sports
Coach on
the floor
Fred Cofield points the
way for the Oregon men
By CAROL MORTON
Of Vw EmaraM
It Is a clear, cold November night outside, and
the floor level benches inside McArthur Court aren't
close to being full
It is Oregon's men's basketball team's first time
out of the gate this year — the first of two intrasquad
scrimmages Tonight there won't be a packed,
sweaty crowd shaking the rafters of the gym A front
row of green-and gold-attired men give traditional
rowdiness the old Mac Court try, booing at the
referee introductions and cheering the green and
yellow squads But even they will fade out later in the
game
In a green warm-up suit, Fred Cofield intercepts
a rolling basketball, lifting it off the floor gently —
almost lovingly He pauses a minute to watch the
other players casually shoot before the start of the
scrimmage As words from a song that had been
throbbing through the lockerroom stereo still echo in
his mind, he quickly dribbles through the key for a
lay-up shot
While his team — Yellow — is being introduced.
Cofield claps steadily, breaking his rhythm only to
slap a high-five and chant "boom-boom” to each
player trotting out to center court Court leader and
cheerleader, the 6-feet-3-inch point guard cherishes
his role as a coach on the floor
Last year as a freshman, Cofield answered a cry
for leadership, a call for a player who would domin
ate the ball If he was slightly nervous and unsure of
his role then, now he is a veteran player and knows
what to expect in Pac-10 games "My role is more
defined this year," he says Tm the leader on the
court”
"I'm always trying to lift guys up. to excite them
If someone thinks they've had a bad play, I'll
say You're doing alright ' " explains Cofield "I tell
them what we need Well, let's not get a long shot,
let's go inside ' I'm trying to take an active role, not
just give the coach's instructions ”
This year head coach Jim Haney is working with
only the players he recruited With the exodus of
Felton Sealy and Mike Clark, the last bastions of the
Dick Harter era have departed and the Ducks will
take on a whole new look
Haney has the team running a completely new
offense Cofield says they didn't run anything last
year that they're running now "This year we have
new plays, new everything We re even getting new
uniforms,” he says
Oregon has switched from the two guard front to
a one guard front, giving the point guard more
control offensively
"Everyone is set up and I'm on top Now our
plays are dictated by which side I go to or who I give
the ball to — whatever side our coach thinks we need
a bucket,” Cofield says
"Our offense is undefendable if we pass quick
ly," Haney said at a recent practice. "The only time
the ball should be on the floor is for a bounce pass or
a drive "
Cofield will be sharing his position with senior
Barry Walker The two seem to complement each
other in the skills each posesses Cofield praises
Walker's "superior driving and defensive skills,"
saying his own strength is offense
Although coaches may say Cofield's greatest
gift is leadership, Cofield says it is his court aware
“My greatest gift is my court sense,"
says sophomore point guard Fred
Cofieid. Thrust into the leadership
role as a freshman, Cofield led the
Oregon squad in assists last season.
been called the sixth player for the
Ducks Cofield says it can carry a
team when it’s a tight game by getting
the other team down, but more im
portantly. by getting the Ducks
psyched up “Everyone gets in
volved." Cofield says of the enthu
siastic fans. “They’re Ducks. We
might as well give them a uniform.”
Cofield remembers one night last
year that felt great for him. UCLA was
visiting Mac Court, and led by two
points. “One of our players hit a
bucket and tied it up. It got very loud in
McArthur Court. I was running back
on defense and hollering out instruc
tions. I hollered, but I couldn’t hear
myself because of the crowd. I got
really high The crowd was in a
frenzy."
Photos by Steve Dykes
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him on, Cofield is drawn to the court,
putting in the extra hours. "I have a
love affair with basketball. I get
Fred Cofteld
ness My court sense is good — knowing my court,
my players, knowing what's going on, being aware of
what needs to happen "
The leadership role is one Cofield says he has
never had to work for. "It comes naturally."
Some would say Cofield's confidence borders
on cockiness Former Oregon runner Paul Geis once
said the difference between the two is that
confidence is saying what you know you can do, and
that cockiness is bragging without being sure you
can do what you say
Cofield explains it this way "When I'm on the
court, I think, five people — we can beat the world If I
think any less, it's going to stop me somewhere "
“I'm not going to think I can't beat them because
I might not give all I can give So I'm going to think as
positive as I can So every game I think we re going to
win " Later he adds, “It’s like army games We play to
kill."
Before he signed to play for Oregon, Cofield
watched Oregon play UCLA in Mac Court He was
looking for a team with community support, and that
one game was all it took to convince him that Eugene
loves its Ducks
"You pick up a paper, it's Ducks," says Cofield
"What about the Ducks? The Ducks Go To McKen
zie Park ' That's news? It shows how much the
community cares Since I've been out here, I take an
interest in that thing I’m an avid football fan Let's go
Ducks."
The basketball crowd at Mac Court has often
sometning extra rrom it wnen i play. Some people
call it a high.”
During the season, Cofield eats, sleeps, and
lives basketball In the off-season, he still devotes a
lot of time to it. "I'm dedicated,” he says
Music has a time and a place, and with Cofield
the right music is as important to his mental prepar
ation for a game as practice and pregame warmup is
to it There's a stereo in the lockerroom where
players play their tunes before the game. "On the
court when we re warming up, maybe we'll still be
talking about the song, getting higher and higher
The adrenoline starts to flow Music plays a big part
before the game."
A couple of hours before the game, easy jazz
slows his heart rate down Then, he speeds up to an
"iron beat or maybe a little punk ”
Currently, his favorite song is the title cut of the
new Angelo Bofill album, "Something About You."
Cofield says, “I get psyched up I start visualizing the
game, what I have to do, what it will take to win If I
want to play tough defense, I'll visualize picking the
guy up, and making him work hard I don’t play the
whole game in my mind, just most of it.”
Cofield gets “something extra" from basketball,
and the Ducks get something extra from Cofield
“There's something about you." Bofill could be
singing about Cofield. As he pauses before his next
warmup shot before the game, the words from his
favorite song repeat in his head. ". . cause I've
committed myself:l've overcome my doubts and
fears You've got to :lf you're to make it strong."
Spikers down Montana in five games send in a play to help the Ducks
The Oregon volleyball team came from
behind to tip the University of Montana in a tense
fifth game to win the match last night in MacArthur
Court.
The Ducks fought back from a 3-10 deficit in
the final game, stringing together seven straight
points to tie it up, and then went on to score five
straight more to win 15-11
'It was a great comeback," said Oregon
coach Chris Voelz "It was a great team
comeback, everyone contributed It was the kind
of victory you like to see "
Oregon came out strong in the first game,
taking a 15-4 win They dropped the second
11-15, but then took another 15-4 win in the third
“We really fought back We never gave up in
that last game at all,'' said Voelz "I was afraid we
were going to have a flashback to some of our
other losses this season It did look like we might
lose it for a while, but we never quit.1’
The Oregon football team needs your help NOW
The offense has scored just three touchdowns in its last six
games With two games remaining, it doesn't look like they'll be
scoring much more at this rate
That's the reason the Emerald Sports staff is sponsoring a
"Send in a play” contest to help out Diagram out a play, using the
X's and O's, and bring it to the O D E. office (third floor of the EMU)
Time is running short, as the contest closes at 5 p m Friday,
Nov 13, so send in a play and help the Ducks light up the
scoreboard