Oregon Ducks men's basketball

Oregon Ducks men’s college basketball is an intercollegiate basketball program that competes in the NCAA Division I and is a member of the Pac-12 Conference, representing the University of Oregon. The Ducks play their home games at Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon, then coached by Howard Hobson, won the first NCAA men’s basketball national championship in 1939.^[1] The basketball team has appeared in the NCAA tournament 10 times^[2] and has won the conference championship four times.^[3]

History

Early years

1919 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team

The University of Oregon men's basketball team played its first season in 1902-03 with Charles Burden as the head coach. Only two games were played that season with Oregon losing both games.^[4] Oregon did not record a win until its 4th season in 1907 against Roseburg. The season ended with a winning season of 4-3, under Hugo Bezdek who also coached the football team.^[4] Hugo Bezdek left after that season to coach at Arkansas until 1913 when he went back to Oregon to coach until 1917.^[5] During his absence, the basketball team was coached largely by William Hayward, Oregon's track coach.^[4] In 2003, William Reinhart took over as the head coach and remained through the erection of McArthur Court until 1935. Coach Reinhart suffered only one losing season at Oregon.^[4]

The Tall Firs

See also: 1938–39 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team

An alumnus of the university, Howard Hobson became the head coach in 1935, following Reinhart's departure.^[4] His ideas were considered cutting edge during his years at Oregon and was well ahead of his time. He ran a fast break offense little used by anyone else in the country at the time and his defenses were an unorthodox hybrid defense. He lobbied for the installment of a shot clock and three point field goal years before they were first introduced.^[6]

In 1939, the Oregon Ducks became the first team to win the first NCAA Basketball Championship. Sports editor L.H. Gregory coined the phrase "Tall Firs" to describe the Oregon players due to their taller stature compared to other teams in the country.^[6] The season started with a long trip to the east coast for a series of games, ending with a loss to Stanford back west in San Francisco. The Ducks went 6-3 during that trip but gained valuable experience for the remainder of the season.^[7] Oregon went 14-2 to claim the North Division title in the Pacific Coast Conference which set off a best of three playoff against the California Golden Bears. The Ducks won two games straight to claim the conference title.^[2]

The Ducks returned to San Francisco for the NCAA regional series where they defeated the Texas Longhorns in the first game 56-41 then the Oklahoma Sooners 55-37.^[7] The Ohio State Buckeyes had defeated Wake Forest and Villanova in their regional series to earn their right in the championship game.^[6] On March 27, Oregon and Ohio State squared off to claim the national title. Oregon emerged victorious to claim the first NCAA national championship trophy, defeating Ohio State 46-33.^[7]

Howard Hobson remained as the head coach until 1947 except for a one year hiatus during the 1944-1945 season, coached by John Warren.^[4]

Kamikaze Kids

The years following the Tall Firs consisted of an eclectic mix of up and down years, with more down than up. Oregon returned to the NCAA playoffs only twice, in 1960 and 1961 under head coach Steve Belko. In 1971, head coach Dick Harter arrived at Oregon and achieved some consistency with the program.^[4][8] The players under Dick Harter were dubbed the Kamikaze Kids, known for their hard play, diving for loose balls, and swarming defense. They were also credited for inspiring the intimidating atmosphere at McArthur Court. Although the Kamikaze Kids never earned any championships, they were not without accomplishments. They assembled two 20 win seasons, appeared in three straight NITs, and upset #1 ranked UCLA in 1974.^[8][9]

After Dick Harter's first season, he never had a losing season at Oregon. He left in 1978 and the Ducks slid, suffering five consecutive losing seasons.^[4] Oregon made an appearance in the NCAA tournament in 1995 under head coach Jerry Green but have otherwise accrued largely mediocre records.^[4]

Ernie Kent era

In 1997, Ernie Kent was hired to fill the vacancy at head coach left by Jerry Green.^[10] Ernie Kent, one of Dick Harter's Kamikaze Kids, built teams that somewhat resembled the days of the Kamikaze Kids with its up-tempo style of play.^[11] In his third season as head coach, he took the Ducks back to the NCAA tournament where they fell in the first round. In 2002, Kent led the Ducks to their first conference championship since 1945, going through the regular season undefeated at home.^[4][11] They earned a number 2 seed in the NCAA Tournament that year and advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating Montana, Wake Forest and Texas.^[12] They were eliminated by Kansas and finished the season with a number 11 ranking in the AP Poll.^[13][14]

Luke Ridnour was selected as the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 2003 as the Ducks won the Pac-10 tournament, defeating the USC Trojans in the conference championship game 74-66.^[15] The Ducks entered the NCAA Tournament as an 8 seed and lost to Utah in the first round 58-60.^[16]

