Adam Amato Emerald
Senior forward Bryan Bracey capped off his Duck career with team MVP honors. He also was honored as the team’s top rebounder.
Wheelchair Basketball
The Blazers are coming to campus
and they’re challenging you to a
friendly game of basketball.
No, not the Portland Trailblazers of the
National Basketball Association, the
Portland Wheelblazersof the National
Wheelchair Basketball Association.
As part of the University’s Disabilities
Awareness Week, the Wheelblazers
will be at the Student Recreation Cen
ter —Court 5 — today from 1 p.m. to
8 p.m. (with an hour-long dinner
breakat 5 p.m.), ready to take on stu
dents in a first-come, first-serve basis.
But there’s a catch: Students must
also play in wheelchairs, which are
available at the event.
Nadia Hasan, an ASUO representative
who organized the event, said playing
wheelchair basketball is a good way
for students to understand what peo
ple with disabilities live through
every day.
“Instead of just listening to someone
talk about what it’s like to be dis
abled, students will get a chance to
actually experience it,” Hasan said.
"And it’s going to be a lot of fun. I
think it will be the best part of the
week.”
942-8730
Billll
484-1927
GOLF 9 HOLES $10
| Students Only. Must show ID. (Monday - Friday)
Basketball dinner
celebrates season
■ Several awards and
a multitude of emotional
speeches are given at the
basketball banquet
By Peter Hockaday
Oregon Daily Emerald
Although the Oregon men’s bas
ketball team may have finished the
2000-01 season with a .500 record,
the Ducks found plenty to laugh,
cry and cheer
about at the an
nual basketball
banquet Mon
day night.
Senior Bryan
Bracey was
named the
MVP of the
team to finish the banquet, held
at the Eugene Hilton. Bracey, Flo
Hartenstein, David Jackson and
Julius Hicks, all seniors, were
honored for their contributions to
Oregon basketball, along with
senior managers Andy Whiteside
and Nick Graham.
The John Warren Most Inspira
tional Player award went to Jack
son, the Jesse Nash Most Improved
Player was Chris Christoffersen,
the Harry Ritchie Scholar-Athlete
award went to Ben Lindquist,
while Hartenstein, Bracey and
freshman Luke Ridnour received
team awards for best defender, re
bounder and assist-man, respec
tively.
But the evening was about more
than just handing out the hard
ware. A highlight video of the
2000-01 season as well as speech
es by head coach Ernie Kent, ath
letic director Bill Moos, the seniors
and the assistant coaches gave the
evening the feel of a championship
banquet, not merely a season-end
ing one.
Kent spoke of the quality of the
people in the Oregon program,
from the players to the ball-boys,
and said the 2000-01 Ducks will be
recognized years down the line for
their contributions to the program.
But Kent also called on the com
munity to support the team in his
concluding speech.
“We have a warm, supportive
group of fans here, and that can
make us great,” Kent said. “But
that’s what can make us mediocre
as well. We need this community
to hold us accountable.”
Kent said multiple times that the
season “got away” from the Ducks
last year, and that he hopes to con
tend for the Pacific-10 Conference
title in the future.
There was certainly emphasis on
the future of Oregon basketball Mon
day night. Kent and Moos both said
they will hold next year’s returnees
— which include Pac-10 Freshman
of the Year Ridnour, Christoffersen,
Luke Jackson, Anthony Norwood
and Freddie Jones — responsible for
bringing the Ducks back to the
NCAA Tournament.
Master of ceremonies and
“Voice of the Ducks” Jerry Allen
added a little humor to Kent’s
comments when he told the crowd
he would shave his head if Oregon
played in March Madness next
year, and that the coaching staff
would shave their heads if the
Ducks made it to the Final Four.
Monday was also a time for the
seniors to reflect on their Oregon
careers. Jackson gave the most
emotional speech, as he looked
back on his injury-riddled career
and said he was still “a better
man” than when he came into the
program. The co-captain, who
transferred from Utah three years
ago with high expectations, said he
would “always be a Duck.”
Hicks, Hartenstein and Bracey
also gave farewell speeches, and
each invoked the sense of family
that surrounds the Oregon basket
ball program.
For Hicks and Bracey, it was also
a time to thank the team with a
more personal good-bye note: imi
tations of Kent and Hartenstein, re
spectively. Hicks had the crowd
rolling with laughter after his imi
tation of Kent at a practice, but
Bracey’s follow-up performance of
Hartenstein’s thick accent sent the
crowd into an uproar.
Despite the fact that Oregon
missed the postseason this year
and finished in the bottom half of
the Pac-10 a year after ending up
third, Monday night was a time for
the Ducks to reflect on the high
lights of their recently-concluded
season instead of dwelling on the
failures.
With the help of some good
wine, good company and gourmet
food, focusing on good times was
not a problem.
ANNUAL MEETING
Wednesday, April 18 / 3:30 pm
Wesley Center Fellowship Hall
1236 Kincaid (behind the Bookstore)
■ Nominate yourself or someone else
2 Sophomore Positions
I Freshman Position
1 Faculty Position
2 Graduate Positions
■ Recommendations or proposals
■ Drinks & snacks
■ Prize drawings
Board members receive a $50 monthly stipend to attend a monthly meeting.