sports _
Washington returns to his basketball roots
By Adam Worcester
Of the Emerald
Although he was a National Basketball
Association star for nearly nine years, Kermit
Washington has no qualms about riding the
bench. In fact, he enjoys it.
“I love it,” the newest Stanford Cardinal
assisant coach says of his duties with the team. “I
love working with the players.”
Washington, who played his finai three NBA
seasons for the Portland Trail Blazers, does a little
of everything for Stanford. During games, he
charts certain statistics, such as rebounds, tur
novers and shots for Cardinal head coach Tom
Davis. “It’s not real important,” Washington
says. “But it has to get done.”
Mostly, though, he works with players
“wherever they need me.” Washington helps
with weightlifting, conditioning, basketball skills
and even personal problems. And after nine
seasons in the NBA, in addition to a glittery col
lege career under John Wooden at UCLA,
Washington believes he has something to give
back to the game.
“When you’ve played the game, you can see
some things the players can’t. You can maybe tell
‘When you We played the game,
you can see some things the
players can’t. *
— Kermit Washington
how a player feels in a certain situation, what’s
going through his mind,” Washington says.
Davis banked on this type of experience
when he hired Washington to the Stanford staff,
hoping his young team could parlay it into a few
more victories. This has yet to happen (the Car
dinal stands 3-13 in league play, 11-15 overall),
but Washington is confident the team will im
prove and the victories will eventually come.
One thing can be said with certainty of
Washington: when he wants a player’s attention,
he gets it. He still stands 6-8 and weighs 240
pounds, as he did when a chronic back injury
ended his NBA career three years ago. He is pro
bably the biggest college coach west of
Georgetown University’s John Thompson.
So far, Washington’s transition from the pro
fessional to the college game has been smooth.
“I like the college game,” he says. “1 like the
intensity of college kids and the crowd.” Except
for Trail Blazer fans, Washington says college
crowds are much more vocal than pro ones. He
says the main difference between the college and
pro games is that “the ability ot the pro players is
so much greater.”
Yet. Washington says the ability of college
players is improving every year. He claims that
players today are better athletes than when he
was in school.
“Some kids were only football players
before. Now they’re basketball players too.” he
says. “Plus they lift weights and condition much
more than we did.”
Despite his love for his job. Washington says
he has no plans to become a head coach.
“1 don’t have time,” he says. “1 still work in
Portland for Far West Federal Bank. And 1 have to
fly up here for my Sixth Man Foundation work,
and I have a project for kids in San Diego.” And,
of course, he has his Stanford duties.
Washington’s reunion at McArthur Court
was a rude one as the Ducks handed the Cardinal
at 68-61 defeat Saturday afternoon. Despite the
loss, Washington still has fond memories of the
area and his old basketball playing days.
Washington says he doesn’t miss Portland,
where he had his most productive NBA seasons,
but “I miss my friends. But I have friends I miss
in L.A. and San Diego too.”
Nonetheless, Washington admits he harbors
a soft spot in his heart for the Rose City and the
state of Oregon.
“1 had a good time playing up there,” he
says. “The fans were great and people treated me
well.”
.:^^~====li
RESUMES
Give your resume a professional look, by having it
typeset at the Oregon Daily Emerald Graphic Services
Department. 300 EMU. 686-5511
Emerald file photo
Stanford assistant coach Kermit Washington (right) has found a
new role in basketball after enjoying a nine-season career in the
pros.
I Sports Shorts
Oregon men’s basketball
player Blair Rasmussen and
the University of Southern
California's Wayne
Carlander were voted as co
Pacific-10 Conference
players of the week by league
officials Monday.
Also guard Anthony
Taylor was named to the
Pac-lO’s All-Freshman team.
J
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