by Don Smalley
DSN Contributor
January 5, 2008

I’m never one to say, “I told you so.” I thought Oregon had a really good chance of winning at Arizona after watching the ‘Cats play the Beavers and taking the positives from the ASU loss and hoping the Ducks would build on those.

As it turned out, that happened. Oregon played the game we all know they are capable of playing. They moved the ball around and got the open jumper, just as they did in Tempe. Only in Tucson, those shots went down. The Ducks exploited Arizona’s unwillingness to move on defense. They pushed the ball after an Arizona made shot and caught the Wildcats off-guard.

But in the world of sports, you just never know what will happen. Arizona might have figured out that you need to hustle on the defensive end in the Friday practice and apply that on Saturday. They might have figured out to take the open shot instead of dribbling into the defense and see if they can make the athletic move and incredible shot. Oregon’s three-pointers might have not found the mark … again.

Fortunately for the Ducks, what was on the proverbial paper came to fruition. Oregon was not going to go 2-for-17 from behind the arc again. Instead, they went 10-for-22. Bryce Taylor found his stroke early and Malik Hairston hit some open threes as well. Even Churchill Odia knocked down a few.

But the story of the game was the maturation process I witnessed in Kamyron Brown. He had a rough night at Arizona State. But at Arizona, in the McHale Center, Brown looked solid. He gave what the defense gave him. He was able to slash to the hoop and finish. After one drive, I told my niece that looked exactly like Aaron Brooks. Brown did not force any shots. On one possession, he came down and nobody picked him up. He calmly stepped up to the three-point line and knock down the trey. Brown is not afraid.

Another bright spot was that while Arizona was making a late-game run to pull itself back into it, like we all knew was coming, the Ducks played calm and composed, making the necessary plays they needed to in order to get the 10-point win.

Not many teams will go to Arizona and do that. UCLA might, but that’s it. I don’t see anyone else beating the Wildcats at home. Once Arizona figures it out, they will be dangerous.

But it looks like Oregon has figured a few things out. Now let’s see if they can further improve with two big home games against Cal and Stanford. Mac Court needs to be rocking. I’m sure it will be.

During the U.S. Army All-American Bowl, QB Marqueis Gray picked Minnesota and DB Gerrell Robinson chose Arizona State.

Double-0 is contributing to Duck Sports News in ‘08.

Throughout the Men’s Pac-10 Basketball Season, DSN visitors will have the chance to ask former Duck A.D. Smith questions about Duck basketball.

Click here to start asking AD a question. Or you can leave a question right here in the comments section.

A.D. Smith began his playing career at Churchill High School in Eugene and led the Lancers to their first state championship in 1995. He went on to be a Pac-10 All-Conference player for the Ducks, leading them to the NIT Final Four and NCAA Tournament appearance during his college career.

Smith then went on to play professionally for 6 years in Europe including winning a national championship for BF Copenhagen.

DSN Contributor Don Smalley (Don Smalley News - DSN) emailed DuckSportsNews a commentary (”Duck Fans, Chill Out”) regarding the state of the Oregon men’s basketball intended for online publication Friday.

We refused to post it.

Well, we didn’t exactly refuse. That might be a bit too dramatic.

DSN had a couple of questions about what Don wrote, questions that most Duck fans probably have right now. So, we just put them where they belonged.

Don didn’t like that. So, we gave him a chance to respond.

Here’s Don’s post, along with our questions, remixed.

“Duck Fans, Chill Out”
By Don Smalley
DSN Contributor

From what I’ve seen and read, people are really worried about the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team. And there are some good reasons for that.

DSN: Why shouldn’t people be worried? This was an Elite Eight team last year, with four returning starters.

I think there is cause for alarm, but the conference season just started. They haven’t played up to their potential for the last month. Although the loss to the Sun Devils was disappointing, it isn’t quite time to call out for the Red Alert. Oregon has weapons … a lot of weapons.

DSN: What makes you think they are going to live up to their potential over the next month? What weapons do they have? Do they have a Top 5 or Top 10 player in the Pac-10?

Talent-wise, Malik Hairston, Bryce Taylor, and Tajuan Porter are all Top 10 players in this league. But basketball involves more than just pure talent. They have to work for shots in the half-court game. In the ASU contest, they got shots that were not there in previous games. Those shots just didn’t go down. Oregon is not going to go 2-for-17 from the three-point arc very often. They are just too talented for that.

DSN: They might be talented, but that’s how teams are going to beat the Ducks. Shut down the threes. If the Ducks can’t hit their threes, what are they going to do?

Teams have tried to use that philosophy against the Ducks for many years. Oregon has always been a perimeter-type team, or at least as long as Ernie Kent has been here. For some reason, the defense has been lacking this season. But they played a good defensive game in Tempe. They only allowed 62 points for the night. In 90 percent of their games, the Ducks would definitely win if they hold their opponent in the low 60’s.

