The game won’t show up in the standings, official records won’t be kept, and quite frankly, when all is said and done, Horsholm BBC probably won’t even be remembered.
But right now, Oregon women’s basketball is treating its opponent as the next best thing. The Ducks take on their overseas competition 5 p.m. Saturday at McArthur Court in the team’s first exhibition of the season.
First exbihition. Otherwise known as the first test.
“We just want to see where we’re at,” head coach Bev Smith said. “It’s a great test for a number of reasons: to see how our execution is, to see if what we’re running is good for this team.
“And then we’re just trying to find five people that play the best together. Not necessarily our best players, but five that play the best together.”
Oregon returns three starters from a team that went 22-13 a year ago. Sophomore Andrea Bills and junior Cathrine Kraayeveld are expected to form a formidable duo down low, while senior Shaquala Williams has moved back to her natural position at point guard.
A fourth returner — senior Alissa Edwards — is set to play in the backcourt after splitting time last season with the since-departed Edniesha Curry.
That would leave one starting spot open — the wing. Sophomores Brandi Davis and Kedzie Gunderson lead the way at the position.
Davis has the hot hand from beyond the 3-point arc, while Gunderson is better from close range. Both played strong in the team’s first scrimmage Friday — Gunderson had 13 points while Davis pitched in with eight.
For Davis, the exhibition represents her first game as a Duck after sitting out last season because of academic reasons.
“We’re just hoping to go in there and do what we have to do,” Davis said, admitting she will be nervous when she first steps on the court Saturday. “Just use this for when Pac-10 comes around.”
Davis leads the list of players who will step onto the court for the first time as a Duck. Freshmen Carolyn Ganes and Yadili Okwumabua — both from Canada — should get a serious look against Horsholm, while junior college transfer Kayla Steen also gets her first playing time in an Oregon uniform.
“I’m starting to get a feel for the pace more, and I just kind of feel more comfortable in my surroundings,” Ganes said when asked about her transition to the college game so far.
Oregon has shown its intensity leading up to the exhibition, with practices and scrimmages hard-fought and competitive. Still, getting up for an exhibition game is not always the easiest thing to do, especially when it won’t count in the standings.
But Smith believes the Ducks will be up to the task.
“I think we are more than ready to play against a team with another colored jersey,” she said. “Some players have been guarding the same person for almost three weeks. Particularly with our post players, it can get feisty down there. I think we’re ready to play another team.”