Oregon Ducks Basketball

Three years ago, Aaron Brooks was a troubled junior point guard at the University of Oregon.  After being kicked out of a Pacific-10 tournament game against Washington for intentionally elbowing Ryan Appleby in the face.  Now he is running one of the premier teams in the Western Conference. 

Brooks was a Mcdonald's All-American coming out of Seattle's Franklin High School and chose to play his college ball at Oregon. Brooks came in with high expectations but failed to deliver through his first three years.

Brooks would be seen arguing with coach Ernie Kent during games, choosing to run what he felt like instead of what the coach wanted. After the ejection in the Pac 10 tournament and a major change in his personal life things would change for Brooks.

After his junior season, Brooks and his wife Tisa had their first child. This seemed to flip a switch in Brooks' personal life and his game as he approached basketball much differently then he had before.

The young kid who used be selfish and play out of control had disappeared and a new more mature Brooks stepped to the forefront.

Brooks led the Ducks to a 23-7 record his senior season that included a Pac 10 Tournament title and a run to the Elite Eight. Thought undersized, he felt he could make it at the next level.

At the 2007 NBA Draft the Houston Rockets selected Brooks in the first round at No. 26 overall. Brooks immediately made it known that he was the real deal.

He got his first professional action in the summer league following the draft, averaging 21 points and five assists while shooting 41 percent from behind the three point line.

Heading into the 2008 season, Brooks had played a good amount as a rookie and was able to learn from a veteran in Rafer Alston. Brooks playing time increased throughout the season until a couple of weeks ago when Alston was traded to Orlando at the trade deadline. Brooks was elevated to the starting job and has not looked back.

After an intentional elbow and the birth of his first child, Brooks has grown into a mature person as well as a mature player. Expect to see Brooks as the main ball handler for the Rockets long into the future.

The Oregon Ducks' men's basketball team, although young, has surpassed many milestones already this season. They won their first home, away, and non-conference game of the season. However, they still had not won their first conference game until yesterday.

The Oregon Ducks rallied behind the always faithful McArthur Court crowd and topped the Stanford Cardinal 68-60.

The Ducks were led by a trio of double-figure scorers. Freshman center Michael Dunigan led the Ducks with 14 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard LeKendric Longmire contributed 11 points and six rebounds, and junior forward Joevan Catron tallied 10 points and a team-high four assists.

The young Ducks have finally won their first conference game. That is a huge milestone for a team so young. Give props to all the players not just the aforementioned three.

That being said, this first conference win should have come a long, long time ago. Before the season started, I said that the keys to an Oregon win were Tajaun Porter's ability to play off the ball, and Dunigan's and Josh Crittle's ability to stay out of foul trouble.

These goals have been unmet this season. One could say this is the result of inexperienced players, but this inexperience could be overcome by a good coach.

This brings me to my next point, which I have been advocating for for the past three years. Ernie Kent is the reason that the Ducks have only won one conference game and are currently 7-20, not the youth of the team.

Need an example of how a coach can win with young players? Look at Ken Bone of Portland State. In his four seasons as head coach of the Portland State Vikings, he has recorded only one losing season. He is also on track to take the Vikings to their second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, a feat rarely heard of in Portland State athletics.

He has taken players that, simply put, are not the most sought-after recruits in the nation and has turned them into winners. Jeremiah Dominguez, at 5'6" is the reigning Big Sky Player of the Year. How often do you hear of a player below 5'10'' winning such an award?

Do you need another example? Take Craig Robinson of Oregon State. Last season, the Beavers set the record for the worst Pac-10 record ever in a season, 0-16. In only his first season as the head coach of Oregon State, he has led the Beavers to seven conference victories, a great surprise to even the most faithful Beaver fans.

Ernie Kent can sweet talk highly sought-after recruits into donning the "Thunder Green" and "Lightning Yellow," but aside from that, that is all he can do.

Had Oregon bought out Kent's contract following his pitiful coaching performance against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and brought in a much better coach, Oregon would have more than one conference victory.

