Oregon’s Ian Crosswhite, seen here against Trinity Western, is coming off an honorable mention All-Pacific-10 Conference season in which he averaged 12.5 points and five rebounds per game.
The Oregon men’s basketball team opens its 100th regular season against Idaho State at 8 p.m. today at McArthur Court.
One of the most-hyped teams in Oregon history, the 2004-05 Ducks are full of young, talented players with loads of potential. Freshmen guards Malik Hairston, Bryce Taylor, Chamberlain Oguchi and forward Maarty Leunen represent the greatest recruiting class in Oregon history. Teamed with the likes of sophomore point guard Aaron Brooks and junior forward Ian Crosswhite, tonight’s opener provides the youthful Ducks a chance to show they’re worth all of the attention.
“I’m hoping they’ll be sky-high for the opener, while keeping things in perspective,” Oregon head coach Ernie Kent said.
After a pair of exhibition wins, the Ducks will face a Bengal team that ended the 2003-04 season with a 13-18 record but finished second in the Big Sky Conference at 7-7.
“They’re a team with very good guard play,” Kent said. “They move the ball extremely well.”
While Idaho State has far less size than Oregon, the Ducks aren’t taking anything for granted. Sunday’s exhibition scare against Division II Western Oregon (66-58 Duck win) showed the Ducks and their fans that they still have plenty of work to do.
“There’s an awful lot of hype on this team,” Kent said. “The Western
Oregon game should bring everybody back down to earth a little bit. The reality of this year is that there are going to be some games where this team can get up and down, and there’s going to be games where this team is going to have to grind out wins.”
Brooks and Hairston looked impressive during the two-game exhibition season. Hairston dropped 30 points on Trinity Western in just 19 minutes on Nov. 7, while Brooks scored 21 for the Ducks in a win against the Wolves Sunday.
The duo is likely expected to carry the majority of the scoring load this season while the team gels offensively.
“Our team has a lot of work to do in order to meet our potential,” Hairston said. “But we have a team that’s willing to make sacrifices and get in here and get better.”
