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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Nov. 13, 1985)
The past, present, and future: Monson talks about all of it By Chuck Thompson Of the Kmerelil Since arriving as Oregon's head hasketltall coach in 1983, Don Munson has amassed a 31 ~30 reconi, let! the Ducks to a post-season tournament and generally revitalized a once floundering program. On tlw eve of the 1983-80 season debut, the Emerald spoke to the coach about his past, present and future. Q l Everyone seems to be pick ing the Ducks to finish near last place in the Pac-10 this year. How does that affect yourself and the team? A: Oh, IPs been talked about, but I don't think any coin petitive athlete thinks he's gon na finish last. The picking is done so that people can read something and have something to talk about. Q: Can this year's team set a post-season tournament as a realistic goal? Al Sure. I think the only reason it wouldn't be is because people say we're not gonna be good enough and I think that has to be proven by other than somebody who votes or writes it. Ql How do you think the Phi:-to standings will wind up? A! 1 think you have to go with Washington and Oregon State. Arizona State has talent. California I think is gonna have a good ball club. Q< Who do you think will bo the best player in the Pac-10 this season? A! If I had to pick one player, I guess.. Reggie Miller of UCLA. Or Christian Welp (of Washington). Those two stand out right away. Q: The 45-second shot clock is national this year. Are you glad that it's here? A: No. I don’t lik« the shot clock. Never voted for it. Q* Why not? At I'm against it because what it's doing is dictating what you can or cannot do as far as at tacking or preparing for a team. There’re some times when you can run up and down the floor and have the best chance of winning, so you run up and down the floor. There’re some limes you want to hold the ball for a minute or a minute-and-a haif and then shoot the ball because that's what you figure is the best way of winning. What dictated it, of course, was TV and the crowds. And I’m talking from a coach’s point of view and not a spectator s point of view. Q: Are you ever a basketball spectator? At the end of the season do you sit down and watch the NCAA finals and that sort of thing? A: I go to the games. That's Continued on Pago 6B At the start of his third year as head coach of the men’s basketball team, Don Monson hopes that the Ducks can finish hipher than their predicted tenth place in the Poe-10 The Healthcare Industry needs your plasma Be a lifesaver! DONATE PLASMA! Earn *100 monthly plus bonuses and weekly cash drawings. Return donors (who have not donated for two or more months) and new donors too, bring in this ad on your first donation and receive $5 00 in addition to our regular donor fee EUGENE PLASMA CORP. 1071 Olive st. 484-2241 Nortn American J B*o4og*C4is inc $ Kmnrald File Photo Bantering his ninth year as head football coach, Rich Brooks has lead the Ducks to three of their four winning seasons over the last twenty years. Brooks puts success into Duck football By Robert Collias Of lb* Kamald Rich Brooks is a man who has ad ded the word respectability to the vocabulary of Oregon football. The Ducks have enjoyed only four win ning seasons in the last twenty years, and Brooks has led them to three of those. Currently, he has his team on the verge of another winning season this year as the Ducks stand 4-4 with three games to play In the season. Brooks is in the midst of his ninth season at the helm of the Ducks pro gram and his record of 34-58-4 is not one that will make other coaches jealous. However, Brooks led the Ducks to their first con secutive winning seasons since 1964. with a 6-5 mark in 1979 followed by 6-3-2 mark In 1980 and ‘is on the verge of accomplishing that again if the Ducks can manage a winning season this year to go with their 6-5 mark of a year ago. Brooks is a former college player himself at Oregon State University, and he has had the op\yortunity to coach with such greats as Tommy Prothro and Dick Nolan. Q: Being a former college player, does that help you motivate and respond to the players you coach? A.I I don't know. I've been through it, through the broken bones, the operations and certain things, but I don't know if that has that much to do with it. I think the game has changed so dramatically since I played. The amount of time that is required to be good off the field In a lot more today. We didn't spend the time that the kids do to day to be good. I think that any player that is willing to put the time commitment in today should be ready to go on game day. We are trying to point out things that are positive, and that they (the players) can still ac complish and hope that that is motivation. Q*. You mentioned that the game has changed a lot since you played at Oregon State in the ltttiO's. what do you see as the ma|or changes in today’s game.? AI The players are bigger, stronger, faster and better. Q: When did you first know that you wanted to be a coach? A.* I think probably about my senior year in high school, and specifically, at that time I wanted to be one at the high school level, and teach at the same time I stayed at OSU after I graduated to get my master's degree and got a taste of coaching at the college level and changed my mind, but 1 eventually did coach one year at the high school level before starting in the college level of coaching. Ql Can you give me a little bit about your coaching background? A.’ I was a graduate assistant ut Oregon State while I got my masters. I coached in high school in Sacramento for one year and then I went back to Oregon State for five vean as an assistant coach under Dee Andros. Then I went to UCLA for a year under Tommy Prothro. then I followed him to the Rams for two years. After that 1 went back to ()regon State for one year under Dee Andros, then l went to the San Francisco 49ers for two years under Dick Nolan. Prom there, I went to UCLA under Terry Donahue for one year before I got the head coaching job here in 1977. Q: You mentioned some pretty big names there. If you had to pick out one coach that you respect the most and have learned the most from who would it bo? A Well I respect them all ob viously, and I learned from all of them, but I think probably my big gest influence as far as the way I coach comes from Tommy Prothro. I spent five, six, seven, eight years under him as a player and coach. Q • IX) you consider yourself a fan of footIniII, and college football in particular? A* Well, I spent ull day Saturday (» bye for the Ducks) watching foot Iwll. I watched the Huskies get dismantled by Arizona State and I watched the OSll-Stanford game. I would say that I'm a fan. Sometimes I like to look and just enjoy, but most of the time I find myself looking at what other teams are doing. Ql What is your proudest mo ment as a coach? A That is really hard to answer. I think it is really hard to pick out any one moment. I always take pride in the fact that I see a guy go from this program and be suc cessful in whatever he chooses to do whether it be medicine, pro foot ball or whatever. Q: At times it seems that the coach gets too much blame for failure and maybe too much credit for success, what are your thoughts on this, and what do you have to say to your critics that might be calling for your job at times? A! Coaches and quarterbacks get the blame too much sometimes when they are not responsible, but someone has to take the brunt of it. As the head coach, it is my respon sibility to win games and make the correct decisions, and when I don't. I've been in the business long enough to know that I'm going to be criticized for it. Sometimes the critics don’t know the whole story, but they don't have to. they can do what they want. Sometimes it bothers me. but all I have to do is look around and see other people with situations better than ours not doing as well as we do, and other people with worse situations doing better than we are so it is a tough business and a tough league. I try basically to ignore as much of the praise and criticism as possible. UOBookstore (3 Read!^ 5ATurPaY CElEDr(aJ[ON5 AT THE UO BOOKSTORE AGES 3-6 It OO IN THE GENERAL BOOK DEPT NOV. 16 Children’s Book Week 13th & Kincaid M F 7 30 5 30 SAT 10 00 3 00 BOOKSTORE Supplies Me 4331 DIM Every Sp.m. /$195 Sushi Lunch Special Dim Sum «o 9c l.unch An</ Try Us Tor Dinner CHINA BLUE Kt'Klaurunl 879 E. 13th. 343-2832 poppi/ G R H E K ! A V l R N A Real Greek Food Deliciously Prepared Imported Beers. Greek Wines and Daily Specials 675 East 13th Eugene ()pen for lunch 11:.'(() am - 4:00 pm I limin' from 5:00 10:00 pm I lllM'll I IH'sil.iV *. /-CAMPUS AREA v km Tatfm % *9*50 Haircuts (tm lud** shampiM) & %tyle) Spec iali/ing in cuts from Asian to Curly Hair 792 E. 11th • 485-6363 Tilchin CHIROPRACTIC Clinic • Close to Campus • Quality Care • U of O Student Discount 342-3238 74 E. 18th INTRAMURALS 103 Gerlinger Hall *4113 or *4121 -3^ For All You Do RIM's For You V ) M. Bowling Doubles - It's not too late to sign up for Bowling Doubles tonight! Tournament will be held at 7:15pm at the EMU Bowling Lanes. Teams may consist of 2 men, 2 women, or 1 man and 1 woman. Games will be handicapped to egualize play. The cost per team will be $3.00 for 6 games. Shoes and bowling ball provided free of charge by the EMU. Intramural Wrestling - You may have noticed that the intramural wrestling meet has not been scheduled fall term. There is a reason! It has been moved to winter term so we can run our finals with some class. At this time we are work ing with Coach Finley to have the finals prior to a home wrestling meet. This gives all you wrestlers a bit longer now to get in shape. Check at the RIM of fice at the beginning of winter term for the exact date. Flag and Razzle Dazzle Football players please take note - Playoff games scheduled for Saturday and Sunday, November 16 and 17, are being played on the Southbank Field. Late Night Program - Students are enjoying the increased open recreation hours from 10pm - 3am Monday through Thursday. Over 100 students are taking advantage of facilities each night to play racguetball, tennis, basket ball, to swim and lift weights. Take a break from your late night studying to relax with a little recreation. Come to the Leighton entrance. Open Hours - HARRY JEROME WEIGHT CENTER MUWHF 7:00am - 8:30am UH 3:30pm • 7:00pm MUWHF 11:30am - 12:30pm UH 8:00pm - 9:30pm MWF 3:30pm - 9:30pm UH 11:00pm - 2:00am Sat 9:00am - 7:00pm Sun 12:00pm - 5:00pm Budweiser Budweiser presents this page as a service to students interested in recreation and in tramurals. Publication of RIM News should not be interpreted in any way as an endorse ment of the sponsor’s product by the University of Oregon. RESUMES Give your resume a professional look, by having it typeset at the Oregon Daily Emerald Graphic Services Department. 300 EMU. 686-5511