Oregon made a Final Four appearance in the NIT in 2004 but otherwise made little impact until 2007.^[4] Oregon swept its 12 intersectional games to start 2007 and upset #1 ranked UCLA in the third Pac10 game. The Ducks finished the regular season with a 23-7 record and defeated Arizona, California, and USC to win the 2007 Pac-10 Tournament.^[17] The Ducks earned a #3 seed^[18] in the NCAA tournament and advanced to the Elite Eight by defeating Miami of Ohio 58-56, Winthrop 75-61 and University of Nevada, Las Vegas. On March 25, played and lost to the eventual NCAA National Champions, the Florida Gators, by a score of 77-85.^[17]

The Ducks were selected as a No. 9 seed in the 2008 NCAA Tournament in the Southern Region. They lost to No. 8 seed Mississippi State Bulldogs in first-round play on March 21, 2008, in Little Rock, Arkansas.^[19]

On March 15, 2010, the university announced that the decision had been made to fire Ernie Kent as a result of poor performance in the previous two seasons, placing 9th and 10th in conference in the respective years. Kent departed as the longest tenured Pac-10 coach and winningest coach in school history with 235 wins.^[20]

Recent history

In April 2010, Dana Altman from Creighton University was hired to replace Ernie Kent after a month long search.^[21][22]

Venues and facilities

McArthur Court from Pioneer Cemetery

McArthur Court was constructed in 1926 and the first Oregon basketball game was played in the arena on January 14, 1927, defeating Willamette University 38-10. The arena is located across from Pioneer Cemetery and is named after Clifton McArthur, the first student body president.^[23] McArthur Court has received a reputation as one of the most intimidating basketball arenas for opposing teams in the Pac10 Conference. A group of students known as the “Pit Crew” has at times created environments so hostile that the basket would shake as opponents attempted free throws.^[24]

Matthew Knight Arena under construction

In early 2009, the university broke ground on a new $227 million basketball arena designed by TVA Architects to replace McArthur Court.^[25][26] The new arena was named Matthew Knight Arena, after Phil Knight’s son who drowned in a scuba diving accident in 2004.^[24] The arena is considered to be the front door to the university due to its high profile location where the majority of vehicular traffic into the university stems from. A primary goal was to create the best collegiate basketball venue in the country though many criticisms arose due to the funding and price tag associated with the design.^[26][27] The hardwood court was named after Patrick Kilkenny, a booster for the university and the former interim athletic director. It has been the subject of much debate upon its opening, due to its unconventional and artistic design. Designer Tinker Hatfield’s idea was to pay tribute to the 1939 national championship team, nicknamed “The Tall Firs”, by creating silhouetted firs around the edges of the court.^[28] Matthew Knight Arena opened its doors for the first time on January 13, 2011, defeating the University of Southern California 68-62.^[24]

NCAA Tournament results

The Ducks have appeared in ten NCAA Tournaments. They won the inaugural NCAA tournament in 1939 for their only national championship. Their combined record is 11–9.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result/Score
1939	First Round Final Four National Championship Game	Texas Oklahoma Ohio State	W 56–41 W 55–37 W 46–33
1945	First Round	Arkansas	L 79–76
1960	First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	New Mexico State Utah California	W 68–60 W 65–54 L 70–49
1961	First Round	Southern California	L 81–79
1995	First Round	Texas	L 90–73
2000	First Round	Seton Hall	L 72–71 OT
2002	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	Montana Wake Forest Texas Kansas	W 81–62 W 92–87 W 72–70 L 104–86
2003	First Round	Utah	L 60–58
2007	First Round Second Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight	Miami (OH) Winthrop UNLV Florida	W 58–56 W 75–61 W 76–72 L 85–77
2008	First Round	Mississippi State	L 76–69

NIT results

The Ducks have appeared in 9 National Invitation Tournaments. Their combined record is 11–10.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result/Score
1975	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Third Place Game	Saint Peter's Oral Roberts Princeton St. John's	W 85–79 W 68–59 L 58–57 W 80–76
1976	Quarterfinals	Charlotte	L 79–72
1977	First Round Quarterfinals	Oral Roberts St. Bonaventure	W 90–89 L 76–73
1984	First Round	Santa Clara	L 66–53
1988	First Round Sweet Sixteen	Santa Clara New Mexico	W 81–65 L 78–59
1990	First Round	New Mexico	L 89–78
1997	First Round	Hawai'i	L 71–61
1999	First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four Third Place Game	Georgia Tech Wyoming TCU California Xavier	W 67–64 W 93–72 W 77–68 L 85–69 L 106–75
2004	First Round Sweet Sixteen Elite Eight Final Four	Colorado George Mason Notre Dame Michigan	W 77–72 W 68–54 W 65–61 L 78–53

CBI results

The Ducks have appeared in one College Basketball Invitational. Their record is 5–1 and were the 2011 champions.

