Sports Editor:
Hank Hager
hankhager@dailyemerald.com
Wednesday, Febuary 11,2004
Oregon Daily Emerald
SPORTS
Best bet
NHL:
San Jose vs. Detroit
4:30 p.m., ESPN2
Off the court,
Courtney Nagle is
a prankster for the
Oregon women’s
tennis team, but
on it, she’s one of
the most valuable
players on the
club. She ranks in
a number of
top-10 lists
for the Ducks.
Erik Bishoff
Photographer
Comedic impact
Senior Courtney Nagle is not only the women’s tennis team captain, but she is also the**team clown”
By Alex Tam
Freelance Reporter
Every sports team needs a comic to
lighten up the atmosphere.
Senior Courtney Nagle relishes her role
as the "team clown."
One of her most memorable pranks
call to her fellow senior would be ex
tremely funny. Around 3:30 a.m., the
deafening sounds of bells from an alarm
clock blared through Mendiburu's room
and woke her up in disgust.
DUCK
was on her team
mate and room
decided an early
morning wake-up
Nagle soon after realized her roommate
had an early 8 a.m. test less than five hours
later. Naturally, Mendiburu was angry
and irritated with her "friend," but Nagle
is proud of her feat as it cemented her title
as the “team down."
"That's what you get from being a
prankster sometimes," Nagle said. "You
get good results."
Her career at Oregon has been nothing
like a joke.
Nagle, a Denver native, walked onto
the Oregon women's tennis team back in
2000 and had an immediate impart on
the program. She compiled a team-high
18 wins in her first year and since then
holds a 54-42 singles record over her
four-year career. Her early success as a
Duck later earned her a scholarship.
Tennis, however, was not the only sport
she embraced growing up. Basketball,
softball and track interested her but tennis
soon became the sport she loved playing
as a child.
Nagle first picked up a tennis racket at
age six and started to play seriously at the
age of nine. She recalls writing in her jour
nal back in second grade that she enjoyed
playing tennis every day and looked for
ward to it each day thereafter.
"I loved it from the beginning," Nagle
said, "and I loved the other sports, but
tennis is something (I embraced)."
Nagle starred at Monte Vista High
School in Danville, Calif., where she won
two straight league championships.
Though she was not heavily recruited out
of high school, Nagle decided to bring
her talents to Oregon for a chance to play
Turn to COMEDIC, page 9A
Bowling takes on a sporty image
It's not often, even during times of
protest in Eugene, that one sees four
strikes in one night.
Fortunately for my best friend and un
fortunately for myself, our Monday night
at Eugene's Southtowne Lanes saw more
than that.
In our first game, my friend bowled
four consecutive strikes and six total, for
a royal whomping of 171 to 76.
I was rusty. I swear.
The second game picked up a little
for me. I tamed my inclination to spin
the ball at the end of the throw — stem
ming from years as a softball pitcher —
and managed to finish in the 90s. My
Mindi Rice
The girl and the game
friend pulled a muscle and was also
held to the 90s.
Ah, the joys and inconsistencies of
bowling.
It is often argued that bowling isn't a
sport. I wouldn't necessarily disagree with
that, but I don't agree wholeheartedly.
Bowling does resemble a sport at times.
For instance, they show it on ESPN.
Granted, ESPN is not the end-all, be-all
of the sports world, but a time slot on
one of ESPN's growing number of chan
nels must mean something.
Bowling has the intricacies of base
ball with the speed of basketball. We
were in and out in an hour after play
ing two games.
These few points, though somewhat
Turn to RICE, page 9A
I
Brooks close
but not ready
for a return
Oregon has gone 5-3 since Aaron Brooks went
down with a broken right wrist on Jan. 4 in L.A.
By Hank Hager
Sports Editor
It would have been sweet for Aaron Brooks to be able to play
Thursday against Washington, but it just isn't going to happen.
The Seattle native and Oregon freshman is healing well after
sustaining a broken right wrist, but hasn't
yet gotten to the point yet where he is
game-ready. The guard has been partici
pating in some rehabilitation and is itch
ing to get back on the court in a real game.
That could very well happen against Ari
MEN’S
BASKETBALL
zona on Feb. 19 at McArthur Court.
Ihat s my target date," Brooks said before Oregon's practice
on Tuesday. "It just depends on how it comes along in the cou
ple days we have."
Since Brooks went down with the injury during the Ducks' 81
74 loss to UCLA on Ian. 4, Oregon has gone 5-3. At times, the
Ducks have played fairly well against their opponents, evidenced
most recently by a seven-point win over Oregon State on Saturday.
At other times, they've been dominated, such as during a 24
point loss to Arizona in Tucson.
"It's been real tough watching them play," Brooks said. "It's eas
ier when we're winning."
Could Brooks have meant a reduction in that 24-point margin?
Would Oregon have lost to Oregon State on Jan. 10 and to Stanford
three weeks later, especially after a 19-point lead in the second half?
There's no way to answer those questions.
But Brooks' presence on the court especially if he returns with six
games left on the regular season schedule; could mean the difference
between an NCAA Tournament appearance and one in the NIT.
"I might have more legs than the rest of the players," Brooks
said. "I don't know. I guess you could look at it that way."
When Brooks was healthy, he was averaging 6.7 points and 2.9
assists per game. Those numbers are not terribly indicative of a
player who can take over a game, but rather of one who is getting
accustomed to the pace of collegiate basketball.
Brooks was getting a good feel for the game from the court.
Now that he's seen the offense from the bench, does he have an
even better understanding of how to run it?
"It helps you to see it run everyday in practice," he said. "But
there's nothing like learning it while you're in the game. I (had) a
pretty good grasp of the system when I was there. I'm really not
out of touch with it."
Not a down year in their eyes
So the Pacific-10 Conference is the ninth-strongest league in
the nation this year, according to the RPI (Ratings Percentage Index).
Turn to CLOSE, page 9A
Erik Bishoff Photographer
Oregon guard Aaron Brooks may return against Arizona on Feb. 19.