DSN: Don, they didn’t “allow” 62 points. ASU could only score 62 points. There are quite a few teams in the Pac-10 that are able of scoring many more than 62 points.

I don’t know. Arizona State has been able to put up big numbers this season, just not on a consistent basis. That’s what happens when you start two freshman, two sophomores and a junior. Oregon, on the other hand, hasn’t been consistent either. It’s all mental right now for the Ducks. For some reason when it comes down to the waning minutes and the game is still in doubt, Oregon is lost. I wouldn’t have thought that after the big Kansas State game.

DSN: It might be mental. But worse than that, it could be heart.

I have a hard time believing that Aaron Brooks took all the heart from this team when he graduated. The things that were hurting Oregon didn’t show their ugly heads last night. The Ducks didn’t start slow. The Ducks were playing defense and the Ducks were even hitting some free throws. It could be turning around for Oregon.

DSN: Don’t confuse an opponent’s lack of offense for a team’s defensive presence.

We’ll find that out Saturday when Oregon play the Wildcats. If Oregon can hold Arizona down some, we’ll know Oreogn is playing some good defense. Offensively, the Ducks just were not knocking down the long shot. If those shots present themselves at Arizona (which I suspect they will), Oregon will mostly likely make them. Arizona doesn’t like to hustle on defense and if the Ducks move on offense, they will score.

DSN: This is going to be true all season. They are going to go the way of the three-pointer.

It’s been that way for 10 years. The Arizona game is not a must win, but 0-2 in this conference isn’t good. That 0-2 could turn into 0-4 really fast. There are no gimmies in this league. Even Oregon State gave Arizona problems.

DSN: It is a must win…because there are no gimmies.

I suspect Oregon might surprise a few people in Tucson and right the ship for a while.

DSN: Don, it’s very possible that the Ducks will surprise a few people. But is it going to be a good surprise? I don’t think so.

Call me at 1 pm and we’ll see.

Media Release
UO Athletic Department
Jan. 4, 2008

EUGENE – The University of Oregon’s 56-21 win over 23rd-ranked South Florida in the 74th annual Brut Sun Bowl will re-air both locally and nationally, beginning with an 11:30 p.m. showing Saturday by KVAL-TV in Eugene/Springfield.

The original CBS Sports telecast from Dec. 31 will be re-broadcast over the local CBS affiliate, as well as KCBY-TV in Coos Bay and KPIC-TV in Roseburg.

In addition, CSTV, which is owned by CBS, also will air the Ducks’ 2007 Sun Bowl victory as well as Oregon’s appearance in the 2003 El Paso, Texas bowl game.

Oregon dropped a last-second 31-30 verdict to Minnesota in the 2003 version of the nation’s second-oldest bowl game, with only the Rose Bowl enjoying a longer continual run.

CSTV will replay last Monday’s game at 6 p.m. (PST) Sunday (Jan. 6), followed by 12 a.m. and 3 p.m. Monday, and 1 p.m. Tuesday. In addition, it will show Oregon’s 2003 game at noon and 9 p.m. Sunday, Tuesday at 4 a.m., and Wednesday at 3 a.m.

CSTV can be accessed via Comcast Cable (channel 412), as well as DirecTV and Dish Network satellite providers.

If you had to use one word to characterize the 2007 College Football season, you might have a couple of good options along the lines of “insane”, “unpredictable”, and “crazy”.

What if you had two words?

Without a doubt, the catch-phrase of 2007 was “spread offense”. Oregon. West Virginia. Kansas. Dixon. White. Tebow.

Duck Sports News talked to former Duck and Tennessee Titan Peter Sirmon about the spread offense for a version of “The 4|4 with Peter Sirmon”. What we wanted to know was what he thought about the impact of the spread offense on the current state of college football, what it means for the future of the NFL, and its affect on the Ducks.

DSN: How will the spread offense in college football affect offensive talent in the NFL?

Peter: With the developing trend of spread offenses in college, I think it will begin to send a better overall athlete to the NFL at the QB position. I don’t believe the NFL will change what they want to see in a QB. Mobility, durability, passing strength, leadership, and decision making will always be what QB’s are graded on, no matter what offense they run in college. The spread will be huge in the overall development of all skill positions feeding into the NFL. Receiver will become more adept at route running and reading defenses, running backs will become more prolific pass catchers, and tight ends will be more productive when they break out of their traditional roles. The NFL will love a more polished skill player coming into the league.

DSN: What’s the future of the pure pocket passer in college football? Will he be able to make it to the NFL?

