This is it. Time to shine. Put it all together and play 40 minutes of consistent basketball.
The Oregon women’s team needs to maintain its momentum and run with it.
When the Ducks take the court in the opening round of the Pac-12 tournament at Seattle’s KeyArena on Thursday, they have the opportunity to make quite a statement. Coming off a huge win against Arizona State on Friday and an emotional senior day win against Arizona, the Ducks couldn’t be flying higher.
“A weekend of winning and playing hard? Yeah, I’ll take that,” head coach Paul Westhead said. “I think we’re going to be fine.”
The ride has no-doubt been filled with ups and downs. But the team has serious potential to make a run in the Pac-12 tournament this weekend.
As the No. 10 seed, the Ducks have the advantage of potentially missing number one-seeded Stanford until the championship game if they can run hard and keep the turnovers down.
Head coach Paul Westhead will lead the Ducks in what will be the 75-year-old’s final Pac-12 tournament appearance for Oregon.
On Tuesday, the Oregon athletic department announced that his contract will not be renewed. Westhead’s prolific coaching career has led him on a tour of basketball in America, winning both NBA and WNBA titles — currently the only coach to accomplish the feat. @@name checked@@
“This is the time to step up,” Westhead said he told the team before Tuesday’s practice. “This is not the time to feel, ‘Well, this shouldn’t have happened right now,’ You have to cope. And I think they’re ready to do that.”
Westhead’s impact on this program screams speed. He has created a brand of basketball that’s entertaining to watch and engages the fanbase. So far, Oregon has accomplished the ultimate benchmark in speed and scoring. In regular season play, Oregon leads the nation in scoring at 93.3, which is 5.5 points per game more than the Notre Dame, which currently ranks second.
“I don’t think any of us have any sense of disappointment,” Westhead said on Tuesday. “I’m very content with how we performed — proud of our teams.”
There’s no doubt that the Ducks will be fired up. But they most certainly don’t need any extra fuel in the fire that is Westhead’s “system.”
Jillian Alleyne, who is just 11 rebounds shy of the Pac-12 record, is constantly getting better. Katelyn Loper is starting to find her groove from behind the arc after a brief absence from the team due to injury and Ariel Thomas has never showed as much scoring potential as she does right now. @@three names checked@@
Oregon’s improvement this season has been immense but not unpredictable. And coming off a 4-27 season there was nowhere for Westhead’s team to go but up.
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne