Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, November 7,2002
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
Best bet
NBA:
L.A. Lakers at Boston Celtics
4:30 p.m., TNT
Mama's girls
After just two years as a
Duck, Robi Thayer will leave
the Oregon soccerteam
in search of a new ‘mother'
Soccer
Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
It takes a long time to discover
greatness for some and, for oth
ers, it just finds them.
Nine years ago, when Oregon
senior Robi Thayer looked up
into the stands, she realized just
how many eyes were on her.
It was the Dana Gup, the
world’s largest soccer tourna
ment, and Thayer’s club team
had advanced to the champi
onship game. At just 13 years old,
Thayer came face to face with
greatness.
And she answered the challenge.
Her moment of glory came that
day in Copenhagen, Denmark, as
the Washington native scored her
team’s only two goals, and the
Eastside FG club team went on to
win the championship, 2-0.
Thayer was just a kid in those
days, and now, at age 22, has
plenty of her own kids to deal
with. She is the “soccer mom,” as
her teammates call her, of the
Oregon women’s soccer team
and, as a co-captain, Thayer takes
it upon herself to take over the
motherly duties.
“I just take care of everyone,
and if anyone has a problem then
I take care of them,” Thayer said.
In just her second year with
Oregon, Thayer has established
herself as both a strong presence
on defense and as a team leader.
Prior to being a Duck, Thayer
spent her early college years at
the University of Texas-El Paso.
Thayer started every game for
UTEP in her freshman and sopho
more years, and in 1998 she
helped her team to the WAG
Mountain Division Champi
onship.
But two years in Texas were
enough, and Thayer soon re
turned to the Northwest to join
Oregon, the team that recruited
her in her senior year of high
school but lost the batde to UTEP.
“When she came here, she
came with a pretty good under
standing of Division 1 soccer and
was a more mature, experienced
player than entering as a fresh
man,” Oregon head coach Bill
Steffen said. “Her leadership in
the back has been really helpful
because she has been a better
presence both physically and psy
chologically for us.”
Thayer made an immediate
impact on Oregon’s defense in
2001 but battled injuries at the
start of the season, causing her to
miss three of the first four games.
And now, after her college ca
reer has flown by, Thayer will
step on the field one last time Fri
day night against Oregon State in
her final game as a Duck.
Her partner in crime, sopho
more defender Christine Mintz,
knows Thayer will be missed and
isn’t looking forward to losing a
friend.
“It’s always hard to lose a natu
ral leader,” Mintz said. “She has
definitely been one of the main
personalities on the team. It will
be hard for me because I have be
come great friends with her and
she is a great player.”
Thayer will be remembered by
her younger teammates as a
friend and a leader, but most of all
as the “mama” who knows how to
hit people.
The 5-foot-10-inch native of
Auburn, Wash., loves to hit peo
ple. This comes from a woman
who did ballet for ten years as a
child.
The defensive position seems
to fit Thayer well, but there is
more to her past than her aggres
sive tactics at UTEP.
“I would not trade it for the glo
ry of being a forward, I would
rather play defense,” said Thayer,
who played forward until her jun
ior year of high school. “I have al
ways played with boys since I was
little, and I played with boys until
they told me I couldn’t anymore
and I had to play with girls.”
Soccer has been the sport of
Turn to Thayer, page 10
Adam Amato Emerald
Senior defender Robi Thayer has been a strong presence, and will lead her "kids" one more
time against Oregon State tomorrow night in her final game with the Oregon soccer team.
Ducks run over Aussies in exhibition blowout
Oregon posts 135 points in the first game ofthe season,
including a 79-point first half in a dominating performance
Men’s basketball
Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
The Oregon men’s basketball team may have been playing a team
from Down Under on Wednesday night, but they dominated the game
from up top.
And down under, for that matter. And around. And everywhere in a
135-86 win over the Australian Institute of Sport in the Ducks’ exhibition
season opener.
In a landslide of impressive statistics, it was Oregon’s shooting that
stood out. The Ducks hit 48 of the 84 shots they took, including 31-of-44
in the first half. The Ducks made 10 of 13 three-pointers in the first half
and ended the game shooting 62.5 percent from three-point land on 15
for-24 shooting.
“That’s how we’ve shot in practice, and we just took it out there in a
game,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said.
Birthday boy Luke Jackson led the way — Wednesday was Jackson’s
21st birthday — with 32 points. Jackson missed only three shots and was
perfect from the free throw line on seven attempts.
“I just came ready to play today,” Jackson said. “The shots were there
and they just dropped.”
The shots were falling for all the Ducks in the first half. Oregon posted
79 points in the first frame of a completely dominating offensive per
formance — a performance that erased any doubts about whether a Fred
die Jones-less Oregon squad could still be high-flying.
In one sequence, with Oregon leading 53-26 midway through the half,
Ian Crosswhite hit a three-pointer and the AIS players led a fast break
going the other way. But Jackson came up with a steal, and fed Luke Rid
nour, who left the ball for Crosswhite, who finished with a massive dunk.
On the next possession, Jay Anderson fed Jackson for a fast-break dunk,
and on the next possession Ridnour found Jackson again, above the rim
this time for a thunderous alley-oop.
“I still get impressed with those guys every day,” transfer guard Andre
Joseph said of his high-flying counterparts.
Of the newcomers, Joseph and Crosswhite made the biggest impres
sion on the crowd of 8,206 at McArthur Court. Both were perfect from
beyond the three-point line in the first half, and they finished with a com
bined 38 points. Crosswhite, competing against his former team, played
20 minutes and scored 19 points.
“We’ve got guys coming in that are really stepping up/’ Ridnour said!
Adam Amato Emerald
Luke Jackson had 32 points and nine rebounds in his 21st birthday-blowout
Wednesday night The Ducks beat the Australian Institute of Sport 135-86.
“I think well be just fine replacing (Jones and Chris Christoffersen).”
And from the old guard — or guards — Jackson and Ridnour proved
they are still one of the top tandems in the .country. The duo combined
turn to Blowout, page 10i
Oregonls transition game picks up
right where it left off last year
Adam Jude
Senior Sports Reporter
If the Ducks had been any faster
Wednesday, they would’ve been given a
speeding ticket. Or at least been called
for a false start.
But there was nothing false about Ore
gon’s Tasmanian Devil-style season-open
ing win in front of 8,206 fans at McArthur
Court. The No. 9 Ducks, ranked in the
preseason for the first time in school his
tory, ran wild in a 135-86 route of the
Australian Institute of Sport in their first
exhibition game of the season.
“We didn’t anticipate a really big
blowout, but we played good defense
and that opened up our transition
game,” said junior forward Luke Jack
son, who paced the Ducks with 32
points and nine rebounds.
Even without guard Freddie Jones, the
human highlight-reel drafted by the Indi
ana Pacers in the first round of the NBA
draft, the Ducks blazed out to a torrid
pace early on, led by junior point guard
Luke Ridnour’s 11 first-half assists.
“We are quicker team now than we
were last year,” Oregon head coach Ernie
Kent said.
The Ducks led by 10 with 12 minutes
to play in the opening period, but went
on a huge run — which included a 17-2
streak — to take a 79-37 lead into the
locker room.
“It seemed really unfamiliar to look up
and see 70 points in the first half. That’s
unheard-of,” Jackson said.
The Aussies committed 21 turnovers in
the first half, including 11 Oregon steals.
It doesn’t hurt that the Ducks rarely
missed. Junior guard James Davis, junior
Turn to Speed, page 10