Sure it was a gimmick, a promotion, a way to get people into the cheap seats.
But the smile on Tex Arnold’s face afterwards was real. The excitement in his eyes couldn’t be denied.
Because Tex Arnold is now, perhaps, the only regular student in the entire University who knows what it feels like to play against the Ducks, at McArthur Court, in front of 8,412 screaming fans.
“Unbelievable, man,” Arnold said afterwards, on playing against the Ducks.
Arnold, an Oregon senior majoring in biology and an ASUO student senator, won an EA Sports promotion earlier this week by scoring 116 points in a competition similar to the halftime Pepsi Shootout, where more than 45 competitors shot from spots around a court at the Rec Center, getting 45 seconds to score as many points as possible.
His prize was a chance to suit up with the EA Sports All-Stars as they faced the Ducks in an exhibition contest. He didn’t expect much more than a chance to warm up on the same court with the Oregon squad and maybe shake their hands afterward.
Arnold was there for the thrill. And when he was introduced by court announcer Don Essig, a huge roar went up from the crowd.
The Ducks had just come on to the court.
Midway through the second half, it didn’t look good for Arnold, with a large Oregon lead and an All-Stars team that was obviously fatigued. Fans started feebly cheering his name, chanting “we want Tex, we want Tex.”
But with 1:42 remaining and Oregon ahead by a ton, All-Stars coach Pete Cassidy sat down next to Arnold, patted him on the shoulder, and asked if Arnold knew the students in the front row who were chanting “Tex, Tex, Tex.”
“I said ‘No,’ and he said, ‘Well, they’re going to know you here in a bit,’” Arnold said.
Arnold checked into the game and, on the first possession, stole the ball and dished it off to an All-Stars teammate. He got the ball back, missed an off-balance leaner.
No big deal.
“I was nervous, but after that first steal, it just started feeling right,” Arnold said.
On the ensuing fast break, Arnold was just flat posterized by Brandon Lincoln, Oregon’s freshman guard, who dunked over the 5-8 mop-top like he was playing with the low hoop in the back yard against his little brother.
No big deal. Arnold would get his.
While an Oregon player was shooting free-throws with 55.5 seconds left, All-Star Nick Bradford called Arnold to mid-court for a conference. Bradford wanted to call a play.
“Nick told me to fake up top and get back-door,” Arnold said.
With 14 seconds left, Arnold did just that, faking up top and getting back-door for the easy lay-in. He exchanged high-fives and monster grins with his All-Star teammates.
“We drew it up, and it worked,” Arnold said. “They set it up. There are some great guys on that team.”
And in the high-five line after the game, Arnold got another big grin, from star point guard Luke Ridnour. Then Ridnour, who scored 31 points and notched 10 assists in the contest, patted him on the back.
The grin on Arnold’s face lasted all the way to the locker room, all the way to the post-locker room speech. Heck, that grin might last until Easter.
But that’s what happens when you step on the court with the Oregon Ducks.