Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2000)
Seniors honored at banquet ■ Alex Scales, Darius Wright and A.D. Smith share co-MVP as the Ducks celebrate season Basketball Notes By Jeff Smith Oregon Daily Emerald In a night filled with laughter, hugs and tears, the Oregon men’s basketball team capped a banner season with the annual awards banquet on Monday night at the Eugene Hilton Hotel. In front of a large gathering of family, friends, workers and alumni, the Ducks handed out their postseason awards, and honored the teams three dedicat ed seniors. In a vote that was cast by the players themselves, seniors Alex Scales, A.D. Smith and Darius Wright were selected as co-Most Valuable Players. Head coach Ernie Kent proud ly presented each individual with their awards after the trio helped the program capture its most wins in 55 years. A year ago, both Scales and Wright were also voted co-MVP. It marked only the third time that players shared the honor, with Doug Little and Ron Lee be ing the first to do so back in 1973. Eugene-native Smith, who easily had the most family with him, won the Academic Award as well as the Harry Ritchie Scholar Athlete Award. Assistant coach Greg Graham then presented the John Warren Most Inspirational Player Award, which surprised many in atten dance — including the recipient. Junior guard Kristian Chris tensen, who played in only two games but provided an emotion al lift throughout the season with his positive attitude, received the award. Other players earning acco lades were sophomore guard An thony Norwood as the Jesse Nash Most Improved Player and Wright as the Best De fender. Norwood was the perfect choice after starting his first season at Oregon slowly, be fore becoming a key contributor off the bench late in the sea son. He tallied a total of 20 points against Oregon State and Seton Hall. His performance against the Pirates in the NCAA Tournament was perhaps his best of the year, as he scored seven points in a three-minute stretch to push the game into overtime. But aside from the personal distinctions, Monday night was about celebrating a season, a team and a community. The Master of Ceremonies for the evening was radio announc er — a.k.a. “Voice of the Ducks” — Jerry Allen. In a speech to the crowd, Allen showed true emo tion in asking the team to sign a basketball for him. He said in his 13 years of broadcasting Oregon athletics, he had never come across a team that was this “spe cial.” The night also included senior speeches, in which Scales, Wright and Smith spoke to the onlookers. Smith went first and had the crowd at his mercy in his lengthy goodbye that includ ed tributes to past and present teammates and coaches. He told humorous behind-the-scenes stories, and genuinely thanked everyone for their love and sup port through the years. While Smith’s speech kept go ing, Scales and Wright produced a few laughs when they sat down on the steps of the stage, while waiting for their turn. Scales, who admits he doesn’t talk much, also showed his comedic side when he whispered into the microphone to ask everyone to tell Kent to change his flat-top hairstyle. But then he whispered even softer with a smile, “But don’t tell him I told you that.” One of the highlights of the banquet was the season highlight video narrated by Allen and or chestrated to the tune of current hip-hop favorites. The night concluded with Kent’s closing remarks. The coach expressed his gratitude to everyone and his excitement for next season. A season in which he adds a recruiting class that was ranked number one in the West. INVEST ' IT classes • workshops « mini-courses OSU Summer Session offers more than 400 courses in 70 departments. Take a course you haven’t been able to get, lighten your load before next fall, or get a jump on graduation! And for nonresidents there are no out of-state fees. Call us for a free Summer Bulletin. It’s a good investment. OREGON STATE University Open minds. Open doors. 737-1470 osu.orst.edu/dept/summer FREE Control Suf flies f Sexual HcaliK Scwidcs. For men and women iiitj Planned Parenthood • 1670 High, Eugene • 344-9411 Call or stop by *to see vf you «|uaiVpy. Expert law school advice. Free! NILE and Kaplan will prepare you for law school success. What do I need to know before applying to law school? What can I expect during my first year? What is the Socratic Method? With Special Guest: PAUL LISNEK, J.D., Ph.u. Former Asst. Dean of Loyola University, Chicago School of Law Monday, April 24th 6-8 pm at the Eugene KAPLAN Center, 720 E. 13th St. Sponsored by: bOft>n Call 345-4420 for reservations, spaces are limited! Need to get rid of that old computer? Get results with Oregon Daily Emerald Classifieds! Call 346-4343! 1 st Annual “Shoot for Charity” Challenge 2000 Presented by Campusticket.com Special Olympics Oregon Emerald Volley Area Event: 3 free throws for a $ 1 Rules: Make three free throws in a row and put your name in a raffle to win a grand prize. Purpose: Shoot for Charity Challenge is intended to raise money and awareness for Special Olympics. Win a DVD player, a gift certificate to VRC, and many other prizes! Thank you to our Sponsors: Boora Architects, Pepsi, and Nike. For more information visit our website at http://sfc.800mph.com
