Oregon daily emerald., January 16, 2004, Page 9, Image 9

Davis continues hot streak
from beyond three-point arc
James Davis came close
to his season high when
he scored 19 points
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
He may have scored just five points
in the second half against Washington
on Thursday, but Oregon guard James
Davis was instrumental in Oregon's
win over Washington.
The Vancouver, Wash., native scored
14 points in the first half on the
strength of four three-pointers. When
Oregon forward Luke Jackson started
off slow, Davis surged ahead, nailing all
four of those three-pointers within a
three-minute span.
"James was a tremendous spark be
cause I think we were a little out of
sync," Oregon head coach Ernie Kent
said. "He's been unreal at practice and
at games."
His 19 points continued a hot
streak that has spanned five of the last
six games. It began with 14 points
against Alabama Dec. 20 and contin
ued on to Oregon's 90-81 loss to Ore
gon State last Saturday.
His only slow night came against
UCLA Jan. 4 when Davis scored eight
points against the Bruins.
So far this season, he has scored
double-digit points six of the 10
games he's played in, all of those com
ing off the bench.
The 19 points were two points shy of
his season-high 21 against the Univer
sity of Southern California. That mark
of 21 earlier this season also tied a ca
reer-high, set against Washington State
and Grambling State in 2002.
'The coaches have the utmost confi
dence in me right now," Davis said. "My
teammates are finding me and I credit
my big men for setting great screens and
giving me the looks I'm getting."
Davis came into the game a little
more than midway through the first
half. He knocked down his first three
pointer at the 12:03 mark, pulling the
Ducks to within three, 18-15.
Less than a minute later, he tied the
score with his second three-pointer of
the game, then put Oregon up 30 sec
onds later with another.
Andre Joseph got the chance for a
field goal with 10:13 left, then gave way
for Davis, who promptly knocked
down one from beyond the arc with
9:31 left, pushing the Ducks to a three
point advantage.
He ended the half with a simple two
pointer from inside the paint with 3:45.
That's a spark for you.
"When James gets hot like that, he's
tough," Jackson said. "He's just going to
drain those threes. A couple of those
were open shots and a couple of those,
there was a guy in his face. He's just a
dangerous weapon when he gets hot.
"He's capable of doing that every
night. When he gets his feet set, he's in a
good rhythm and he gets his confidence
he can shoot it as good as anybody."
The Huskies might as well have held
Davis' hand during the second half,
making sure to keep him from getting
the perimeter shot. Washington made
sure to guard him heavily, keeping
Davis to one three-pointer — a shot
that came with 6:14 left in the game
and put Oregon up 71-58.
A set of free throws as the game
wound down gave him 19 points, his
second-highest point total this season.
Davis' five three-pointers on the
night gave him 37 on the season, in
cluding 19 during Oregon's four Pacif
ic-10 Conference games. He's also now
averaging 13.2 points per game this
season, 16.3 in the Pac-10.
"I get excited when I see him wide
open and there was a play in the second
half when I drove baseline and I saw his
guy collapsed on me" Jackson said. "1
threw it out to him and I just held my
hands up. I just felt like I knew it was
going to go in.
"Those are just kind of special mo
ments that you just enjoy it while you're
out on the floor. You make a pass and
you know the crowd's going to erupt."
Contact the sports editor
at hankhager@dailyemerald.com.
Adam Amato Senior Photographer
James Davis scored 19 points against the Huskies - the sixth time this season he scored
10 points or more in a game this season. He made five three-pointers against Washington.
HAGER
continued from page 7
A panel of 12 to 16 members must be
put together just to search for and inter
view candidates.
"My people know that I have great
love for my home state," Moos said,
during halftime of Oregon's game
against Washington Thursday. "They
know — the ones that are close to me
— that when I left the state of Washing
ton in 1990, it was my intent to one day
return.... If we don't return profession
ally, we're very happy here."
Moos will one day return to the state,
whether that is on a wheat farm in the
eastern part of the state or to Seattle.
It doesn't come as much of a surprise
that he is being mentioned to take over
the Washington program, and as much
as it could potentially hurt Oregon, it
would be a boon to the Huskies.
While Moos has to fight wars seem
ingly every day with critics who raise
concerns over the so-called arms race,
Washington would pose less of a threat
in that regard. Husky fans tasted a na
tional championship in 1991 and
won't feel complete until they reach
that level soon.
That hasn't happened in Seattle,
where Husky football was held out of
a bowl. Both of Washington’s basket
oi Oregon
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ball teams have struggled this season.
It was time for a change, whether or
not Hedges was going to be pushed
out the door.
After a year like no other for the
Huskies, that was a distinct possibility.
What the new athletics director will
have is the sense of a fresh start with a
program that has been under the gun.
Enter Moos, who knows what it feels
like to have critics stare over his shoul
der on a constant basis.
"That would probably be the only
one I would consider," Moos said. "I
want to look at that position and see
what that job is and can be."
If indeed Moos is to leave — whether
that comes in six months or five years
— he will vacate a position that is start
ing to have as much prestige in the na
tion as any other. With a program that
is fully funded by itself and donors —
no academic money goes into the ath
letic pot — the athletics director posi
tion with the Ducks would be a wise
choice for any candidate.
"My coaches are as good as there are
in the country," Moos said. "We're rais
ing money like crazy, we're building fa
cilities at a pace to match anybody in
the country. I think the Oregon AD job
has become a tremendous job that I
feel very fortunate to have."
That's a considerable statement but
one that is justified when thinking
about how far Oregon has come under
his guidance. The Ducks have strung to
gether eight straight bowl seasons, and
the men's basketball team has enjoyed
two straight NCAA Tournament ap
pearances for the first time since the
1960-61 seasons.
So, if Moos were to jump in the fray
in Seattle, it wouldn't be surprising to
see him head the program next year. Yet
at the same time, there is a sense that
the Ducks would be just fine
Contact the sports editor
at hankhagar@dailyemerald.com.
His opinions do not necessarily
represent those of the Emerald.
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