Helquist
continued from page 9
is unreal.
“The electricity in the air really
gets you excited.”
Finally, for the first time since he
graduated in 1998 from University
Christian High School in Jack
sonville, Helquist feels settled.
It hasn’t exactly been a smooth
ride for the 6-foot-9, 275-pound
junior center.
After averaging 18 points, 16 re
bounds and three blocks per game at
the prep level, he had high hopes for
his college career. He chose to attend
Louisiana State, but soon found out
that, when being recruited, things
aren’t always what they seem.
“It was just a bad situation where
I didn’t really get along with the
coach,” Helquist said. “I was fine
being away from home, and the
school was great, but the situation
with the basketball team just wasn’t
the right place for me.”
So he went back to his home
town of Jacksonville and lived with
his brother. He only planned on
playing one year for the junior col
lege there, but he really appreciat
ed the coaching of Greg Gierke and
decided to stay another year.
Then came decision time once
again, and this time he knew
he couldn’t af
ford to make
the wrong one.
Oregon assis
tant coach Scott
Duncan knew
Gierke, who
told him about
Helquist. Since
the Ducks lost
Bryan Bracey,
Julius Hicks
and Flo Harten
stein at the end of last season, ac
quiring height with experience was
a premium for Oregon head coach
Ernie Kent.
Duncan told Kent about Helquist.
Kent flew to Florida and made an
impression on Helquist and his fami
ly. Helquist flew to Eugene, and the
Ducks made a profound impression
on him. And that was that.
“As soon as I met all of the guys, I
was sold,” Helquist said. “And
coach Kent was really genuine. I
had been through the whole re
cruiting process before and could
tell when somebody is just blowing
smoke at you. But they were very
up front with me.
“It all came together and I just
knew.”
He came across country and
worked out with the team through
out the summer and moved into a
two-bedroom apartment at the Uni
versity Commons with fellow
transfer Robert Johnson. The two
bought a foosball table and a ping
pong table to host contests among
teammates. Life was good, and he
was a part of the tight-knit Oregon
basketball family.
“I hang out with him a lot, and
he has an awesome personality,”
center Chris Christoffersen said.
“He can talk with everybody and
can make anybody laugh when he
jokes around.”
All that was left for Helquist now
would be to get adjusted to the
higher level of basketball.
Helquist’s first breakout game
came against Louisville on Nov. 24
when he scored 10 points. He
matched that total in Oregon’s win
over Stanford. And just last week, he
notched 10 again in a game at Wash
ington that showed, more than any
other, how pivotal a role he plays.
Against the Huskies, Christof
fersen picked up two early fouls and
was relegated to the bench. Helquist
came in and ended up playing more
minutes than Christoffersen that
day, while keeping the Ducks at the
same intensity level.
“He has played some really good
basketball in the last four or five
games,” Kent said. “He’s finding his
rhythm. When you look at him and
Chris together, that’s a nice combi
nation for us to have that a lot of
other teams don’t have the liberty
of having — two big guys like that
who can score.”
The post-play will play a pivotal
role when the Ducks host the L.A.
schools this week. Tonight, 6-11 cen
ter Dan Gadzuric will be a handful,
and on Saturday Oregon will need to
contain high scoring, 6-7 seniors
Sam Clancy and David Bluthenthal.
With Helquist by his side,
Christoffersen believes the Ducks
are up to the challenge.
“It’s like a tag team to have me and
him as a one-two punch,” Christof
fersen said of Helquist. “Brian is as
good, if not better, than I am in al
most all the areas on the court. A lot
of people think he’s out of shape be
cause of how big he is, but he’s not.
He can run with the best of us.
“He’s a big part of our unbeliev
able depth, and that’s what’s going
to make the difference in the Pac-10
this year.”
Helquist hopes so. He would love
to be a part of a championship team.
Mainly, though, he’s just loving the
fact that he’s arrived at his destina
tion without having to worry about
where he’s going to play next.
“It was a great opportunity for
me, and I knew there was some
thing about this place when I came
on a visit,” Helquist said. “I made
the right choice. And, man, it feels
good to make the right choice after
making a mistake my first year. It
feels like home.
“It’s everything they said it
would be.”
E-mail assistant sports editor Jeff Smith
at jeffsmith@dailyemerald.com.
Ludwig
continued from page 9
overwhelming choice of our players
who took part in the interview process. I
think he is going to be excellent.”
