Sports Editor:
Adam Jude
adamjude@dailyemerald.com
Assistant Sports Editor:
Jeff Smith
jeffsmith@dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, January 23,2002
Best Bet
NCAA basketball:
Arizona @ Arizona State,
7:30 p.m., FSN
Just a little
advice for
puck fans
in Eugene
Despite the region’s recent
bout with cold, wet
weather, most residents of
Eugene know little about a
real winter.
Lane County provides residents
with skiing, snowshoeing and the
Lane County Ice Arena (where
two hockey squads play), but
what is really missing is the one
thing that typifies winter in many
Chris
Cabot
Around
the Dasher
areas ol the
world —
pond hockey.
The ice may
not always be
the smoothest
or temperature
the warmest,
but when skat
ing on a pond,
the only things
that matter are
crisp cross
overs, power
ful strides,
tight turns and
hockey-stops.
Nothing
holds a person back — no boards,
no out-of-bounds, no ice-time
sign-ups and no overbearing par
ents. The threat of thin ice may
hold skaters back at first, but
once the ice has been checked by
a trained eye, the next biggest
worry is when the sun will set.
For those who have never had
the opportunity to sit on a frost
covered rock to strap on a pair of
skates (and those who have never
worn blades on their feet period),
let’s go to New England and one
of the many frozen ponds.
After piling on the necessary
clothes (pants, shirts, sweater,
jacket, hat, gloves and, finally, a
faded hockey jersey from child
hood), grab a couple pucks and a
stick, which holds the skates.
Trust me, slide the stick between
the runner and the boot of the
skate and transport them that
way. It is an unwritten rule in the
pond hockey world that cool
players carry their skates with
their stick.
So, with stick over shoulder,
walk down to the pond trying not
to slip on the packed snow path
that leads the way. Don’t let the
smell of the pines and the shim
mer of the sun off the black ice
become a distraction because it
could mean the end of a pond
hockey career before it has
even started.
Local kids have already started
a pick-up game out in the middle
of the pond. The ice is smoother
than any Zamboni driver can
ever hope for and for the first few
strides away from the bench,
look down and see the rocky bot
tom and the fish swimming di
rectly beneath.
Turn to Cabot, page 6
Thomas Patterson Emerald
Senior guard Freddie Jones, guarded by Oregon State’s J.S. Nash on Saturday, ieads the 19th-ranked Ducks with 15.9 points per
game, but it’s been a balanced scoring attack that has put Oregon in a tie tor first place in the Pac-10.
Balance
helping
Jones, UO
succeed
■ One of the biggest reasons for
the Ducks’ success is their variety
of scorers, as all five starters
average eight or more points
By Jeff Smith
Oregon Daily Emerald
Freddie Jones leads Oregon in scor
ing, and the Ducks are winning.
But the two don’t exactly go hand
in-hand.
Unlike the preseason thinking of
most “experts,” No. 19 Oregon (14-4, 6
1] is showing that it can win games
without Jones carrying the load.
Jones’s team-high 15.9 points per
game are barely ahead of Luke Jack
son’s 15.6, while
Luke Ridnour is
right behind them at
13.9 a contest. The
maturity of the
sophomore Lukes
has helped take
some of the pressure
off Jones’s shoul
ders, allowing the senior to become
more of a complete player.
“I knew I didn’t have to carry this
team,” Jones said. “I mean, I got great
players — not just good players — all
around me.”
Still, Jones’s teammates look to him
to guide them through the Pacific-10
Conference, where the Ducks are tied
Turn to Men’s, page 8
Women’s race heats up
■ Second place is still up for grabs in the Pac-10
with the second-half of the season left to play
By Hank Hager
Oregon Daily Emerald
If there was one word that could describe the Pacific-10 Con
ference this season, it would have to be “parity. ”
With three teams tied for second place, and another three one
game behind, all but a few stand a chance to finish with a win
ning record in conference play.
In the first Civil War game of the season, Oregon State (10-9
overall, 6-3 Pac-10) outlasted Oregon, putting the Beavers two
and-a-half games behind Stanford for first place. The win
marked the first time the Beavers had won at McArthur Court
since 1993, and it was a big one.
“This was a great win for us,” Oregon State
guard Felicia Ragland said about her only ca
reer win against the Ducks. “It’s gonna be a
great memory.”
Meanwhile, Southern California and Ari
zona State were up to a few tricks of their
own. USC (10-8, 6-3) was upset by Arizona,
78-74, on Thursday. In the other game taking
place in the City of Angels, Arizona State (15
5,6-3) easily defeated UCLA, 70-57.
That led to one of the biggest and most important games of the
season at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.
In what was supposed to be a close game, USC dominated, scor
ing 40 points in the second half en route to a 68-49 trouncing of
then-No. 23 Arizona State.
The Sun Devils hung with the Trojans for a while, but USC’s
offense proved to be too much.
Turn to Women’s, page 8
Adam Amato Emerald
Oregon State celebrates Saturday after its first victory at McArthur Court in nine years. With the
Pac-10 season half over, the Beavers are in a three-way tie for second place.