Oregon may not have the depth of teams like Arizona State – the Sun Devils have enough players on their roster to field two competitive teams at the same time – but what the Ducks lack in quantity, they make up in the quality of their four-person bench.
Taylor Lilley and Micaela Cocks bring a new charisma to a senior-heavy squad anchored by the veteran experience of senior posts Jamie Hawkins and Carolyn Ganes. The four-person bench served up their best game of the season last Thursday against Arizona with 35 points on 13-of-18 shooting from the floor, including 7 of 8 from three-point range.
Taylor Lilley
Taylor Lilley put in two of her best games in an Oregon uniform last weekend. The workman-like efforts gave Oregon a win over Arizona and kept the Ducks in reach of Pacific-10 Conference power Arizona State.
Lilley spurred on the Ducks’ offense during a lull in the second half of its 86-73 win over Arizona. Lilley poured in 13 points – nine from three-pointers. After Arizona pulled within 58-53, Lilley had two three-pointers in an 11-0 run to put the game out of reach.
She had 20 against Arizona State two nights later on 7-of-12 shooting overall and 3-of-6 from three-point range.
Accustomed to starting and being the go-to scorer in high school, Lilley has adjusted well to her new role coming off the bench. She is second on the team with 10.6 points in 25.5 minutes per game.
“I just know even coming off the bench I can still change the game,” Lilley said. “That’s almost the better position being in, like if we’re in a drought or something, hopefully I can come up and maybe be a spark on the team. That’s how I take it right now.”
Lilley is used to short benches in high school and even smaller rotations on traveling teams with as few as the required five players. For now, she’s happy to make an immediate impact.
“Timing is everything and I just came in at the right time I guess,” Lilley said. “I’m getting my chances and they’re letting me get out there and play.”
Micaela Cocks
The first time Micaela Cocks stepped on the floor of McArthur Court, she looked like a natural at the point guard position. While the transition to Division I basketball has had its bumps, the 5-foot-8-inch point guard is leaving her mark backing up starter Tamika Nurse.
Cocks gives Oregon a steady presence at point guard who plays beyond her years. She is averaging 3.8 points and 1.1 assists in 15.9 minutes per game.
She is shooting .429 from the field and .462 from three-point range.
The small rotation has allowed Cocks to immerse herself in her first experience playing Division I college basketball.
“You get to know your teammates so well,” Cocks said. “I’m really enjoying it.”
Jamie Hawkins
As one of the two posts Oregon has on the bench, Jamie Hawkins provides Oregon coach Bev Smith with a more physical alternative to starting forward Eleanor Haring, and a more mobile threat than 6-foot-6-inch Jessie Shetters, who is currently out of the lineup with a back injury.
Against UCLA on Jan. 7, Hawkins put up a career-high eight rebounds in 17 minutes on the floor. But there are really no stats that would accurately demonstrate what Hawkins does for the team when she’s on the floor.
“My role is to come in and be more of a spark defensively,” Hawkins said. “I play as hard as I can for a short amount of time. The post position is a very physical position, there’s a lot of running baseline to baseline.”
Coming out of Big Valley High School, a small school in Bieber, Calif., Hawkins had to work hard to market herself to colleges.
“My high school was really small and I didn’t get a lot of opportunities,” Hawkins said. “So I was kinda behind from the start and that was always a challenge for me. I’d never played for an experienced coach until I reached the Division I level.”
Her sense of self-motivation endures even today. Hawkins does not let up. And she says the next dimension she’s hoping to add to her game is to become more of an offensive threat.
Carolyn Ganes
As a post player with lethal scoring capabilities, Carolyn Ganes can cause trouble for opposing players not accustomed to her athletic style of play.
With 136 points this season, Ganes is second on the team in scoring – behind Eleanor Haring’s 231 points. This comes despite the fact that Ganes has a total of 268 minutes to Haring’s 442.
“I guess when I come in, I give things a bit of a different look,” Ganes said. “I can shoot the ball well and a lot of post players on the other team aren’t used to having to come out on a post player so hard.
“So they have to come out and be a really tight guard and that opens up lanes for our guards.”
Ganes’ four three-pointers made against Utah on Nov. 25 marked a career high for the Saskatoon, Saskatchewan native.
The fifth-year senior has been around long enough that she can actually recall a time when the Duck women were forced to play with an even shorter bench than they’ve had this season.
“During my freshman year, a bunch of injuries, Cat (Cathrine Kraayeveld) was out, Shaquala (Williams) was gone, and I remember there was one game we were down to like seven people, with just two on the bench,” Ganes [email protected]
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