Oregon Daily Emerald
Wednesday, February 16, 2005
“It’s a sad situation. We’re sorry to see
him go, but we can’t dwell on Ian’s
absence. We just have to stick together. ”
Oregon guard Aaron Brooks on Ian Crosswhite’s dismissal from the team
■ In my opinion
CLAYTON JONES
SEVENTH INNING STRETCH
Farewell Ian
Crosswhite;
the next
beer's on me
The dismissal of Ian Crosswhite from the
men’s basketball team has left me in a daze.
What happened?
This guy was one of the most popular play
ers on and off the court, and he has descend
ed from an all-conference-type player to a
bench player.
Was it the pressure of leading a team?
Last year he was a role player next to stand
out Luke Jackson and seemed to thrive in that
position. He got his points and rebounds and
seemed content.
This season, with more pressure to
contribute every night and to lead a big-man
corps anointed by head coach Ernie Kent “the
most athletic” since he’s been at
Oregon, Crosswhite seemed to fade into
the background.
His lack of productivity seemed to aggra
vate everyone from the casual fan to the
coaching staff.
But maybe there was too much pressure for
him to succeed.
None of that matters now that he’s is gone.
Quite frankly, he was my favorite player to
interview, as he would say whatever was on
his mind. He never tap-danced his way
around questions. If you got something
wrong, he would tell you.
While many say his dismissal is good for
the program, I vehemently disagree. He still
had another year of eligibility left and there
aren’t many 7-footers who can shoot the
three, dribble to the basket and have a great
post-up game like Crosswhite had.
Consistency might have been his worst ene
my. While his game would come in good
streaks, it would also hit terrible stretches
when the only time you realized he was on
the floor was when he was turning over
the ball.
The team is on the rise and playing better,
but if the real Ian Crosswhite was present — the
one who trained all summer to slim down and
be in shape — it would be that much better.
So Ian, your game on the court will be
missed, and I only wish the best for you.
I will never forget seeing you at Rennie’s
one night after an interview, drinking straight
from a pitcher of beer. You gave me a smile
and a nod, and we chatted for a bit.
I remember seeing fans with T-shirts bear
ing photos of you preparing to do a keg stand
and the phrase “Crosswhite: Australian for
Final Four.”
People see you playing fetch with your yel
low lab on the grass fields behind Mac Court,
as it is hard to miss a 7-foot man throwing a
ball to dogs.
These are the little things people don’t see
in box scores or in a scouting report. These
are the things that make you so personable
and well-liked in this community.
Scouts will call you soft on defense or say
something else about your inability to
rebound well for your size, but they don’t
see the man off the court that University
students love.
Sure this year has been tough, and obviously
JONES, page 10
Crosswhite dismissed from team
A week after being suspended indefinitely for a
policy violation, the junior is permanently let go
BY ION ROETMAN
SENIOR SPORTS REPORTER
Ian Crosswhite’s career as an
Oregon basketball player is over.
The junior forward was per
manently dismissed from the
men’s basketball team for a vio
lation of Athletics Department
policy, head coach Ernie Kent
announced Tuesday.
Crosswhite had been suspend
ed indefinitely from games and
practices since last Wednesday.
Kent added that Crosswhite
will retain his scholarship through
graduation. The Castlecrag, Aus
tralia, native, who redshirted dur
ing the 2001-02 season, is major
ing in political science and is on
pace to graduate in summer.
“It’s disappointing from the
fact that you spend an enormous
amount of time and energy with
one player, developing and
bringing him along, hoping he
would have the opportunity to
grow and have some success
here,” Kent said. “We had some
goals set for him this year and
certainly next year that I thought
were attainable for him.”
Attempts to contact Cross
white by e-mail were not imme
diately returned.
Crosswhite averaged 8.4 points
and 5.7 rebounds per game this
season and started 17 of 19
games. His numbers declined to
5.5 points and 5.2 rebounds per
game during Pacific-10 Confer
ence play. His best game of the
season came Dec. 4, when he
scored 16 points and grabbed
11 rebounds during a 75-65 win
against Vanderbilt at the Pape Jam
in Portland.
