Oregon Daily Emerale
Thursday, November 11, 2004
“Just scream at the top of your lungs,
and you’re going to be accepted. ”
Eric Weckert | Pit Crew President
■ In my opinion
ION ROETMAN
ROUGHING THE PASSER
Dark cloud
hangs over
Ducks after
loss to Cal
It won’t show up on the schedule or in
the box score.
It won’t be visible on gambling Web sites
and won’t be apparent to fans arriving at
Autzen Stadium this weekend.
While Oregon’s itinerary calls for a home
game against UCLA Saturday, the Ducks, in
actuality, will be battling two opponents.
California faces Washington in body this
weekend, but the Golden Bears’ mystique
will hang over Oregon like an ominous
storm cloud.
After all, it wasn’t like Oregon was domi
nated by a superior team in Berkeley, Calif.
Rather, the Ducks beat themselves with
mistakes and not capitalizing on opportuni
ties, falling to Cal 28-27.
“Losing a game like that, where we were
confident in winning is a battle,” fullback
Dante Rosario said. “To lose a game like that
takes a lot out of you. We know what it
takes to come back and win. A lot of people
think we are just going to hang our heads
now and not really try to end the season the
way we should. We are going to fight and
end the season right”
Besides acknowledging the tough defeat,
the Ducks say they’ve moved past last week’s
heartbreaking loss to the Golden Bears.
I don’t believe it.
While the loss may not be a focal point
this week for Oregon, it will linger in the
back of every player’s mind when it comes
time for him to make a play.
Can I make this block?
Can I make this tackle?
Can I catch this pass?
With Oregon needing a win during its fi
nal two games to secure a bowl bid and its
11th consecutive winning season, it will be
evident which Ducks are capable of han
dling adversity. Saturday’s matchup with a
much improved Bruin team will likely be a
close one. When it comes down to crunch
time, athletes who are mentally tough rise
above their past mistakes to make the play
at hand. Those who can’t handle the heat
whither and choke under pressure.
If Saturday’s outcome depends on a
drive in the final two minutes, will Oregon
come through?
If UCLA quarterback Drew Olson lobs a
pass down the middle of the field to tight end
Marcedes Lewis, will Oregon safety Justin
Phinisee knock the ball away, or will visions
of the touchdown he allowed to Cal’s Craig
Stevens last week hinder his reaction?
If Jared Siegel is called upon to nail an
important field goal, will the senior be fo
cused enough to drill the ball through the
uprights, or will thoughts of his missed ex
tra point last week jog through his mind?
If Kellen Clemens sees a receiver open
downfield, will he have the confidence to
throw him the ball, or will last week’s abun
dance of Oregon drops make him think
twice before pulling the trigger?
And if Clemens drills Keith Allen in the
ROETMAN, page 14
Rise, shout, Pit Crew shirts are out
The first 1,000 students at
Sunday's game against Western
Oregon will receive a free T-shirt
BY ALEX I AM
FREELANCE REPORTER
It’s the one commodity all student basket
ball fans want their hands on.
It symbolizes the most die-hard of die-hard
basketball fans on campus.
It’s not a home-game ticket for the Civil
War game or games against Arizona or UCLA.
It’s the Pit Crew T-shirt.
This season, the highly demanded shirts
will be distributed at the Nov. 14 exhibition
game against Western Oregon.
The shirt is given out before every men’s
basketball season to the first 1,000 students
through the gates at McArthur Court at a pre
determined non-conference game.
After the shirts are distributed, student
game-attendees will be allowed to enter Mac
Court early for a shot at prime seating in what
is widely considered one of the most exciting
college basketball venues in the country.
Pit Crew president Eric Weckert said the de
mand for shirts is so big, he receives nearly
30 e-mails a day from fans asking when shirts are
going to be distributed or whether they can still
get a shirt without attending Sunday’s game.
“You have to say no to those people be
cause the people that deserve the shirts, in my
view, are the ones who wait outside in line for
hours,” Weckert said.
Weckert, a 22-year-old business major, said
he advises people to get there early if they
want a shirt, citing last season when people
started waiting in line before noon for the
7 p.m. game.
“That’s one of the biggest things I can say
if you want your shirt,” Weckert said. “Make
sure you get in line early.”
However, he said last season students “pan
icked and literally got crushed” in hot pursuit
Erik R. Bishoff I Photographer
The Pit Crew shows its spirit last season at McArthur court against Oregon State. Pit Crew president Eric Weckert
will distribute new T-shirts this Sunday at the men's basketball exhibition game against Western Oregon.
of the shirts. Weckert stressed that if people
are there early, “they’re going to have no
problem getting a shirt.”
Weckert is in his second year as president
of the Pit Crew, which was formed by head
coach Ernie Kent and the University’s sports
marketing program back in 1999. The story is
Kent’s wife, Dianna, came up with the name
“Pit Crew” and it has stood ever since.
One of the group’s founding members is ex
Duck and current NFL quarterback Joey Har
rington. Weckert said he expects Harrington
to make at least one appearance this season.
