The game seems to have little importance, but don’t tell that to head coach Ernie Kent.
The Oregon men’s basketball team takes on Athletes in Action tonight at 7 p.m. at McArthur Court in its second — and final — exhibition game before its regular-season opener against Mississippi Valley State Friday.
Under Kent’s “baby steps” program, the exhibition has just as much weight as a third-round NCAA Tournament game.
“Each game will get a little tougher for us,” Kent said. “Hopefully that will make us a little better as we prepare for each game.”
Nobody on the team is overlooking Athletes in Action.
“It’s going to be a real test,” freshman guard James Davis said. “It was good to get those jitters out [against the Basketball Travelers last Monday] and get ready to play some real teams.”
The Athletes in Action team, which is comprised of former college players, should provide more of a challenge than the Ducks’ last opponent, a traveling team from the Ukraine. Athletes in Action includes former Notre Dame guard Ryan Hoover, former Washington player Phil Zevenbergen and players that have experience in the Continental Basketball Association and the National Basketball Association. AIA defeated Oregon State, 55-53, Monday night in Corvallis.
“They have a team that can really shoot the ball and an inside game that’s really effective,” Kent said about Athletes in Action. “They’re a team that’s very much like ours. They love to get up and down the floor, they love to shoot the three-point ball and they’re a smart basketball team.”
The game should differ from Oregon’s 102-59 win last Monday. The Ducks dominated the Basketball Travelers in a performance Kent was proud of.
“This team is farther along than I thought they would be,” Kent said.
The coach pointed to the team’s chemistry, along with the play of freshmen Davis, Luke Ridnour and Luke Jackson, as being bright spots for his team.
But Kent thinks his team could improve in many areas, especially on defense.
“We want to improve on those areas that we were weak on in the first game,” Kent said. “That was defensive intensity, blocking out and rebounding the ball. If we can do that, it triggers our transition game. If we can get out and run, and spread the floor, we’re a pretty effective basketball team.”
Tonight’s game is the Ducks’ last before they host Mississippi Valley State in the season opener Friday, which is the first game to count toward Oregon’s overall record. The Ducks will not start Pacific-10 Conference play until next January.
But even if it doesn’t count in their record, the Ducks will use tonigh to gear up for Friday.
Kent summed up the difference between his team’s two exhibition games perfectly.
“That first game was a good confidence game for these young guys to see how the system works,” Kent said. “Well, here’s a game that will be a good test for us to understand how hard you need to play each possession, not only physically but mentally as well.”
The Ducks will be in “Action” tonight at Mac Court.