Men’s
continued from page 7
first frame.
The only reason the Ducks led 34
26 at halftime was because of their
free-throw shooting. Oregon went to
the line 18 times, compared to Mon
tana’s five trips, and the Ducks made
10 of those charity shots.
“They were more funny than get
ting in my head,” Johnson said.
Johnson shook the pesky chants
and ended the game with a career
high 15 points.
In the second half, Oregon
picked up the pace and simultane
ously widened the score. In con
trast to the first half, the Ducks
opened the second frame with a
layin by Johnson and a thundering
dunk from Christoffersen. The
Ducks improved their shooting to
53.8 percent in the second half and
once again dominated the free
throw line, taking 22 charity shots
to Montana's 10.
For the Ducks, the key to win
ning was in the defense.
“We might not have played as
sharp as we could have offensively,
but we were still playing well on
defense,” Jackson said.
Afterwards, the Ducks said they
were simply happy to advance to
the second round, instead of suffer
ing the same fate of favorites like
Gonzaga, Marquette, USC and Ok
lahoma State.
“We didn’t come out and get in
the flow like we should have,” Rid
nour said. “We know we have to
play better on Saturday, but the im
portant thing is that we get to play
on Saturday."
Jackson echoed Ridnour’s
sentiments.
“The important thing is that we
got the win,” Jackson said.
Oregon will play Wake Forest in
the Round of 32 on Saturday.
E-mail sports reporter Peter Hockaday
at peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com.
Softball
continued from page 7
The 2002 team is marching into
its first Pacific-10 Conference game
of the season Saturday with dis
turbing memories, but a bright out
look. Some of last year’s wounds
still sting. But players — former
and current — believe they have
learned from a season marred by in
fighting and a disappointing 1-20
conference record.
Promising season sours
Player and coach relationships
deteriorated in mid-April 2001 as
the team amassed a 23-24 overall,
1-5 Pacific-10 Conference record.
Members took a week off from prac
tice beginning April 12, 2001, and
attended two meetings, one with an
Athletic Department administrator
and the team coaches.
Several players said the meetings
were productive and mended some
rifts. It was not to last.
Citing personal reasons, senior
catcher Kelly Planche quit the team
just minutes before the start of an
April 20 game against Washington.
Gamez supported her decision and
her reasons, Planche told The Reg
ister-Guard at the time. She was un
available for comment on this story.
Walker said the assistant coaches
had gradually divided players into
cliques that a team meeting could
n’t bridge, and “that’s why every
one quit.” She said Planche was a
prime target and was “singled out”
by the assistant coaches and some
players because of her vocal criti
cisms of team policies and some
players’ work ethic. And in one of
the meetings, some players berated
Planche for her style.
“She’s upfront, and they had a
problem with that,” Walker said.
“Kelly was a great leader, in my
opinion. Some didn’t think she was
or didn’t admit it.”
Walker, too, said she was unhappy
with the treatment she received from
certain players and the assistant
coaches. She said some suggested the
only reason she was the team’s start
ing shortstop was because she and
Gamez were Mormon.
“We had a great relationship
based on our background,” Walker
said. "I did a lot of church things
with him and his family. And there
were issues of my getting more
playing time because of that.”
Gamez said he has stayed in
touch with Walker but refused to
comment further for this story
when reached at his Eugene home.
Former assistant coach Tom Roy
der said he is now a career coun
selor and assistant softball coach
for Northwestern State University
in Natchitoches, La., because his
Oregon coaching contract wasn’t
renewed at the end of the 2001 sea
son. He said Walker’s accusations
are news to him.
“I’m not aware of anything like
that,” he said in a phone interview.
“Ldon’t believe that type of situa
tion was a factor.”
The other former assistant
coach, Lana Ross, whose contract
was also not renewed after the
2001 season, said Tuesday she pre
ferred to answer questions through
her Portland, Ore., lawyer. Ross
said, “as much as I would like to
respond, I cannot on the advice of
my lawyer.”
Royder elaborated on his inter
pretation of the events leading to
the team meetings and Planche’s
abrupt departure.
“Oftentimes there are differences
in playing and coaching philoso
phy,” he said. “That all happened
to hit at one point in one season.”
Internal drama continued to
haunt the team in May.
