m. r
Mayhem at
McArthur Court
Emerald columnist Jeff Smith
explains why YOU need to
come support YOUR Ducks
tonight against Cal. page 13
The Flash
Phills killed
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Bobby
Phills of the Charlotte Hornets was
killed Monday when he wrecked his
speeding Porsche after a morning
practice at the team’s arena, police
said.
Witnesses said teammate David
Wesley, driving another car at the
scene, also may have been speed
ing, police spokesman Keith
Bridges said.
Phills, a 30-year-old guard, had just
left a shootaround at Charlotte Coli
seum at about 11 a.m. when the
three-vehicle accident happened,
club spokesman Jonathan Supra
nowitzsaid.
Rocker apologizes
John Rocker admitted Wednesday
that his racial and ethnic comments
in a magazine article made him
sound like “a complete jerk.”
In his first interview since the up
roar, the 25-year-old relief pitcher
spoke to ESPN at his home in Ma
con, Ga., and again apologized, re
peating that he is not a racist. He
pointed out that several minority
players stayed in his home while
they were playing for the Braves mi
nor league affiliate in Macon.
“I’ll reiterate again and apologize
one more time to anybody I’ve of
fended,” Rocker said. “It certainly
was not my intent.”
Tyson could be barred from
British boxing
LONDON (AP)—The promoter of
Mike Tyson’s Jan. 29 fight against
Julius Francis in Manchester says
the bout is still on.
But the former heavyweight cham
pion might not learn if he can enter
.England until he gets off the Con
corde on Sunday at Heathrow Air
port and walks to the immigration
desk.
The Tyson debate began Tuesday
when several lawmakers asked that
he be barred from Britain because
of a 1992 rape conviction. On
Wednesday, Prime Minister Tony
Blair addressed the dispute in Par
liament.
Best Bet
NCAA Basketball
Ohio State vs.
Wisconsin
6 p.m., ESPN
Thursday
January 13,2000
Volume 101, Issue 75
Effgald
Ready to
■ Junior college transfer Eugene
Harris has overcome a serious knee
injury to become one of the Ducks’
best wrestlers
Eugene
Harris
Hometown:
Las Vegas, NV
Yean Sopho
more—trans
fer
Weight: 157
Record: 16-9
overall, 5-9
dual matches
Major: Psy
chology
1997 Nevada
high school
wrestler of the
year
By Brett Williams
Oregon Daily Emerald
When the going got tough,
Eugene Harris got tougher.
As a freshman last season
at Lassen Community Col
lege in Susanville, Calif.,
Harris was coming, off an
outstanding prep career that
garnered him numerous
honors, including Nevada’s
wrestler of the year and the
Most Outstanding Wrestler
at the state championships.
But in just his second
meet of his freshman season,
Harris saw his future flash
before his eyes.
An awkward twist of Har
ris’ knee left him with a torn
anterior cruciate ligament,
an injury that has been
known to jeopardize many
wrestlers’ careers. Nonethe
less, Harris felt he had no
other option but to wrestle
on a knee that, according to
him, was 40 percent die
whole season.
“I put it through torture all
last season,” said Harris, a
psychology major. “I really
shouldn’t have been
wrestling on it.”
Still, Harris refused to let
the injury get the best of him
and dominated his weight
class at Lassen en route to Ju
Azle Malinao-Alvarez Emerald
Eugene Harris has a 16-9 record at 157 pounds while recovering from a torn ACL
nior College All-American honors.
After the season Harris had surgery
to repair the ligament. Following his
surgery, doctors told him there was an
other factor that would be slowing his
rehabilitation.
“The doctors told me there was
muscle atrophy, and the strength of my
knee was a big problem,” Harris said.
“When I got [to Oregon], the trainers
said they weren’t having me do the
right therapy in Las Vegas, and that I
needed to do more. ”
Harris did do more, and now it is
paying big dividends for him on the
mat. Harris said his knee is “85 percent
now, and is getting better everyday,”
and it shows with his impressive 16-9
record so far this season, 5-1 in dual
matches. Two of those victories came
against wrestlers from Oklahoma State
and Cal-State Bakersfield, teams that
are nationally ranked.
Although Oregon coaches mourned
the loss of last year’s’ NCAA qualifier,
157-pound Daryl Christian, who grad
uated, Harris is filling in nicely. He is
filling the role so well that the Ducks’
head coach Chuck Kearney said he be
lieves the sky is the limit for his sopho
more standout.
“Eugene is extraordinarily talent
ed,” said Kearney, who was an All
Turn to Wrestling, page 8A
Kent, UO eager to treat fans to Pac-10win
Jeffrey Stockton Emerald
Freddie Jones and his teammates are hoping to electrify a boisterous crowd tonight against California.
■ Oregon aims to
go 2-0 in Pac-10 play
as it faces talented
California tonight
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
Oregon head coach
Ernie Kent can’t wait.
After seeing his Ducks
(10-2,1-0 Pacific-10 Con
ference) dominate the
first edition of the Civil
War on Saturday in Cor
vallis by a score of 67-49,
he is eager to see what
will happen tonight
when Oregon hosts the
youthful California Gold
en Bears (9-5, 0-2 Pac-10)
tonight at 7:05 p.m. at
McArthur Court.
“I’m excited because
I’m looking forward to
seeing this team play
here at the Pit and how
they respond to the con
Turn to UO men, page 8A
On Tap:
What: Men’s bas
ketball
Who: Cal vs. Ore
gon
When: 7:05 p.m.
Where: McArthur
Court