Ludwig was in Eugene during the
weekend to officially interview for the
job and was told of his selection on
Tuesday evening. He will stay in Fres
no throughout this week to “take care
of business at home” and said he will
arrive in town sometime next week.
"I’m chomping at the bit to get up
there,” said Ludwig, who played, grad
uated and coached at Portland State in
the 1980s. “I can’t wait to dedicate my
full attention at Oregon. Coach Bellotti
did a lot of background checks and
liked the things he saw at Fresno
State.”
Coincidentally, Fresno State head
coach Pat Hill last said goodbye to an
offensive coordinator in 1997 when
Tedford left the Bulldogs to join the
„ Ducks. Ludwig, who also replaced
Tedford in ’97, becomes the eighth as
sistant under Hill to leave.
Ludwig’s salary was reportedly
$100,000 last year while Tedford made
$175,000 with incentives. When Lud
wig officially takes over for the Ducks
after finalizing his contract, his annual
base salary will be $135,000.
“It’s part of the business,” Hill told
the Fresno Bee. “People in the Fresno
State program are in big demand and
that’s good. But until* we get to the point
where we can match dollars and other
stuff, these things are going to happen. ”
Ludwig sees a lot of similarities with
Fresno State and Oregon’s programs
and doesn’t expect to be surprised by
any of the hype around the Ducks after
experiencing the increased interest in
the Bulldogs last season.
There is sure to be a lot of publicity
surrounding Oregon’s second game of
the season, on Sept. 7 at Autzen Stadi
um, when the Ducks host Fresno State.
“I’ve heard a lot about that in the last
48 hours or so,” Ludwig said.
But that’s in the future. He said the
immediate focus needs to be making
“the transition as smooth as possible
for the players.”
“We want to hit the 2002 football sea
son with full speed,” Ludwig said.
E-mail assistant sports editor Jeff Smith
at jeffsmith@dailyemerald.com.
Men’s
continued from page 9
so that’s why we’re putting so
much emphasis on this game.”
The Ducks couldn’t stress
enough the psychological im
portance of beating UCLA and
USC at home this weekend.
“These are the biggest games
of my career,” Oregon center
Chris Christoffersen said. “If
we can get two wins this
weekend, then we’re in the
driver’s seat for the Pac-10
championship.”
On the court, mismatches
abound on both sides of the
ball. Will Bruin freshman
guard Cedric Bozeman be able
to contain explosive Duck
guards Luke Ridnour and
Freddie Jones? Can Oregon’s
forwards hang with the talent
ed Jason Kapono and Matt
Barnes? Will Christoffersen
play with Bruin center Dan
Gadzuric like he did last year?
Can UCLA go as deep into its
bench as Oregon?
Can the Bruins handle Mac
Court?
“We need to bring Mac
Court to another level because
we need this team to go to an
other level,” Kent told radio
station KUGN after last week’s
win over Washington State.
“We need this crowd just rock
ing at every free throw, every
defensive stand, every time
out. It should never die down
in there.”
UCLA is also trying to go 2-0
in the second half of the confer
ence after a first half that was
anything but consistent. Three
weeks ago, the Bruins handily
defeated then-No. 1 Kansas,
then struggled to beat Arizona
State before falling to Arizona
and Stanford in consecutive
games. Earlier this season,
UCLA beat Alabama and
Georgetown, but lost to Pepper
dine and struggled with Califor
nia-Riverside.
The Bruins are led by
Kapono’s 18.4 points per game,
but get 15.4 from guard Billy
Knight, 14.8 from Barnes, 10.3
from Gadzuric and 9.4 from
sixth man T.J. Cummings.
The key matchup tonight
could be Gadzuric and Christof
fersen. The two big men aver
age nearly the same amount of
points and rebounds per game.
Oregon’s big man said he feels
he can better against Gadzuric
than against smaller centers
around the league.
“I don’t know why, but I feel
like I match up better with big
ger guys,” Christoffersen said.
“I’m just more comfortable, de
fensively and offensively.”
But really, every matchup
will be important tonight.
Because this game is as big as
Christoffersen and Gadzuric
piggybacking. This game is as
big as... well, you get the idea.
Oregon and UCLA will tip off
at 7 p.m., and the Ducks will
face the Trojans, who are co
leading the conference with
Oregon, at 3 p.m. Saturday.
E-mail reporter Peter Hockaday
at peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com.
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