Out with the Old, In with the New

Peter E.

March 6, 2010 - 9:38 PM

It was a pretty significant week in Ducks athletics this week: opening of a new sports venue, closing of another, and the likely departure of a familiar face. All in all, it was a meaningful week in Ducks Athletics.

The first noteworthy event of the week was the Opening Day for Ducks baseball in the recently finished PK Park. The Ducks hosted Washington for two games on Tuesday and Wednesday, and I made my way over to the game to check out the brand new grounds. I visited PK Park last year, but the temporary bleachers detracted from the overall baseball experience. The finished product is definitely an improvement. My friend Mike and I wandered into the park through the right field entrance and ambled past the beer garden in right field (it was tempting but $6 beers prevented me from indulging). We then ascended a flight of stairs to the concourse level that stretches around the diamond. There were souvenir and food stands covered by a clean looking wood canopy that also covers the assigned seats (a nice feature for rainy days). It rained fairly hard Tuesday afternoon, but the weather cleared perfectly right before first pitch. Nonetheless, Mike and I decided to forgo the uncovered, wet student section for assigned seating. The game was well attended, but we tested different vantage points before settling down in the fifteenth row behind home plate. The game was pretty entertaining, and the Ducks took home the victory 6-2 with a productive first inning (scoring four runs) and some solid pitching.

With the opening of a new venue at the U of O, there came the closing of a beloved campus landmark: Mac Court. On a personal note, it was also my last basketball game as a student. It was a pretty sentimental evening with my last game in the Pit Crew, Senior Night for Joevan Catron and Tajuan Porter, and Mac Court's last game. The Ducks played a sloppy game against Washington State, but they comfortably beat the Cougars 74-66. Tajuan Porter hit a couple three pointers in the contest, and that makes him only five three pointers behind Salim Stoudamire for the Pac-10's all time record. The night was great to soak in Mac Court's atmosphere one last time and reflect on the great games and players I've had the privilege to watch over the past three years. I'm proud to say that Mac Court was the only basketball arena in my tenure at Oregon.

Finally, I learned after the game that this was probably Ernie Kent's last game as the coach of the Oregon Ducks. Local station KVAL Eugene reported that a source says that Ernie Kent was informed that he would be fired after the season on February 22nd, and he will coach through the end of the Pac-10 Tournament. As a fan, I'm ready for the change because I would like to see the Ducks become a regular tourney team year in and year out. Plus, the constant rumors and hope that Mark Few (of Gonzaga) will return to his alma mater to coach are titillating. I would really like to see a new face take this team to not just the tournament but go deep in it. It should make for an exciting spring as the search for a new coach begins. Mark Few and Tubby Smith (of Minnesota and formerly Kentucky) are high on the list, and I think either would be an excellent change. One way or another, there should be a lot of interest in the Oregon job. With experienced players, a new arena, and a new coach, I think there could be exciting things ahead for Ducks basketball.

Pictured above: Tajuan Porter gives the crowd a final bow in his Mac Court finale. Special thanks to Brian Davies of the Register Guard.