Oregon daily emerald., October 17, 2002, Image 13

Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, October 17,2002
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
Best bet
NCAA football:
Georgia Tech at Maryland
4:30 p.m., ESPN
UO hoopsters learn
from long first week
The Oregon men!> basketball players are
at different stages in their progress
Men’s basketball
Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
Fast times at the University of Oregon.
That could be the motto for the leaner,
meaner — and yes, faster — Oregon men’s
basketball team this year.
“It’s hard to believe that this team is faster
after losing Freddie (Jones) and Anthony
(Lever),” junior guard James Davis said. “But
we rebuilt with speed.”
No pun intended. The Ducks did indeed re
build quickly and for speed after losing some
key players, adding four guards to the roster,
as compared to two forwards and one center.
And after one week of practice, those new
comers are being slowly broken in by head
coach Ernie Kent and a veteran-player crew
led by Davis, Luke Ridnour, Luke Jackson and
others. They are learning new plays, condi
tioning and generally getting used to each oth
er before the exhibition-season opener Nov. 6
and the regular-season opener Nov. 24.
Each player on the team is dealing with differ
ent issues until they meet on the court for the
tipoff of that first game of the season. It is a team
of individuals trying to become a team. With that
in mind, the Emerald talked to three different
Oregon players at three different stages in their
career. Here are their first-week testimonials.
Jordan Kent
“It’s really tiring,” Jordan Kent said of the
first week of practice. “I’m trying to learn two
or three new plays every day.”
Coach’s son. High-school star. Dual-sport
wonder. All these are labels that apply to Jor
dan, the newest Kent family member to play
for the Ducks. And after years of dinner-table
discussions about Oregon basketball and sit
ting in the stands, Kent is finally wearing the
green-and-yellow of the Ducks.
“I’m just counting the days until that first
game,” Kent said.
Kent said he isn’t exactly sure where he fits
into Oregon’s extensive lineup of guards, but is
enjoying his first few practices all the same.
“We’ve got great chemistry,” Kent said.
Ian Crosswhite
“I’m going hard every practice, trying to
show coach what I’m all about,” Ian Cross
white said in his Australian accent. “I want to
make it an easy decision for him on whether
or not to play me.”
Crosswhite is from Down Under — Australia
— and hopes to see some time down under the
basket as the season progresses. But in the
meantime, the redshirt freshman, who spent
most of last season in his warm-ups, just wants
to soak up the knowledge of the guys playing
in front of him.
“Robert (Johnson) makes you be alert all
Adam Amato Emerald
Junior guard James Davis is suddenly a leader on the young Oregon men's basketball team.
the time, he doesn’t ever stop working,” Gross
white said of veteran forward Johnson. “Brian
(Helquist) is the same way.”
Gross white fits into the new mold of quick
Oregon big men. Helquist has lost weight from
the 275-pound frame he sported last year, and
Johnson has always been an athletic forward.
Turn to Basketball, page 14
Arizona comes to McArthur Court for showdown
_
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Junior Lindsay Murphy (11) and freshman Dariam Acevedo will face the Wildcats tonight.
The Ducks and Wildcats match up well on paper;
but that won’t matter until they take the court
Volleyball
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
The same old stories seem to be keep popping up for
the Oregon volleyball team.
First, there’s the 28-match Pacific-10 Conference los
ing streak. Secondly, the team’s mantra of playing “Ore
gon volleyball” never changes, although in the long run,
that’s all it should take to get that victory.
Against No. 19 Arizona (8-7 overall, 3-4 Pac-10)
tonight at McArthur Court, that could be the case.
“We’re really just, day in and day out, working hard,
and we know we are an amazing team with amazing po
tential,” sophomore Lauren Westendorf said. “We’re re
ally optimistic and are really keeping our eyes on a win
and playing hard and playing Oregon volleyball.”
The Ducks (10-11,0-7) have seen an improvement in
team defense this season, which, according to Westen
dorf, leads to a more potent offense.
Against the Wildcats, it will be important to keep Ari
zona on its toes. Even though Arizona is nationally
ranked, it is a program that is sixth in the conference, hav
ing come off a surprising loss to California last weekend.
“The goal is to put yourself in position to win, and
then you’ve got to make plays when the game is on the
line,” head coach Carl Ferreira said.
Ferreira likened the match against UCLA to the team’s
mentality against Arizona. The Ducks were close to taking
Game 1 from the Bruins, but a late stand by UCLA forced a
loss on Oregon. From then on, it was all UCLA.
Still, the Ducks are a much improved team from last
season, and although they may not have shown it of re
cent, Oregon has shown a level of consistency.
“I think we’re significantly closer to succeeding, and
our program is in place to give us a chance,” Ferreira
said. “It’s just the experience level, little by little, of the
athletes, to finalize and seal the deal.”
Ferreira pointed out that 70 percent of the offense
has come from five Ducks—Westendorf and freshmen
Jodi Bell, Kelly Russell, Dariam Acevedo and Jaclyn
Jones. That offense is definitely young, but for the
Ducks to get the much-awaited win, these five will have
to make their presence known early and often.
“Our freshmen are playing as well as any freshmen in
the Pac-10,” Ferreira said. “So, I like what we’ve done.
The commitment level of the kids is staggering.
“I think these kids need to be applauded. If you don’t
look just in terms of what society likes to look at, you’d
be in awe of what these kids have done.”
Ferreira was dead on in his observation of Arizona
and Oregon. The two programs match up closely in kills
and assists, although both teams are at or near the bot
tom of the conference in each category.
Nevertheless, it is an even matchup, one that begins
at 7 p.m. at The Pit.
Contact the sports reporter
at hankhager@dailyemera!d.com.
Etter walks on, now holds backup keeper spot
All it took was ajob at Safeway
and an open mind for the senior
track All-American to walk on to
the women’s soccer team
Soccer
Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
The Oregon women’s soccer team
never recruited her.
The Ducks never came banging
on her door to try and beg her to
join the team.
It all happened at Safeway.
When assistant head coach Jon
Keister would stroll through senior
Mary Etter’s line she would jokingly
mention that if the Ducks needed a
keeper, to give her a call.
After offering a few times, Etter
walked into the soccer office and
the next thing she knew, she was
signing eligibility forms. Etter, who
played soccer throughout high
school, has walked on to the
women’s soccer team and now
backs up senior Sarah Peters at
goalkeeper.
“It’s kind of funny how it just all
happened,” Etter said. “Next thing I
know I’m just standing here and I
don’t know what my purpose is, but
I’m loving it. The team is awesome.”
It has been quite an experience
for Etter, her first time touching a
soccer ball in almost three years.
But Etter has kept busy before tak
ing up soccer again.
The Washington native has been
throwing the discus for the Oregon
women’s track team for the past
three years, and has done well, to
say the least. Etter is a two-time-All
American discus thrower for the
Ducks the last two seasons and
placed strongly in the NCAA Cham
pionship last year.
Etter set personal bests in track
last year in the shot put, discus and
hammer throw. She said will always
have a love for track, but enjoys the
team aspect of soccer.
“Track is more of an individual
sport and (soccer) is more like a
family,” Etter said. “It’s more of a
real team and everybody knows
your name and you could be on
the track team for two years and
not even know somebody.”
As a two-sport athlete for Oregon,
Turn to Soccer, page 14