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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 2001)
Wednesday Best Bet NCAA Men’s Basketball: California vs. Stanford 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports Net SPORTS EDITOR: JEFF SMITH Smittside@aol.com Oregon to continue its climb with Bellotti The coach who led the Ducks to their school record 10-2 season renews his commitment to Oregon By Adam Jude Oregon Daily Emerald The Pacific-10 Conference’s win ningest coach during the last six years is going nowhere. Oregon head football coach Mike Bel lotti withdrew his name from consider ation for the vacant coaching position at Ohio State Tuesday, announcing a re newed commitment to the Ducks and the future of the program. While gaining national respectability, Bellotti, 50, has guided Oregon to its most successful era in program history since he took over the head coaching job in 1995. The Ducks recorded their first 10-win season in 2000, capped off by a 35-30 win against Texas in the Hol iday Bowl and a No. 7 ranking in the fi nal Associated Press poll. Overall, Bellotti is 49-22 as the head coach. Under Bellotti, the Ducks have won two straight bowl games (three overall), and made postseason appearances in five of his six years at the helm. No oth er Oregon coach has guided the team to more than one bowl victory. After five years as the head coach at Chico State (Calif.), Bellotti became the Ducks’ offensive coordinator in 1989. That same year, Oregon snapped a 25 year drought and made a postseason ap pearance in the Independence Bowl, while setting single-season records for school scoring marks. Bellotti has also guided an Oregon of fense that has averaged more than 400 yards per game in each of the last five years. “When you play a role in develop ing something special such as we have here, it becomes very difficult to ever consider leaving,” Bellotti said Tues day in a released statement. “It is be cause of that feeling that I have con tacted Ohio State to inform them that I am withdrawing my name from con sideration for their head coaching va cancy.” Bellotti and his family were in Columbus, Ohio, on Monday, touring the Ohio State campus with Buckeyes athletic director Andy Geiger. Several reports said that Bellotti was the top candidate for the head coaching position at Ohio State, and that the Bellotti’s coaching record at Oregon Year Overall Pac-10 1995 9-3 6-2 1996 6-5 3-5 1997 7-5 3-5 1998 8-4 5-3 1999 9-3 6-2 2000 10-2 7-1 Buckeyes were willing to pay upward of $2 million to their next coach. Last month, Bellotti agreed to a seven-year contract with Oregon that would keep him in Eugene through 2007. Numbers add up for UO wrestling The Oregon wrestling team has been rewarded by the national and conference pollsters WRESTLING By Robbie McCallum Oregon Daily Emerald Quietly and confidently, the Oregon wrestling team has risen to the next level of competition. After 10 weeks of competition, the Duck wrestlers find themselves as the second-highest ranked sport at Oregon, second only to the No. 7 football team. The Intermat national poll has the Ducks at No. 14, and has ranked Ore gon as high as 10th. Oregon also has the highest-ranked individual athlete at Oregon in junior Shaun Williams. The 125-pound trans fer is currently ranked sixth in two polls and has been ranked as high as fourth among lightweights. Williams transferred from North Ida ho Junior College this year and made an immediate impact on the Ducks’ starting roster. Oregon also has five other wrestlers ranked in the top-20 nationwide. Se nior Chael Sonnen and sophomore Eric Webb are ranked sixth at 197 pounds and heavyweight, respectively. Senior All-American Doug Lee is seventh at 184 pounds and sophomore Brian Wat son is ranked 10th at 133 pounds. Ju nior Eugene Harris is ranked 19th at 157 pounds. Add rankings According to the Pacific-10 Confer ence rankings, there should be a four way battle for the conference title, which will be held at McArthur Court on Feb. 25-26. Oregon, Oregon State, Boise State and Arizona State have dominated the most recent polls. Oregon has already defeated Oregon State 22-16 and takes on Boise State this Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Mac Court. The Ducks have a ranked wrestler in all but three weight classes. Williams, Watson, Lee and Sonnen all earned top rankings. Approaching records With three convincing pins and four victories last Friday at the Ore gon Classic Duals, Sonnen moved to second all-time on the school career pins list. Sonnen has 13 pins this season to bring his collegiate total to 45. Sonnen needs eight more pins to Turn to Wrestling, page 9 Laura Smit Emerald Senior forward Angelina Wolvert leads the Ducks in scoring with 13.7 points per game and hopes for an eventual third Pacific-10 Conference title COMPETITIVE Duck teammates admire Angelina Wo I vert’s clutch play and veteran leadership By Scott Pesznecker Oregon Daily Emerald Her eyes were void of emotion, her hands folded on the long table in front of her. She wanted to talk, but didn’t know what to say. It was a rare moment for Oregon for ward Angelina Wolvert. She’d been beaten. For that reason, Wolvert will always remember the first round of the 2000 NCAA Tournament at McArthur Court last March. She’ll remember the mo ment when her team lost to underdog Alabama-Birmingham with seconds re maining, and what she could have done that might have changed the outcome. “Jenny [Mowe] and I were on the post, and whoever was guarding the ball got beat,” Wolvert said. “Jenny went straight up to help, and I should have stepped over to take both my post and her post, but I didn’t because I didn’t see it quick enough. The ball went to Jenny’s player, who went straight to the basket. “It was devastating.” But Wolvert isn’t on the losing team often. Usually, she’s the one who beats peo ple. Ask LeAnn Sheets, Washington forward. Last sea son in Seattle, Sheets was stuck guarding Wolvert, man-to-man, when the Huskies held a one-point lead over the Ducks with less than 15 seconds re maining. Guard Jamie Craighead saw the mis match and passed the ball inside to Wolvert. Pump, fake, and the shot — Turn to Wolvert, page 10 EDGE