“He usually doesn’t pass up a good basket
ball game,” he said. “He loves basketball.”
Weckert said the best part of being a Pit Crew
member is watching the crowd erupt after a
huge dunk or three-point shot during a game.
“To look around and see all these people
coming together regardless of who you are,” he
said. “I mean, that’s the thing. It’s that you’re
united by this one thing — the Pit Crew. ’’
Fellow member Joey Greenberg, who is the
head of sponsorships, added that it’s great to
see the older alumni join in the celebration
with the students.
“We’re up and jumping around and it actual
ly affects them and the whole place gets rock
ing and it starts affecting the players,” Green
berg said, who is also a 22-year-old business
major. “I think that’s the coolest part — getting
the more stoic, older people to (cheer).”
One of the group’s biggest targets from op
posing teams is Washington guard Nate
Robinson, who is listed as 5-foot-9. Robinson
is infamous for being referred to as Gary Cole
man whenever he visits Eugene.
PIT CREW, page 14
■ Duck volleyball
Oregon hosts slew of stars
when Stanford, Cal visit
Stanford's Ogonna Nnamani, Kristin Richards and Cal's
Samantha Carter headline two of the Pac-10's most potent rosters
BY STEPHEN MILLER
SPORTS REPORTER
The fog has shown up in Oregon, and right
on cue, the Bay Area schools are paying a vis
it to McArthur Court this week.
Stanford and California are on the schedule
this week, but Ogonna Nnamani will attempt
to attract all of Oregon’s attention.
The Cardinal (17-6 overall, 9-3 Pacific-10
Conference) possess a roster that features two
high-caliber outside hitters. Stanford, current
ly ranked No. 11 in the nation, has devastated
many of its under-prepared opponents with
Nnamani, a senior and an Olympian, and
sophomore Kristin Richards, the 2003
Pac-10 Freshman of the Year.
“Stanford has probably the two best left-side
hitters in the country,” Oregon head coach
Carl Ferreira said. He said Nnamani and
Richards could be the most talented “one-two
punch” in the history of collegiate volleyball.
Based on previous observation, Ferreira es
timated that Nnamani has one of the most ex
plosive vertical leaping abilities in women’s
volleyball which has allowed her to hit over
blockers and made her one of the Pac-lO’s all
time kill leaders.
Oregon lost to Stanford in three games dur
ing its last matchup but managed to hold
Nnamani to 14 kills on her home floor.
“It felt like we detained her and that was a
pretty big feat,” senior libero Katie O’Neil
said. “I hope we can do it again.”
“We’re just going to do what we can to
commit (the block) on her and try to channel
the balls cross-court.”
O’Neil believes she has adapted to Nna
mani’s cross-court style of attack, but she said
facing Nnamani can still be overwhelming
with not as many powerful hitters in the
league this season.
Ferreira said of Stanford: “I think they block
well and they sideout extremely well. You
know (an attack) is coming and it’s still very
difficult to defend.”
Cal (12-9, 7-5) is coming in with a two
match losing streak that was the result of an
injured libero and a missing setter. Oregon
took one game from the No. 14 Golden Bears
in the teams’ last meeting on Oct. 15.
Sophomore setter Samantha Carter is
ranked second among Pac-10 setters, averag
ing 13.52 assists per game. Carter holds the
school record for assists in a single season
(1,555). While she served a one-match sus
pension against USC, sophomore setter
Meredith Hasson collected 51 assists in her
first career start.
Senior Camille Leffall has 402 blocks in her
VOLLEYBALL, page 14
f
f 'll II
IN BRIEF
After nine seasons, Steffen resigns
as women's head soccer coach
Oregon women’s soccer head coach Bill Stef
fen announced on Wednesday that he will re
sign from his position, effective immediately.
Steffen refused to comment on his resignation.
The 45-year-old has spent nine seasons on
the Oregon bench and is the only head coach
for the Ducks since they regained varsity status
in 1996.
In his tenure, Steffen compiled a 49-107-14
record, including a nine-win season in 2003,
which stands as the school record.
His resignation comes on the heels of a dis
appointing 2004 season, where the Ducks went
3-13-3 overall and 0-7-2 in the Pacific-10 confer
ence. It was the first time the Ducks had been
held winless in conference play and marked the
worst overall record since 2002.
The injury bug sabotaged success for the
Ducks all season. Oregon was without its
biggest offensive threat Nicole Garbin for the
season, while several other players’ seasons
were cut short.
“Injuries definitely played a part,” Oregon
junior midfielder Cristan Higa said. “And it af
fected us as a team.”
Prior to his arrival in Eugene, he served as
women’s assistant coach at North Carolina for
three years (1993-95), helping the Tar Heels to
two NCAA national titles and a third trip to the
national semifinals. He also assisted the nation
ally ranked men’s team in Chapel Hill, N.C., in
1994 and 1995. He served as a head coach at
Greensboro College (1991-93) and Lyndon State
College (1984), and was an assistant coach at
Duke (1993) and Furman (1989-91).
— Brian Smith