Oregon Daily Emerald
Tuesday, November 29, 2005
“The reason why I didn’t stand for ‘God Bless
America’ was because I didn’t like the way
they tied *'God Bless America’ and 9/11
to the war in Iraq, in baseball. ”
New York Mets’ Carlos Delgado, who has changed his stance since last
season when he wouldn’t stand during the^laYin^oTGodjless_America/_
■ In my opinion
LUKE ANDREWS
EXCESSIVE CELEBRATION
Demanding
schedule unit
test Ducks'
character
The Oregon men’s basketball team, through
four games of this young season, has outscored
its opponents by a baffling 32.75-points-per
game average. While this figure may be a little
skewed because of a 60-point thumping of Sa
vannah State in the season opener, the Ducks
still have yet to be threatened, and they’ve
played decent opponents (see: Pacific, Rice).
Oregon’s win margins this season — 60, 25,
22 and 24, respectively — still don’t have many
convinced that the Ducks are legit.
After all, the waves of promise last season
only materialized into a disappointing 14-13
record, a ninth-place Pacific-10 Conference
finish and a nonexistent postseason.
Thus, it appears, fans and media alike are en
tering this season with cautious enthusiasm,
despite the return of an All-Pac-10 performer at
point guard, two All-Pac-10 freshmen and a
vastly improved inside game with the addition
of junior college transfer Ivan Johnson. Most
teams would be satisfied entering the season
with a lineup like that.
So, I ask, where is the love for Oregon
basketball?
The Pac-10 media tabbed the Ducks as the
sixth best team in the conference, a position
Oregon coach Ernie Kent credits to the fact
that predictions were made before Johnson, a
6-foot-8 beast, officially joined the Ducks.
Sports Illustrated wised up a little, naming
Oregon No. 41, or fifth-best in the conference
behind Arizona (6), Stanford (14), UCLA (15)
and Washington (20).
Then again, maybe less hype is exactly what
this Oregon team needs.
Certainly, it wouldn’t be easy to be tabbed as
the "Team of the Century,” a marketing slogan
and burden placed upon last year’s squad.
The expectations for a starting five that in
cluded two freshmen and two sophomores was
admittedly a little unrealistic — especially when
then-freshman guard Malik Hairston pro
claimed that he wanted to “Carmelo-ize” the
Ducks, a reference to Syracuse’s run to the na
tional championship with freshman phenom
Carmelo Anthony in 2003.
A reality check may be the best thing that
ever happened to Kent’s bunch.
Now the Ducks can quietly enter their Pac-10
schedule improved, prepared and eager to erase
the hangover of one bumpy ride through the
Pac-10 schedule.
No doubt we’ll get a better judgment of this
Oregon team as one of its most difficult stretch
es awaits with a road trip to Vanderbilt (4-0)
Wednesday, Georgetown (2-1) at McArthur
Court on Saturday and then national runner-up
Illinois (5-0) at the Rose Garden Dec. 10. While
Bowie State and Savannah State provided nice
warm-ups, this stretch will determine much for
the Ducks: Are they for real or will hype quickly
fade into oblivion once again?
I, for one, believe the former.
landrews@ daily emerald, com
■ Women's basketball recap
Oaks shoots Oregon past Drake
Zane Rrrr | Photographer
Cicely Oaks drives to the basket Monday against Drake. Oaks scored a career-high 15 points and went 10 for
10 from the free-throw line.
The Ducks' bench outscored
its starters by 34 points and
the entire Bulldog team by 12
BY SCOTT J. ADAMS
SPORTS REPORTER
It was hard not to notice Cicely Oaks on the
floor or bench Monday night at McArthur
Court. The junior from Portland highlighted her
team and season-high 15 points with fist pumps
and crossovers leading Oregon to a 70-40 win
over Drake.
“It’s always easy to have confidence when
you’re making shots,” Oaks said. “When I
make shots I get pumped, and I like to get my
teammates into it so they can start hitting shots.
I just like to have fun.”
Oaks’ swagger on the court delighted most of
the 3,063 fans in attendance and is a sign of her
new-found confidence developed this season.
Prior to 2005, she saw limited action as an un
derclassman, but thanks to rigorous off-season
workouts she has made herself into coach Bev
Smith’s most productive reserve.
“I’m very happy with Cicely,” Smith said.
“This young lady has a lot of credible basket
ball potential. She’s a great athlete, she’s very
strong. Her success this year has been because
that young lady committed to her fitness this
summer and ran her butt off every day and got
ready to play.”
Most of Oaks’ points came from the free
throw line where she was a flawless 10 for 10.
She was not the only substitute on Smith’s ros
ter who left her mark on the game — the fifth
year head coach cleared her entire bench. Not
one Duck saw less than 11 minutes of action or
failed to score from the field. Oaks’ teammate
Brandi Davis also reached double figures going
five for six from the field. Her 12 points helped
Oregon’s reserves outscore their starters 52-18.
Davis ended a late spurt by the Bulldogs with a
three-point play with just less than a minute left
in regulation.
Kristen Forristall added eight points of her
own for the Ducks despite playing only 14 min
utes. Kedzie Gunderson and Gabrielle Richards
both had five points and led Oregon with eight
rebounds apiece.
Oregon’s motion offense combined with
Smith’s constant player rotation made running
RECAP, page 10
■ Women’s basketball notes
Ducks happy with current level of play
Three different players, Chelsea Wagner, Gabrielle Richards and
Cicely Oaks, have led Oregon in scoring each of the last three games
BY JEFFREY DRANSFELDT
SPORTS REPORTER
The Oregon women’s basketball team sits
at 5-1 with its lone loss coming against No. 21
Temple. The Ducks completed their Novem
ber schedule with a 70-40 rout of Drake on
Monday night at McArthur Court. “We are
happy about how we are playing right now,
but we are in the Pac-10, and we have some
very stiff competition coming up,” Oregon
guard Cicely Oaks said. “We are not just go
ing to be satisfied with beating these (non
conference) teams.”
The Ducks now have 12 days to prepare for
its December long road trip that starts Dec. 10
against Prairie View A&M at the Rose Garden
in Portland.
The Ducks have played one game against a
ranked opponent and do not face another
ranked team until visiting No. 24 USC on Dec.
22, so the Ducks are hovering under the na
tional radar. Counting the Others Receiving
Votes category in the ESPN/USA Today poll,
Oregon sits at No. 38. Oregon remains
unranked in the Associated Press Poll.
“If they are not in the Top 25, they proba
bly should be,” Drake coach Amy Stephens
said. “Losing to Temple at home probably
hurt them. They had a great opportunity to
pull an upset over a ranked team.”
Return to the inside game
Gabrielle Richards reasserted herself with
18 points and nine rebounds against Arkansas
after the perimeter-oriented Chelsea Wagner
led Oregon in scoring against Nevada and
Portland. Richards combined for 10 points in
those two games before her performance last
Friday that was reminiscent of her 19 and 20
point games, respectively, against St. Francis
(Pa.) and Temple to start the season.
Oregon utilized the perimeter players Mon
day with Oaks and Brandi Davis leading the
Ducks with 15 and 12 points, respectively. Se
nior Davis is averaging 15.7 minutes a game
NOTES, page 12
Zane Rttt | Photographer
Brandi Davis is fouled as she drives for a layup. Davis
made the shot and free throw to add to her 12 points.