Man in the comer
■Cornerback Steve Smith
makes a name for himself in
what Mike Bellotti calls
Oregon’s “no-name” defense
By Scott Pesznecker
Oregon Daily Emerald
When the name “Steve Smith’’
appears in conversation, most
sports fans throughout the state con
jure up images of a certain 6-foot-8
basketball player.
That is, unless those fans pay close
attention to the Oregon football team.
The Ducks have their own Steve
Smith. He may not be as storied as
the Portland Trailblazers’ All-Star
shooting guard, but Oregon’s Smith
is one of several players who make
the Ducks’ defense No. 1 in the Pa
cific-10 Conference.
Had things worked out a little bit
differently, perhaps the pass-block
ing Smith would have been more
like his sharp-shooting counterpart.
“I planned on it,” said Smith,
lounging on a couch in the lobby of
the Len Casanova Center. “I
planned on going to college as a bas
ketball player. I chose Oregon be
cause it was the biggest school for
me at the time, and I just wanted to
go somewhere big.”
The Ducks should be glad that
Smith decided to play football. Smith
entered the starting lineup Sept. 23
against UCLA as the right cornerback,
shifting over from the rover position.
He has recorded 20 tackles — 16
unassisted—this season.
“A guy like Steve Smith - if you
have the opportunity to watch our
practices, he goes hard every day, as
hard as he can go and as fast as he
can go at each snap,” defensive co
ordinator Nick Aliotti said. “He’s
very coachable, he’s working his
trade and it showed on Saturday.”
Smith, a native of Long Beach,
Calif., was raised by his mother and
E_ '' - :
Azle Malinao-Alvarez Emerald
Steve Smith (6) is tied with Rashad Bauman for third in the Pac-10 in knock-downs.
five of 12 uncles. Three of those five
uncles played basketball overseas,
while another—Dennis Johnson —
played 12 years in the NBA before
retiring as a Boston Celtic. Johnson
is now an assistant coach for the Los
Angeles Clippers (who, ironically,
beat the Trailblazers and the “other”
Steve Smith Tuesday night).
Nobody in Smith’s family had ever
played football beyond high school,
but that didn’t mean Smith wasn’t ex
posed to the gridiron at a young age.
He watched several Southern Califor
nia games from the stands of the
Memorial Coliseum as a child, then
joined his high school football team
at the start of his sophomore year.
As the 6-foot-l multi-sport athlete
neared the end of his high-school
Turn to Steve Smith, page 12B
Elegant Thai Cuisine
Authentic Vegetarian
Curry, & Seafood
Dishes
One of The Largest
Selections of Imported
Beers & Wines
“12 years of
experience
serving
Eugene”
Voted The Best Asian
Restaurant of its Kind
in Eugene
Hours Change!
Mon-Thu: 11am-9pm
• Fri: 11am-10pm
• Sat: Noon-1 Opm
• Sun: Noon-9pm
Pony Express • For Delivery Call 485-2090
f f > ('iW ti - i
W mi* xhn i&s m i&s A-\ %\ w \v w w as kx* &sa out >2*2 cts x* x
ComputerBase Lowesl Price Guaranteed!
WWW.COMPUTERSASEUSA COM
128 MB SDRAM
PC-100/133 Mhz
$99
2-Days Only (Oct. 21/Oct. 23)
ViewSonic P220F
22" Flat Screen
$799
2-Days Only (Oct. 21/Oct. 23)
ASUS CUV4X MB
/w Sound /4x AGP
$119
2-Days Only (Oct. 21/Oct. 23)
PC Repair
Any Problem!
Flat Rate Labor!
$29.95
2-Days Only (Oct. 21/Oct. 23)
Golden ORB
Socket A/370
$9.99
2-Days Only (Oct. 21/Oct. 23)
Panasonic CDRW
8X4X32
$139.99
2-Days Only (Oct. 21/Oct. 23)
32 Oakway Center (N«.«.B^CT,a.usBark)
349-0404
The BESTwy
Pre-Game Show
in Town!
Great Food • Local Crafts • Live Entertainment
Every Saturday at 8th & Oak
10am to 5pm • Rain or Shine
www.efn.org/~smarket * 686-8885
4*4) 4) 4)
TAG H e u e r
Since 1922 • Member American Gem Society
1027 Willamette St. • 345-0354
Valley River Center • 342-4496
An authorized TAG Heuer dealer.