On one bench will sit a man in his early 40s, holding his second college basketball head coaching job. He’s now in charge of the Oregon State women’s basketball program after compiling a 288-88 win-loss record in his 14 years as head coach of Division III George Fox University. He won a national championship with George Fox in 2009, and he has coached stars like Keisha Gordon, Kim Leith and Katy Campbell.
Scott Rueck took over the reigns to the Beavers’ women’s basketball program in July 2010 after LaVonda Wagner was fired. Despite inheriting a program in shambles — only two players from Oregon’s State’s 2009-10 roster returned this season — Rueck has kept Oregon State respectable and competitive in the majority of its games, a feat few thought was possible.
He’s done so with a defense-first philosophy that has done an admirable job of containing opposing offenses. The Beavers are ranked third in the Pac-10 in scoring defense behind only national powers UCLA and Stanford, and fourth in field goal percentage defense. In general, there’s a sense of optimism surrounding Oregon State’s program, that the right man to get the Beavers to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in a long time has arrived.
On the other bench will sit a man in his early 70s, holding his eighth head coaching job. He’s the coach of the Oregon women’s basketball team now, but he’s won both an NBA and WNBA championship, coached five NBA teams and even gone to Japan to pursue his craft. In 2007, he won a WNBA championship with the Phoenix Mercury. During his career, he’s coached a few guys you might have heard of — Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, among others.
Paul Westhead took over the Oregon women’s basketball program in March 2009, replacing longtime coach Bev Smith, who struggled to get wins toward the end of her tenure. Westhead is in the second year of a five-year contract that will pay him a reported $3 million — an extremely high figure by women’s college basketball coaching standards.
Westhead has long been known for his patented fast-paced, up-tempo offensive system. The system helped inject new life into Oregon’s program last season when the Ducks reached the National Invitation Tournament, but is being met with increased skepticism. The Ducks find themselves in the midst of a six-game losing streak in what’s been a largely disappointing season, and some Oregon fans would like to see a younger, more defensive-oriented coach take over sooner rather than later.
In advance of Saturday’s Civil War matchup in Corvallis between the Beavers and Ducks, it’s hard to imagine a more stark contrast between the two programs and coaches, at least in perception. Rueck, the up-and-coming defensive wizard, and Westhead, the elder statesman who some claim is past his prime.
On the surface, it’s easy to claim that Rueck — with his relative youth, recent success at the women’s college basketball level, and relatively impressive 2011 season to date — is the coach leading the program on the rise.
But don’t count out Westhead, both in Saturday’s Civil War and moving forward. He might be the near the end of his career, but his energy is still apparent in games and at press conferences.
Moreover, despite poor results this season, Oregon has plenty of talent on its roster. Between the return of explosive point guard Nia Jackson and versatile forward Amanda Johnson, the expected maturity of a strong 2010 freshman class, and a banner 2011 recruiting class, the Ducks are in good shape moving forward.
And frankly, it would be stupid to count out the only man to ever win both a WNBA and an NBA title from succeeding on this level. It’s not like the knowledge Westhead accumulated throughout his career has suddenly left him.
At the same time, the inability of this season’s Oregon team to rebound and play consistent defense is concerning. It’s tough to win games when you surrender 20 second chance points to opponents on a consistent basis. Even though Oregon State is an undersized group, they’re much better on the glass than Oregon — the Beavers are eighth in the Pac-10 in rebounding margin at negative 1.8 per game — while the Ducks are dead last at negative 5.6 per game. It’s reasonable to think Oregon State will continue to improve in that category when Rueck gets his recruiting classes to Corvallis. Remember: As it’s currently constituted, Oregon State’s roster is full of walk-ons and Division III transfers.
Clearly, while both Oregon and Oregon State have potential to improve, they’re quite flawed as teams. And, both Westhead and Rueck surely hope their teams can climb out of the Pac-10’s cellar in future seasons, they’ll do so in very different ways.
Which will come out on top Saturday, and in upcoming years: the savvy offensive mastermind or the energetic defensive strategist? That remains to be seen.
[email protected]