It was on Nov. 9, 2003, that 6-foot-8-inch forward Adam Zahn, then a redshirt freshman and carrying 15 pounds less muscle than today, learned just what it’s like to play in a game at McArthur Court.
“I definitely remember that game,” Zahn said. “I was nervous. Back then it was the Luke (Jackson) and Luke (Ridnour) show – every game was sold out.”
In the 2003-04 season-opening exhibition game and Zahn’s first registered minutes in a Ducks uniform, Oregon beat Ukrainian club team MBC Nikolaev comfortably. Jackson, then a senior and the unequivocal star of the team, had 18 points in 22 minutes.
Aaron Brooks, a freshman from Seattle who played in the McDonald’s All-Star game, scored 14 points and had four assists in 24 minutes, while Zahn had five points in 17 minutes.
But his first two are the ones he remembers best.
“My first points were (off) an out-of-bounds play,” Zahn recalled. “I came off the elbow and was able to get a dunk, so that was cool for my first points to be like that.”
Since then, Zahn has been in many other battles, and graduated last June with a major in political science and a minor in business. The nerves and excitement still turn on when he runs through the tunnel that leads out to the court that he’s called home for quite some time.
“It’s hard to compare, but the feeling is still there,” Zahn said. “I still get butterflies coming out of the tunnel and having the fight song and Pit Crew going crazy. It’s a really unique feeling that I’m going to miss.”
Reserve guard Adrian Stelly has played in 25 total games as a Duck and has only clocked in 32 minutes in six games this year. Stelly, a 6-foot-3-inch senior, said he accepted not getting many minutes early in his career and doesn’t need recognition. He gets the most satisfaction from helping teammates in practices.
But for about 10 minutes in the Pacific-10 Tournament last year in Los Angeles, Stelly found himself in the spotlight.
Then a junior, Stelly helped initiate a comeback against the No. 12 Washington Huskies. In just 10 minutes of total action, Stelly scored on a lay-up to cut the Ducks’ deficit to 11 points. He then drained a three-pointer to bring Oregon within six points. With seven minutes remaining, Stelly picked off a Washington pass and drove the ball up court. He spotted teammate Chamberlain Oguchi behind the arc and dished the ball to him. Oguchi nailed the three-pointer that put Oregon ahead 62-59 and gave the Ducks their first lead since the first half. Oregon never trailed after that play and went on to secure an 84-73 upset victory.
Stelly said it was nice to get a chance to play, but that his points were not as important to him as the assist he made to Oguchi that day.
“It was big just because I had to help the team,” said Stelly, who will walk this spring with a degree in political science and a minor in business. “It’s one thing to cheer on the side, but it’s another thing to be in there and actually work with the team and give your all, and everybody sees you working … The pass to Oguchi (gave me the most satisfaction) because it wasn’t just me. It was me and him.”
When Oregon State battles Oregon at McArthur Court on Saturday, it will mark the last regular season game in the historical arena for Zahn, Stelly and Brooks. All three will be recognized during pre-game Senior Day ceremonies and coach Ernie Kent said all will start against the Beavers.
And of course, that’s nothing new for Brooks. He won a 4A state championship at Franklin High School in Seattle and was tasked as an Oregon freshman to fill the vacant point guard spot left by Ridnour, who left for the NBA after averaging 19.7 points per game and 6.6 assists en route to being named Pacific-10 Conference Player of the Year in 2003.
“In Aaron’s case, we had a clip of him of his senior year in high school in the state tournament game and it just looks like the same kid out there,” Kent said.
Zahn is the only active member of the roster who was on the same team as Ridnour during Zahn’s redshirt season in the 2002-03. Brooks, Zahn and Stelly are also the only members of the current team to play with guard Luke Jackson, who was drafted 10th overall to the Cleveland Cavaliers in 2004. Jackson was a senior during the 2003-04 season, a year after Zahn came aboard and during Brooks’ and Stelly’s true freshman year.
Stelly may well have redshirted along with Zahn for the 2002-03 season, but the eventual walk-on said the team added 5-foot-11-inch reserve guard Tyler York to its roster that year. Stelly still worked out with the Ducks during the summer and made it on the team the following season. Since then, he’s become Oregon’s underdog story, solidifying himself as both a fan favorite and team inspiration.
“He’s been through so much,” Zahn said. “He is one of the hardest workers on the team … He never complains. You wouldn’t know he’s not getting a scholarship.”
Zahn has recently made a name for himself as the team’s iron man. He played in all 33 games his junior year and, out of 29 games this season, he’s logged minutes in 25 contests, starting in four. Zahn was unable to play at Washington and Washington State earlier this season after he got tangled with freshman Joevan Catron in a rebounding drill, hit his head on the court and received a concussion, which was his first while at Oregon. He also did not compete in the wins against Georgetown on the road or versus California at home.
Zahn said he remembers watching other seniors graduate his redshirt year, and can’t quite believe that now he is the one departing.
“I remember watching Brian Helquist and Robert Johnson and just seeing those guys and all they went through,” Zahn said. “It was an emotional day for them and it just always felt so far away for me.”
Stelly’s said he’s seen a lot of players come and go and has been through a lot himself. His parents and brother are going to be in attendance on Saturday to see him one more time at Mac Court. Zahn said it’s going to be an emotional and somewhat surreal day for him.
“It’s probably going to be one of those feelings that’ll be hard to describe,” Zahn said. “I have seen other guys do it, and you really don’t picture yourself in that position because it always seems so far away. Now it’s me and now it’s here.”