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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 3, 1982)
All-American, All-World—All-person After four years of enjoying Bev Smith, the era must end Has she no faults then, Sir ? VVs; she has one, I must aver li 'hen all the u-orld conspires to praise her, The zooman s deaf, anti does not hear — Alexander Pope, On a Certain Lath at Cour All-conference. All-America. All-world. Bev Smith has accomplished more in the last four years than most athletes accomplish in a lifetime, but the effect on the psyche of the 21-year-old Oregon w omen’s basketball star mav not be what you would expect. She hasn't had a dunk named after her, nor does the word, “World" shimmer on a gold chain around her neck. In fact, Smith’s trophies are “gathering dust” on top of the piano in her Salmon Arm, British Columbia home. Smith is the Oregon career record-holder in scoring and rebounding, she has been a starter for the Canadian National Team since 1978 and has toured the world to plav in the World Championships, World Student Games, Pan American Games and the Olympic Qualifying Tournment. In 1981, she was named to the Kodak All-American team, nominated for the Wade Trophy (awarded to the top collegiate women's basketball plaver in the l ’nited States) and was the co-most valuable player of the Giusti Tournament with Anne Donovan of Old Dominion. This season, she took the Giusti MVP award again and is again a contender for the Wade T rophv. Plainly, Smith is the name associated with Oregon women’s basketball. But in her final season, while most outstanding basketball players are piling up their statistics hoping for all the accolades possible and a shot at making it in the pros, Smith isn't all that interested in making brownie points with national committees. Realizing that putting out a maximum effort to add to her stats would increase her chances at national recognition. Smith says she would not feel right sacrificing her role with the team for her individual goals. “It would be easier for me," the 6-1 strawberrv blonde says “if I would score 30 points a night, but with the type of team we have, I don’t think that is possible. We have a good inside game with Alison Lang, and to go and score 30 points against a team like Portland State wouldn’t make me feel gixid. nor would it make anv of mv teammates feel good.” I J X Will a1wa*js remote b*” iwWt * S-hw*u,l»h'vu^ five M*c Gwrf Ca* Ur. “I would like to see her stats improve,” says Oregon coach Elwin Heinv. “It would help her in the balloting for Wade All-American, but she doesn’t care about that.” Could it be that she is one of the few to deny herself the recognition she deserves, playing basketball just because she likes to play? That's partially correct, she says. “My prime motivation in playing basketball is to excel in something," she says. Whether she obtains the recognition for what she does just doesn’t have the same impact for her as it does for others. Recently, Smith denied Sports Illustrated an interview, because she dates one of that magazine's writers, Kenny Moore. She indicated that her decision had nothing to do with trving to suppress her accomplishments. “I can’t sav it's not a big deal (an interview with a prestigious national magazine),” she says. "We all tend to have somewhat of an ego — we like to have the recognition — but the question is if it’s right. I’m not sure that it is." Some may not think that should stop one of the best athletes ever to grace the hardwoods at McArthur Court, but recognition has never been an overriding factor in her life "That’s the type of person she has always been,” savs Lloyd Smith, Bev’s father. “We see her plav some when she comes home. She plaved in a homecoming game, hut she slacked off and passed the ball — she’s not out there to prove, ‘I’m Bex Smith.’ ” Her father, a semi-pro hockey plaver, savs his daughter has excelled in just about everything she has tried, including hockey, but that modesty has always gone hand-in-hand with her success. "She skated when she came home, and I could see she hadn t lost a thing (from her hockey skills). Some of the guvs on the team said I should ask Bev to come out and pla\ for us. But she wouldn’t be tor that. She likes to keep low-kcved.” Low-keyed — yes. Disinterested — definitely not’ “She’s a sincere and dedicated person, alwavs has been,” her father says. “She has always looked out for the little fella — those less fortunate than herself. That’s what makes her the kind of person she is.” Her coach agrees. “Her impact off the court is just as great as it is on the court,” Heiny says. “She makes a positive contribution to the community at large. She attends LSI' (Eugene Sports Program for area youths) games and talks to little kids — all on her own time.” After home games Bev Smith can be found somewhere within the confines of Mac Court signing autographs for