Year	Round	Opponent	Result/Score
2011	First Round Quarterfinals Semifinals Finals Game 1 Finals Game 2 Finals Game 3	Weber State Duquesne Boise State Creighton Creighton Creighton	W 68–59 W 77–75 W 79–71 L 84–76 W 71–58 W 71–69

Current Oregon men's basketball players in professional teams

Player	Year	Current Team	Drafted
Malik Hairston	2008	Montepaschi Siena (Serie A)	RD 2, 18th overall
Maarty Leunen	2008	Darüşşafaka (Turkey)	RD 2, 24th overall
Bryce Taylor	2008	Premiata Montegranaro (Italy)	Undrafted
Ray Schafer	2008	Lakstars (Japan)	Undrafted
Aaron Brooks	2007	Phoenix Suns (NBA)	RD 1, 26th overall
Luke Jackson	2004	Basket Club Ferrara (Italy)	RD 1, 10th overall
Luke Ridnour	2003	Minnesota Timberwolves (NBA)	RD 1, 14th overall
Chris Christoffersen	2002	Bakken Bears (Denmark)	Undrafted
Fred Jones	2002	Pallacanestro Biella (Italy)	RD 1, 14th overall
Skouson Harker	1999	Worcester Wolves (BBL-England)	Undrafted

Retired jerseys

Retired Basketball Jerseys
Number	Player	Year
18	John Dick
20	Bob Anet
22	Urgel "Slim" Wintermute
28	Lauren Gale
30	Ron Lee
32	Wally Johansen

Past Oregon men's basketball head coaches

Years Coach Record 1902–1904 Charles Burden 0-6 1904–1905 No Team 1905–1906 Walter Winslow 0-5 1906–1907 Hugo Bezdek 4-3 1907–1908 Charles Murphy 8-9 1908–1909 No Team 1909–1913 William Hayward 31-21 1913–1915 Hugo Bezdek 13-21 1915–1916 No Team 1916–1917 Hugo Bezdek 0-11 1917–1918 William Hayward 3-8 1918–1919 Dean Walker 13-4 1919–1920 Shy Huntington 8-9 1920–1923 George Bohler 37-39 1923–1935 William Reinhart 180-101 1935–1944 Howard Hobson 178-98 1944–1945 John Warren 30-15 1945–1947 Howard Hobson 34-26 1947–1951 John Warren 57-61 1951–1956 Bill Borcher 69-68 1956–1971 Steve Belko 179-211 1971–1978 Dick Harter 112-82 1978–1983 Jim Haney 53-82 1983–1992 Don Monson 116-145 1992–1997 Jerry Green 72-70 1997–2010 Ernie Kent 193-119 2010–present Dana Altman 9-8 1902–2007 Totals 1,399-1,222

See also

• 1938–39 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team
• 2007–08 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team
• 2008–09 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team
• 2009–10 Oregon Ducks men's basketball team

