Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 6, 1994)
Oregon Daily Emerald Sports Ducks look to fill in holes during spring By Steve Mims Oregon (Xttfy £ m0r&d Members of the Oregon foot ball team began spring drills yes terday. trying to put last season behind them ami answer ques tions that lie ahead. The Ducks agree almost unan imously that 1993 was a lost sea son. one filled with a lot of poten tial early on and disappointment by the e>-(t finish. The start of spring practice is the unofficial start of the 1994 season, and the Ducks are glad to see it finally arrive. "I’m anxious to get out there,” Oregon head coach Rich Brooks said. "We have a lot to prove to ourselves We failed to achieve what we were capable of last year, and we need to redirect our selves mental I v Brooks seems confident in his team's physical abilities, as the Ducks return n number of play ers who have proved themselves on the field The mental side is a different issue, as Brooks and his players agree that the team must get tougher, "People are always enthusias tic until tilings get tough,'' Brooks said. "As things started to go against us we didn't respond well to the adversity.” Quarterback Danny O'Neil had a great season statistically, com pleting 02 percent of his passes for 3,087 yards and 22 touch downs However. O'Neil has nev er led a team to a come-from behind victory, a fact that is a stigma to him and has given o.rit ii s an arsenal to fire with. I hat s something I want to improve on," O'Neil said, "to show myself and everybody else that 1 have the ability to come back to win myself." O'Neil made no promises about the upcoming season, referring all questions about expectations to his couch. After a year of unful filled goals, O'Neil will keep them inside this year. "As far as expectations, I don't have any,” O'Neil said. "Last year I gave a lot of expectations and they didn't come to fruition, so I'll bypass expectations this year." However, that doesn't mean O'Neil hasn't set personal and team goals for next season. "There are a lot of areas we need to improve on." the senior to-be said. "One area I'd like to improve on individually is hav ing the will to win. overcoming circumstances or tough days at practic e, whatever it might be, overcoming some obstac les and still having the will to win. That's what separates the good teams." So why wasn't Oregon a good team last year? "1 don’t think we had (the will to win) last year. I think it's pret ty obvious we lost a lot of tight games," O'Neil said. Hnough about 1993. O'Neil looks at a strong off-season as being the first key to turning it around next year. The Ducks had a lot of players working out and playing football together during the off-season, and O'Neil hopes that will translate into more vic tories on the field. "I'm not going to say there's going to be a change because it must tie proven." O'Neil said. "In the off-season we had more peo ple out there in 7-on-7 games than we ever had, and that's a sign to me that this year's team is more dedicated than teams in the past." Brooks agreed the team worked hard in the off-season but said he wasn:t sure how mm h that would run over to next year "It's been one of the best off seasons we've ever had." Brooks said. "But off seasons are just that — they 're off-seasons We need to carry that attitude on the field the whole time consistently, from week to week, not only this spring but also this fall That's sometimes where that message gets lost in the transition " On the field, the Ducks must overcome the loss of a talented senior class that includes as many ns four possible NFL draft i hoices. Making matters worse. Turn to FOOTBALL, Page 12 Arkansas relishes title, looks ahead CIIARLOrm N t: (AP) - Arkansas basket ball fan*, savor the moment It was some kind of finish to some kind of year a first NCAA championship, a No 1 seed in the Midwest Regional •a No 1 ranking for nine weeks No matter what coach Nolan Ku hardson has fold his players about no res pet t. this team mm resides nt the summit of college basket frail Whether there will lie a return to the summit next year is another matter The Ra/ortsn ks vs ill have pist about all of their players bet k. but that guarantors precious little. In 1990, when rodd Day. LlV Mayberry ami Oliver Miller were sophomores, the Ra/.orhm ks made it to the Final Four Wait til next year, people said in 1991, Arkansas lost in the finals of the Southeast Regional. Then thoughts turned to Day . Mayberry and Miller as seniors m 19'*.! By that time, they were probably all ready for the NBA anti Arkansas lost to Memphis State in the set out! round of the tournament ihis 1994 group was special - they genuine ly enjoyed playing the game Outside of the Kentucky game in tile Southeastern Conference tournament, they ployed hard every game There was no jealousy Not when Al Dillard was getting alt kinds of notice for his long range shooting Not whim a TV technician used an electronic illustrator to expound on Corliss Williamson's shaved head (.iivs on the bench swooned at their team mate s dunks and is hverybody swooned at Si otty Thurman's killer t pointer with .‘id set onds left Monday night m the 7fi7j victory over Duke The only two seniors are Roger Crawford, who broke his ankle in the second round of the NCAA tournament, and Ken tides (raw lord started four games and averaged mure than seven points per game His biggest contribution < ante w hen he relieved (iorev Him k or C lint Mi Daniel in the pressure defense 1 I I I •« ■ ■* I * i i I SIM People Mil r '_ % Ilf IT WIT TIME TN MUf I EMI IIITUCE CtllfCI (Ml.