Again, congratulations to the young Oregon Ducks for winning their first conference game. The players, who have worked hard all year, deserve it. But the coach, who has not worked hard to develop his young players, does not deserve it.

He does not deserve his four-year contract extension. He does not deserve to stay in five-star hotels on recruiting trips. He does not deserve the high life of recruiting, while his assistants do all the work behind the scenes.

Kent most likely will be fired after this season, which will be a great rebuilding move for Ducks basketball. Hopefully, Oregon brings in a good coach. Pat Killkenny's days as athletic director are numbered. If he wants to be remembered not as the guy who killed wrestling and brought back baseball but as the guy who saved Oregon Ducks basketball from fading into the depths of Division I mockery, he must make the right decision.

And he must make it this offseason!

Washington State (13-11, 5-7) played a home game on the hardwood of Friel Court the way a Pac-10 team is supposed to. Thursday night, the Cougs ran out to a 19-2 lead over the Oregon Ducks (6-18, 0-12), then coasted to victory 67-38.

Coach Tony Bennett's team came out ready to play.

Time and time again in the first half, WSU manned up on defense, forcing the Ducks to go deep into the shot clock before attempting a shot.

Defense was the key to this game.

Once the Cougs established their Bennett Ball defense, they shot the basketball with tremendous confidence.

For the first time in his college career, freshman Klay Thompson was able to play in front of his father, Mychal Thompson the former No. 1 player selected in the NBA draft by the Portland Trailblazers.

Klay responded with a second 20 plus point game this season. He finished with a game-high 25 points that included a smooth stroking five of six from behind the arc.

The waning seconds of the first half epitomized the way this game went for Coach Ernie Kent and his Ducks.

Oregon closed the score to 29-15 in favor of WSU and had the ball with less than 30 seconds before intermission. A bucket would have given the Ducks something positive to take into the locker room. 

It wasn't going to happen.

Washington State smothered Oregon with a tenacious defense that completely took them out of their offense. Just a blink before the horn sounded the end of the half, the Ducks were still trying to get a shot off.

It didn't happen.

Four minutes into the second half, senior Aron Baynes, playing in front of his parents who have traveled up from Australia to see his remaining games, made his third consecutive bucket in the paint. That put the Cougs up 37-15.

Four minutes into the second half marks the point where Washington State removed any heart the Ducks had left.

Game over.

Midway through the second half, Oregon had more team fouls than team points.

How bad was it for Coach Kent's team?

Oregon's previous season low in scoring was 52 points against Arizona, a team not known for their defense.

Pick your own adjective to describe their 38 point performance.

The Ducks were held to an abysmal 21 percent shooting on 10-48 from the field.

Contrast that with WSU who shot 57 percent on 21-37.

If Washington State wants a shot at an invitation to postseason play, they need to finish their schedule strong. This win over Oregon is a step in the right direction.

For tonight, savor the victory. 

Tomorrow, prepare for the next challenge. Oregon State will be coming to Pullman expecting to pick up a road win.

Coach Bennett continued doing what his team needs to be strong over these final games. His young guns, Thompson and DeAngelo Casto, played well again tonight. Mike Harthun played some quality minutes, as did Abe Lodwick and Marcus Capers. 

As the young guns go, so goes Washington State over their final games of the regular season.

Seriously.

Coach Tony Bennett's Washington State Cougars (12-11, 4-7) limped home last week after suffering consecutive losses to Stanford and Cal. They have their work cut out hosting the Oregon schools this week in Pullman, WA.

First up for the Cougs will be Coach Ernie Kent's Oregon Ducks (6-17, 0-11).

Though the Ducks were not expected to be a team finishing in the upper half of the Pac-10 this season, no one predicted they would be 11 games into the conference schedule and still looking for their first win. 

Looking at Oregon basketball this season will have you scratching your head.

Coach Kent is not only one of the best coaches in the Pac-10, he has the most longevity following the retirement of Coach Lute Olsen at the beginning of this season. That said, coaching shouldn't be a problem.