children who thrive on the personality of the all-American. She says she spends the time with the children because she knows how young people try to emulate athletes of w hom they are particularly fond. “When I was younger, I had some idols that plaved very strong goals in my life that helped me set mv goals,” Smith savs. “ I hey led bv example and I thought they were good examples to follow, and so I think its really important, as a role model, that you display the type of personality that the kids might want to have. "There are so many other things influencing them in school and sometimes in their families that could take them down another road.” So, she s|>ends the time with the children signing autographs, but even more important, she says, she spends time just talking with them. She used to spend a lot of time trying to make her autograph more legible for the kids, but now, she says, that may not be so im|>ortant. “Now, I think kids want the autograph more for the pleasure of the moment I don t think they do much with it later.’’ The autographs, home-court crowds that cherish their team and their plavers, the rhythmic beat produced by a berserk crowd that has just watched Bov fake right and go left to the hoop — all will cease for Smith at Oregon at the end of this season. “I will always remember what a stimulating place Mac Court can he,” Smith says. “The people that come in and watch our games Jrf special It's a lot different playing in front of these |>coplethan anywhere in the country.” Oregon fans will remember Smith for her athletic ability and the w av she can bring them to their feet But thev w ill also remember her as the single most dominating force that put Oregon on the map in women's collegiate basketball from the first dav shtput on No. 24. "It's hard for me to put my finger on what 1 will remember most about her, because she has done so much," Heinv savs. “Her attitude toward the game has been such that players know that if you don't put out you’re going to get blasted. Plavers know that it they're going to play her they better be fit — 1 think the entire Northwest I-eague has benefitted from her play." Heinv says former Oregon baseball coach Mel Krause w atched her outstanding performance in a 68-67 defeat of the Korean National team in 1^76, and said it was the finest athletic jiertormancr bv an individual he had ever witnessed “But for me — ” Heines says, “hey, I see it everv dav. “When she first came here as a freshman, she plavcd so well that we were concerned about her improving, but she has. If it means pbying against the guvs, or whatever, she does what it takes to improve. Her mental game and her individual skills have both improved this year." I-vc11 frim the start, Heinv savs, Smith came on like a seasoned vekran — “I.ike a senior when she was a freshman.” But Smith sa s that since joining the Ducks, she has become a more complete player. "I don l know if I'm that much stronger, physically, than I was when I first came to Oregon, but mv overall offensive ability has improved, she says. “I'm a better shooter now, although I m still not much of a pure shooter - I still have to work at it." V\ ork is something Bev Smith has rarelv ceased to do in her tenure at Oregon. Her coaches and teammates have grown accustomed to her demanding style that pressures not onlv herself to perform, but everyone else as well. ^ et things have begun to change foi Smith, who savs there is more to life than just putting the ball through the ring. "I ve slowed myself down a lot, and I’m not as concerned COntmued on Paire 6B V*iKe* X ofjr efe>v*r* X -Vkwtlc ^vovj \«^k<jX S*«/l t M&vvuj v4Ka^ X»v» Me j Cultural Forum presents, A.V. VC—' _an evening with (Lis 'y'/ \ \ m LcoKottke W opening with: Chris Tsefalas Tuesday, Feb. 9 th EMU Ballroom Ticket’s: $5_50 IIO Students $6.50 (General Pubb< Available at I,Ml Main Desk Earth River Records and Diana's on the Mall TEETH Ignore them and they will go away Teeth Cleaning and Exam S25 Will Morningsun D.O.S. Thomas R. Huhn D.D.S. call for appointment 746-6517 1 '/•> miles from campus next to the Bike Path 528 Mill St. Springfield EMU Cultural Forum Presents DANILO DOLCI Noted Italian peac e ac livist. poet, author and theorist of non-violent direc t ac lion. Dole i will speak on "c reativitv, educ ation, and (irass-roots developments". Sicily exports Danilo Dolci America exports Alexander Haig Dolci comes to America to talk about non-violent human responsibility Haig goes to Europe to huxter (sic) human extermination Those who would prefer not to die at the hands of Haig and his henchmen would do well to welcome Danilo Dolci. to ponder his words to take a measure of hope Haig, all appearances notwithstanding, is not god He can only play god and the performance is a dismal one But Dolci plays human, and in an open season on humans we had best take A** m V>IW2!&^ i;0^X p'XTe'^ 0,6^6^ ,*°V 9 AOS® *9^