Crosswhite's departure leaves
Oregon with only two juniors —
Brandon Lincoln and Matt Short
— to helm the young team. The
team’s lineup, which has includ
ed more playing time for the
likes of Chamberlain Oguchi
emu AUdlll £.dlUl, IldS
been much shorter
and quicker in the
7-footer’s absence.
“We’ve all seen
this as an opportuni
ty to step up,” Zahn
said. “(Crosswhite)
is a great player and
a great leader and we
need to come in and
fill his shoes.”
Kent said the team
will look to recruit a junior college
player who could step in and con
tribute immediately next season,
rather than look for a young player
who would have to sit and wait be
hind all of the Ducks’ talented
young players.
“If we find the right kind of fit
we will go and do something,”
Kent said. “Otherwise we will
continue to develop what we
have and come back and be a
much stronger basketball team
regardless next year. ”
When at the top of his
game, Crosswhite could
knock down perimeter
shots, create his own
shot inside and beat
defenders his size off
the dribble.
A scouting report on
ESPN.com said Cross
white is “one of the best
low-post scorers in the
nation” and “has an ex
cellent chance at devel
oping into a NBA plaver.”
For his career, Crosswhite
played in 83 games, scored
856 points and grabbed 389 re
bounds, averaging 10.3 points and
4.7 rebounds per contest. His
57 career blocked shots ties him
with Jerry Adams for seventh all
time on Oregon’s career list.
jon roetman @ dailyemerald, corn
IAN CROSSWHITE
JUNIOR FORWARD
■ Outdoor recreation
Ice climbing gains local popularity
i ne sport is becoming a
seasonal favorite for local
climbers and students
BY ASHLEY GRIFFIN
OUTDOOR RECREATION REPORTER
In a town where community
interest in rock climbing is
as apparent as the popularity
of the Yankees in New York,
a variation of the sport is
gaining ground.
That variation comes in the
form of a chilly endeavor
known as ice climbing. Many
area rock climbers turn to ice
for variety, a bit of fun or a new
challenge. Others are attempt
ing to broaden their moun
taineering skills and become
more competent on mountain
routes in cold weather.
“Usually the way people get
into ice climbing is that they get
into rock climbing and then
learn the beauty of the ice,”
Michael Strong, director of Out
door Pursuits and instructor of
the OP ice climbing class, said.
The two sports do have their
similarities. Both require a
sense of balance and the ability
to move on a vertical plane.
“Rock climbing and ice
climbing have some things in
common in terms of balance
and movement, but other than
the gymnastic part they are
quite different,” well-known
mountain guide and ice climber
Jim Frankenfield said.
Some of the differences are
fairly obvious — one is on rock,
the other on ice — but others
aren’t as apparent. Take, for in
stance, the types of balance
they require.
“The neat thing about ice
climbing from a balance
perspective is that ice climbers
are creating their own balance
by the way they put the ice
holds into the ice,” Strong said,
who has been ice climbing for
COURrESY | TlNO VILLANUEVA
Oregon junior Tino Villanueva climbs the ice at Mount Hood in February. Mount Hood is one of several hotspots for the
sport nationwide, and is a big draw for local ice climbers.
23 years.
According to Frankenfield,
another difference is in the level
of each sport’s difficulty.
“Ice climbing is more chal
lenging in terms of placing pro
tection points and also because
the medium is never quite the
same,” Frankenfield said. “One
route can be very different in
different conditions, which isn’t
true of rock.”
Still, many climbers recom
mend learning the basics by
starting with rock climbing. Ice
climbing prospects should also
get proper instruction, learn
about anchor placement and
start slowly with a more experi
enced person. Those interested
in climbing can take a class, a
guided expedition with a group
like Timberline Mountain
Guides in Bend
Courtesy | Tino villanueva
Daniel Harro,
a student at
Chemeketa
Community
College
in Salem,
climbs up the
mountain
during his
trek to
Mount Hood
in February.
A
(http://www.timberlinemt
guides.com) or a one-on-one
tutorial with an experienced
ice climber.
“One could certainly go
straight into ice climbing, but
proficient rope work is funda
mental for safety, particularly
with all the sharp, pointy equip
ment involved in ice climbing,”
five-year ice climber and
ICE CLIMBING, page 10