Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Dec. 1, 1976)
And now, Oregon’s real tests begin By STEVE GEIGER Of the Emerald Whether the Oregon basketball victory over a talented and tall Athletes in Action team at McArthur Court last Friday was a fluke or not may be seen this week as the Ducks travel south to battle sixth-ranked Nevada-Las Vegas tonight and three other teams in the Sun Devil Classic Friday and Saturday in Tempe. Arizona. Nevada-Las Vegas, which led the nation in scoring a year ago, won its opening game this season over Nevada-Reno 102-87 Oregon's defense proved it's to be reckoned with, how ever, as it gave up just 51 points to AIA, includ ing just 19 second-half points No one can stop them from scoring," Oregon head Coach Dick Harter said We'd like to hold them to a low score, of course Wed certainly like to hold them down from their 100-plus average of last season. "It’s too bad the game isn't here We could get this place (Mac Court) filled up, and get the basketball fans hot After the Nevada-Las Vegas contest, the Ducks will be at Arizona State for the Sun Devil Classic Joining Oregon will be Witchita State, Arizona State and San Diego State, which lost a close decision to UCLA in its opener Harter picks Arizona State as the Classic tavorite, with Witchita State second and Oregon and San Diego State below them After seeing the Ducks in action against AIA, Harter feels this team needs improvement in everything' to win this season "Particularly rebounding, I would think," he said. "We played a good game, but one game isn't conclusive. It’s a lot tougher to play on the road than at home "It'll be a good trip, though, because it’s only three games and we're only gone for five days. We won t get away from our conditioning like last year when we went to Hawaii After that trip, it took us a month to recover our condition ing. - 'N emerald sports i "If we play like that all season," Harter said of the AIA game, we ll win some games " With five home games in a row awaiting the Ducks on their return to Eugene, Harter feels "a couple of wins this week would be very good for us." The coach singles out Grag Ballard, the Ducks 1975-76 All-Pacific-8 forward and scor ing champ, as the key player to the team's success this season "We have to have Greg Ballard play well to win against good teams, he said. "It’s essen tial that he play well in all areas — rebounding, passing, defense, scoring. "He has the capability to be the best player in the Pacific-8 this year, I believe " The Ducks return to Eugene for the five game home stand beginning with San Fran cisco State next Wednesday night Photo by Mite Marrvo This kind of defense by Mike Drummond is what Oregon Coach Dick Harter wants tonight when the Ducks face sixth ranked Nevada-Las Vegas in Las Vegas. The Runnin’ Rebels averaged over 100 points a game last year, and don’t plan on slowing down this season Young gymnasts open Friday By MIKE MARINO Of the Emerald Rich in talent but low in experi ence, Oregon s young gymnastics team will get a chance to see how it stands against top competition as premier Northwest gymnasts travel to McArthur Court this weekend for the Oregon Open Championship Swimmers to face Beavers, Willamette By CHRIS NORMAN Of the Emerald Oregon s men and women s swimming and diving teams, led by juniors Michelle Menkens and Steve Hamilton, make their debut in Leighton Pool this week The women challenge Oregon State tonight at 7 p.m., and a coed meet is scheduled against Willamette Friday at 7 p.m Both Don and Virginia Van Rossen. the husband and wife coaching team, are juggling the swimmers around from event to event, using this week as a period to identify their respective line-ups. “If we can win these two meets. Virginia said, "I can t see why we couldn't go through the season with one loss — to UW (University