Two of the returning starters from the Ducks squad of a year ago, Tajuan Porter and Joevan Catron, are outstanding Division I players. That should have been a plus.

Coach Kent convinced one of the top high school players in the country to wear one the ugliest uniforms in college basketball. Michael Dunigan is as good as advertised.

Yet, Oregon basketball this season is a mystery.

So what might have been, in terms of success, now has become more like a Magical Mystery Tour for Oregon. From the tone and level of grumbling in Eugene, this might just turn out to be a farewell tour for Coach Kent.

When there is mystery surrounding a basketball program that is temporarily floundering, that's the current/conventional wisdom to resolve the struggle.

Fire the head coach.

If things are going poorly for Oregon now, one can't expect a change in coaches to improve the situation. There just aren't many coaches out there who would prove to be a legitimate upgrade over one of the best in the Pac-10.

So what does all of that have to do with the game tomorrow night?

The Ducks will be stepping on to Friel Court Thursday night with every expectation to win. If Coach Bennett's team doesn't play sound, solid basketball, the Ducks will get their wish...a win.

When the two teams met up weeks ago, WSU earned a victory by turning in a record setting performance in Eugene.

In the 74-62 victory in their previous meeting, Washington State made all 28 free throws attempts, setting a Pac-10 record in the process. Senior Taylor Rochestie led the way at the charity stripe by knocking down 16 consecutive free throws, tying the WSU school record.

The Cougs score more than 70 points in a game as often as the stock market registers a gain this year. It happens, just not with any regularity.

Should you be a history buff, Oregon bested WSU 21 out of 22 games between 1997 and 2007. Part of that history includes the coach during that span. Yes, the head man was the embattled Coach Kent. The current streak of four consecutive wins belongs to Coach Bennett and the Cougs.

The young guns of Washington State will need to make one adjustment to reverse their performance trend at home in Pullman. They have to focus on playing their game and block out the reality of family, friends and fans in the stands watching them play.

Focus.

Do that and they will complete a season sweep of Oregon.

Seriously.

With the NCAA regular season over halfway completed, it is time to analyze the progress of each team and see what improvements could be made, and what things must be done to grasp the pinnacle that is the postseason, be it the NIT or the Big Dance.

That said, let's put the Oregon Ducks—a very talented, very capable, yet struggling team, under the microscope. What will it take for the Ducks to finally earn their first Pac-10 victory in 2009?

The Oregon Ducks do not consistently earn berths to the Big Dance. During the Ernie Kent coaching era at Oregon, the Ducks have only two consecutive NCAA Tournament appearances.

When the recruiting class for the 2008-2009 season was announced, many sports analysts and Duck faithful were instantly filled with high hopes for the coming season. Oregon had milked the Chicago area for all it was worth, nabbing five-star big man Michael Dunigan and four-star big man Josh Crittle, along with four-star shooting guard Matthew Humphrey.

The Ducks also flocked as far as Georgia to sign four-star shooting guard Teondre Williams. And of course, UO protected it's state border and signed two of the state's four-star recruits in point guard Garrett Sim and small forward Drew Wiley.

Despite the mix of veteran leadership and the aforementioned recruiting class, the Ducks have struggled mightily this season. They are winless in the Pac-10 and 6-17 overall.

Many fans were expecting the Ducks to experience major growing pains this season, but not many expected the Ducks would be 11 games under .500—and still have yet to record a conference victory with less than a month left in the season.

The most dangerous player on this Ducks team is undeniably junior point guard Tajuan Porter. The only major setback with Porter is his height. Standing at 5'6'', Porter is not exactly your typical college point guard. As a matter of fact, Porter is really a shooting guard trapped in a high school point guard's body.

We all remember Porter's freshman season when he broke the Pac-10 record for most three-pointers hit in a single season. Ever since his monster freshman year, Porter has battled inconsistency and bench time.

Why has Porter fallen into what appears to be a two-season slump?

