Sports briefs Joseph is top newcomer WALNUT GREEK, Calif. — Ore gon junior guard Andre Joseph has been named the 2003 Pacific 10 Conference Men’s Basketball Newcomer of the Year, Commis sioner Tom Hansen announced Wednesday. Joseph, from Houston, Texas, is averaging 10.1 points, 3.3 re bounds and 1.9 assists for the Ducks. He provided an instant spark after transferring to Oregon from Lee Junior College (Baytown, Texas). He has played in 26 of 27 games for the Ducks in 2003, in cluding four starts. On Feb. 2, Joseph posted a career-high 18 points and five assists at USC. A sharpshooter from behind the arc, Joseph has hit a three-point er in 13 consecutive games, and connected on 20 of his last 43 (.465) three-point attempts. In Pac-10 play, he’s ranked sixth in the Conference in three-point field goal percentage (.427). He has scored in double-digits fifteen times on the season. The award is presented to the Conference’s top newcomer, as se lected by Pac-10 radio play-by-play announcers. The honor is named the Fred Hessler Award, in honor of the late UCLA broadcaster. — From staff and wire reports Broncos sign Plummer COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Ending one chapter of their quar terback saga and starting another, the Denver Broncos reached an agreement with Arizona free agent Jake Plummer on Wednesday. Plummer, who visited the Bron cos on Monday, will return to Den ver on Thursday to sign a seven year contract worth just more than #40 million, including a #7 million signing bonus. Plummer will get about #2 mil lion in base salary during his first two seasons. The agreement includes a #6 million roster bonus due in March 2005. At that point, if the Broncos don’t want Plummer as quarter back, they would cut him and save approximately #31 million, albeit with salary cap implications. The Broncos also received NFL approval for their contract with defensive tackle Daryl Gardener, who signed his six-year #30-mil lion deal Wednesday. Plummer, 28, will be the Bron cos’ starting quarterback next sea son, replacing Brian Griese, who will either be traded or cut after June 1. —Kamon Simpson, Colorado Springs Gazette (KRT) Women's continued from page 11 strong ball handling and scoring from junior Giuliana Mendiola. But for the Ducks, who they play doesn’t seem to matter, be cause they have to reach the title game first. “Whoever we play I’m going to be just fine and we will have to deal with that,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “If we get in the final, hey, we could play Connecticut for all I care. We would just be ready to beat any one that we’re in there with.” The scenarios are all hypotheti cal but what is true is that Oregon has three tough opponents to sur pass to before stepping back into McArthur Court. Injuries continue Just when the Ducks thought things were full steam ahead again with a full bench, another injury came along. Junior Kayla Steen tore her an terior crucial ligament in her left knee in Saturday’s game, which leaves her teammates wondering how they will fare with just nine eligible players. “She comes in and does a great job and is a very steady player,” said Gunderson, who was Steen’s roommate in Los Angeles. “We’re definitely going to miss her. It’s tough and I have to give her a lot of credit because she is handling it really well. “It’s going to be a loss. I know it’s tough on her and tough on this team. We’ve been through a lot but at the same time we have got a job to do.” Could be a sellout As of Monday morning, the State Farm Women’s Basketball Pac-10 Tournament had sold 4,344 all-session tickets and 894 single-session tickets. The arena seats just 6,828 for the tournament, which provides the possibility for a sellout and Jeremy Forrest Emerald Kayla Steen, seen in action earlier this season, won't play again this year. more hype. “If the Pac-10 Tournament sold out, that’s all the better,” Gunder son said. “That’s definitely playing in our corner, we are used to hav ing big crowds.” Contact the sports reporter at jessethomas@dailyemerald.com. Tickets continued from page 11 money, then they said that it would never happen in basketball. Well, here it is five years later, and it happened.” McBride explained that the Athletic Department learned of the discrepancy in football when the band was moved out of the student section entirely, and the Athletic Department was forced to re-calculate the number of stu dent seats. He said the basketball seating should have been re-cal culated at that time, but, obvious ly, it wasn’t. “I would describe it as an evo lutionary thing,” McBride said. McBride said next year’s bas ketball contract will likely be al tered to exclude some of the band’s seats, but not all of them. He explained that extra seats have traditionally been given out because not everybody who picks up a ticket shows up for the game. “The analogy everybody will understand is what airlines do, they over-book,” McBride said. “Most of the time they get it right and nobody knows the difference. It’s only when it’s your seat that you notice.” Kranzush said the ADFG does n’t know how many seasons the 140 tickets have gone to waste. “We thought about looking into past years, but thought we’d have a better chance to recover our money from this season if we just focused on that,” Kranzush said. Contact the sports editor at peterhockaday@dailyemerlad.com BERG’S SKI BUS to Willamette Pass, Mt. Bachelor & Hoodoo! 13th & Lawrence • 683-1300 www.bergsskishop.com 015988 CAPOEIRA with Kristen Warnick 12:30-2 p.m. BREAKDANCING with Darrell Shaft & the Edgebreakers 2:15-3:45 V SUN. MAR. 9 Gerlinger Annex 352 1 workshop: $5 2 workshops: $8 Opportunity for the campus community to present oral and written comments on proposed amendments to the: SPECIAL FEES AND FHES FEE BOOK academic year 2003-04 March 11th, 3 p.m. EMU Walnut Room Written comments will be accepted by the Office of Resource Management Room 1, Johnson Hall until 5 p.m. on March 11th Proposed Fee Book is available online at http://ormweb.uoregon.edu/SpecialFees/ | Questions: Donna Chittendon 346-3044, Office of Resource Management stuff in the ODE Classifieds (Off The Mark, your daily horoscope and of course the crossword.)