Oregon Daily Emerald
Thursday, February 3, 2005
“Guys were talking about hunting, but I’m a
city kid. I don’t hunt... but I know what it
feels like to be hunted. I’m from the ’hood. ”
Cuttino Mobley | Sacramento Kings guard
Tim Bobosky | Photographer
Oregon freshman center Gabrietle Richards, seen here helping up teammate Yadili Okwumabua in a game against
California earlier this year, has become known for putting in extra effort for her teammates.
■ Women’s basketball
Mac court Mama
Freshman Gabrielle Richards is known by teammates as 'Mama
Gabes' off the court and is making a name for herself on it as well
BY BRIAN SMITH
SPORTS REPORTER
Classes and basketball just aren’t enough.
It’s almost second nature, but her duties ex
tend beyond just practices and games. There
are the calls from sick teammates: the
headaches, the pains.
For which she has the solutions. An aspirin
here, some hot tea there.
And there are other things.
Rides around town. The all important trips
to the mall. Relationship problems.
Anything you can think of — she is always
there to turn to.
To the rest of the world, she is freshman
center Gabrielle Richards.
To her teammates, “Mama Gabes” will do
just fine.
“Say you’re sick, and there’s no doctors
around — you would go to Mama Gabes and
tell her you’re not feeling well,” sophomore
Eleanor Haring said. “She would have some
thing (for you), make you tea, something. Or
if you need a ride to the mall, she’ll take you.
She’ll be like your mom and get it done.”
And it’s not only off the court where
Richards is getting things done and making
an impact.
She’s getting it done on the court as well,
despite the fact that she is a true freshman
trying to fit in on a Division I collegiate
basketball team.
“It has been a little bit difficult to try and
establish where I fit in and (what) my role (is)
on the team,” Richards said. “So I struggled a
bit to find that, but each game it can be differ
ent, I’ve decided. I’m trying to do what the
team needs.”
And as the first 20 games indicate, those
needs change from day to day. Richards has
yet to start a game for the Ducks, but that has
not stopped her from becoming the third-lead
ing rebounder on the team.
Or dropping a team-high 15 points
against Arizona.
Or pulling down a team-high 11 rebounds
on the road against Colorado State.
Or doing something as simple as spelling
Andrea Bills or Cathrine Kraayeveld for a few
minutes in a tight game.
Whatever the team needs.
In addition, the 6-foot-3 native of Seymour,
Australia, isn’t particular to what part of the
floor she plays on. Richards has the ability to
play down low — and somewhat sheepishly
admits enjoying this position — but is also
quick to counter that she can step outside and
play on the perimeter.
“At the moment, I’m kinda doing both,”
Richards said. “At home I was more of a low
post player, and by the end of the year
(2003-04) I moved out to the perimeter and
did a lot out there. So it’s kinda fun. I really
enjoy doing both.”
Which doesn’t mean the two roles are without
their differences.
“You have to do so much more work in the
post,” Richards said. “Whereas on the
perimeter, they just stand there. Posts have to
run the full length of the court, guards just
run from three-point line to three-point line.
But I don’t really mind.”
Richards spent most of her time at the Aus
tralian Institute of Sport playing in the post,
alongside fellow teammate Haring.
“Gabe has traditionally always brought
leadership and rebounding, and I think she
continues to bring that here at Oregon,” Har
ing said. “Her rebounding skills are so good,
and it’s great to have her down there (in the
post). She’s pretty solid, and she is getting
better every day. ”
Her skills near the basket propelled her to
second in the Women’s National Basketball
League in rebounds per game, behind only
her idol, fellow WNBL star Lauren Jackson.
“(Richards) is a very important impact
player from both inside and outside,” Oregon
RICHARDS, page 14
■ Pac-10 notes
Surprises, upsets play big
part in women's Pac-10
Oregon defeating then-No. 10 ranked Stanford 62-58 in December
is just one of many wins in the conference that has defied standings
BY STEPHEN MILLER
SPORTS REPORTER
Throw the rankings, the odds and the win
ning streaks out the window when it comes to
college basketball.
Washington State women’s head coach
Sherri Murrell said her team’s confidence was
restored when the Cougar men overthrew
No. 11 Arizona last week.
