which was a qualifier for the state tournament. Sandness stepped up his scoring output to 11.8 points-per-game and was named to the All-District Tournament first team.

When the 6-foot-4 Sandness was joined on the floor by 6-foot-7, Ted Henningsen, Astoria could claim one of the tallest lineups in the entire state. Henningsen later became a force in Slats Gill’s program at Oregon State University.

Sandness picked the state tournament to do his best work, which earned him a scholarship to the University of Oregon. Astoria opened against the powerful Axemen of Eugene High School, losing 39-24, with Sandness scoring 11 points. Small school entry, Athena of Umatilla County, fell before the Fishermen 59-25, with Sandness equaling a season high of 18 points. Next up was Milwaukie. Sandness poured in a career-high 21 points, as the Astorians lassoed the Mustangs 44-30. In his final game representing the Purple and Gold, Sandness swished through 18 scores to place Astoria over LaGrande 55-33, and a fifth place finish in the state classic. His four-game tournament total of 68 points (17.0 ppg.) established a new tourney scoring record, raising the standard by a full nine points. Sandness’ state tournament record was bittersweet since the old record was set a year earlier by his former Astoria High School teammate, Ted Sarpola.

In 1952 Lincoln’s Wade “Swede” Halbrook put the tournament scoring record out of sight for good. The 7-foot Halbrook scored 166 points in four tournament games, an average of 41.5 points per game.

Sandness went on to play at the University of Oregon and was a member of the first NCAA National Championship Team.