Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, January 16,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
Best bet
NCAA basketball:
Arizona at USC
7:30 p.m., Fox Sports
Parker makes decision to stay for 2003
Samie Parker joins Keith Lewis as
Ducks opting out of the NFL Draft
Football
Mindi Rice
Freelance Sports Reporter
Samie Parker, the Ducks’ leading receiver
last season, is passing up this year’s NFL draft
to stay at Oregon for his senior season.
Parker, a 2002 all-conference honorable
mention, led the Ducks with 49 catches and
eight touchdown receptions as a 13-game
starter last year. Only five other Pacific-10
Conference players caught more touchdown
passes during the season than Parker.
Parker enters his final season sitting at
12th on Oregon’s career touchdown recep
tions list, with 12 touchdowns. He also ranks
14th in receiving yards with 1,472, more than
half of them — 742 — coming last season.
The California native is only 23 catches
shy of breaking into the top 10 of Oregon’s
career receptions list as he currently stands
at 21st with 90. It is very plausible that
Parker could enter the top 10 by staying his
final season, which Bellotti has nothing but
good things to say about.
“Obviously, I’m very pleased that both
Sarnie and Keith (Lewis) have decided to
stay in school,” Oregon head coach Mike
Bellotti said. “They will both benefit from
their decisions in the long run as well as the
short term.”
The 5-10, 177-pound Parker joins junior
free safety Keith Lewis as possible NFL
draftees who have decided to stay in school
for their final year of eligibility.
Lewis led the team with five interceptions
last season, for a total of 16 yards. He also had
a 33-yard punt return and forced one fumble
during the season.
Lewis earned a Pac-10 Conference honor
able mention award for a defensive back dur
ing the Ducks 2001 campaign, and was the
Pac-10 defensive player of the week after the
2001 game against Wisconsin.
“They have already accomplished a lot of
good things throughout their careers, but I
believe they have the
potential to do some
great things,” Bellotti
said. “I am excited they
have decided to con
tribute to next year’s
success.”
Two Ducks have al
ready declared eligible
for the draft. Running P
back Onterrio Smith L__J
and tight end George Parker
Wrighster, both redshirt
juniors, opted to give up their final year of
eligibility and enter the draft.
Mindi Rice is a freelance writer for the Emerald.
Ducks survive Portland,
barely, ready for Beavers
The men escape Portland State with an ugly
6-point win Wednesday night in the Rose City
Men’s basketball
Adam Jude
Senior Sports Reporter
PORTLAND — Well, um, uh... at least no one
was injured.
If there is such a thing as a bad win, this was it.
In the end, though, it was a win and, apparently,
that’s all that matters.
But there’s little to feel good about if you’re the
No. 22 Ducks, who needed a full 40 minutes to
hold off lowly Portland State, 69-63, Wednesday
night in front of 5,443 at Memorial Coliseum.
But...
“A win is a win,” Oregon forward Luke Jackson said.
That doesn’t mean it was easy to watch, unless
you’re a fan of the underdog. Oregon, simply, was
colder than the ice rink sitting just below the
Memorial Coliseum hardwood. The Ducks were
again outmatched on the boards, 29-27, and their
69 points were the third-lowest total of the sea
son, the most in a win.
And, as laughable as it seems, the Ducks made
Portland State (3-13 overall) look like Duke at
times.
“These games are always tough for us against
Portland and Portland State,” Oregon head coach
Ernie Kent said. “They do a good job of gearing
up for us.”
As hard as they try, the Ducks (11-4 overall, 1
3 Pacific-10 Conference) just can’t seem to find
the touch that led them to the Pac-10 title last
season. After consecutive blowout losses to Cali
fornia and Stanford last weekend, Oregon was
hoping to gain some momentum against the
Vikings on Wednesday in preparation for Oregon
State on Saturday. But the Ducks left the Rose
City not feeling any better about their effort.
“Every team goes through this, it’s just a mat
ter of when you bounce back,” Oregon point
guard Luke Ridnour said. “I couldn’t tell you
what we gotta do, but it’s something. We just got
ta get it done.”
It may be hard for the average fan, but Kent re
mains positive about his team.
“We got Luke Jackson back on his game, and I
was pleased with that,” Kent said. “We got Ian
Grosswhite back on his game, and I was really,
really pleased with that. We got through the game
with no injuries.”
Anything else?
“The key thing is we’re 10-1 in the preseason
and that ties the best record in the conference
with Arizona for the best record in the presea
son,” Kent added. “We got 11 wins overall, and
that’s as many as anybody in the Pac-10. And
that’s all we need to look at right now.
“We need to move on, get home and regroup
and get ready for just a ferocious Civil War game
on Saturday.”
Jackson, especially with the game on the line,
did get over his Bay Area struggles. He led the
Ducks with 21 points — 13 in the second half —
and eight rebounds.
Crosswhite, after a horrid five-game slump,
was near-perfect in the first half with 14 points
on 6-of-7 shooting; he finished with 17 points.
Ridnour added 15. No one else scored more
than eight.
Turn to Men's, page 6
Adam Amato Emerald
Luke Jackson scored 21 points in Oregon's win to make up for a poor Bay Area trip.
Jeremy Forrest Emerald
UCLA's Michelle Greco (24) has returned to form this season.
UCLA emerges as Pac contender
The Bruins are one of the Pac-10’s
early surprises of 2002-03,
and have a 5-0 conference record
Women’s basketball
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
For the first time in more than a
year, No. 6 Stanford has some quality
competition at the top of the Pacific-10
Conference.
And you wouldn’t believe who it is.
UCLA, the Pac-lO’s No. 8 team last
year, is 5-0 in conference play this sea
son, including a 72-64 victory over
UCLA Sunday.
“UCLA is a radically different type of
team,” USC head coach Chris Gobrecht
told the Daily Bruin. “They have five
guards running around on the basket
ball court. I don’t know anyone else
who does that.”
The Bruins are building on a streak
that has claimed Oregon, Oregon State,
Washington and Washington State.
Much of that success can be attributed
to the reemergence of senior guard
Michelle Greco. The 2001 Pac-10 scoring
leader sat out last season because of a
history of mild concussions.
This season, the La Greseenta, Calif.,
native has averaged 21 points per game
in conference play.
“Greco brings their leadership and
their intensity,” USG forward Rachel
Woodward said. “They’re a totally dif
ferent team from last year with her in
the lineup.”
The Bruins, who received votes in
this week’s Associated Press Top-25
ranking for the first time this season,
will get a test this week when they trav
el south to Arizona.
Arizona State looms large Thursday,
with No. 18 Arizona waiting for
UCLA Saturday.
“It’s been a fun five games,” UCLA
head coach Kathy Olivier said. “Hopeful
ly we can keep it up.”
Speaking of Arizona...
It sends shivers up the spine to hear of
a Pac-10 team in any sport speak of play
ing defense.
But recently, two squads — Califor
nia and Arizona — have specifically
said defense has been key for victories
and close losses.
For Cal, the defense hasn’t translated
to victories. But for No. 18 Arizona, it has
helped fuel a turnaround from last sea
son’s 10-8 conference record.
At 4-2 in the conference, the Wild
cats stand fourth. Statistically, Arizona
is third in the Pac-10 in scoring defense
per game at 61.5 points. Coupled with
a Pae- 10-leading 78.3 points per game,
Arizona is making its case for a first
Turn to Women's, page 6