Former Oregon football punter
Kurtis Doerr, who was dating desig
nated hitter and catcher Missy Coe,
shouted obscenities at Gamez at the
conclusion of the team’s May 12
season-ending loss to Stanford. He
also yelled, “Way to get your team
to play for you, coach.”
Coe was one of the three players
who quit the team in the offseason.
Pitcher and outfielder Lisa Wan
gler also transferred after the 2002
season. The 2001 Oregon MVP is
now with the No. 4 Nebraska Corn
huskers. She was in Sacramento for
a softball tournament Thursday
and was unavailable for comment.
On to new diamonds
This year’s softball team plans to
rise like a phoenix from the ashes.
The Ducks are 14-8 heading into
the regular-season opener against
No. 14 Oregon State on Saturday.
But the team hasn’t forgotten
where it came from.
“The departure of those three
kids has had a profound impact
on who we thought might be in
our starting lineup,” interim head
softball coach Brent Rincon said
of the departure of Walker, Wan
gler and Coe.
But players said they have
learned from the tumultuous sea
son that claimed four players, two
assistant coaches and a five-year
head coach.
“I don’t know exactly why it is so
much better this year,” pitcher Con
nie McMurren said. “We have some
new people, but I can’t really ex
plain it. We play together on the
field and we communicate on and
off the field, which is essential.”
Walker said she is now living at
home in Sandy, Utah, with her new
husband and is the starting short
stop for the BYU Cougars.
“I regret what happened,” she
said. “But I would venture to say
that those of us who were involved
have moved on.”
Emerald staff members Adam Jude
and Chris Cabot contributed to this report.
E-mail reporter Eric Martin
at ericmartin@dailyemerald.com.
Preview
continued from page 7
terson, who is now starting at
shortstop for Brigham Young; Kel
ly Planche, a standout catcher; and
Missy Coe, who finished second
on the team with 30 RBI. Rincon
said that the departure of the play
ers changed the expected lineup of
the Ducks, but many very capable
replacements have stepped in to
fill the void.
Lakeesha Eversley, a junior
transfer from Arizona Western Ju
nior College, has started in 19 of
the Ducks’ 22 games in the out
field. Batting .321 with three home
runs and a team high of five stolen
bases, Eversley is an all-around
threat for Oregon.
“Lakeesha is a unique combina
tion of speed and power,” Rincon
said. “She has driven in some big
runs for us and just excelled defen
sively and also gives us a base
stealing threat.”
Stepping into the catching
chores for Oregon this season has
been Jennifer Poone, a sophomore
transfer from Mississippi. Poore
has stepped up to be a leader on
the field both offensively and de
fensively driving in 12 runs and
catching a pitching staff that has a
combined earned run average of
2.75.
Because of a shoulder injury that
has kept junior Andrea Vidlund
from taking the circle, Oregon’s
pitching staff is limited to three
hurlers. This has not slowed them
down.
In addition to senior Connie Mc
Murren, who has highlighted the
Oregon pitching staff since her
freshman year, and sophomore
Anissa Meashintubby, who leads
the team with a 2.20 ERA and 42
strikeouts, the Ducks have wel
comed the addition of freshman
Lindsey Kontra. After 11 appear
ances, Kontra is 5-3 with a 2.76
ERA. She has 26 strikeouts to go
with 10 walks.
“I feel like we have three pitch
ers who are capable of beating any
body in the country right now on
any given day,” Rincon said.
Although she has yet to pitch for
Oregon this season, Vidlund is
contributing in other ways. With a
team-best .418 batting average, she
is having an “ungodly” year, ac
cording to Rincon. Her 26 RBI, six
home runs, .731 slugging percent
age and 49 total bases leads the
team.
Heading into the game against
Oregon State, Rincon knows that
his team has some ground that it
needs to cover before reaching the
status the Beavers and other Pac
10 opponents have reached.
“I’m extremely confident that if
we can do the things that we do
well, which is good pitching, and
play good defense and get timely
hitting, that we’re on the brink of
accomplishing the things that (the
Beavers) are accomplishing as
well,” he said. “Overall I’m real
pleased with where we are as a
team, physically and emotionally.”
E-mail sports reporter Chris Cabot
at chriscabot@dailyemerald.com.
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