The main reason—as a freshman, Porter started at shooting guard, playing off the ball thanks to the heroics of senior point guard Aaron Brooks, who now plays for the Houston Rockets.

When Porter is able to play off the ball, he becomes much more of a threat because he is able to move around more and catch the ball off a pick, negating his height disadvantage.

So, how can the Ducks work their offense to let Porter play off the ball? Certainly, someone needs to step up in a big way.

Garrett Sim, the freshman point guard out of Portland's Sunset High School, showed during the preseason that he is capable of running the offense, evidenced by big numbers in points and assists.

However, since conference play began, Sim has looks rattled and afraid.

One big advantage for Sim is that he has recorded invaluable playing time as a freshman—something he most likely would not have earned if he had stuck with his original commitment to California. Being "thrown to the wolves" out of the gate has given him valuable experience that he can draw upon and learn from during the offseason.

Another candidate is sophomore point guard Kamyron Brown. He saw significant playing time as a freshmen last season, but needs to mature quickly if he wants to help the Ducks succeed.

Another factor for the Ducks' misfortunes this season is that Oregon has failed to fill the hole vacated by last year's leading rebounder and shot-blocker Maarty Leunen. He currently plays in the Turkish leagues, but his draft rights are still held by the Houston Rockets.

How can the Ducks bridge the gap?

Two players have the power to do so—Michael Dunigan and Josh Crittle. This is a lot of pressure to place on the shoulders of two true freshmen, but if the Ducks wish to finish their season with a measure of respectability, then these two immensely talented (albeit raw talent) individuals need to mature quickly.

The main problem with both players is that they are very prone to foul problems before they can make a significant impact on the outcome of a game. Most of these fouls have been committed by trying to block opposing teams' shots.

Solution?

Block the shots the right way. Contest the shots by holding your arms straight up in the air, and let the ball come to you—not the other way around.

Ask current Trail Blazer and former Ohio State center Greg Oden about blocking shots. The rookie center has been in foul trouble for most of his rookie season. But now that he has learned to block shots properly, his fouls have decreased drastically.

So, to sum up, the Oregon Ducks must do two things in order to win a conference game.

Sim or Brown needs to step up his game, and take on the point guard position so that Porter can play off the ball and be much more effective than he's been thus far.

Secondly, Dunigan and Crittle need to mature quickly and become the inside presences that we all know they can become.

If this formula is followed correctly, the Ducks will have passed the test by winning a conference game.

There is not much time left as eight regular-season games remain, so the Ducks must work quickly if they want to earn that elusive Pac-10 win.

Earlier today, the Oregon Ducks fell short yet again, losing to conference rival Arizona by 10 points, and dropped to 0-11 in Pac-10 games this season.

There have been many "reasons" declared for why this year's edition of the Oregon Ducks Mens Basketball team is experiencing troubles. Fans and sports analysts across the country have commented on the Ducks youth.

Granted, eight freshmen are on the roster, which totals to more than 50 percent of the team, but this is not the reason why the Ducks are under-performing this season.

All of Oregon's problems relate to one, obvious blemish, Head Coach Ernie Kent. Kent has coached at Oregon for 14 years. He is the winning-est head coach in Oregon Men's Basketball history. He has "led" the Ducks to five NCAA tournament berths, and two NIT appearances.

While this résumé appears very impressive, when one reads between the lines, and scavanges through the history of each tournament berth, the evidence is very clear. All but one of Ernie Kent's postseason appearances have been because of a senior leader on the team.

Let me make a few things straight. I am not saying that Kent should lose his job because his team does not hold a senior leader. If we look into history, we'll see my point.

As mentioned before, all but one of Kent's tournament appearances have had one thing in common, a senior leader. The only exception was the 2002 appearance when PG Luke Ridnour was a junior.

Yes, seniors should be good players, and leaders, but the fact that players like Luke Jackson, Aaron Brooks, Malik Hairston, Bryce Taylor, and Maarty Leunen all came to full potential their senior years does not seem very attractive given the fact that all of these players were highly-rated, very sought after recruits.

