Sports Editor:
Adam Jude
adam jude@dailyemerald .com
Assistant Sports Editor:
Jeff Smith
jeffsmith@dailyemerald.com
Best Bet
MLB: Texas at Seattle,
7:05 p.m., Fox Sports Net
’Cats may
get their
revenge
Hold up, dude.
Take a deep breath.
Relax.
You thought last Sat
urday’s game against lowly Utah
State was crazy? You left the game
early in Oregon’s signature come
from-behind win against South
ern California because you could
n’t handle the stress?
Man, don’t even turn the TV on
this weekend with that attitude.
Stay in bed. Go hiking. Watch
Barry Bonds hit No. 71 or walk
No. 180. Watch the Mariners set
the record of all records. What
ever you do, just forget about
football, forget the Ducks and
their fourth quarter heart attacks.
You have too much on your
mind already. Don’t risk your
health over some meaningless
football game.
You may end up disappointed.
Because the ’Cats are scratching
with all their might.
Like all of Oregon’s opponents
this season, Arizona is fired up.
Perhaps more than any of us
thought, and perhaps more than
any team the Ducks have seen.
In the words of one student
writer/fan at Arizona, “If Jason
Johnson can avoid throwing picks
to Wesly (great name!) Mallard and
Rashad Bauman, the Cats’ll cruise
and I’ll be tearing down the goal
posts.”
No respect from the fans. And
^ no respect from the Wildcat foot
ball team, either. Especially
Michael Jolivette, the recipient of
the most mind-blowing hit in this
reporter’s short memory.
“I remember it like it was yes
terday,” Jolivette told the Arizona
Daily Star of Mallard’s hit in Ore
gon’s 14-10 victory at Autzen Sta
dium last season. “I remember
running down the field, and I
was breaking stride, and the play
was nearly dead, and I iust
looked to my left and I saw noth
ing but green in my face. The
next thing you know, I saw my
helmet in the air and it was all
over.”
By no means, though, it is over.
It hasn’t even started.
Jolivette has a constant re
minder of Mallard’s hit in the
form of a four-inch scar across his
chin, which he has coated with a
goatee.
Mallard will be constantly re
minded of the hit, which Jolivette
called “a cheap shot,” during the
game, and without trying to
sound pessimistic, the Ducks
may end up with a constant re
minder of their trip to Tucson if
they don’t bring their “A” game.
Let’s hope, for all our Rose
Bowl dreams, that I’m wrong.
Adam Jude is the Emerald sports editor. He
can be reached at
adamjude@dailyemerald.com.
Jordan Kent decides to stay home
■ Ernie Kent’s son has a little fun
with reporters during his press
conference before announcing
where he will attend college
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
With his family seated by his side on
a circular table and with a throng of
backpack-sporting students all around,
Churchill High senior Jordan Kent —
son of Ernie — announced his much an
ticipated plans for the future.
“I just felt after the summer I had that I
was ready to make a decision like this, so,
as of next fall, I’m going
to bypass my college
career and declare my
self eligible for the NBA
Draft,” Jordan said.
Laughter erupted
throughout the room
while his dad playful
ly nudged his head
with his hand and
asked, “What?”
“Just kidding,” Jordan Kent said.
Kent then turned serious when an
nouncing his real plans.
“But honestly, it’s my great honor to
declare that I’m going to the University
of Oregon next fall,” Kent said.
With those words, two Oregon
sports teams added a promising new
future player as Jordan plans to par
ticipate for his dad’s men’s basketball
team as well as Martin Smith’s storied
track and field team.
Jordan turned down scholarship of
fers from Kansas, Stanford, Michigan
and Illinois. He may redshirt his fresh
man 2002-2003 hoops season to con
centrate solely on track with the intent
of resuming both the following year.
As a junior last year, Jordan had the type
of athletic success that competitors dream
of. The 6-foot-4 forward, who averaged
just under 13 points and five rebounds a
game, played a key role in the Lancers’s
state title run in basketball that culminated
with a thorough 78-46 victory over Ben
son in the championship game.
A few months later, he dominated
the* 4A Track and Field Champi
onships at Hayward Field when he
won the individual state titles in the
200- and 400-meters as well as the
long jump. His success propelled the
Lancers to the overall state title.
Now, he’s eager to continue the Kent
legacy at Oregon. Along with his dad,
he’ll be joined by his older brother, Mar
cus, who graduated from Churchill in
June and is preparing to be a freshman
walk-on on this year’s Oregon basket
ball team.
“I get to play at Oregon where my dad
played and where my mom went to col
Turn to Men’s, pagelOA
Thomas Patterson Emerald
Men’s basketball coach Ernie Kent and the Ducks can now celebrate that
Jordan Kent, Ernie’s son, has chosen to attend Oregon.
Adam Amato Emerald
Senior Monique Tobbagi, a San Jose, Calif., native who will play her final match in the Bay Area
tonight against California, is shown here at a 1999 match against the Cardinal.
No. 4 Stanford drops
Ducks in straight sets
■After a disappointing 3-0 loss to the Stanford Cardinal,
the Ducks cross the Bay to take on winless California
By Hank Hager
Oregon Daily Emerald
Stephanie Martin played large for the Ducks against the No.
4 Cardinal last night, but it wasn’t enough as Stanford (10-1
overall, 4-0 Pacific-10 Conference) swept Oregon in three
straight games (30-23, 30-22, 30-20).
Martin, a junior, led the Ducks (8-6,0-5) with 11 kills and a
.643 hitting percentage. Stanford’s Logan Tom overmatched
the Oregon women, recording a match-high 14 kills.
“We came out and played with tremen
dous energy at the beginning, which was
encouraging,” Oregon head coach Carl Fer
reira said. “Our serve-and-passing game
was three execution plays away, and that
was the difference in the match.”
Ferreira alluded to the Ducks’ strong play
in game three. After digging a hole for them
selves by falling behind the Cardinal 15-7,
Ferreira’s squad fought back, winning six of
the next seven points to put themselves within striking dis
tance at 16-13. It wasn’t enough, though, as the Cardinal came
back to win by 10.
“(Oregon) is full of resilience, and that’s what I like about
them,” Ferreira added. “We knew we had to play with a lot
of energy, and we did that.”
Sophomore outside hitter Lindsay Murphy also played
strong for the Ducks. She led the team with eight digs and
added two blocks in the match.
“We played a lot better as a team tonight, even though it
wasn’t a win,” Murphy said.
Golden Bears come calling
California looms as the second match of the weekend for
the Ducks, with Ferreira’s squad traveling to Berkeley,
Calif, tonight. The Golden Bears (4-5, 0-3) defeated St.
Mary’s on Tuesday, but has not looked strong in conference
play. In addition, the Bay Area squad is the only Pac-10
team other than the Ducks that has yet to record a win in
conference play.
The Golden Bears are led by senior setter Candace Mc
Turn to Volleyball, page 12A