The Oregon women took the floor at McArthur Court for an hour of spring practice Tuesday. Junior guard Micaela Cocks missed practice with flu-like symptoms and sophomore forward Ellie Manou sat out as she contemplates leaving the team, but the remaining players sought to make an impression.
As the Ducks worked to learn the nuances of new head coach Paul Westhead’s transition, run-and-gun offense, something familiar was missing.
The shriek of a coach’s whistle. With the exception of certain drills, Westhead doesn’t wear one.
“Whistles usually stop play,” he said.
When Westhead was announced as coach on March 26, the program knew what it would be getting from Westhead in an up-tempo game. The Ducks were engaged in full-court drills for the majority of practice, with the requisite emphasis on moving the ball efficiently. Even defensive lessons seemed offensive, as Westhead stressed pressure and beating opponents to the spot.
“My goal, with the few times I’ve been with the ladies, is to introduce my fast-break style,” Westhead said. “It’s like a little introduction. So far, they’ve been very cooperative. They’ve showed decent effort and good speed.
“It’s a process. They have to learn how to play fast.”
If the energy shown in practice is any indication, the women are willing to learn.
“I’m having so much fun. So much fun,” junior guard Taylor Lilley said. “We want to play hard for him. Especially right now, it’s very good to establish that early.”
The players first met with Westhead on March 30, as school resumed after spring break. Each player has conducted an individual meeting with him, and the team is allowed two hours a week in practice sessions with Westhead in accordance with NCAA rules. Westhead has broken that up into two one-hour practices a week.
Before meeting Westhead, players made sure to do their homework on him. Lilley searched Google for some information about Westhead’s days at Loyola Marymount (which led to three NCAA Tournament appearances). Freshman guard Darriel Gaynor was aware of him through his two years with the Phoenix Mercury, the last of which, in 2007, resulted in a WNBA championship. (Gaynor’s sister, Sequoia Holmes, will play for the Mercury this summer.) Sophomore forward Nicole Canepa’s father researched Westhead’s background and reported his findings to his daughter.
“To have a coach who’s been able to work with NBA players and WNBA (players) … you’re a little worried because I’ve never had a coach like that,” Canepa said. “So far, in practice, it’s been a completely different style of game. We’re learning a lot, but we’re also playing the style of basketball a lot of us wanted to play.”
That style of play requires extra attention to conditioning for a team committed to half-court basketball and execution last season.
“The post player, the five, is doing the most running. I’m going to be in the best shape of my life,” Canepa said with a laugh.
“Even though there’s a lot of running and we kinda feel like sucking air sometimes, just being up and down and just playing basketball is a good time,” Lilley said.
Oregon was last in the Pacific-10 Conference in scoring this past season, averaging 56.6 points per game with a scoring margin of -10.6. That figure was ninth in the conference, bolstered in part by the defense’s ability to slow down the game. Injuries and youthful inconsistency took their toll, but the commitment to offensive basketball will come under the most scrutiny.
“Soon as they start running faster all of the time, the scoring becomes easier,” Westhead said. “Scoring usually is not the problem. It’s getting there to be open. Only the players can solve that.”
Buying into the system is the first step.
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