While everyone else is home sleeping off the effects of big Thanksgiving dinners this Friday, the Oregon women’s basketball team will host Boise State University, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Utah at the Oregon Thanksgiving Tournament on Friday and Saturday.
Freshman Taylor Lilley is going to be away from home on Thanksgiving for the first time, but she says the absence isn’t too bad because she’ll get to spend the holiday with the team instead.
“It’s gonna be tough, but I get to go back home for Christmas, so that’s a plus,” Lilley said. “And as a team, we’re going to go over to (assistant coach Phil Brown’s) house and spend Thanksgiving there. So I’m excited for that.
“His wife is cooking, and we’re bringing appetizers and stuff.”
Eleanor Haring, a senior, only adopted the Thanksgiving tradition when she came to the United States from her home in Australia to play basketball for the Ducks four years ago.
But the 6-foot-1-inch forward has come to enjoy turkey day as much as her American teammates.
“It’s a day to hang out with your friends and family, which for me, is the basketball team – fancy that,” she said, laughing. “But I love it. I love the feeling of that turkey belly, where you’re so stuffed that you cannot move, and you just get so tired. I like Thanksgiving overall, and I love eating, so it’s the perfect holiday for me.”
The women will get to work off the effects of “turkey belly” when they face Boise State on Friday evening, and either Pittsburgh or Utah on Saturday evening.
Oregon (2-0 overall) is coming off a two-win weekend as the Ducks defeated UC Santa Barbara 85-77, before a 44-33 win against Long Beach State University.
“We struggled offensively against Long Beach and ran into situations where we’d turn the ball over,” Oregon coach Bev Smith said. “We didn’t get a great start, and I think that was just our lack of recognition of how they were playing us defensively.
“And that’s just part of a team growing and learning. We have to learn from that lesson and make adjustments quicker.”
The team has found a bright spark in Lilley, a 5-foot-6-inch dynamo who currently leads the Ducks with 41 points in two games.
Even though she is not in the starting lineup, Lilley has played 58 minutes so far – more than starters Haring (35) and Cicely Oaks (27).
“Taylor’s not necessarily starting, but she’s contributing a lot when she does get in the game,” Smith said. “I think right now her role is really to come in and do what she does well.
“She’s not just a shooter, she’s taking the ball to the hoop, she’s playing good defense, she’s getting her hands on the ball, and I’m really pleased with her overall game.”
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