Best Bet
Majok League Baæball
seattle vs. Kansascity
5 p.m., Foxspokts Northwæt
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Offseason Report
Ducks shoot for more
With 11 returnees and a strong
recruiting class, Oregon plans
to continue its rise next season
By Brett Williams
lor the Emerald
Last season, the Oregon women’s bas
ketball team frightened opponents with
intense defense and high-octane scoring
en route to its first Pacific-10 Conference
championship, which it shared with
UCLA.
Next season should be another scary
one for Pac-10 opponents, as the Ducks
return three starters and 11 letter winners
coming off a school-best 15-3 Pac-10
record.
Oregon head coach Jody Runge, who
was recently signed to a four-year con
tract extension, attempts to lead the
Ducks to their seventh-straight NCAA
Tournament appearance.
Oregon returns starters Shaquala
Williams (5-foot-6 sophomore), Brianne
Meharry (6-1 junior) and Angelina
Wolvert (6-3 junior). Williams was the
Pac-10 freshman of the year, and Mehar
ry was an honorable mention Pac-10 se
lection. Also returning is junior Jenny
Mowe, who used her 6-5 size to lead the
Pac-10 in blocked shots.
Recruiting has provided the Ducks
with even more depth. Three new guards
will give the Ducks more explosive ener
gy next season, with the potential to run
opponents out of McArthur Court.
“I think we’ll run a lot more next sea
son,” said junior forward Alyssa Fredrick,
who sat out last season after transferring
from San Diego State. “The girls coming
in push the ball real well, and they’re
awesome shooters.”
Oregon’s most recent signee, guard
Amanda Brown, will also compete on
the track and field team. The two-sport
star displayed her all-around talent as a
senior, averaging 12 points and more
than three rebounds, steals and assists
per game at Sheldon High School, earn
ing an honorable mention all-state se
lection.
Kourtney Shreve and Alissa Edwards
round out the guards in the recruiting
class. Shreve was a three-time all-Valley
League selection at West Albany, and Ed
wards scorched opponents with 20 points
per game her senior season at Hermiston.
Forward Courtney Moore should con
tribute as well. The Reno, Nev., native av
eraged 16 points and 10 rebounds last
season. She was voted Nevada 4A player
of the year her junior season.
The Ducks seemingly have the poten
tial to exceed last season’s success, when
they shared the Pac-10 championship but
were unable to defeat Iowa State in the
second round of the NCAA Tournament
in Ames, Iowa. If not for a late season loss
to Stanford, Oregon might have had
home-court advantage for the first two
rounds of the NCAAs.
“We want the Pac-10
championship all out in
stead of sharing it next
season,” Fredrick said.
“We need to get home
court farther than the sec
ond round and keep up
the defensive pressure
without Lisa [Bowyer].”
Bowyer’s defensive pressure will be
sorely missed. Other key losses to gradua
tion include Natasha O’Brien and Sonja
Curtis, who were major contributors last
season.
‘“Tash’s shooting and Sonja’s rebound
ing will be missed,” Fredrick said. “We
have big shoes to fill.”
One of the biggest changes for the
Ducks during the off-season is the addi
tion of Don Muscatell as assistant coach
and recruiting coordinator. Runge hired
Muscatell on July 14 after Stephanie Os
bum Norman’s contract wasn’t renewed
after seven seasons at Oregon.
Muscatell worked as a boy’s high
school coach in Washington for the last
16 years. As coach at Rochester High, he
led his team to a fourth-place finish at
state last year, the best finish in school
history. Muscatell earned league coach of
the year honors after last season and his
1996 campaign.
In a released statement, Runge said she
was confident that Muscatell would help
the program because of his work ethic
and excitement.
Oregon’s players have previously
worked with Muscatell at Oregon Girls
Turn to WOMEN, Page 7
ah. a an g
Catharine KendaU/Emerald
After sharing the Pac-10 title last year, Angelina Woivert and Jenny Mowe hope to grab sole possession.
Despite Sheaffer’s absence, Ems beat AquaSox, 3-2
Pitchers Ken Conroy and Tim
Lavery combine with catcher
Chris Curry to lead Eugene
By Chris Aster
lor the Emerald
With the loss of manager Danny Sheaffer
to a four-game suspension, things looked
unsure for the Eugene
Emeralds as they took
on the Everett AquaSox
at Civic Stadium on
Monday night.
Temporary manager
Alan Regier took the
helm for the Ems hop
snap a four-game losing streak that be
gan with Eugene’s trip north to Salem last
Thursday.
The Ems fortunes were turned Monday as
the pitching of Ken Conroy, a big righty
from North Carolina, and the hitting of
catcher Chris Curry led the Ems (17-20 over
Turnto EMERALDS, Page 8
Catharine KendaU/Emerald
Ken Conroy improves his record to 5-1 by only allowing two runs against the Everett AquaSox on Monday.
Regier
impresses in
Eugene debut
By Mirjam Swanson
Oregon Daily Emerald
Alan Regier and his crew of roving in
structors were scheduled to stop in Eugene
this week, anyway.
So Regier’s presence on the third-base line,
clad in an unfamiliar and nameless No. 16
Ems’ uniform wasn’t completely out of place.
Even though, until Friday night, the Chicago
Cubs field coordinator expected to spend his
time in the Northwest evaluating talent from
above home plate, not wind-milling players
home from the coaches box on the field below.
Turn to REGIER, Page 8