of Washington).'' She said the Beavers have a new coach this year, so she "really has no idea how tough they'll be Last year, OSU finished fourth at the NCWSA Regionals, while Oregon placed third. As for Willamette, she said she couldn t predict their strength Menkens highlights the women s team after winning the AIAW 50-yard freestyle national title in 1975. She was also named Oregon s Outstanding Female Athlete of 1975-76 Menkens joins sophomores Robin Wheeler, the Northwest s de fending 50-yard butterfly champion; Tacky Rathis, a freestyle sprinter from the University of Alabama; and freshman Megan Riddle, an Oregon high school finalist in the 200-yard individual medley, as Oregon's top strokers. But even with a fine field of jxitential first-place finishers, Van Rossen says the team's lack of depth is going to hurt A low turn-out has forced Van Rossen to consider giving up a few points to the opposition because the extra bodies aren t around. The other half of the coaching duo, Don Van Rossen, said the Willamette men could be beaten, but he didn t want his team to be overconfident. "I don't antiopate them to be a team we can't overcome without any difficulty,’’ he said, however, "we have been upset by teams we should hav© beaten" The men's "big gun" is Hamilton He holds both the 100 and 200-yard backstroke records at Oregon, and is the third fastest indi vidual medley swimmer Van Rossen has ever had. "I never expected him to be good, he said. He s the most im proved swimmer I've ever coached. His breakthroughs have been phenomenal ** Hamilton will team up with junior Ron Wigham (butterfly), and senior Paul Buvick (freestyle sprinter), for the men s propelling force. Also on hand will be freshman John Seton from Lake Oswego High in Portland. . At the springboard end of the pool, Jerry DeMers, Oregon s diving coach, cited John Lloyd, Sam Nixon and Lynne Wallack as Oregon s pnme competitors against OSU and Willamette Admission for both meets is free. "One good thing is that we are healthier than we ve been, satd Duck Coach Bill Ballester "This will be a good chance to see ex actly where we re at, and how good these new recruits we have are.” Washington, Washington State. Portland State, Oregon Col lege of Education and Brigham Young will be sending gymnasts to compete in the two-day event, with the optional preliminaries to be held Fnday at 7 p.m. Saturday will feature the compulsories at 2 p.m., with the optional finals at eight. "I don't know exactly who is coming from the other schools, but the competition will neverthe less give me an idea of how far we've progressed," said Balles ter. Back after an injury sidelined him, Jim Vokurka, a freshman from Illinois, will get his first chance to compete in more than four weeks. But Ballester admits, "He's not to the level he was then.” Injuries have more than taken tHeir toll on Oregon gymnasts in recent years, so when Ballester speaks of being healthy, it's some thing to shout about "We were 15-1 and headed for the national championships last year," he recalled, “then injuries hit us and we lost to Cal in the Pac-8. "With the super recruits we've added this year, things could be very successful depending on how we stand injury-wise.” Should the season continue along the expected lines, meets like this weekend's championship could provide good experience for the expected Pac-8 showdown with California in March. Michigan leads poll; UCLA in third The Top Twenty teams in The Associated Press college basket ball poll, with first-place votes in parentheses, this season s re cords and total points. 