Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dailyemerald.com
Thursday, February 13,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald —
Sports
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Tennis in the
trenches
Oded Teig is approaching
Oregon^ singles-match record,
which he could tie soon in Eugene
Ryan Heath
Freelance Sports Reporter
When senior Oded Teig first came
to Oregon, some of his teammates
asked him if he was unhappy with
the small dorm rooms on campus.
Teig didn’t mind the size of his new
dwelling because the tent he occu
pied during his three years of service
in the Israeli army was significantly
smaller.
“We could tell Oded would bring a
lot of experience, both on and off the
court, to our program,” head coach
Chris Russell said. “He’s been
through more than most people.”
Balancing academics and athletics
while leading a young team through a
tough tennis schedule would be
stressful for anyone. Add to that the
anxiety of approaching Oregon’s ca
reer record in singles victories while
taking on some of the nation’s best
players — well, that might be too
much to ask.
Unless, of course, Teig is handling
the situation. Teig began the season
with 60 career wins, five shy of the
record, and has fought through diffi
cult matches at the No. 1 spot to put
himself in a position to rank as one
of the best in Oregon men’s tennis
history.
That’s a lot of pressure. Even for a
man with Teig’s maturity.
But somehow, when you’ve taken
responsibility for the lives of 15 of
your fellow countrymen as lieu
tenant commander of an artillery
unit, it takes a lot more than tennis
to be overwhelmed.
“It was a tough experience,” Teig
said about going into the army. “But,
nevertheless, I’m reallv happy that I
did it.”
In fact, Teig’s biggest regret after
three years of serving his country was
that he didn’t get to play tennis, the
game he’s loved since his father intro
duced him to it at the age of seven.
“I gained weight, I was out of
shape,” Teig said about returning to
tennis. “It took a while to get back
into it.”
It didn’t take quite as long to get
back to the form that earned him a
No. 4 ranking in the Israeli 18-and
under division.
He took the Pacific-10 Conference
by storm, going 22-11 in singles play
from the No. 3 position his freshman
Turn to Teig, page 10
Adam Amato Emerald
Oded Teig spent three years as a lieutenant commander in the Isreali army before coming to Eugene.
Crosswhite searches for consistency in Pac-10
Adam Amato Emerald
As Ian Crosswhite (11) goes, so go the Ducks. But the big man says the team needs to step up.
When the redshirt freshman scores
in double figures, Oregon is 12-0
Men’s basketball notes
Adam Jude
Senior Sports Reporter
There’s no doubt that this is the Lukes’ team —
without Ridnour and Jackson, the Ducks, well,
they’re Washington State.
But it’s no secret that much of the Oregon
men’s basketball team’s success this season has
come when its post players play well. The Ducks
are 15-0 when their big guys combine to score at
least 22 points.
And, although it’s not necessarily fair to point
fingers, the Ducks (16-6 overall, 6-5 Pacific-10
Conference) are 12-0 when Ian Crosswhite
scores at least 10 points.
Consider that the Ducks have won six of their
last eight games, but in those two losses — to
USC and California — Crosswhite was held to
four points in each game. And during a five-game
winning streak last month, Crosswhite averaged
15.4 points, including a 22-point, 12-rebound
performance against UCLA.
But Grosswhite is not taking the team’s incon
sistent Pac-10 play personally.
“If I play well, fine. If we win, even better,” said
Grosswhite, who averages 8.4 points and 3.8 re
bounds per game. “I haven’t really looked at the
stats or anything.”
“It’s not just me, everybody needs to step up.
Different guys need to step up on different nights.
I try my best, but hey...”
But... he is a redshirt freshman playing in his
first season of Division I basketball. And adjust
ing to that level of play has taken some time for
the 6-foot-11-inch forward/center from Australia.
“It’s taken me a little while to realize how
tough you have to play in this league,” Gross
white said. “It’s true, when the big guys have let
downs, it makes it a lot harder, and it works vice
versa. We need to make plays inside so it opens
up the outside.”
Oregon’s play, and its record, certainly
Turn to Men's, page 12
UO’s Kraayeveld may return sooner than expected
The Oregon forward might see
playing time at McArthur Court
before the season is over
Women’s basketball
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
Gathrine Kraayeveld, out since
late December due to a staph infec
tion in her right knee, may not have
to sit out the rest of the season, as
was originally reported.
The 6-foot-4-inch forward re
turned to the court recently, and
said she has felt less pain in the knee
while working out with the team.
“It’s pretty good,” she said of the
knee. “It may get a little bit sore, but
it’s been feeling pretty good. It’s
mostly my endurance, being able to
do everything and not have to come
out. But I think I’ve been doing pret
ty well, considering I haven’t done
very much.”
It had been reported in early Jan
uary that it would be unlikely
Kraayeveld would be able to return
to the court in a game this season,
whether it came during the Pacific
10 Conference’s regular season or
tournament.
But because Oregon doctors
have never had to rehabilitate an
athlete with Kraayeveld’s type of
injury — according to head coach
Bev Smith — the team is unaware
of whether she is behind or on
schedule in her recovery.
“We think that she’s doing very
well, and based on what she’s show
ing us, we’re quite happy with her
progress,” Smith said.
The Ducks have just three games
remaining at McArthur Court this
season, including Saturday’s Civil
War contest against Oregon State.
Oregon has a 5-4 record at the
venue this season, including a 3-3
ledger in Pae-10 games.
Kraayeveld said she would love to
return and play at Mac Court this
season, even if it is just for a few min
utes per game.
“I would hope so,” she said. “I think
I’m doing pretty good. I’d love that, to
see a few minutes here and there.”
“That could be a possibility, and I
think it’s just playing it by ear,”
Smith said. “Certainly, we don’t
want to accelerate things and rush
things, and put her in a position
where she’s going to be vulnerable,
like an injury. We’ll base it on her
and our medical staffs opinion.”
With the Pac-10 Tournament
looming large — scheduled for
March 7 through 10 in San Jose,
Calif. — Kraayeveld’s possible return
to the Ducks (5-8 Pae-10) could be
important to the team.
“For what she’s been through, I
think she looks great,” Smith said.
“She’s a great athlete, an athlete
that’s kind of like poetry in motion.
So when you see her out there, I ^
think she’s given us all a big lift be
cause of the fact she’s been out there
and able to contribute.”
Contact the sports reporter
at hankhager@daHyemerald.com.