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SportsLine.com Report
July 14, 2000

Close call: Oregon keeps Kent

Notre Dame came calling, and Ernie Kent was willing to hear the Irish out. But, in the end, Kent opted to stay at Oregon, his alma mater and the team he took to the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

"After sitting down with Notre Dame, I felt that there were a lot of unfinished goals at the University of Oregon," Kent said in a UO release. "We both agreed that I still had a tremendous amount of passion and a very strong drive towards reaching those goals I have set for my program. Notre Dame and I felt that because of this commitment to Oregon that is still in my heart, it was best for both parties that they move in another direction at this time. "

Which means, Kent, and his highly regarded recruiting class will be in Eugene for the foreseeable future and Notre Dame reached into the America East to hire Mike Brey, a finalist for the job last year when Matt Doherty was hired.

Kent has accumulated a 54-35 record in three years at Oregon, including last season's 22-8 mark which represented the school's most wins since 1944-45. He guided the program to a third-place league finish behind only Stanford and Arizona with its most Pacific-10 Conference victories ever (13), as well as consecutive post-season tournament appearances for the first time in more than 20 years.

A Glance at 2001

Oregon fans had better have enjoyed this year's tournament run, since next year looks like a rebuilding season with Darius Wright, A.D. Smith and Alex Scales will leave via graduation. That means Oregon will have to replace its leading scorer (Scales), leading rebounder (Smith), and floor general (Wright), leaving only the inconsistent Frederick Jones and the limited Flo Hartenstein as returning starters.

And many of the reserves who might be expected to step into starting roles next year are unproven, save for Bryan Bracey, who has done enough to show that he can probably adequately replace Smith next year at power forward.

Kent, however, seems to have the Oregon program in the right direction and any dip figures to be relatively brief.

The Coach

When he turned down the Irish, it seemed to confirm what many had thought was the case for some time: Kent seems more than happy to stay in Eugene for some time. Remember, Kent stayed at St. Mary's for six years and coached for seven years in Saudi Arabia, so he is not your classic climber.

Who'll be Back

Jones and Hartenstein will be the returning starters and every reserve will also be back. However, only Bracey of the reserves has been a consistent contributor, and the Ducks will be expecting some major improvement from the rest.

David Jackson would seem to have the most potential. A native of Portland, Jackson was a member of Utah's 1998 team that reached the national title game, playing in all but two games for the Utes as a reserve guard. He then transferred to Oregon, sat out last year, then missed most of this year due to injury. Jackson was a big scorer in high school and big things were expected before the injuries.

Jackson figures to get first crack at replacing Scales in the starting lineup.

Julius Hicks was the subject of a heated recruiting battle with Washington, but so far hasn't proven worth the effort. Maybe another summer in the weight room and a year of experience will do the trick.

Ben Lindquist and Anthony Norwood are each combo guards who could step in for either Wright or Scales. And maybe the Christoffersen project will begin to pay off.

The big key next year, however, could be incoming freshman Luke Ridnour of Blaine, Wash., a McDonald's All-American who is the most highly touted player Kent has signed at Oregon. Ridnour will be given every opportunity to step in immediately at point guard.

Who's Gone

Smith, Scales and Wright will all be gone and they will be hard to replace. Oregon is likely to be looking at a season in which a .500 record and an NIT bid will be more realistic goals than contending for the Pac-10 title.

Key Newcomers

While Oregon does suffer some heavy losses, the Ducks are also bringing in some solid replacements, particularly in Ridnour.

• PG Luke Ridnour (6-2, Fr.): A McDonald's All-American who plays with a flair that has drawn comparisons to Pete Maravich.
• SG James Davis (5-10): Might have a chance to step in immediately to replace Scales. He didn't have the greatest senior season, however, and was generally regarded as a step below Ridnour and several others in what was a strong year for guards in the state of Washington.

Others

Oregon also signed 6-5 forward Luke Jackson of Creswell, Ore., and 6-9 forward Jay Anderson of Faribault, Minn., in the early signing period.