1 Michigan 38 1-0 896 2. Marquette 3 0-0 772 3 UCLA 4. Indiana 2 5. Kentucky 1 6 Nev -L Vegas 7 Loutseile 2 8 Notre Dame 9 N. Carolina 10 S Francisco 1 11 Arizona 2-0 613 1-0 603 1-0 503 1-0 417 0- 0 40\ 1- 0 316 1- 1 284 2- 0 279 1-0 256 12 Cmctnnali i 13 Alabama 14 Wake Forest 15. Tennessee 16 Maryland 17 S. Illinois 18 DePaul 19 Rutgers 20 NC-Chartotte 0- 0 214 1- 0 189 1-0 178 1-0 96 0- 1 74 1- 0 40 0-1 39 0- 0 34 1- 0 27 Pure 13 Two Ducks make All-Coast squad Oregon flanker Greg Bauer and defensive end Mel Cook were named to the second team All West Coast team by The As sociated Press. Bauer finished second in the Padfic 8 in receiving with 54, and was beaten out on the first team by receiving champion Mike Levenseller of Washington State and Tony Hill of Stanford. FIRST TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback — Jell Dankworth. UCLA. 6-0 209, senior. Reno. Nev Running backs — Ricky Bod Southern Califor nia. 6-2. 220. senior Los Angeles Theots &own, UCLA. 6-3. 215. sophomore. Oakland Wide recewers — Tony HA. Stanford, 6-2. 180. senior. Long Beach M*e Tevenseler Washington State. 6-1. 181. junior. Tacoma "ight end — Rick Walker UCLA. 6-4, 220 server. Santa Ana Cart Offensive linemen — Marvin Rowed. Southern CaWorrva. 6-5. 265. senior. Fayetteville, N C.; Ted Albrecht. California. 6-4. 260. senior. Valleio. CaW Don Hickman. Southern California, 6-3, 255. s error Flagstaff. Am Alex Karakoroft. Stan ford. 6-3. 250. setsor. San Francaco: Center — Mitch Kahn, UCLA. 6-3. 222. senior, La Palma. Cat! FIRST TEAM DEFENSE Down knemen — VWson Faumuma. San Jose State. 6-5. 242. senior. San Francisco Duncan McColl, Stanford. 6-4, 245. senior. Corns. CaW Charles Jackson. Washington. 6-2. 227. senior. Berkeley. CaW Gary Jeter. Southern CaWomia. 6-4VS, 256. senior. Cleveland Kisb Fiatoa. Long Bearh State. 6-1. 240. server Carson. CaW Lnebacker — Dave Lewis Southern California. 6-4. 230. senior San Diego Rod Martn. Southern CaWorrva, 6-2. 195. sen or Los Angeles Travis H«. San Diego Stale. 5-11V», 22C. senior, San Diego. Jerry Robinson, UCLA, 6-3, 20B. sopho more. Santa Rosa. Cakf. Defensive backs — Dennis Thurman. Southern California. 5-11. 17a junior, Santa Monica: Oscar . Edwards. UCLA. 6-0, 181. senior, Corvallis. Ore Gerald Small. San Jose State. 6-0. 180, Junior. Los Angeles SECONO TEAM OFFENSE Quarterback — Jack Thompson, Washington State. 6-3. 213. junior. Seattle Rurmng backs — Wendell Tyler UCLA, 5-10. 188 senior. Los Angeles David Turner. San Diego State. 6-0, 210. junior. ButtonwiHcr* Cakf Wide receivers — Randy Sirmnn, Southern Cakfomia. 6-2. 16S. junior. Burbank. Calif Greg Bauer. Oregon 5-9. senior Hillsboro Ore Tight end — Bil Gay. Souffiem California. 6-6. 225, jursor. San Diego Offensive knemen — Keith Eck, UCLA 6-4, 230 senior. Newport Beach Calif : Chuck Shearn Fresno State. 6-2Vr. 198. junior, Fresno. Calif Greg Taylor. UCLA. 6-3. 228 senior Whither. Rob Kezerran. UCLA. 6-4. 240. senior. Fresno. Cakf Center — Duane Wilkams, Cakfomia. 6-1. 245, senior, Tulare. Cakf SECONO TEAM DEFENSE Down knemen — Manu Tuiasosopo. UCLA 6-3 238. sophomore. Long beach Cakf Mel Cook, Oregon, 6-4.21 a junior Aloha Ore Dennis Boyd Oregon State. 6-6, 245. senior. Winston. Ore Harold Steele. Southern California. 6-1. 24a servo. San Diego Linebackers — Clay Matthews, Southern Cakfomia. 6-2. 232. |ur»or. Kermifworth. II. Ene Wiliams. Soudtem Cakfomia, 6-2. 215. senior Kansas City, Gordon Ceresrno. 6-2, 22a sopho more. Canoga Park, Cakf Dean Pedigo, Washing ton Stale, 6-1. 213, jumor, Everett Wash Frank Stephens. 6-2, 188. junior. San Diego Defensive backs — Rich Waters. Stanford. 6-2. 19a senior. Hayward. Cakf : CkntSbozier South ern Cakfomia. 63Vj, 190. sen or Oxnard. Cakf Ricky Odom, Southern Cakfomia. 6-1. 183. junior. Los Angeles Health lecture today at noon “The desirability of steroids, blood doping, electro-muscle development and muscle insertion operations in Olympic sport" will be the title of a lecture-discussion given today at noon by New Zealand native Ray Tricker in the EMU Forum Room. Admission is free, and lunch may be brought.
