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STUDENT TRAVEL & BEYOND
Erik R. Bishoff Photographer
Ernie Kent (left), seen here at Oregon’s NIT game against George Mason, met with the media Monday to talk about his 2004 recruiting
class and defend the use of a private plane to help top 10 recruit Malik Hairston get to Eugene.
PLANE
continued from page 7
Would Hairston choose Oregon
or Kansas, the two schools he had
narrowed down from six suitors just
days before?
At one point, Kent heard the rumors.
But he had to know for sure.
Suffice to say, Kent got the answer he
was looking for, even though it wasn't
official until Thursday. Hairston will be
a Duck, starting in the 2004 season.
With that signing has come national
recognition for the Ducks. But not ail of
that is positive.
Kent met with the media Monday
for the first time since Hairston's an
nouncement. I le spoke highly of the re
cruiting class — Hairston joins guards
Chamberlain Oguchi, Bryce Taylor and
Kenny Love; and forward Maarty Le
unen — as his main subject, but he also
defended his recruitment of the 6-foot
6 guard from Detroit.
Hairston made his official visit to
Oregon on April 24 during a 24-hour
time frame before visiting Oklahoma.
Because he had missed a scheduled
commercial flight — along with his
parents — Kent and Oregon got him a
private plane.
That, according to Kent, was just the
second time in seven years that he has
used a private plane for a recruit. And it
only became necessary because of I lair
ston's tightly packed travel schedule.
Hairston's parents subsequently did
not make the trip to Eugene, although
his mother reportedly favored Oregon
during the last month or so of the re
cruiting process.
The use of the plane has raised ques
tions in the minds of some across the
nation, including The Columbus Dis
patch's Rob Oiler, who wrote on Thurs
day "Oregon has a relatively unknown
coach in Ernie Kent is a three-day drive
from Detroit and has about as much
The thing I am opposed
about is anything that
hinders educational
opportunities.... They're
going to have to bring it
all into perspective
sooner or later."
Ernie Kent
Oregon head coach
chance of winning a national champi
onship as does MIT.
"But... Hairston is a teenager, and
teens — and their parents — are easily
influenced and impressed."
Oiler compared Kent to Ohio State
head coach Jim O'Brien, who he said is
"one of the game's most honest coach
es and best tacticians," but lost in the
Hairston sweepstakes.
Some have also found it ironic that
Kent who is generally against the use of
private planes, used one in Hairston's
situation. ESPN.com's Andy Katz wrote
the use of the plane suggested Hairston
is "royalty." The plane, Katz said, took
$21,000 to operate out to Eugene and
back to Detroit a figure not disputed by
the Ducks.
Kent said the private plane was the
only way to get Hairston out to Eugene
Yet, he — and some other coaches —
are for possible NCAA legislation that
would make it illegal to use private
planes in recruiting, even though their
use with Oregon's football team is
widely known around the nation.
Head football coach Mike Bellotti, Kent
said, is up against a different dynamic.
"The thing I am opposed about is
anything that hinders educational op
portunities," he said. "They're going to
have to bring it all into perspective
sooner or later."
Hairston's signing might open up
some recruiting inroads to the Detroit
area for Kent and the Ducks. The Michi
gan area is generally recognized as one
of the better communities in the nation
for high school basketball.
Oh, and he's also learned a lot about
recruiting a top 10 player. That, he
hopes, might come into play again in
the near future.
'There's a lot more mudslinging," he
said. "You get attacked more. There's a
lot of stuff coming our way. But we
don't need to go there."
Contact the sports editor
at hankhageri@dailyemerald.com.
SERIES
continued from page 7
Matt Mensik's 140-pitch perform
ance kept Oregon in the game and
forced extra innings.
The Ducks scored a run in the
ninth inning, but they failed to keep
their 7-6 lead as the Wildcats hit a
solo home run off Oregon relief
pitcher Gavin Wahl-Stephens to tie
the game again at seven. In the 12th
inning, Wahl-Stephens hit a home
run to give the Ducks a one-run lead
and the win against one of the most
high-profile teams in the country.
"It was one of the craziest games I
have ever played in," catcher Jon
Loomis said.
Only hours later, Oregon faced UC
Santa Cruz (10-11 overall, 6-6 Califor
nia Baseball Conference) and came
away with a 19-1 win. The win gave
Oregon a place in the championship
game and pitted it against a team the
Ducks battled in regular season play,
Western Washington (22-9 overall,
15-3 Pacific Mountain Conference).
Thanks to the double elimination
format of the tournament, Western
Washington had to beat Oregon
twice on Sunday to capture the tour
nament crown.
In Oregon's first game against
Western Washington, the Ducks fell
7-6 in a close matchup. The Vikings'
win set up a winner-take-all situa
tion in the tournament's final game.
"We kept saying we were never out
of games even when we were be
hind," pitcher JayTlougan said. "We
kept picking each other up and you
could tell we really wanted to win."
With solid pitching and an of
fense consistently productive in
nearly every inning, the Ducks final
ly took home the championship tro
phy after a 21-14 win against their
conference rival.
"I think we wanted it more," third
baseman Travis Chock said. "We had
guys playing a lot better than they
normally do and this time we had
something to really play for."
Oregon will now join seven other
teams — Central Michigan, Col
orado State, James Madison, North
Carolina State, Penn State, Texas
A&M and Wisconsin — in Braden
ton to compete in the 2004 NCBA
World Series at McKechnie Field
from May 26-31. Eighth-ranked Ore
gon will play No. 1 Colorado State
(23-0 overall, 15-0 Rocky Mountain
Conference) on May 26 at 6:30 a.m.
(9:30 EST).
"If I were to look back when we
started in October, I would have never
guessed we would be where we are
right now," Loomis said. "Going to
the World Series was almost an unat
tainable goal for us, and now we have
earned a chance to compete."
Chock said Oregon will focus on
getting healthy in the weeks ahead to
prepare for their World Series debut.
"We have a lot of guys with sore
arms," Chock said. "We played five
games in two days and so sore arms
are to be expected."
Kirsten McEwen is a freelance reporter
for the Emerald.
Qolf at iti lin&bt.
College students *22 for 18 holes 5I2 for S holes