The Oregon women’s basketball team will replace its five seniors with five high school standouts at the start of next season, the Oregon Athletic Department announced Wednesday.
And if these five players are as good as Oregon head coach Jody Runge says they are, they could become the foundation of Oregon basketball for years to come.
Letters of intent were signed by center Andrea Bills of Moreno Valley High School in Moreno Valley, Calif.; point guard Brandi Davis of Sonorah High in La Habra, Calif.; guard/forward Kedzie Gunderson of Bellevue High in Bellevue, Wash.; forward Amy Parrish of Hanford High in Hanford, Calif.; and guard Amy Taylor of Shorewood High in Shoreline, Wash.
Graduating this year will be center Jenny Mowe, forward Angelina Wolvert, guard/forward Lindsey Dion, forward Brianne Meharry and guard Camber Ellingson.
“This group increases our athleticism significantly,” Runge said. “They fill a lot of needs we are losing or haven’t had in the past.”
Bills, a 6-foot-3 center, averaged 24 points, 11 rebounds and more than four blocks per game as a prep junior.
“She will be a rebounder like we’ve never had before,” Runge said.
Davis, a 6-foot point guard, was ranked by All-Star Girls Report as the fifth-best wing among all high school juniors last year. She averaged 14 points, five rebounds, five assists and three steals per game.
Runge said that gaining Gunderson, a 6-foot guard/forward, could be like having another Lindsey Dion because of her strength and hustle plays. Gunderson earned second-team all-state honors in Washington last year.
Parrish, a 6-foot-2 forward, averaged 18 points and eight rebounds per game as a junior.
Taylor averaged more than 17 points, four assists, four rebounds and two steals per game as a junior.
“We feel very proud and excited about our new additions,” Runge said. “They’re all capable to play as freshmen, and their success as freshmen will be a huge part of our depth.”
Men add height with Short
The Oregon men’s basketball team went after a solid post player in its recruiting and found its man in 6-foot-11 Matt Short, who signed a letter of intent to play for the Ducks.
Short, a senior at Yreka High School in Yreka, Calif., averaged 13.3 points and 11.3 rebounds per game as a junior last season, as well as recording 59 blocks. PacWest Hoops lists him as the fifth-best prep center on the West Coast.
“We recruited Matt because of his ability to play two positions,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. “He can stay low at center and block shots or he can step out on the perimeter.”
Short will arrive at Oregon for the 2001-02 season, a crucial time to help ease the pain of losing current seniors Bryan Bracey, Flo Hartenstein and Julius Hicks.
Short chose the Ducks over fellow Pacific-10 Conference teams Arizona State and Washington State, as well as New Mexico.