Peter: The future is very cloudy for the average pure pocket passer in college. There will always be a premium for a guy that is like, Drew Bledsoe, Carson Palmer, or Payton Manning. It will be the marginal pocket passers that will be eliminated. Every coach is looking for a player that can run and throw. If you can’t run very well then you had better be an exceptional passer. Ultimately the role of a QB is to deliver the ball to the players around him. If a QB cannot throw effectively then in essence it will be nine versus eleven with the advantage to the defense. So, for as exciting a running QB can be sometimes, he will ALWAYS have to throw the football effectively for a team to consistently win. Also, another consideration is if you start a trend of recruiting better runners than passers at the QB position then can you recruit receivers? Without receivers then you go to running the wishbone.

DSN: How will Oregon adopting the spread offense affect its offensive NFL prospects?

Peter: With Oregon running the spread offense it will help attract the most dynamic offenses players in the country. Top shelf high school players want to play in a wide-open style of offense. They want the ball often and in open space so they can use their athleticism. You don’t ever hear of a recruit wanting to go to a school that runs a boring smash mouth style of offense. Most offenses want the smash mouth attitude without actually having to do it. Playing in “space” is a big catch phrase that you will hear leading up to the draft. Scouts say a player can or cannot play in “space.” When they say you cannot play in “space,” then it’s time to look for another line of work. “Space” simply means being able to make plays against speed. A linebacker that can’t play in “space” is said to be more of a run stuffer and a liability against the pass. Many players initially come in playing offense or defense and eventually change for any number of reasons: size, ability, or if they have an opportunity to get on the field sooner if they change sides of the ball. As long as Oregon recruits the players that can play against speed and develop their size and strength once they get to school, then the spread offense will do nothing but help the program continue to be one of the best in the country.

DSN: Is the spread offense a fad or a trend?

Peter: I see the spread offense as a trend of offenses continually trying to get more productivity out of the most important player on your football team, the QB. Playing defense in the NFL is easier schematically because you don’t have to account for the QB running on every play. Playing against a QB that can both run and throw is a nightmare for defensive coaches. The possibilities are endless with how they can attack. Give the defenses time and they will become better at slowing down the spread attack. There has yet to be an offense that remains as prolific in its infancy as it does in adulthood. The more defensive players and coaches play against it the better they will become at stopping it. Once you put something on tape it just becomes a race to continue to evolve and improve before the other team catches up and passes you by.

DSN did ask Peter if he had any comments on UCLA hiring Rick Neuheisel. Peter thought that Josh Wilcox did a pretty good job of covering that topic.

- JJ

By Don Smalley
DSN Contributor

With four veterans on the floor most of the time, it amazes me that Oregon still doesn’t have a leader.

That was so evident tonight when the Ducks did not make the plays in the last three minutes in a 62-54 loss at Arizona State tonight. Oregon put itself behind the 8-ball all night by not being able to hit their three-point shots and commiting 16 turnovers.

But still, the game was tied at 49-49 with three minutes left and having a true freshman at point guard killed the Ducks. Kamyron Brown made several turnovers in the last minutes that severely hurt the Ducks. When it’s crunch time, Oregon has to get the ball in Malik Hairston’s hands or even Bryce Taylor, no matter what position they play. It’s too much to ask of Brown to lead this team on the road, in the Pac-10 and pull out a critical victory. 1-0 looks a lot better than 0-1. But Oregon is 0-1.

The game would have been an easy Duck victory if the three-pointers that usually fall for Oregon go down. But they did not and again, this team needs a leader to step up and say, “We are not going to lose.” Brown can not be that guy, yet.

Now Oregon has to forget this loss and get that all-important road split everyone in the Pac-10 talks about. But they have to go to Tucson and beat the Wildcats. After watching Arizona play the Beavers, that task may not be as formidable as it once seemed.

Oregon State, easily the worst team in the conference, gave the Wildcats fits for 35 minutes of the game before Arizona’s talent finally won out.

Arizona is gifted athletically, but from what I saw, the Wildcats don’t play much as a team and they rather shoot the tough shot than the easy wide-open jumper. They seemed confused against the zone (remind you of someone) and wasn’t very active on defense. That will cost the Wildcats down the line. It could Saturday.

By Josh Wilcox
DSN Contributor

Well, just as any Duck fan would, my ears perked up when I heard that Slick Rick was back.

“Wow,” I thought. Now I have the ultimate opportunity to pour my guts out and tell everyone what I really think. How lucky am I?

Now how do I do it?

Do I go on a rant about his fake punts and how that is not really classy? Do I talk about his excuses that are always convenient? How about taking a shot at him for his betting pool?

I don’t know.

What is it about this guy that bugs me? Lots. I bleed green and yellow. The “I’ll jab you with a stick” things he accomplished did bother me, but I have learned to let most all if it go. I mean the guy has a family and it’s not the kids’ fault he was a slick, young coach. He has said he has learned from his mistakes. Well, you know I have made plenty and I guess I need to be mature and let some of it go…

It was suggested to me that to let all my feelings be known, to write an open letter to Coach Neuheisel. So I started one. To be 100% honest, all of these thoughts were going through my head and I just wrote this open rant with no point.

