Dear Ernie Kent:
First, an admission: I did not expect to be addressing you through this opinion piece from where you are currently positioned. I was quite shocked to find out that the Oregon men’s basketball team beat Washington State in double overtime before wearing down No. 17 Washington in Bank of America Arena.
Somehow, not this time. Your team is atop the Pacific-10 Conference standings with a 2-0 record, and 3-0 looks like a distinct possibility as vulnerable Oregon State comes stumbling into town. Should you continue winning as the season progresses, a postseason berth is not out of reach, as the remaining members of the conference have gone out of their way to trip themselves up repeatedly. (Or, in the case of USC, eliminate themselves from contention entirely. Please mail your gift basket to Trojans athletic director Mike Garrett if you have not yet done so.)
Nevertheless, there is quite a long way to go. Oregon is ranked 100th in RPI, which hurts its chances of sneaking into the field of 64 in March. The Ducks’ early losses to Montana and Saint Mary’s are going to hurt, and you’re lucky that Portland has acquitted itself nicely, earning its first top-25 ranking in 50 years not long after the Pilots beat your team (Missouri? We’ll see).
The Ducks are fourth in scoring (79.2 points per game) and fourth in field goal percentage (.465), and opponents only average 30 rebounds per game against them (tops in the Pac-10). Really, Oregon isn’t one for producing eye-popping statistics relative to its conference peers — it’s as shocking to see the Ducks third in free throw percentage (71.7 percent) as it is to seem them seventh in scoring defense (69.6 points per game). Then we realize that the Pac-10 is still abysmal this year — and, for now, Oregon’s at the top of the heap.
But as of right now, your men don’t make up the most exciting basketball team on campus. That honor belongs to the Oregon women, who also swept the Washington schools for a 2-0 conference start. Under new head coach Paul Westhead’s tutelage, the Ducks are scoring 87.1 points per game (tops in the Pac-10 by nearly eight points) with a scoring margin of plus-16.4 (second only to Stanford, which is the No. 2 women’s basketball team in the nation). Westhead’s fast-breaking style is inflating statistics and box scores to previously unheard of levels, and his pressing defense has maddened opponent after opponent — even the ones who can break it. In the grand scheme, the Pac-10 is not as deep as it has been in years past — Stanford is the only ranked team — but the Ducks have closed the gap significantly on Stanford, Cal and Arizona State.
I’m sure you’ve spoken with Westhead several times since his hiring; after all, the women do practice before the men every day. I was just wondering if you’ve ever discussed basketball with him. I think you might learn something.
You have consistently preached the benefits of a fast tempo to your team and its fans while producing some of the most sluggish and disinterested basketball I can ever recall seeing. Fans are not yet buying what you are selling, and that may yet be your downfall.
Westhead has won an NBA championship with the Los Angeles Lakers and a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury, the only coach in history with one of each. His Loyola Marymount men’s basketball teams set a high-water mark for excitement and offense in college basketball that has not yet been equaled. His experience on all levels of the men’s — and now women’s — game is almost unrivaled. And you don’t have to compete with him. You’re on the same team, wearing the same colors to practice every day.
Michael Dunigan came out of his shell against the Washington schools to earn Pac-10 Player of the Week honors. He has been arguably the least consistent player on the team this season while simultaneously having the greatest potential impact. Surely the man who coached Kareem Abdul-Jabbar has available pointers to help mold Dunigan into the Pac-10’s finest post player. Magic Johnson is a one-of-a-kind player — maybe the best point guard ever — and lessons from him could possibly benefit Malcolm Armstead or Garrett Sim.
Ernie, you have a fantastic and knowledgeable basketball resource who I’m sure would be happy to spend a few minutes discussing the sport he loves with you, to the ultimate benefit of your team. These Ducks could — somehow — find their way to the NCAA tournament with a lot of luck, but there are still many factors under your control. Think about it.
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