MEN: A successful preseason has given way to a rocky regular season for the Ducks

Peter Hockaday
Sports Editor
Right here, right now, the Oregon men’s basketball team is a head-scratcher.
So many Duck fans are scratching so many heads that bald spots are opening up all around Eugene.
Who knows which Oregon team will show up next? Will it be the Duck team that upended Kansas in spectacular fashion in November, or will it be the Duck team that tripped and fell flat on its face in two Bay Area games in early January? Will it be the team that faded down the stretch against Arizona or the team that recovered from an early deficit to crush Arizona State?
Let’s return to that Arizona game for a moment, because that’s when this head-scratching really started. For the better part of 35 minutes on Jan. 2, the Ducks had the Wildcats cowering. McArthur Court was rocking, the Ducks were hitting everything and then… well, then it fell apart. Veteran Arizona players like Jason Gardner and Rick Anderson took over and took a win back to the desert.
It was the first time all season that the Ducks maybe, just maybe, missed the presence of a true finisher. They missed
Freddie Jones.
“Where we miss Freddie the most is on offense. He would always draw the other team’s top defender,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said. “That would mean another good defender was on Ridnour, but players like Luke Jackson were freed up. Now, Jackson is drawing the No. 2 defender, and it’s a little tougher for him.”
Even when Jones had that top defender on him, he always seemed to come up with the big shots at the end of games. The drive and finger roll against Texas in the Sweet 16. The jumpers to beat UCLA and USC at the end of the regular season.
Now, three threats have been distilled to two, and opposing defenses are keying on the two. In all of the Ducks’ wins this season, a third or fourth Oregon player has stepped up to help “The Lukes.” The Ducks have had four players in double figures 10 times this season, nine of them wins. In the four losses, Ridnour twice has been the sole player to score in double-digits.
The lesson? When other players help the stars, the Ducks win games. But that’s obvious. So who’s going to step up?
It starts under the basket, where Oregon’s rebounding struggles have been well-documented this season. The Ducks’ mantra has been that rebounding and defense key their transition game, and it’s true; in each of their losses they have been grossly out-rebounded.
Overall, the rebounding margin isn’t bad — the Ducks are being out-rebounded 37.7-36.6 on average. But in the four losses, Oregon has been out-boarded 167-115, or an average of 42-29.
But hope isn’t all dim for the Ducks. With two games this week against lesser competition — Portland State and Oregon State — Oregon should be rested and ready for four-straight games against struggling competition in Washington, Washington State, UCLA and USC. The Ducks get all the California schools at home in the second half of the season, and the season’s last weekend — which Oregon played well in last year — is in Arizona.
For Oregon to make a run in the NCAA Tournament again, the Ducks will need to focus on rebounding and defense. An offense that averages 86.3 points per game doesn’t need much work. But the Ducks will need to do it now, do it here.
And stop all the head-scratching.
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WOMEN: Life after Shaq could be bleak, but the Ducks are learning to cope

Jesse Thomas
Sports Reporter
The Oregon women’s basketball team has become the epitome of adaptation throughout the beginning of the 2002-03 season.
Oregon (6-9, 2-4 Pac-10) has hit its share of bumps along the road since it all began in late November. From losses to injuries to last-second thrillers, the Ducks have seen it all.
“This team has had many opportunities, not only in certain games but in certain situations, to give up,” Oregon head coach Bev Smith said. “But they are winners and you don’t necessarily have to win a championship to be a champion, and that is what they are proving here.”
After losing three players, Oregon’s bench has dwindled to only four players with a total of nine on the team altogether.
Senior Shaquala Williams was suspended from the team, sophomore Amy Parrish left the team because of medical reasons, and junior Cathrine Kraayeveld suffered a rare staph infection in her right knee, which could cause her to miss the rest of the season.
After finishing the 2001-02 season 22-13 overall with a Women’s National Invitation Tournament Championship, Oregon set even higher expectations this year and has already encountered adversity that hasn’t helped.
“We have definitely had some bumps along the road,” senior Kourtney Shreve said.
And now, after Oregon almost pulled off the biggest near-upset in the nation this year against sixth-ranked Stanford, the team has realized it can compete with any team it wants.
The Ducks have experience in Shreve and senior Alissa Edwards, who are both in their final seasons. The Ducks have newcomers in freshman center Carolyn Ganes and forward Yadili Okwumabua, who have had significant impacts already.
Sophomores Kedzie Gunderson, Amy Taylor and Andrea Bills all return to Oregon for their second seasons.
Currently, four Oregon players have encountered injuries this season, from a broken nose to a chronic back problem. The Ducks are a very bruised and battered team, with their players competing despite injury.
“Everybody on the bench has to be ready to go,” Ganes said. “We all have to be ready to contribute as much as we can and we can’t be looking toward other people.”
Through it all, Oregon’s focus and goals have remained concrete. The Ducks plan to go out with a winning season and hope to advance to the NCAA Tournament in March.
“We are still in the race and we just have to keep looking one game at a time,” Smith said.
But the Ducks still have work to do. Rebounding has been nothing less than haunting for Oregon as it has been a struggle losing the margin in six of the last seven games..
The good news is that Oregon has 12 games left. The Ducks know they have the time to turn things around, and still can alter their future.
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