“The hope that we can beat a ranked team
or overcome streaks and odds ... The men
defied that, and we have to build on that,”
Murrell said.
There are women’s teams in the Pacific-10
Conference that can pull off that same sort of
win, and some of them have already proved it.
Early in the season, Arizona State upset then
ranked No. 11 Georgia and No. 8 Connecticut
by ten or more points each in a two-week span.
UCLA surprised then-No. 4 Texas and
No. 14 Purdue on consecutive weekends to
earn a low spot in the Associated Press Top 25
poll for several weeks, until it assumed its cur
rent downward spiral as a result of an injury
to sophomore Noelle Quinn.
On the same day that the Bruins knocked off
the Longhorns, Stanford — the conference’s
best team at 10-1 and 19-2 overall — beat
No. 12 Texas Tech.
In its fourth game of the season, Washington
also managed to roll over a ranked team. The
victim: then-No. 14 Minnesota.
Arguably the biggest defeat between two Pac
10 teams occurred when Oregon upended then
No. 10 Stanford on Dec. 29. The Ducks secured
so much confidence from that win that they
haven’t lost a home game since.
Undeniably, these wins provide underdogs
everywhere some much needed motivation and
a glance at the possibilities in front of them.
“(The Pac-10) just has great balance in a
number of top teams,” said Oregon State
head coach Judy Spoelstra, whose team is
WOMEN, page 14
OREGON FOOTBALLS SIGNED RECRUITS 2005
The Oregon football team signed 23 players to
transfers, 12 California recruits, a lone Oregon
nation, according to Rivals.com.
Pos.
Matt Bramow
Jairus Byrd
Tucker Callahan
Ed Dickson
Matt Dragich (Jr.)
James Finley (Jr.)
Kevin Garrett
Levi Horn
Titus Jackson
Jeremiah Johnson
Derrick Jones
Palauni Ma Sun (Jr.)
Chris Mulvanny (Jr.)
Blair Phillips (Jr.)
Nick Reed
Pat So'oalo (Jr.)
Jonathan Stewart
Mark Sunga
Walter Thurmond III
Simi Toeaina
Brian Truelove
Jason Turner (Jr.)
Mat Webb
WR/DB
DB
LB
TE
P
WR
LB/DB
TE
DB
RB
WR
OL
LB
LB
DL
OL
RB
LS
DB
DL
DL
LB
OL
Ht.
6-3
5- 10
6- 1
&5
60
6-2
5- 11
6- 6
60
5- 10
60
6- 5
6-1
6-2
&2
6-4
5-10
5-11
5- 11
6- 3
6-2
6-1
6-5
a letter of intent Wednesday. The class includes seven junior college
recruit and Jonathan Stewart - the No. 1 rated running back recruit in the
Wgt. Hometown/ High School
197 Eugene, Ore. (South Eugene)
204 Clayton, Mo. (Clayton HS)
205 Fairhope, Ala. (FairhopeHS)
225 Bellflower, Calif. (Bellflower HS)
220 San Pedro, Calif. (El Camino College / San Pedro HS)
200 Los Angeles, Calif. (Compton CC / Manual Arts HS)
205 Carson, Calif. (Narbonne HS)
280 Spokane, Wash. (Rogers HS)
180 Pomona, Calif. (Diamond Ranch HS)
186 Los Angeles, Calif. (Dorsey HS)
176 Gardena, Calif. (Long Beach Poly)
365 Waipahu, Hawai' i (Fresno City College / Kahuku HS)
213 Pleasant Hill, Calif. (Diablo Valley Coll. / De La Salle HS)
238 Alexandria, La. (Miss. Gulf Coast CC / Bolton HS)
236 Trabuco Canyon, Calif. (Mission Viejo)
340 Kaneche, Hawai' i (Fresno City College / Kailua HS)
228 Lacey, Wash. (Timberline HS)
223 Van Nuys, Calif. (Notre Dame HS)
166 West Covina, Calif. (West Covina)
285 Afono, American Somoa (Samoana HS)
265 Snellville, Ga. (Brookwood HS)
224 La Crescenta, Calif. (West LA College / St. Francis HS)
290 Vancouver, Wash. (Heritage HS)