Sports Editor
Peter Hockaday
peterhockaday@dcdlyemerald.com
Thursday, February 27,2003
-Oregon Daily Emerald
Sports
Best bet
NCAA men's basketball:
Arizona at California
7:30 p.m., Fox Sports
Closing time
His time at Oregon has flown by, but senior
RobertJohnson has left his markon the Ducks
Men’s basketball
Adam Jude
Senior Sports Reporter
It’s only just begun, yet it’s already over.
For Robert Johnson, today’s men’s basketball
game against USC marks the beginning of the end
of his brief—yet successful — Oregon career.
“It’s gone by so fast,” said Johnson, a senior for
ward. “It feels just like yesterday that I was here
on my recruiting trip. It sneaks up on you.
“You have to cherish the moments while
you’re here.”
A junior college transfer from San Francisco,
Johnson has started every game — 60 in all —
since donning an Oregon uniform last year. And
Johnson’s arrival sparked one of the best two
year runs in school history, including a trip to the
Elite Eight last season.
If the Ducks win their final two games at
McArthur Court this weekend, Johnson—and fel
low senior post Brian Helquist—will depart with a
30-2 record at home.
“Robert being a starter for two years really says
something,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. “He
was extremely steady last year. He hasn’t been as
consistent this year, but still, when you look at the
possibility of being 30-2, he has a lot to do with that.
“For our program to take a junior college player,
and for him to have the impact he’s had on our pro
gram, really says a lot about Robert Johnson. ”
Even more revealing is Johnson’s team-first attitude.
While he doesn’t dish out the assists like Ridnour,
Johnson is the ultimate selfless basketball player.
“He’s a great defensive player, he’s an unselfish
player and he’s a leader,” said Helquist, Johnson’s
roommate. “He’s not the kind of guy that’s going to
holler and yell out there, but he leads by example.”
Voted the team’s best defensive player last sea
son, the 6-foot-8-inch, 250-pound Johnson is usu
ally assigned to the opponents’ top post player. He
leads the team in rebounding this season (6.4 per
game), and is among the Pacific-10 Conference
leaders in field-goal percentage (.598).
“He’s humble and he has sacrificed his game for
the team in terms of only wanting to be a rebound
er and defender,” Kent said.
His statistics won’t earn him national recogni
tion, but Johnson’s main concern in Oregon’s four
remaining conference games is helping his team
get back to the NCAA Tournament.
“You can find about a 1,000 guys who can score
the ball, but there’s not that many guys who do the
little things — and that’s what I try to do,” John
son said. “I just try to find a different style.”
His game style isn’t the only difference, though.
While some of his teammates are known for their
shaggy hairdos, Johnson’s noggin is shinier than
the Mac Court hardwood.
Since high school, he’s shaved his head about
twice a month. And even though the team trend
was for more hair and he wanted to fit in, John
son said, “I didn’t see a need to change when I
came here.”
But he did help Oregon transform from a 14-14
team in 2000-01 to the Pac-10 champions last year.
He averaged 7.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game
last season, after transferring from Santa Rosa Ju
nior College, where he led all California junior col
lege players with 14 rebounds per game in addition
to 12 points per game.
“I had no idea the team would do this well,”
Johnson said. “It’s a credit to how good this town
and how good this gym is.”
A sociology major, Johnson is on pace to gradu
ate this year. Though the time Johnson and
Helquist have spent in Eugene has flown by, they
said it will be hard for them to say goodbye.
“It’s going to be bittersweet,’’ Helquist said, echo
ing Johnson’s sentiments about their final games
Turn to Johnson, page 12A
Adam Amato Emerald
Robert Johnson will play his last home games as a Duck this weekend against USC and UCLA
Men, minus Joseph, face grudge match with USC
The Ducks, close to must-win
territory, will play the Trojans
without their scrappy guard
Men’s basketball
Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
Gan an 18-wheeler still cruise
along a highway without one of its
wheels? Gan a dining-room table
survive without a leg?
