Women
continued from page 7B
teams who returned key players,
the Huskies lost two of their most
valuable starters in all-time lead
ing scorer Jamie Redd and all
time leading rebounder Amber
Hall.
However, junior guard Megan
Franza has stepped up to lead the
Pac-10 in scoring with 20.9 points
per game, followed in third place
by teammate Loreee Payne (17.3).
Freshman Kellie O’Neill has filled
Hall’s shoes by pulling down a
fourth-in-the-conference 7.5 re
bounds per game.
7. California Golden Bears (5-5)
Head Coach: Marianne Stanley
Playerto
watch: Paige
Bowie, G
The Golden
Bears’ 1998
99 season was
its best in six
years with an overall record of 12
15. But the absence of four sen
iors, including starters Jennie Le
ander and Sherrise Smith,
renders this team inexperienced.
Senior guard Paige Bowie aver
aged 11.9 points per game last
season. Junior guard Courtney
Johnson is a bright spot on de
fense with a conference-leading
3.1 steals per game, but that’s
about it for California.
8. Southern California Trojans (5-5)
Head Coach: Chris Gobrecht
Player to watch:
Danielle Golay, F
' Injuries that
hampered last
WF season’s starting
lineup could
prove to be a
blessing in dis
guise for this season’s group of
players. Four young starters who
saw significant playing time re
turn to lead the Trojans. Can you
say, “rebuild”?
Senior forward Danielle Golay
ranks eighth in the Pac-10 in scor
ing (13.4 ppg), 12th in rebounding
(6.2) and seventh in field-goal per
centage (.522). Senior forward
Tiffany Washington is contributing
5.0 boards and 3.8 points per game.
9. Oregon State Beavers (4-8)
Head Coach: Judy Spoelstra
Player to Watch:
Sissel Pierce, C
Remember
the Colorado
team that Ore
gon beat by 32
points? That
team beat Ore
gon State 68-60.
The Beavers’ limited success
has been shouldered by seniors
Sissel Pierce and Reda Petraitis.
Pierce ranks seventh all-time in
the Pac-10 with 126 career
blocked shots, while Petraitis
ranks third in the conference in
rebounding (8.1) and steals (2.58)
per game.
However, center Tammy
Arnold left the team with nagging
medical issues. It’s not a big loss,
but it still hurts.
10. Washing
ton State
Cougars (3-7)
Head Coach:
Jenny Przez
was
Player to
Watch: Alke
Dietel, F
The chances of Washington
State having much success be
came even smaller last Tuesday
when junior guard Tricia Lamb
left the team.
“We are sorry to see Tricia go,”
head coach Jenny Przekwas said.
“She has been an integral part of
the women’s basketball program
for two and a half years and her
loss will be felt.”
At least the Cougars had noth
ing to lose.
Scales
continued from page 2B
“He has the creativity to really
electrify the crowd, and in doing
that, he certainly gives us an air
of confidence and allows the
guys to rally around him and
play a lot better.”
Scales, who said his junior-col
lege team’s style was to “try to
score as many points as possible,”
admitted that he loves the up
tempo game, one in which the
Ducks — in no small part because
of Scales — often excel.
But Scales contributes to Ore
gon’s success in many facets, not
just by providing highlight-film
material.
Last season, he led the team in
scoring at more than 14 points per
game and was second in rebound
ing at almost six per outing.
Scales also paced the squad in
steals and was second in both as
sists and blocked shots.
Kent said Scales improved con
siderably during the second half
of the season, when he helped the
Ducks to a 6-3 mark in the Pacific
10 Conference and a postseason
run to the semifinals of the Na
tional Invitation Tournament.
“I was nervous at the start be
cause you’re playing against these
top-notch players who are sup
posed to be the best players in the
Pac or in the nation,” Scales said.
“But once things started to click,
there was no difference. It’s just like
going out there and playing with
regular people in pickup ball.”
This season, Scales has picked
up where he left off.
In Oregon’s first meeting with a
ranked opponent, then-No. 19
Wake Forest in the first round of
the Rainbow Classic in Hawaii on
Dec. 28, Scales exploded. He
scored a career-high 26 points
through a barrage of dunks and
three-pointers, and it was his
leaning jump shot with 4.7 sec
onds left that gave the Ducks a 67
66 upset win.
In the games since those hero
ics, Scales has struggled, going a
combined five for 31 from the
field. But he still is second on the
team in scoring and rebounding,
and both Kent and Scales expect
the co-captain to be back in usual
form starting with Saturday’s Pac
10 opener at Oregon State.
Scales, a reluctant leader ac
cording to Kent, is looking for
ward to a successful conference
season that Oregon plans to cap
with its first NCAA Tournament
berth since 1994-95.
“There’s a lot of love on this
team,” Scales said. “And we’re
capable of going out and getting
the job done if we stick together,
so that’s a big plus for us. That
should take us far.”
In the meantime, don’t be fooled
by Scales’ unassuming nature be
cause his g3tne is far from quiet.
Williams
continued from page 6B
gonna give you a little
crossover, a little behind-the-back
pass, I might talk a little trash.
People want to go to games to be
entertained and that’s what I’m try
ing to do. Yeah, I break the stan
dards as far as Oregon basketball. ”
All according to plan, perhaps.
Right now, Williams’ plans for her
No. 24 Ducks (9-3) to take some
steps toward fulfilling their po
tential with the start of Pac-10
play Saturday at Oregon State —
something she said they’ve been
struggling to do during the draining
10-game, six-week-long road
stretch in which they’ve gone 4-3 so
far.
“I don’t really think people talk
about how competitive I am,”
Williams said. “That’s the hardest
thing for me in this slump. Every
body hasn’t been mean like they
can be. People are coming at us
and they want to beat us so bad, ]
and I know we want to win, but
how bad do we want to win?
“That’s something I’m trying to
rub off on my teammates: when \
( { The thing that people
either knowingly or un
knowingly like about her
is her passion.
Jody Runge
Women’s basketball
head coach
you step on the floor, you have to
know you’re the best; ‘I’m not go
ing to get beat.’”
Yet another part of the plan: in
fusing attitude and confidence
into her teammates. That thing
they call leadership—just anoth
er part of her game that Williams
plans to push to another level.
mmmm jmm Mm
■K mam M&SB&i
!
IH|nj|
UO students
[80%] have
drinks or fewer
when they party
Data taken from 1998 UO Health Center Survey.
Office of Student Life