Kent does not find diamonds in the rough. If there is any credit to his coaching career, it is through is charisma. Kent has brought in more four and five star recruits in his coaching career than all past Oregon coaches combined.

While it's all fine and dandy to bring in great recruits, it does a team no good if these players do not improve during their college careers.

This brings me to my next point. Kent can recruit with the best coaches in the country, but when it comes to coaching and player development, Kent becomes an eyesore.

Take Malik Hairston for example. Hairston played high school basketball before pre-college players were prohibited from entering the NBA Draft. Hairston was considered the best G/F recruit in the country during his senior season, and one of the best overall recruits.

He was considering entering the NBA Draft, but instead chose to attend the University of Oregon.

Many fans and sports analysts expected that the combination of Oregon's 2003 and 2004 recruiting classes, which included Aaron Brooks, Mitch Platt, Ray Schafer, Kenny Love, Malik Hairston, Maarty Leunen, Churchill Odia, Chamberlain Oguchi, and Bryce Taylor, where none of these recruits received a rating below three stars, would bring countless Pac-10 championships, and quite possibly, and second NCAA championship.

The Ducks won the first ever NCAA Men's Basketball Championship in 1939.

Instead, the Ducks experienced many troubles. Three star big men Platt and Schafer rarely saw playing time. The sharpshooting Oguchi transferred after his sophomore season due to his lack of playing time. The "Fab Four" of Brooks, Hairston, Taylor, and Leunen never saw career seasons until their respective senior years.

Does it not seem blazingly obvious? Kent can recruit as evidenced, but he cannot develop his talent. We can also talk about his incompetency in in-game coaching. Just ask the 2007-2008 Oregon Ducks team.

The Ducks received an at-large bid into the big dance after an above average season, and an impressive, although short lived, Pac-10 tournament run.

The Ducks played their first round game against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. Most of the sports world picked the Ducks to win the game, and for most of the contest, it looked like the Ducks would live to play another day. But during the last half of the second half, Kent's incompetency revealed itself.

Oregon was getting killed in the categories of points in the paint, rebounding, and blocked shots. Kent had two talented, though rarely used big men in Platt and Schafer. Instead of bring them in to help the Ducks on both sides of the ball, Kent stuck with a smaller lineup. Leunen at 6'8'' was the tallest player of the floor.

Even though Oregon had built a comfortable lead in the first half, their disadvantages aforementioned ended up costing them the game.

If you need more examples, look at games that have occurred this season, mainly the past three games for the Ducks against hated rival Oregon State, and the two Arizona schools, Arizona State and Arizona.

In all three of these games, Oregon either had a small lead, or was down by less than ten points. Once the second half started however, Oregon fell into a slump each and every game. Instead of noticing this and changing the game-plan to help his team, Kent did not change a thing, and as known, the Ducks lost each game.

The Ducks should not be winless in the Pac-10. Moreover, they should not have a sub .500 record. Do I think that the Ducks should be undefeated, no. Do I think that they should be at least a few games over .500, yes.

Oregon's 2008 recruiting class was one of the best in school history. The class of Michael Dunigan, Josh Crittle, Matthew Humphrey, Teondre Williams, Garrett Sim, and Drew Wiley brought a huge sense of hope and faith into the Ducks team. The loss of the "Big Three", Hairston, Taylor, and Leunen, seemed to have been made up for.

Instead, the Ducks find themselves at 0-11 in Pac-10 play, and 6-17 on the season.

Yes, the Ducks are a very young team. But team leaders such as juniors Tajaun Porter and Joevan Catron have yet to reach their full potential.

If this all is not enough to convince one of Kent's abysmal coaching abilities, all one needs to do is look at Oregon's team huddles during time outs. One will see Oregon players gathered around a clipboard, with a play being drawn out.

But who is talking? Who is coaching the team? Kent's mouth is seen unopened. Instead it is his assistants that are coaching the team, not Kent.