Gan a family stay together without
one of its members?
The Oregon men’s basketball
team will find out the answer to
those questions tonight. And there
can be only one answer: Win, or
lose.
The Ducks will face a gritty USG
team tonight at McArthur Court
(tipoff is set for 5:30) without their
sixth man — guard Andre Joseph.
The junior transfer was suspended
for the game after a heated argu
ment with coaches in the second
half of Saturday’s loss at
Washington. The decision was
reached Monday by the coaches
and team members.
“Obviously we’re missing a key
component,” Oregon head coach
Ernie Kent said. “It’s something
we’re going to have to adjust
to. Brandon Lincoln’s going to
have to step in and play some ma
jor minutes.”
Lincoln and the other Oregon
players will have to make up for
Joseph’s 11.8 points per game in Pa
cific-10 Conference play. Lincoln, a
freshman, will play in Joseph’s first
guard-off-the-bench role, but he is
still recovering from a sprained an
kle he suffered in a game against
Oregon State.
“He’s not back at 100 percent,
but hopefully with a couple days
rest he’ll be fine,” Kent said after
practice Tuesday.
The most important thing for the
Ducks may be keeping their focus on
the Trojans, who beat Oregon by 15
points less than a month ago. With
the media’s attention on Joseph’s
suspension, the fact that Thursday’s
game is close to must-win for the
Ducks has almost been overlooked.
“It’s going to be a very big basket
ball game for us,” Kent said. “We did
n’t play well down there. It’s a good
chance to come back and give them
our ‘A’ game.”
The players agree with Kent.
“Our focus is just on SC right
now,” Jackson said. “We definitely
want these games.”
And Oregon needs them, if the
Turn to Men's, page 12A
i.y.i- ». . . i .. .... Jeremy Forrest Emerald
Brandi Davis and theDbtks ti6(5dto hdld onto sixth in the conference:
Women prepare for ‘game of wills’
It’s crunch time for Oregon, which
faces games against USC and UCLA
in Southern California
Women’s basketball
Hank Hager
Sports Reporter
It’s the time of the year when lockers
get used for the last time, when the gym
socks get thrown in their last wash cy
cle, and when crowds get the chance to
say goodbye to seniors.
It’s the end of the year for Paeific-10 Con
ference women’s basketball. And yes,
there’s still a conference tournament, and a
select few teams will go beyond that to the
NCAA Tournament.
Oregon is hoping — beyond all else —
that it is one of those select few.
“Right now, I think we need to forget
about winning, forget about where our
standings are, and right now, our biggest
goal is play like how we want to play,” soph
omore Kedzie Gunderson said. “We need to
focus on our game plan, run through stuff,
play hard, play defense, and do all those lit
tle things because right, now, it doesn’t mat
ter if we win or lose, but can you play how
your team is meant to play?”
The Ducks are tied for sixth in the con
ference with USG, which, coincidentally, is
Oregon’s opponent tonight in Los Angeles.
The game—set to begin at 7 p.m. at the Los
Angeles Sports Arena—pits two teams that
are far different now than when they met
earlier in the season. Oregon won that
game, 79-73, at McArthur Court.
“(USC is) a team that has found some bal
ance in scoring, and they play well at home,”
Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “They
are going to be tough in this game because
there is a lot on the line for lx>th teams. Cer
tainly, it’s going to be a game of wills . ”
As Smith alluded, the game is big for both
teams because of the Pac-10 Tournament
next week in San Jose, Calif. The sixth-place
team does not have to play until March 8, a
Saturday. The seventh-place squad has to
play an additional game March 7.
Oregon State sits one game ahead of the
Trojans and Ducks, and has to play in Los
Angeles this weekend as well. Because of
that, though, the Beavers ultimately con
trol their own destiny.
So do the Ducks, but they will have to
prove it against USC.
“Who wants to play a day when they real
ly don’t have to?” sophomore Brandi Davis
said. “We’re just looking forward to going out
there and playing the best we can. Ifwehave
Turn to Women's, page 10A