One of the lesser-known factors that has contributed to the Oregon women’s basketball team’s 14-8 start (5-5 in conference play) is lineup continuity.
Last year, head coach Bev Smith saw players come and go from the starting lineup with unnerving regularity. Every player but center Ellyce Ironmonger started a game during the 2008-09 season, and seven players started eight games or more. As Smith shuffled players from the lineup for reasons within her control (poor performances) and outside of it (injuries), the Ducks lacked rhythm and consistent high performance from starters. The Ducks finished 9-21 overall and became the first seventh-seeded team in the Pacific-10 Conference tournament to lose to a 10-seed, and Smith lost her job.
This year, head coach Paul Westhead has been fortunate. Just six players have started games, with Nicole Canepa’s only start of the year coming in relief of forward Victoria Kenyon for Oregon’s Jan. 16 loss to Arizona. Kenyon was suspended by the Pac-10 following an altercation with Arizona State forward Kali Bennett in the Ducks’ Jan. 14 loss to the Sun Devils.
One of the benefits of this steady rotation is that the team has been able to build a resilient form of chemistry.
“We have been injury-free,” Westhead said. “That helps us, and I have kept the same rotation, but I just think it’s the mind-frame of the whole team, that they’ve been kind of upbeat and up-tempo … winning and losing hasn’t elevated them or brought them down.”
In last Saturday’s Civil War, that continuity was threatened for what has become a pivotal
upcoming series against the Arizona schools.
Guard Nia Jackson collided with Oregon State guard Talisa Rhea in the Beavers’ backcourt on Saturday with 3:38 remaining in the second half. Jackson’s and Rhea’s heads collided and both were knocked to the ground. Rhea sprang up after several seconds, but Jackson remained down as trainer Tori Noda went to assist her.
“It gave me a fright,” guard Micaela Cocks said. “It’s not a nice feeling — seeing your teammate going down.
Jackson buried her mouth in a towel to stanch the flow of blood and stood up, limping and noticeably disoriented. Ironmonger and Kenyon both carried Jackson to the locker room, where her lip was stitched up and tests for a concussion were conducted.
The redshirt sophomore’s status for Arizona is still up in the air, but Westhead is optimistic she will return.
“Nia was OK to practice all non-contact things,” Westhead said. “So, she did a lot of early work in the first 30 minutes of practice, and then much of it she just sat around and rode a bike, did some shooting. If everything goes well, they’ll hopefully release her to practice tomorrow and then be good to go on Thursday.”
Jackson’s function as point guard includes primary ball-handling duties in the fast-break offense, along with guarding the first pass in the full-court press. She has been highly successful at both, racking up 3.73 assists per game and 2.55 steals per game. Among Pac-10 players, Jackson ranks third and second in the conference in those categories.
“I know she’s a strong girl. She’ll be back fine,” guard Taylor Lilley said. “We believe in her and that she’ll come back strong.”
Johnson named to academic first team

Forward Amanda Johnson has gotten it done on the court this season, averaging 13.1 points and a team-high 9.0 rebounds per game. Last week, she was recognized for her work off the court.
Johnson was named to the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-District VIII First Team, the third such Duck after Stefanie Kasperski (1989, 1990) and Bev Smith (1980, 1982). The sophomore from Santa Rosa, Calif., joins Lauren Sims (Long Beach State), Tasha Harris (Boise State), Miranda Ayim (Pepperdine) and Danielle Orsillo (Arizona State) on the first team.
Johnson is a psychology major with a 4.0 GPA.
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