So, I sat back it suddenly hit me. Here it goes.

Dear Coach Neuheisel,

Congratulations on the new job at UCLA. I think it has to be a great feeling to go back to your college and become the head coach. I wish you nothing but the best of luck, unless you play Oregon. I look forward to your first visit back to Autzen stadium. Mabye we can put you on the MegaVision, considering that you’re pretty popular in Eugene.

I do have one request. If on one lucky saturday it seems to be UCLA’s day, and you win at Autzen (which is hard to do - in fact, I think I saw you at the Michigan game a couple years ago), please do not bring your players back out from the locker after the game is over and lead some of them to dance on our “O”!

You have done that in the past and it was one of the cheapest, classless, bogus, B.S. things I have ever seen in my entire life. I believe that was in retaliation to some immature Oregon players who did not respect the game and actually did the same thing at Washington.

As a head coach, and person for whom the game of football has given so much to, I will find it very hard to believe that you think those were approriate actions.

Again best wishes and congrats on being back in the Pac-10. We missed you.

Go Ducks!

Josh Wilcox

See. I told you I let most it go.

Josh’s wrap-up of the football season will be coming soon. So, keep on checking back at DuckSportsNews.com.

By Don Smalley
DSN Contributor

Oregon begins the Pac-10 schedule tonight when they enter Wells Fargo Arena to face Arizona State. Tipoff is scheduled for 6 p.m. PST. No live television.

The Sun Devils are a team that almost nobody is talking about, but ASU went through the non-conference season with a 10-2 mark. That’s significant considering the Sun Devils only claimed eight victories last season.

Arizona State usually starts two freshmen, two sophomores and a junior. They are led by freshman James Harden, a 6-4 guard that is averaging 16.9 points a game and 5.3 rebounds. Junior forward Jeff Pendergraph is the elder statesman of the team with his 13.1 scoring average and his seven boards per contest. He is also shooting at a 65 percent clip from the field.

This game could be a battle of wills, as Oregon likes to score as much as possible and play very little defense. While the Sun Devils like to play defense, and get the game in the 60’s. Oregon leads the conference in scoring at nearly 86 points a game, but the Ducks are last in points allowed at 74.8. On the flip side, Arizona State scores just 72 points a game, but the young Devils have bought into coach Herb Sendek’s defensive philosophy by allowing just 57 points a game.

In the two games they did lose, ASU’s defense fell off in just one with a 77-54 loss to Illinois in the Maui Classic. In their other loss, the Devils couldn’t shoot the ball in a 62-47 loss at Nebraska. Although the competition hasn’t been too good, the Sun Devils are on a six-game win streak. All of the wins are at home. The Oregon game is their seventh game of a nine-game home stand, so to speak.

As for the Ducks, an 81-73 win over Mount St. Mary’s last week made them feel a bit better about themselves, but Oregon still has plenty to work on, namely defense and putting inferior teams away.

The Ducks also found out that they will be missing Joevan Catron for nearly the entire first half of the Pac-10 schedule due to a tear of a ligament in his foot. Oregon will have to go to a bench that hasn’t been that productive in the early going, but they will need to.

Oregon will probably start freshman Kamyron Brown at point guard and go with a small lineup with Frantz Dorsainvil the first one off the bench and then Mitch Platt.

But with Churchill Odia not providing much and Drew Viney and Ray Schafer hurt, that means the Big 4 of Bryce Taylor, Malik Hairston, Maarty Leunen and Tajuan Porter will have to log in some serious minutes and be productive for Oregon to win this game or any game in the Pac-10.

Dear Duck Fans,

We’d like to thank you for being a vital part of Duck Sports News.

Ever since we started this venture known as DuckSportsNews.com,  you’ve sent us multiple news tips, contributing to the abundance of news that is DSN.

We’d like to let you in on a new feature that will allow you to be an even larger part of DSN.  We’ve recently launched a new feature, called DSN Contributor. When you come across a story relating to Oregon athletics, this gives you the ability to post the story yourself - headline and all.

Our copy editors will review your submission, make sure it’s not a duplicate, and then post it to our headlines. Your web surfing is in vein no more.

To become a DSN Contributor, simply go to the website below, register, and begin posting headlines.

We thank you in advance for being part of DSN and helping other Duck Fans ‘get their fix.’

Click here to get started:

www.DuckSportsNews.com/contributor/

If you have any questions, just let us know.

Thanks,

One Click Sports News

PS If you’re a member of the old media, or new media, this is a great way for Duck fans to read, watch, or listen to your stuff.