References

1. ^ Russell, Michael (2008-04-07). "When Firs stood tall". The Oregonian. http://blog.oregonlive.com/sportsupdates/2008/04/when_firs_stood_tall.html. Retrieved 2010-03-31. 
2. ^ ^{a b} "2009-2010 Oregon Ducks Basketball Media Guide" (PDF). http://www.goducks.com//pdf4/661632.pdf?DB_OEM_ID=500. 
3. ^ Pac-10 Official Athletic Site: All-Time Pac-10 Team Championships
4. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} University of Oregon 2010-2011 Men's Basketball Media Guide
5. ^ College Football Hall of Fame: Hugo Bezdek
6. ^ ^{a b c} Gergen, Joe. "The beginning: Oregon is king – 1939". Sporting News. http://www.sportingnews.com/archives/ncaa/1939.html. Retrieved January 24, 2011. 
7. ^ ^{a b c} Russell, Michael (April 7, 2008). "When Firs stood tall". The Oregonian. http://blog.oregonlive.com/sportsupdates/2008/04/when_firs_stood_tall.html. Retrieved January 24, 2011. 
8. ^ ^{a b} Moore, David (March 15, 2002). "Kent raises Ducks from forgotten decades". USA Today. http://www.usatoday.com/sports/college/basketball/men/02tourney/2002-03-15-usat-oregon.htm. Retrieved January 25, 2011. 
9. ^ Foster, Chris (January 29, 2010). "Bruins fall in the Pit". LA Times. http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jan/29/sports/la-sp-ucla-basketball29-2010jan29. Retrieved January 25, 2011. 
10. ^ "Kent named basketball coach at Oregon". Philadelphia Inquirer. 1997-04-11. http://nl.newsbank.com/nl-search/we/Archives?p_product=PI&s_site=philly&p_multi=PI&p_theme=realcities&p_action=search&p_maxdocs=200&p_topdoc=1&p_text_direct-0=0EB32E7DD1E65EEE&p_field_direct-0=document_id&p_perpage=10&p_sort=YMD_date:D&s_trackval=GooglePM. Retrieved March 27, 2009. 
11. ^ ^{a b} Curtis, Jake (2000-02-10). "Kent Revives Oregon Program". San Francisco Chronicle. http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2000/02/10/SP88388.DTL&hw=KHALEEJ+TIMES&sn=008&sc=432. Retrieved March 26, 2009. 
12. ^ "Oregon's success has been a steady climb". Lewiston Morning Tribune. March 24, 2002. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=j8heAAAAIBAJ&sjid=YTIMAAAAIBAJ&pg=5457,2405360&dq=oregon+ducks+basketball&hl=en. Retrieved January 27, 2011. 
13. ^ "Ducks can't keep up with high-octane Jayhawks". ESPN. March 24, 2002. http://scores.espn.go.com/ncb/recap?gameId=224000046. Retrieved January 27, 2011. 
14. ^ College Poll Archive 2002 Final AP Men's Basketball Poll
15. ^ "PAC-10: Ducks win first Championship". St. Petersburg Times. March 16, 2003. http://www.sptimes.com/2003/03/16/Sports/PAC_10__Ducks_win_fir.shtml. Retrieved January 27, 2011. 
16. ^ "Utah 60, Oregon 58". Sun Journal. March 22, 2003. http://news.google.com/newspapers?id=50spAAAAIBAJ&sjid=V2oFAAAAIBAJ&pg=1144,4173235&dq=oregon+utah+ncaa+8+seed&hl=en. Retrieved January 27, 2011. 
17. ^ ^{a b} ESPN 2006-2007 Oregon Ducks men's basketball schedule
18. ^ "Red Hot Oregon Gets Midwest Region #3 Seed". Salem News. March 11, 2007. http://www.salem-news.com/sports/march112007/oregonducks_031107.php. Retrieved January 28, 2011. 
19. ^ "Basketball - M - 2007-08 Schedule/Results". GoDucks.com. http://www.goducks.com/SportSelect.dbml?SPSID=4294&SPID=235&DB_OEM_ID=500&KEY=&Q_SEASON=2007. Retrieved January 6, 2009. 
20. ^ "Kent out as school's winningest coach". ESPN. March 17, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=5001481. Retrieved January 28, 2011. 
21. ^ "Reports: Creighton's Altman hired at Oregon". ESPN. April 24, 2010. http://sports.espn.go.com/espn/wire?section=ncb&id=5133668. Retrieved January 28, 2011. 
22. ^ "Confirmed: Oregon Ducks Hire Creighton's Dana Altman". Action 3 News, Omaha. April 24, 2010. http://www.kmtv.com/global/story.asp?s=12369282. Retrieved January 28, 2011. 
23. ^ "Where we play". Oregon Daily Emerald. September 20, 2004. http://media.www.dailyemerald.com/media/storage/paper859/news/2004/09/20/Sports/Where.We.Play-1969498.shtml. Retrieved 2007-02-20. 
24. ^ ^{a b c} "Oregon opens new arena with win". ESPN. January 14, 2011. http://sports.espn.go.com/ncb/news/story?id=6019064&campaign=rss&source=NCBHeadlines. Retrieved January 20, 2011. 
25. ^ "Oregon breaks ground on new basketball arena". KVAL. February 7, 2009. http://www.kval.com/news/39264707.html. Retrieved January 20, 2011. 
26. ^ ^{a b} Manning, Jeff (January 12, 2011). "Matthew Knight Arena is latest collaborations of Nike's Phil Knight and architect Bob Thompson". The Oregonian. http://www.oregonlive.com/business/index.ssf/2011/01/new_matthew_knight_arena_in_eu.html. Retrieved January 20, 2011. 
27. ^ Knutson, Ryan (February 8, 2008). "Arena report shows early skepticism". Oregon Daily Emerald. http://www.dailyemerald.com/2.2358/arena-report-shows-early-skepticism-1.195344. Retrieved January 20, 2011. 
28. ^ Gardner, Tim (November 8, 2010). "Oregon's new basketball court isn't just wood, it's art". USA TODAY. http://content.usatoday.com/communities/campusrivalry/post/2010/11/oregons-new-basketball-court-isnt-just-wood-its-art/1. Retrieved January 20, 2011. 

External links

• Oregon Ducks men's basketball at GoDucks.com