At noon today, Oregon women’s basketball (15-15, 7-11) will kick off the inaugural Pacific Life Pac-12 Tournament at the Galen Center in downtown Los Angeles. The Ducks — seeded No. 9 in the conference — will battle the No. 8 Washington Huskies in a game that could either mark an unsatisfying end to the team’s season or spark a run toward an unlikely postseason bid. @@http://www.pac-12.org/SPORTS/BasketballW.aspx@@
Much of Oregon’s prospects will depend on the viability of senior point guard Nia Jackson, whose up-and-down play this season has lead to an inconsistent offensive effort for the Ducks over the past five months. In 2010-11, Jackson averaged 17.0 points, four rebound, 5.7 assists and 2.6 steals per game while garnering first team All-Pac-10 honors. However, when Jackson suffered a serious knee injury in Seattle on Feb. 9, the Ducks’ season would never be the same. The team, which averaged over 76 points per game for the season, managed just 58 points per contest in her absence over the season’s last six games. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205034590&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
This season, a limited Jackson has once again put a damper on the team’s once-explosive fastbreak offense. The System, the patented offensive approach and brainchild of head coach Paul Westhead, is predicated on speedy, decisive and well-conditioned point-guard play. Persisting through serious pain, Jackson has managed only 22.6 minutes per game for the Ducks this season, and the effects have been palpable. The Ducks have seen their offensive numbers dip considerably as Jackson averages only 8.8 points, 2.7 rebounds and 3.5 assists per contest. Increasing playing time for the team’s floor general has been discussed but doesn’t seem to be realistic at this point. @@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?ATCLID=205335991&DB_OEM_ID=500@@
“I don’t know that she can (play more minutes),” head coach Paul Westhead said. “I mean, it’s not like she’s holding back on purpose, or we’re trying to restrain her … I don’t think she has the raw speed that got her to be an All-Conference player last year. She was just blowing by people. So she’s playing in a compensating way.”
That being said, Westhead stressed that Jackson was still a valuable asset to the team despite her limitations. The importance of the senior’s guidance was evident on Feb. 25, when the team voted Jackson the club’s most valuable player for the second-consecutive season.
“She’s doing the best she can, and sometimes it’s more effective,” Westhead said. “So it’s not like she’s ineffective. I compare her to Ben Roethlisberger. She’s a softball pitcher that used to throw 120 miles per hour but now she’s throwing at 93. Well, 93 can strike people out, and it can win some games, but it’s not 120 where they’re going ‘Wow.’ They can deal with this.” @@http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=2&cts=1331083003688&ved=0CEYQFjAB&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.nfl.com%2Fplayer%2Fbenroethlisberger%2F2506109%2Fprofile&ei=s7ZWT86nI8XpgAeAioGxCg&usg=AFQjCNGQqHVqfkkO1YQPuE2YHh2Zkyq_6A@@
The team’s style of play may also be a factor in its struggles in late-game situations. This year, the Ducks have an uncharacteristically young roster featuring six freshmen and four sophomores. With an influx of young talent coming into such a distinct system, proper conditioning — both mentally and physically — has been in high demand. @@http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?&DB_OEM_ID=500&SPID=236&SPSID=4305@@
“I think maybe the style of play is so intense, it’s almost hard to maintain,” said senior forward Amanda Johnson, who was voted the team’s most valuable offensive player. “So it’s almost like making sure we have a conscious effort at every interval through the game so there’s not times throughout the game when we suffer lapses, because right now I know there are. There are certain times in the second half where we lag a little bit. If you give them a little bit, they’re going to eat them up and get some momentum and it’s going to be hard to stop them.”
Westhead’s philosophy is at its best when his players impart their pace of play on the opponent. As a result, Oregon’s practices have largely remained the same all season. While the team’s self-orientation could reap benefits on offense, Westhead’s refusal to tailor his defensive game plan to a diverse range of opponents has also possibly affected the team’s fortunes.
“It’s really about like management during the game,” Johnson said. “Management during those runs and being able to get a defensive stop and stop their momentum and take some back for ourselves.”
Westhead admitted that while he will prepare his offensive for half-court situations at the end of the season, he’s hesitant to commit too much effort to his Plan B.
“(During the week) we work on three or four different concepts on offense and three or four different defensive concepts,” he said. “We would rather not get to them.”