izueio
A few doors from
the UO Bookstore
CRICKET
unlimited
use in
Eugene,
Springfield
■weekend ", per month
minutes.:
whenever
minutes;
1 year coritr.oGt
* FREE roarpirfg’ancf
long, distance within'
united states
■ ' Some .restrictions.
apply. Subject to
phone- avaiiidbiiity.
■ ,'Ge.t rid .of your horae.
phone, on tnegohpme.
phone; take your nonne
pnone with you. plus tax
n+ Wireless
841 E.13th A/e.
(541)465-8877
COME IN AND CALL YOUR FRIENDS
To earn a 4*00
in Brewology
all you need to
know is
STEELHEAD*
n 9 Award-Winning Micro-Brews
□ Soups, Salads □ Ribs n Fresh Pizza
□ Sandwiches n Pastas n Burgers
□ Spirits n Home-Made Rootbeer
TAKE A BREW HOME IN STEELHEAD'S BOX O' BEER
Steelhead Brewing Company
199 East 5th Avenue Eugene, OR Phone 686-2739
Eugene, OR - Burlingame, CA - Fisherman’s Wharf, San Francisco, CA - Irvine, CA
&V/eMe^e'
Run your for sale item in the
ODE classifieds for five days
(items under $1,000) ...
if you don't sell it, we'll run it
5 more days for free!
Thomas Patterson Emerald
First-year Oregon head coach Bev Smith was a two-time All-American in the early-1980s while leading Oregon to its first NCAA Tournament
in 1981. In her first collegiate coaching job, Smith’s “dream job” is to lead the Ducks back to the tournament for the ninth straight season.
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
It’s hard not to like Bev Smith.
Two decades ago, Smith put
Oregon women’s basketball on
the map. Now she’s back to con
tinue her legacy.
The most renowned player in
program history, Smith set school
records in 10 categories and still
holds career marks in assists (443),
rebounds (1,362) and steals (349).
The Salmon Arm, B.C., native is
second on Oregon’s career scoring
list with 2,063 points and was an
All-American in 1981 and 1982.
“I don’t have a lot of memories
of wins and losses, I just remember
that our team, playing at home at
Mac Court, was ready and willing
to do anything to defend Mac
Court and win,” Smith said about
her playing days. +
The fiery competitor in Smith
is still apparent now when she
roams the hardwood at McArthur
Court, not making the plays, but
calling them.
But the road back to the Pit was
a long and tenuous one.
Smith, 41, was a member of the
Canadian national team for 15
years — she was called the Larry
Bird of Canadian women’s hoops
by former coach Don McCrae —
before retiring after the 1996
Olympics. She also played over
seas, where she got her first taste of
coaching in an Italian league.
“It was very difficult,” she said
of her first coaching gig. “As a
player, you don’t realize the
teaching and the learning process
that you have to provide for your
athletes.”
After years of practice-, includ
ing a four-year stint as head coach
of the Canadian national team,
Smith has now molded into a
fine-tuned coach, said Oregon as
sistant Dan Muscatell.
“Bev is a very good coach,” Mus
catell said. “She knows what she
wants and she teaches to gain that.
“She is also very good organiza
tionally. For a one-to-two hour
practice, she prepares for at least
that much.”
After two decades away, former
Oregon star Bev Smith returns
to McArthur Court
Getting the chance to coach at
her alma mater may not have hap
pened if last year’s squad had not
rebelled against former coach Jody
Runge. In a highly-publicized con
troversy, eight players met with
Athletic Director Bill Moos last
March and asked that Runge be
fired. Two months later, Runge re
signed.
“Is there any more pressure
that can be more extreme
than the pressure you put
onyourself?”
Bev Smith
head coach
“A decision was made — I don’t
know if it was the right or wrong
decision, I just know I was given
the opportunity to coach at Ore
gon,” Smith said.
Before anything, though, Smith
had to gain the team’s trust.
“All we asked from the players
was to learn from the past,” she
said. “I think the healing process is
just the time for them to get to
know the coaching staff and learn
who we are, how we coach and
how we care.
“They don’t really care how
much you know until they know
how much you care.”
Senior guard Jamie Craighead
said that Smith quickly gained re
spect and inspired the team to
work harder.
“She’s real big on communicat
ing with us,” Craighead said.
“We’re going to accomplish every
thing because we worked hard for
it, not because we’re the best ath
letes, but because we’re going to
work harder than every team.
“She’s sticking with us, we’re
not necessarily her players — she
didn’t recruit us — but I hope
we’re going to do her justice.”
While she inherited a program
that has made an impressive eight
consecutive NCAA Tournaments,
Smith took on a team that looks
much different than in the past.
Four starters departed from last
year’s squad and six freshmen
were brought in this year.
“I think we’ve really taken
some steps and gotten ourselves
in a position where we’ve won
some games and established our
identity,” Smith said. “We still
have miles to go. I’m happy, but
not satisfied. Any time you’re not
perfect, you have to keep striving
to be perfect.”
Perfect may describe the situa
tion that Smith and men’s basket
ball coach Ernie Kent are in. It’s
rare enough to have a coach return
to his or her alma mater, but to
have both Oregon coaches be for
mer Ducks?
“It’s really special,” Kent said.
“There may not be another pro
gram in the country that can say
that. I think that speaks volumes
about the University of Oregon.”
Smith said she loves having the
high expectations.
“Certainly when you’re a
coach, there’s a lot of external
pressure,” Smith said. “But is
there any more pressure that can
be more extreme than the pres
sure you put on yourself?”
If her accomplishments as a
player are any indication, Smith
has already showed that the Ducks
are in good hands.
E-mail sports editor Adam Jude
at adamjude@dailyemerald.com.