All I can say is, is that if Oregon State Head Coach Craig Robinson can win conference games with the talent level he has, and Ernie Kent still has yet to win a conference game with the talent level he has, then there is something very wrong with the picture. It shows one how good of a coach Robinson is, and how insignificant of a coach Kent is.

What will it take for Oregon's athletic department to finally realize that Kent is not the coach that will bring home a NCAA championship for the Ducks? What will it take for the alumni association to donate enough money to buy out Kent's contract?

If the Oregon Ducks do not want their amazingly talented but raw recruiting class to go to waste, like most of Kent's recruiting classes have, then Kent needs to be fired immediately. Let one of Kent's assistants take the wheel for the rest of the season. The recruiting is not strongly needed this season.

Then the Ducks can focus their offseason attentions on hiring a new coach. One who can recruit, and progress players quickly. Names like Gonzaga's Mark Few, or Portland State's Ken Bone fit the coaching description of Oregon's needs perfectly.

Unless Kent is fired now, or unless his contract is bought out now, Oregon will be listening to the broken record epitome that is Kent's coaching career: Mediocrity to below average seasons 90 percent of the time, with an NCAA or NIT appearance occasionally.

The time for action is now. Make the right decision, Oregon.

The Stanford Cardinal will take on the Oregon Ducks tonight when Pac-10 action resumes at Maples Pavilion.

Oregon will be looking for their first win in conference play tonight, as they are still winless with an 0-6 record in the Pac-10. Stanford will try to even their conference record at 3-3.

The leading scorer on Stanford is their shooting guard, Anthony Goods. Goods averages 17.3 points a game. Power forward Lawrence Hill is their main cog in the paint, and he averages 14.7 points and 6.1 rebounds a game.

Stanford will either start Will Paul or Josh Owens at center tonight. Neither of these players has contributed much scoring.

Owens averages 9.3 points a game so far this year, but his average in Pac-10 games is only 4.6.

Paul and Owens must contend tonight with 6'10" freshman center Michael Dunigan of the Ducks. Dunigan is a talented freshman, but he needs to stay out of foul trouble.

Dunigan has fouled out of two of the last three games.

Tonight should be a good time for Stanford to give the ball more to Owens in the paint and see if he can score more than he has recently. Dunigan will be a tough challenge for him, but Owens has the talent to get Dunigan in foul trouble.

Oregon lost three scorers to graduation after last season, and the roster is filled with a lot of underclassmen.

The leading scorer for the Ducks is 5'6" guard Tajuan Porter, who averages 13.2 points a game.

Stanford's point guard, Mitch Johnson, did a very good job last Saturday night against Cal's speedy guard, Jerome Randle, and he should be able to contain Porter as well.

Porter was more effective last season when he was not the primary scorer for the Ducks.

Tonight's game should be very high scoring since both these teams rank at the bottom of the Pac-10 in both scoring defense and field goal percentage defense. Oregon gives up 76.9 points a game, while Stanford gives up 66.5 a game.

Oregon has eight freshmen on their roster, and they will have a hard time competing against a tough Stanford team in a hostile environment.

Look for a possible blowout tonight as Stanford scores over 80 points.

The Ducks might keep it competitive early on, but Stanford's team is just more experienced than Oregon's.

The world of sports has become increasingly competitive. Today, coaches of every sport can be either be granted a major contract extension, or a noose depending on the outcome of a single season.

The University of Oregon's Men's Basketball Team is currently winless in the Pac-10, and have yet to win a single conference game. Even the Ducks' hated rivals, the Oregon State Beavers, who did not win a single conference game the previous season, have managed to win one contest this season.

Granted, half of Oregon's roster is made up of either true or redshirt freshman, but the Ducks also have players with much experience. Team "leaders" such as Tajuan Porter, Joevan Catron, LeKendric Longmire, Churchill Odia, and Kamyron Brown, have been close to non-existent in conference play.

