JJ, here.

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 ask AD a question. Or you can leave a question right here in the comments section.

Here’s the first edition of “Up-N-Under with AD”:

kmilk: Who on this year’s hoops squad will be the one to really step up and be a vocal leader? I see 4 guys who are more action oriented, which is good, but you need that guy who will lead verbally and then back it up. Marty, Malik, Bryce, and Porter all seem like reserved personalities. Last year you had Brooks who kind of led them. Who is, or could be that guy this year?

AD: Thanks everyone for the questions. I appreciate the opportunity to put in my two cents and look forward to hearing more and more from Duck fans. Let me first say that this is probably the first Duck team since I played where I really don’t know the guys very well. I don’t go to practices and I haven’t played pick up with this group in well over a year. That said I may have some insight into how Coach Kent runs his program….and….sometimes I hear things:) Anyway…on to question # 1 as to who may be the Ducks vocal leader..

From my vantage point it’s obviously Malik Hairston. He may not be a rah rah in your face vocal leader…but his experience and leadership demands respect from his teammates and he has obviously stepped up his game with the confidence of a 4 year starter. While the Ducks struggled early in the year Malik was always solid and did what he could to carry the Ducks to victory.

Duckman411: Do you think Dorsanvil is another one of UO’s “project” big men or do you think he has the potential to be somewhat of a force down there?

AD: I wouldn’t call any of the recent big men projects. To be a project I’d say they would actually have to play. I think Mitch Platt and Ray Schaeffer are actually both good players. Mitch is an exceptional passer and solid defender. He looks to have zero confidence offensively, but that’s not to say he’s incapable. Remember him as a freshman, Coach Kent used to feed him the ball steadily. To this day….I think if Ray Schaeffer puts on 20 pounds and goes and plays in the D-League for a year or two–he could be on an NBA roster in 2010. I spoke with another former Duck, now in the NBA, who thinks the same thing on Schaeffer.

All of that said I think Dorsanvil can be effective. For whatever reason he reminds me a bit of Flo Hartenstein– although probably a bit better offensively. He goes strong to the basket, seems to know what he’s doing on defense, and plays hard. I’d like to see him make a free throw and perhaps be a better passer out of the post but there’s no question he gives them something that the Ducks didn’t have before. I think he can give them a solid 15 minutes a game and as much as anything he allows the Duck seniors to play their natural positions….Maarty, Malik, and Bryce at the 4, 3, and 2 respectively.

Duckdude: It seems to me, that Ernie’s teams require that one of the five on the floor be a leader, i.e. the “glue” that holds the team together. Brooks did it last year, and Taylor (early) and Malik (later) did it in the Arizona game. In fact, YOU did it for your Duck team, more so as a senior (but, wasn’t Jerry Green your coach?). What do you think? Without that able leader to get this team through the “doldrums” periods, they’re not gonna go anywhere. Agree? Disagree? Somewhere in between?

AD: I played for Coach Green my first 2 seasons and then 3 for Coach Kent.

I think any team, not just EK’s, needs to have a floor leader. I’d distinguish that from a “glue” guy because I think you can be one or the other and not necessarily both. I’d say unquestionably that Maarty is the glue guy. A guy that does all of the dirty work- gets the big rebounds, plays great individual and team defense, dives for the ball etc….. While I’m sure he has leadership skills I just don’t think of him as the floor leader.

Plus, ideally you’d like your floor leader to be a guard who has the ball in his hands a lot. For my team that was Darius Wright—an unselfish, vocal, game tested player who had the ball in his hands at all the tough moments.

Kamyron Brown might eventually be that guy. But with this senior-led team I’d be surprised if any freshman point guard would fit the bill.

While not a guard, I think Malik is the closest thing to a floor leader the Ducks have. He hasn’t been afraid to take the big shots and has delivered over and over. (see question #1) It would be great if Brown, Porter, or even Bryce Taylor had that same leadership quality but I just haven’t seen it consistently.

Will the lack of a solid floor leader hurt the Ducks when they need it most? I think it could.  That said, the outstanding and consistent play of Hairston and Leunen will camouflage a lot of weaknesses.

[JJ: Dan, we missed your question this week. But we're going to shoot for it next week. Thanks for asking.]

A.D. Smith
Smith began his playing career at Churchill High and led the Lancers to their first state championship in 1995. A two time All-State selection and 1995 State Player of the Year, Smith stepped up to the Pac-10 as an All-conference player for the Ducks. In four years he was voted three times as a team captain, three times as a 1st team Academic All conference selection and twice as an Academic All American. In his final two years AD led the Ducks to the NIT Final Four and the NCAA Tournament.

In June of 2000, he finished his playing career and graduated with an MBA. After leaving the Ducks in 2000, AD played 6 years in Europe and Australia and won a National Championship and playoff MVP in Copenhagen Denmark.

AD is currently a Real Estate Broker for Keller Williams Realty in Eugene. He specializes in Residential Real Estate- working with both buyers and sellers.

He and his wife, Kelly, have two daughters, Abigail and Isabelle.

Tags: Ducks, Oregon Basketball