Sports Editor
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Friday, October 17, 2003
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
College football:
Texas Tech at Oklahoma State
12:30 p.m. Saturday, ABC
BIG HOPES
Height will play an
integral role in the
Duck offense this
season. Four Oregon
players stand 6-foot
10-inches or taller,
including
sophomores Ian
Crosswhite (11) and
Matt Short (5).
Mark McCambridge
Photographer
No Ridnour, but no worries for Ducks basketball
The Ducks met the media for the first time on
Thursday and predicted they will be in the Pac-10
hunt in 2004 for the third straight season
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
The change of scenery at McArthur Court has claimed No. 13.
Luke Ridnour is gone. He is gone to the Seattle Sonics, miss
ing out on what would have been his senior season in Eugene.
So are Brian Helquist and Robert Johnson, fixtures in Oregon's
success the past two seasons.
They will be missed, but the Ducks say they won't miss a step.
They say they will be one of the top teams in the Pacific-10 Con
ference this season, ready to battle for another crown and berth to
the NCAA Tournament.
DUCK
BASKETBALL
And they'll do it with a team effort much
like they've done it in the past.
"We've built this'program on the prem
~ ises that the program is bigger than any
one coach," Oregon head coach Ernie
Kent said at the team's media day Thursday. "I also believe that
it is also bigger than any one player."
The Ducks will be like teams of the past. They will run an up
tempo offense but change it up to a post game.
The team's point guard, expected to be either returnee Bran
don Lincoln or freshman Aaron Brooks, will be fast. The big for
wards, which are now led by lan Crosswhite, can run and gun but
are hoping to be able to batde with their bodies.
It s going to be the Ducks of old, but a team of new.
"Ihe diversity of this team will be really good in terms of what
we can throw at teams," Kent said. '"Ihis will be one of the biggest
teams in the country, 1 think. It has the potential to be the fastest
team I have ever coached."
The Ducks say Ridnour's hole can never really be filled, both in
leadership and talent. Lincoln and Brooks will attempt to step up
into the point guard position, although Kent said he will not
name a starter this early.
Turn to BASKETBALL, page 9
Northwest foes await
Duck soccer
The Ducks travel to Washington in hopes of
upping its win total to eight after defeating OSU
By Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
One rivalry down.
Two to go.
Off the momentum of a 4-3 overtime victory against Oregon
State, Oregon heads north to face Northwest rivals No. 10 Wash
ington (7-3-3 overall, 0-1-1 Pacific-10 Conference) and Washing
ton State (4-8,0-2) this weekend.
Oregon (7-5,1-0) is on a two-game winning streak and will look
for its eighth win this weekend. Another win would tie the most all
_ time wins in a season in Oregon soccer his
S“%i toiy, after the Ducks finished 8-8-2 in 2001.
!*<P !%. "Coming off of last weekend, 1 think we
SOCC E R have a g°od vibe going," forward Cristan
- 1 liga said. 'This is a very important weekend
to reach our main goal, which is to get to the
(NCAA) tournament. We're ready, we're prepared and 1 think we'll
play well this weekend."
Oregon has never beat Washington. With a series record of 0-6-1,
Oregon managed a 1-1 tie in 2001 in double overtime in Seattle.
"It's always a motivating factor," Oregon head coach Bill Stef
fen said. "For some reason we seem to have very competitive
games with them. Part of that is a regional thing. The players look
forward to it because they know it's going to be a good game.
"I'm expecting us to be very competitive as usual with them,
but hopefully come out on the good side."
Before facing the Huskies on Sunday, Oregon makes a stop in
Pullman tonight. Washington State is at the bottom of the Pac-10
and is seeking its first conference win after losses to UCLA and USC.
Of the Cougars' four wins, three have been shutouts in Pull
man. Oregon shut out Washington State 4-0 on the road in 2001,
and the teams tied 1-1 at Pape Field last year.
'Washington State last year did pretty well," senior Lindsey Werdell
said. "They got a new coach and they haven't been scoring. If we can
stick a goal in, I'm pretty confident we can stop them from scoring."
The Cougars are led by first-year coach Matt Potter, a former
Washington State assistant. The Cougars have lost four of their
last five and scored only once in those contests.
In the Washington game the Ducks will have to face junior forward
Tina Frimpong. Frimpong led the Washington offense in last year's 2
1 win over the Ducks by scoring both goals and has scored nine times
this year. The Ducks know they must contain her to have a chance
"She's really fast," Werdell said. "She's just a nightmare to de
fend. The only way that you can really defend against her is team
defense. She's always the focus of our defense."
The focus of Oregon's offense will be to score — and score early.
After a five-game skid earlier this season where Oregon went score
less, the Ducks have scored seven goals in the past two games.
Scoring this weekend won't be an easy task. Washington goal
keeper Usa Brookens has 34 saves and five shutouts this season with
a .60 goals-against average Washington State goalkeeper Katie I lultin
is just as comparable with 37 saves, four shutouts and a .84 GAA.
Steffen doesn't seem worried.
Turn to SOCCER, page 9
Kost leads Oregon
into first matches
in Eugene this year
Junior Manuel Kost will lead the Oregon men's
tennis team at the ITA Regionals this weekend
By Alex Tam
Sports Freelancer
I he Oregon men's tennis team is staying in Eugene this
weekend for the first time all season.
The Student I’ennis Center, located on Oregon's campus,
will host the 2003 Intercollegiate Tennis Association Men's Re
gionals starting today. The winners of the singles and doubles
draws will advance later this year to the
National Indoor Championships at the
University of Michigan.
The Ducks will feature six players in
the singles bracket, led by junior
Manuel Kost, who is ranked 31st in the
DUCK
TENNIS
nation and is competing at the No. 4 seed in the tournament.
ITie men are eager to play at a tournament of this magni
tude in their own backyard after winning the hosting rights
through a bidding process.
"It's a big deal for us," head coach Chris Russell said. "I don't
Turn to TENNIS, page 10