Sports Editor:
Adam Jude
adamjude@dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, April 24,2002
- Oregon Daily Emerald
Best Bet
NBA playoffs
Minnesota® Dallas
6:30 p.m., TNT
Energetic Clayton springs into ‘whatever’ role
■ Free safety Stephen Clayton will
backup Keith Lewis in the fall, but his
presence will be felt on special teams
By Adam Jude
Oregon Daily Emerald
A broken bone couldn’t keep Stephen
Clayton from playing in the biggest game
of his life. In fact, the special teams special
ist, playing with a cast around his hand,
recorded the game’s first tackle in Oregon’s
Fiesta Bowl victory over Colorado.
But he doesn’t recall much after that.
“I got smacked — I got smacked bad,”
said Clayton, the Ducks’ backup safety
who suffered a concussion in the fourth
quarter of the New Year’s Day bowl
game. “That’s the hardest I’ve been hit
since I’ve been here.
“I have to watch film to remember
what happened in that game.”
This spring, though, nobody has to
watch film to recognize what Clayton is
bringing to the field as Keith Lewis’
backup at free safety. The 5-foot-ll,
190-pound Clayton led the team with
six tackles in Friday’s scrimmage and
also blocked a field goal attempt.
“I love Stephen Clayton,” Lewis said.
“I really think that he’s playing better
than me right now. Bottom line. I think
he deserves a shot at running with the
first group. We’re close as a secondary,
and I can say that like he’s my brother.
“I really appreciate that he’s pushing
me and trying to get me right, but at the
same time I need to push him and get
him right.”
Clayton, an energetic sophomore
from Beaverton’s Westview High
School, said he’s trying to get more fa
miliar with the system this spring, after
missing most of last spring with his
first concussion.
“I’m just trying to have fun and learn
the basic stuff,” said Clayton, who had
seven tackles in
eight games last
season. “Obvious
ly I’m backing up
Keith. I’m just try
ing to solidify my
spot as the No. 2
and be ready if I’m needed.”
Come football season, though, ex
pect to see more of the same from No.
7 on kickoffs.
“I want to be on a couple more spe
cial teams if I can,” Clayton said. “I
talked to special teams coach (Robin)
Ross about that. I want to do
whatever lean.”
Bellotti ‘excited’ for draftees
Head coach Mike Bellotti hasn’t had
a chance to talk with his former quar
terback Joey Harrington about Harring
ton’s selection as the No. 3 pick to the
Detroit Lions in the NFL Draft on
Saturday. Bellotti has, however, met
with four of the six Ducks drafted over
the weekend.
“I’ve seen four of the six kids in per
son, they’ve come to my office and
we’ve talked and hugged, and I’m obvi
ously very excited for them,” Bellotti
said Tuesday. “I’m certainly excited to
talk to Joey when he gets back. But I
know there’s probably a thousand oth
er people that are on that list right now.”
QB update
In the battle for the starting quarter
back spot, junior Jason Fife and redshirt
Turn to Football, page 12
Thomas Patterson Emerald
Backup free safety Stephen Clayton (7) led the team with six tackles and a blocked field goal in Friday’s scrimmage.
Double header
double vision
The Ducks host
Portland State in
a doubleheader
after splitting
two with the
Vikings on
Monday
ON TAP
WHo:
Oregon softball
vs.
Portland State
What:
Doubleheader
Where:
Howe Field
When:
2 p.m.
By Chris Cabot
Oregon Daily Emerald
With a day between double
headers against Portland
State, the Oregon softball
team took a much needed day
offTuesday.
After five games on the road in five
days — Washington on Friday, two
against UCLA during the weekend, and
two at Portland State on Monday — the
Ducks (19-22 overall, 0-12 Pacific-10
Conference) will host the Vikings (17
24,6-8 Western Athletic Conference) in
a doubleheader beginning 2 p.m. today
at Howe Field.
Monday’s doubleheader, which was
rescheduled due to an April 10 rain
out, was split by the two teams. Ore
gon won the first game 6-0, and the
Vikings fought back with a shutout of
their own in the second, 2-0. The win
in the first game broke Oregon’s 12
game losing streak that began March
29 against Oregon State. All 12 losses
came at the hands of nationally
ranked Pac-10 opponents.
Oregon head coach Brent Rincon said
that even though he expected the games
against Portland State to be just as com
petitive as any of the games the team has
played, he has been looking forward to
playing today’s games to “get back to the
.V • . Turn to Softtiall, page 12
Jonathan House Emerald
Oregon head coach Brent Rincon, talking to shortstop Lynsey Haij, hopes his team can come away
with two wins today against Portland State iathpir^econd droplet? eaperjn three days. . , vy,,y /
--
Curry joins
elite Oregon
list in WNBA
■ Edniesha Curry welcomes
a chance to play with the
Charlotte Sting after spending
one year with the Ducks
By Hank Hager
Oregon Daily Emerald
For one season, Edniesha Curry
and former Oregon star Jenny
Mowe shared the same bench.
Although Curry never stepped
on the floor for
the Ducks in an
official game
two seasons
ago, the pair
was part of a
squad that
earned Oregon
its eighth
straight NCAA
Tournament
appearance.
Now,
chances are the two will bump into
each other on a WNBA floor. But it
most likely won’t be in the same
uniform.
Asked what the two will say to