Author Archives: Matt Walks

From CBI to NIT to Sweet Sixteen, head coach Dana Altman has engineered a meteoric rise for Oregon men’s basketball. On Saturday, Altman’s hard work was recognized when the Crete, Neb., native was named the 2013 Jim Phelan National Coach of the Year during an end-of-the-year awards banquet during Atlanta’s Final Four festivities. The Ducks [...]

Oregon track and field faces its stiffest test of the season against the formidable Texas A&M. Here’s a closer look at how two of the nation’s best teams stack up against each other ahead of Saturday’s Pepsi Invitational at historic Hayward Field. 4 — Top four teams in the nation will compete — the No. 2 [...]

The weather in Eugene is in full capricious spring mode. Sunshine gives way to torrents of rain,followed by heavy gusts of wind. Then, back to sunshine. But Oregon’s track and field team will be ready to compete Saturday in the Pepsi Invitational regardless of the color of the sky. Fresh off recent successes at the [...]

The play was controversial even then. Auburn Tigers running back Michael Dyer was wrapped up by Oregon defensive back Eddie Pleasant with less than three minutes left in the 2011 BCS National Championship game. With the score tied and a title on the line, Ducks defensive tackle Zac Clark held back from piling onto Dyer. [...]

If you spent your spring break lost in brackets and buzzer beaters, I can’t blame you. But as well as the Ducks playing in the NCAA Tournament over the break, other Oregon athletes proved worthy of attention. Here are the top sports stories you missed while enjoying Cabo, Miami, home or wherever else your break [...]

Several Ducks enjoyed an extended bath in the media spotlight during Oregon’s run to the Sweet 16. But one Duck’s past hung over him, just as he was playing on the biggest stage in his life. Arsalan Kazemi entered what was ultimately the last game of his college career averaging 9.3 points and 9.9 rebounds [...]

Sports journalists don’t often admit when they’re wrong. In fact, by the time many sports media “experts” are proven incorrect, the narrative has shifted so much that many fans don’t even remember their predictions in the first place. But twice last year — once in September and again in October — I declared Dana Altman [...]

With senior Jessica Moore simply padding her stats during her last season as arguably the best pitcher in Oregon softball history, the Ducks may have already found their next dominant ace-in-waiting. It was announced Monday that freshman Cheridan Hawkins beat out five other Pac-12 pitchers — including Arizona State’s Team USA starter Dallas Escobedo — [...]

No first-year jitters here. Oregon’s frosh playoff hero Damyean Dotson was honored Monday by being named to the 2013 Kyle Macy Freshman All-America team after averaging 16.0 points in the Ducks’ postseason run to the Sweet Sixteen. The Houston native finished second on the team behind senior E.J. Singler in both minutes played (27.9) and [...]

Oregon head coach Dana Altman’s pre-Oregon days — While Finals Week stands between students and spring break, Oregon men’s basketball is the only varsity sport with a game scheduled before the weekend. The down time gave The Oregonian’s Adam Jude the opportunity to explore head coach Dana Altman’s days before the Ducks. The all-time winningest [...]

Ah, March Madness. That magical time of year where fans who couldn’t find Creighton or Valparaiso on a map cram their still-perfect brackets down your throat. The only thing more frustrating than everyone flooding your Facebook feeds with their picks is the inevitable moment when your girlfriend sweeps the Midwest region by picking her favorite [...]

In his first season as sole head coach of the Oregon women’s cross country team, Robert Johnson led the Ducks to a national championship. Now, his hard work has been once again recognized by the USTFCCCA. Johnson was named Women’s National Coach of the Year on Thursday, retaining the same title he won in 2012 [...]

Game One. Oregon softball wasted no time establishing dominance in its 10-0 home-opening win over New Mexico on Wednesday, pairing senior ace Jessica Moore with a four-run jolt in the first that proved to be enough. Moore (12-3) allowed just one hit and tallied four strikeouts and got immediate offensive teammates who scored four in the [...]

Oregon women’s track and field came one step closer to achieving the rare Triple Crown on Saturday, winning a record-tying fourth straight NCAA Indoor Track and Field national title at the Randal Tyson Center in Fayetteville, Ark. The win came courtesy a dominant performance in the 4×400 relay. The team of English Gardner, Chizoba Okodogbe, [...]

During its current 12-game winning streak, Oregon softball has looked more like the football team. The Ducks outscored their six opponents 62-12 over the course of last weekend’s Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla., scoring at least 10 runs in four of the six games. Its pitchers are winning conference honors, and the tops of the [...]

It hasn’t taken long for freshman pitcher Cheridan Hawkins to get noticed. After striking out 15 — one short of the program record — in a dominant six-inning shutout of Boston College, Hawkins was named the Pac-12 Conference’s Pitcher of the Week. The 8-0 win over the Golden Eagles was Hawkins’ fifth on the season. [...]

While softball’s home opener is still more than a week away (March 13 against New Mexico, incidentally), the Ducks paired stellar pitching with hot bats to go undefeated during the weekend’s Citrus Classic in Orlando, Fla. With its six straight wins, including a head-turning 13-4 win over No. 14 Michigan, Oregon softball also set or [...]

Since breaking onto the scene in 2008 with the ubiquitous indie hit “Daylight,” Matt & Kim — comprised of Brooklyn pop couple Matt Johnson and Kim Schifino — have enjoyed a steady rise to prominence. Driven by stripped-down, frantic melodies that substitute enthusiasm for complexity, the duo’s songs have made the band a staple at music festivals, [...]

Jessica Moore’s hot start on the mound has come as no surprise to the Ducks. After all, the senior is statistically the greatest pitcher in Oregon softball history. By the end of the year, barring injury, the All-American Moore will push her program-record career numbers in strikeouts and wins further out of reach for others. [...]

Electric. Lightning in a bottle. Maybe more often than anything else — fast. Sophomore De’Anthony Thomas has been called these and more in his short athletic career as a Duck. In fewer than two full years, the Crenshaw High School product has earned Heisman Trophy buzz, two BCS wins and a Sports Illustrated cover. And [...]