Earlier in the conference season, due to the abysmal play of starters Joevan Catron and Tajuan Porter, Coach Kent decided to bench them. While this conflict has said to have been "resolved" it still does not answer the many questions surrounding this team

There are many visible problems with the Oregon Ducks this season. They have failed to fill the void left by three of last year's starters, Malik Hairston, Bryce Taylor, and Maarty Leunen. Tajuan Porter, who as a freshman, set the Pac-10 record for most three-point shots scored, has been non-existent this season. Joevan Catron, who has been somewhat hampered due to injury this season, has also not shown consistent play this season.

Earlier in the non-conference season, Catron lit both the scoreboard and stat sheets, making the Alabama Crimson Tide's defense look silly. Ever since then, Catron has not played with the same spark.

There are many more problems facing this Oregon Ducks team, but for each problem, there is one, obviously common denominator, and that is Oregon's Head Coach, Ernie Kent.

I will give Kent credit in one area, and one area only, and that is recruiting. Kent can recruit with the best coaches in the NCAA. His charisma in unmatched by any other coach in the Pac-10. He can walk into a living room of a high school basketball player, and sweet talk them into attending the University of Oregon.

Other than recruiting, Kent fails as a coach. He cannot manage a game to save his career. He cannot tap into the potential of, or progress the talent of his players. Kent can recruit. Oh yes, he can recruit. But aside from that, he is useless as a coach.

Yes, Oregon's roster is made up of mostly freshmen. Yes, Oregon lost their three best players in Hairston, Taylor, and Leunen last season. Yes, some players have been hampered by injury this season. But to have immensely talented juniors in Catron and Porter, a talented senior in Churchill Odia, and LeKendric Longmire, a sophomore with unmatched leadership qualities, and still have yet to win a single game in the Pac-10 is inexcusable.

Oregon's athletic department made the wrong move by granting Kent a four year contract extension. With Oregon's affluent alumni association, amazing facilities, and a sugar daddy in Phil Knight, it would have been all too easy to have bought out Kent's contract last season, and hired a much more capable head coach.

Now, Oregon must face the consequences of the athletic department's actions.

Oregon has an immensely talented freshman class in Michael Dunigan, Matthew Humphrey, Teondre Williams, Josh Crittle, Garrett Sim, Drew Wiley, Nicholas Fearn, and John Elorriaga. If the Ducks want to make sure that this crop of talent goes un-wasted, like other past classes, then the athletic department should make the correct move after this season, which would be to buy out Kent's contract, and hire the RIGHT person to coach this loaded Oregon Ducks team.

Then, and only then, will the Oregon Ducks be able to advance out of mediocrity, and be considered a force to be reckoned with in the Pac-10.

First things first, I expected the Ducks to get beaten easily by a more physical and experienced Alabama team in the first game.

Since they wound up blowing them out, I have to say... no matter the result of the other two games...this tourney was a success for the Ducks. We watched a young team grow by leaps and bounds.

A few things I have to mention...

I believe for the first time in the EK era we will actually have big men who win games for us, not just lose them. That's crazy! Dunigan is the real deal and ready to play.

I had doubts about his ability to perform against good teams, but after watching him in Maui, I have no doubt he will be a force come Pac-10 season. Crittle is a beast and with a little bit of polish he and MD will be a force next year.

The play of Dunigan is also huge for Kent recruiting other big men to come and play at Oregon. In the past I'm sure any half-decent big man that the Ducks were fighting to recruit would be told by any other coach, "Hey don't go to Oregon, Ernie has never sent a player over 6-6 to the NBA."

Well, I think that knock on the program is just about over. This bodes very well for the future.

Garrett Sim is impressive. He took a few ill-advised shots, but so did everyone else. He seems calm under defensive pressure, knows how to run the offense, and I think if he learns how to attack the hoop a la Ridnour we're going to have a star at PG.

In three years a starting line-up with Garrett Sim, Mike Humphrey, Teondre Williams, Josh Crittle, and Mike Dunigan (please stay) will be an competing for the Pac-10 championship.

I love Tajuan Porter, but you can't deny he hurts more then he helps. He's a huge liability defensively. He is too easy to shoot over, and he gets lost on way to many screens. And right now he is not even scoring.

Everyone says he needs a strong PG to play off of, and I agree with that, but I also think there is more to it than that. A player like Porter is almost more of a supplement to the offense than he is the offense.

In 2006-07, the team had an offensive identity that didn't go through Porter, so he was just able to take advantage of what other defenses would give him. It wasn't forced, and it didn't have to be because other teams were concerned with Brooks, Hairston, Leunen, and Taylor.

It's really very simple. Porter can't create and that's why I think he shouldn't be starting. He should come off the bench, which will force the Ducks to create an offensive identity not going through him, and then he can come off the bench and give the Ducks an offensive spark when needed.

It'll take pressure off of him and give him a better chance to have an impact in the way we need him to. Ernie will never do this unless things get really bad, but he's holding the team back and we will be a better team in the long run if he does.

LeKendric Longmire can be a star, but he needs to grow three inches, and if he was three inches taller, he'd probably be playing for Duke. Dang.

Did the Ducks ever make the defense rotate and take advantage in this entire tournament? It seemed like the Ducks whole offense was either dumping it down low, driving recklessly into the heart of the defense, or jacking up a three off of a screen.

How about they use a double screen, swing the ball around, and force the D to play catch up while we hit the open man?

A lesson in patience I guess.

The Oregon Ducks are having the same problems that plagued them last year, and it was a head scratcher when Ernie Kent, instead of being let go, was signed to a contract extension. He had a solid veteran team last year, and to say they were a disappointment is an understatement.

The Ducks were coming off their NCAA tournament run the previous year, and there were high expectations for the team. Ernie Kent has a similar approach to Don Nelson, so his players have a green light to shoot. Last year the Ducks had a solid core of shooters in Maarty Leunen, Malik Hairston, Tajuan Porter, and Bryce Taylor.

The start of this year has been the same story for the Ducks. They are currently 3-3 on the season, with losses to Texas, North Carolina, and Oakland. They have wins over Northern Carolina, UC Irvine, and Alabama.

This year the Ducks' leader is Tajuan Porter, who is currently the second-leading scorer for the Ducks. He is the leader of the team pretty much by default because he's a junior and their most experienced player. 

The leading scorer for the Ducks is heralded freshman Michael Dunigan at 15 points per game, and he's also their best rebounder at 8.2 rebounds per game. Dunigan is a load at 6'10", 250 pounds. The problem, though, is Kent not being able to incorporate Dunigan into the offense.

The problem with the Ducks and why this season will be a long one for Duck fans is this: The Ducks take too many three-pointers, just like they did last year. As mentioned before, every Duck player on the court has a green light to shoot.

What Duck fans may have noticed is that Porter on any type of occasion will shoot the three. In fact, he averages over seven attempts per game while making a little over two per game.

His shot has been off all year, as he's shooting only 30.6 percent from the field, as well as 30.6 percent from the three-point line. His best feature this year has been his free throw shooting, which is at 90 percent from the line.

Here's why Kent wasn't the best option for the Ducks as coach. Yes, he's brought the Ducks to respectability, but he's worn out his welcome in Eugene.

The reason is since every player has the green light, the Ducks' shot selection has been poor. They take threes in transition that are just bad shots, their leader Porter lives or dies from beyond the arc, and they have not shown the ability to dump the ball to their best player in the post to let him create shots for his teammates.

If Kent wants to keep his job, he's going to need Porter to be more disciplined in shot selection. The problem for Porter is that he can't drive fully to the basketball very well because of how short he is, but if he would develop a midrange game and take higher percentage shots, he would show that Kent is actually trying to do something to make his team better.

Porter did have a pump fake and then stepped inside the line for a swish, but he has to do that more than just once to become more effective and start shooting for a higher percentage, which will help the Ducks win games.

If Kent somehow doesn't teach Porter to have better shot selection, the season is going to be a long one. The best Oregon can hope to finish in the Pac-10 is number eight.