Portland Community College | Portland, Oregon

For two longtime North Portland friends, PCC athletics is a labor of love

Story by Misty Bouse. Photos by Ric Getter.

It is no coincidence that Portland Community College’s basketball home sits in the heart of “Rip City,” tucked inside the Cascade Campus gymnasium on North Killingsworth Street. The building is surrounded by neighborhood courts, community centers and Jefferson High School in a corridor where basketball talent has always lived and thrived.

For years, the question was whether that talent would ever have a true college program to call home, located in their own backyard.

PCC Athletics Director Tony Broadous and Athletics Manager Tyrone White helped answer it, not just with wins, but with a partnership rooted in decades of trust, family ties and a shared love for the community they grew up in.

From a drop-in visit to a mission

In 2012, Broadous, an Oregon State University graduate, was an award-winning high school coach with about 20 years of experience when he and his wife stopped by a PCC Panthers men’s basketball game.

“On that day, they barely had a team with just six players and extremely low expectations,” Broadous said. “They had zero wins and 24 losses. It was like they didn’t care.”

That night sparked something deeper than frustration. Broadous saw potential and responsibility. He made it his mission to rebuild the program. Once he was hired to lead the Panthers men’s team, Broadous found the partner he needed when he hired White as an assistant coach

“I am most proud of the quick transformation,” Broadous said. “Within two years, the Panthers went from worst in the league to the best.”

White helped with coaching, player development and, just as importantly, building a culture that student-athletes wanted to join. In 2014, it paid off as the Panthers clawed their way to winning the Northwest Athletic Conference (NWAC) championship. 

White’s own champion pedigree began years earlier. He played on a NWAC championship team at Chemeketa Community College in 1989. At PCC, he is widely known for steady, behind-the-scenes support for student athletes.

“This is the first job I’ve loved, and I get to be a part of this community we both grew up in,” White said.

A bond built long before PCC

Broadous and White have worked side by side at PCC for more than a decade, but their connection goes back much further.

They come from longtime families in North and Northeast Portland and are both athletes and graduates of Jefferson High School, where they played on the same varsity basketball team. Broadous was a senior, while White was a freshman. White’s mother still lives in the Woodlawn home where she raised him. Both men have a short commute to campus because they never left the neighborhood that shaped them.

They are also family in the literal sense: Broadous’ younger brother married White’s cousin.

That history matters because it shows up in how they lead. Their temperaments differ, but their goals stay aligned: Make PCC Athletics something the community can be proud of and make sure student athletes leave with more than highlights.

Broadous calls their partnership a “game-changing” pairing.

“Our goal is to do great things for this community and college, and help shape opportunities that will benefit generations to come,” he said.

Winning mattered but so did the rest

The turnaround caught the attention of the league early. One of Broadous’ most memorable moments came on court in 2022 when the late NWAC coaching legend Clif Wegner of Clackamas told him, “Before you arrived PCC was always an automatic win. But you’ve really turned the place around.”

But the work was never only about the scoreboard.

“The student-athletes needed academic structure, so we set them up with study halls and tutors,” Broadous said. 

White said the staff focused on creating stability and PCC pride, the kind that keeps players connected long after they transfer.

“We didn’t just brand the facilities with banners and signage to showcase the college or simply take care of the players,” White said. “We built a family atmosphere that makes them want to come back and visit even after they transfer. That word of mouth also helps with recruiting.”

In their view, the Panthers are not separate from the neighborhoods PCC serves. They both shared stories of the gym as a gathering place. The program is a point of connection. Success is measured in championships, yes, but more so in graduation plans, transfer opportunities and the confidence student-athletes carry into whatever comes next.

Giving back through grief and gratitude

Over the years, Tony and Tyrone have celebrated big wins and felt real losses. They have helped organize community events that honor both.

This winter, PCC hosted  Aaron Bell Sr. Black Men’s Health Awareness Day and the Chris Bendle Memorial Games, bringing community members together in tribute, health support and for scholarship fundraising. These events honor the fallen former players — Bell and Brendle.

For Broadous and White, those legacy events reflect what they believe athletics should do at its best: create belonging, build leadership and strengthen the community. They also see what could come next for PCC Athletics.

They point to strong interest in additional opportunities for student-athletes at the community college level. They hope to expand offerings to include women’s volleyball, track and field and possibly softball.

They believe athletics can be a positive force not only for campus life, but also for enrollment and student engagement as a visible reminder that PCC is a place where students can compete, learn and feel supported. They also have strong staff buy-in, including an academic advisor, Jim Fasulo, who attends home games and knows most student-athletes by name. They also credit Associate Vice President of College Operations Josh Peters McBride with responding quickly to the needs of PCC Athletics. Even the lobby has gotten an upgrade, with new furniture to welcome fans in style.

“Sports have long been proven to create pathways to higher education and increased earning potential, while also expanding future opportunities for individuals and their families. With that in mind, expanding our sports programs is essential,” Broadous said.

For more information visit panthers.pcc.edu and see related article “Scholar Ballers Go Back-to-Back.”