Just because the Pit Crew has dispersed for the summertime and the men’s and women’s basketball teams’ postseason runs are confined to memory doesn’t mean it’s not basketball season. National teams are busy during the summertime, and two Ducks – Tajuan Porter with the United States U-19 team and Micaela Cocks with the New Zealand senior team – have already earned the chance to represent their countries, with two more – Maarty Leunen and Bryce Taylor – trying out this week.
Leunen and Taylor trying for Brazil trip
Leunen and Taylor leave today for Haverford College in Haverford, Pa., to try out for the United States national team that will compete at the Pan American Games in Brazil. Thirty-two players, including the two Ducks, are trying out for the team coached by Villanova head coach Jay Wright. The U.S. national team will compete in Rio de Janeiro July 25-29, and Leunen is ready for the challenge.
When asked about the tryouts, Leunen said he feels “pretty good. I just want to showcase and hope (the coaches) find something they like. Anything can happen.”
Leunen has worked out throughout the summer with his current teammates, including lifting weights four times a week and practicing with Taylor as often as possible. Former Oregon forward and current Toronto Raptor Luke Jackson has participated in their workouts, Leunen said.
And while he’s still keeping an eye on next season – “We’re not getting complacent. We’ve got lots of expectations after the Elite Eight” – he’s focused on the chance he’s been presented with. “We are both excited, it’s a heck of an opportunity to play against some of the best players, for some of the best coaches, and also for some NBA people,” Leunen said.
This summer’s offseason is different from last year, Leunen said. “Last summer was all about team-building and the trip to the Bahamas, and this year’s more about individuals and their opportunities,” Leunen said. “A few guys have great opportunities, but we know, when we get back in the fall, we’ve got a lot of hard work to do getting back the team chemistry.”
Porter plays a role for U-19s
Taylor’s and Leunen’s teammate, sophomore guard Tajuan Porter, has already earned some playing time in a USA Basketball jersey this summer, playing in all four of the U-19 world championship teams’ matches through July 7. The team left for the world championships in Novi Sad, Serbia on Sunday, and Leunen – who talked with Porter on Saturday – said he’s “real excited and happy for the opportunity to play overseas and meet new people and have new experiences.”
Porter, who started in two of those tune-up games and averaged 17 minutes per game, showed glimpses of the shooting range that smashed the Ducks’ single-season three-point record and the Pacific-10 Conference freshman record. In four games, Porter shot 42.1 percent from behind the arc and 35.5 percent overall to average 8.5 points per game, including a 20-point breakout first game against the Chinese senior national team.
The U-19 U.S. national team plays its opening game July 12 against Mali. Their final two games of group play are on July 13-14, against China and the host nation, Serbia. The second round begins July 16, with the finals on July 22.
Cocks continues with Tall Ferns
Sophomore guard Micaela Cocks has been busy, playing in a tour of Japan and a tournament in China so far this summer as a member of the New Zealand senior national team.
The New Zealand “Tall Ferns” – currently ranked No.. 17 in the world by FIBA – have played an aggressive schedule in order to prepare for qualification games that take place in late September for next summer’s Beijing Olympics. New Zealand reached the quarterfinals in 2004 and look to build off that success, and Cocks – who played in every one of the Ducks’ 31 games last season as a freshman – is a part of the team’s long-term plans.
Though her statistics have been underwhelming – just seven points per game in the tournament in China, with a high of 11 in the last game against the hosts – her playing time should increase for the William Jones Cup in Taiwan, which started yesterday. When the team left New Zealand, Aroha Jennings returned to the University of Memphis and two other players reported with injuries, according to the New Zealand basketball official Web site.
Cocks was even knocked out of a practice briefly after an elbow to the head caused a nasty cut. However, she will play on, and with only nine players to choose from, she will likely see more playing time in the tournament. The team will play six games in Taiwan, and have camps before a busy September, including a tournament in Italy and the FIBA Oceania Qualifying Series in New Zealand.
Notes: Florence native transfers to Oregon
Former Siuslaw High School standout Ben Voogd has officially transferred to Oregon after weeks of speculation. Monday’s announcement confirmed that Voogd will leave LSU, redshirt the upcoming 2007-08 season, and have two years of eligibility remaining. The 6-foot-1 guard served as a backup point guard for the Tigers, including during their Final Four run in 2006.
“Ben has been working out with our guys this summer and they told me that he is a really good person and a really good fit for our style of play,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said on goducks.com. “He’s the type of player and the type of person that you want on your basketball team.”
“The coaches at LSU had nothing but good things to say about Ben,” Kent said. “He has played in the Final Four and the SEC and he’s handled himself very well in some very big games.”
In his LSU career, Voogd averaged 1.2 points, 1.7 assists and 11.6 minutes per game in 63 games.