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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 7, 1998)
imm— NBA = Chicago vs. Miami, IBS(3), 5p.m. Emerald CHAD PATTESON/Emerald Motve, according to Oregon team doctor Robert Crist, will most likely miss the remain der of the season due to tendinitis in her right knee. Mowe may not return this season Oregon center Jenny Mowe experienced pain i>i her knee when she returned to practice after missing six straight games By Ryan Frank Sports Editor There was another indication Tuesday that Jenny Mowe could miss the remain der of Oregon’s season due to an inflamed tendon in her right knee. Oregon team doctor Robert Crist said Tuesday it is likely Mowe will not be able to return to the team before the end of the season. Mowe, who has missed six straight games, returned to practice to see if she could play without pain. Despite much rest, the at tempt was unsuccessful, Crist said. Because Mowe rested her knee and still had problems with swelling and soreness, Crist said it is unlikely she could return to the team and get into shape before the end of the season. However, Oregon officials must still pe tit ion the NCAA fora medical hardship for Mowe not to lose a season of eligibility. They cannot petition until the end of the season and there is no guarantee she will receive the hardship. “In my experience, I think Jenny will cpialify [fortlie hardship],” Crist said. Charity stripe? Despite hitting 24 of 26 shots from the free-throw line against California last Fri day, the Ducks have combined to shoot just 63.8 percent from the line this season. Their worst performance at the line Turn to WOMEN, Page 12 Kent wants more fire from fans Head coach Ernie Kent feels an intense, packed Mac Court crowd could bring Oregon seven to 10 points per game By Chris Hansen Assistant Spoils Editor Although Monday night's crowd of 7,355 — over 2,000 shy of a sellout — was disap pointingly small for a game against a top-10 team, Oregon head coach Ernie Kent was pleased with the support from those who showed up. “I thought the crowd was awesome,” Kent said. "It felt like the olden days, see ing all that green and yellow and being vo cal at times.” It’s no secret that Kent is a big supporter oi MCArtnur t.ourt and tlie advantages it holds for his team. The problem this sea son, though, is that the games haven’t sold out, and except for the stu dent section, those who do come spend more time sitting on their hands than clapping with them. The pockets of empty seats in the court side reserved and season-ticket sections for the game against No. 7 Stanford on Mon day was embarrassing. Especially since up until last year much of those seats went to University students, who would spend games getting up close and personal with the opposing team’s players. “It is important for a young team to have a crowd behind it,” Kent said. “Mac Court is such a great place to play that the crowd can give you anywhere between seven and 10 points a game if they are really rocking.” Kent has tried his best to get the crowd involved. During the Ducks’ Pacific-10 Conference opener against California last Saturday, Kent often turned to the seats be hind the Oregon bench and waved his arms up in the air, imploring the crowd to come to life. And this was a game Oregon was easily winning. “Students are students and they are go ing to be great and they are going to be into the game and they are going to bring a great party atmosphere,” Kent said “But it is going to take some people who are our age to cut loose a little bit and turn back the clock and come here a little bit more fired up. We need to get this place rocking and get the intensity. Even though it’s a new scoreboard, 1 still want to see it swinging.” Turn to FANS, Page 12 Oregon is living up to Finley’s high expectations for the season Amateur Wrestling News ranks senior Jeremy Ensrud first in the Pac 10 and fourth in the nation at 1J4 pounds By Joel Hood Sports Reporter Head coach Ron Finley began the season with the belief that the 1997-98 Oregon wrestling team had a chance to be the best ever at the University. Through three months of the fall season, the Ducks have done nothing that would suggest otherwise. Oregon (4-0 overall, 3-0Pacific-10Confer ence) is just two weeks away from the bulk of its conference schedule and, Finley said, competing at a higher level than ever before. “I’m just so impressed with the way this team has come together this season,” Finley said Saturday after Oregon's improbable first-place finish at the Great Plains Tourna ment in Lincoln, Neb. "We’ve faced some very good teams and everyone has seemed to raise his level of play.” Last Saturday, the No. 30 Ducks defeated tournament host and No. 7 Nebraska, No. 21 West Virginia, No. 31 Indiana, No. 32 North Carolina, No. 36 Missouri and a partial squad from No. 3 Minnesota en route to their first team tournament title of the season. It’s easy to see why Finley has called the 1 WRESTLING performance “one of the best tie’s ever had at Ore gon,” and why he has such high hopes for the Ducks this season. Amateur Wrestling News currently ranks Jere my Ensrud as the top wrestler in the Pac-10 and fourth in the nation at 134 pounds. En srud, who posted his ninth career tourna ment title with a 10-3 win over Nebraska’s Brian Cannoyer in Lincoln, has compiled a 19-1 record this season and was the only Duck to win his championship match on Saturday. At the current pace, Ensrud would move into seventh place on the Ducks all-time win list by the end of this season. Back from injury Perhaps the biggest impact from a wrestler who has returned from an early season in jury has been that ofredshirt freshman Doug Lee, who finished second Saturday at 177 pounds. Since his return to the lineup on Dec. 14 against Cal Poly SLO, Lee has a 8-4 record and remains undefeated in Pdf:-10 play. Ducks get the votes According to the most recent conference poll, eight Oregon wrestlers rank in the top four of their respective weight classes in the Pac-10. An important number because the Ducks will need a strong starting eight to chal lenge defending Pac-10 champion Arizona State at the end of the season, Finley said. Back home Oregon hosts its second home meet of the season Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at McArthur Court against No. 15 Lock Haven. FINLEY
