Former Duck Greats Return To Mac Court For Final Pac-10 Slate
12/19/09 | Women's Basketball
EUGENE, Ore. – Saying goodbye to 83-year old McArthur Court won't be easy, but today the University of Oregon Athletic Department announced its plan to celebrate the final Pac-10 Conference women's basketball season played at the famous facility.
Beginning with Oregon's Pac-10 opener on Friday, Jan. 1, 2010 against Washington, the UO will have commemorative ticket giveaways and honorary captains for the final nine games at the legendary site.
"The noise, atmosphere, and energy at Mac Court will be difficult to duplicate", UO Athletic Director Mike Bellotti said of the historic venue. "We would like to take the opportunity to celebrate the history that has been created over the past 83 years in this building."
Each Pac-10 game this season will have a pre-game ceremony featuring at least one honorary captain. In addition, the first 1,000 fans through the doors will receive a 3x7 commemorative ticket highlighting the accomplishments of the honorary captain(s) for that contest.
Single-game tickets are still available and can be purchased online by clicking here. In-person sales are available at the Casanova Center Ticket Office and via phone at 541-346-4461 (toll free: 1-800-WEB-FOOT).
WASHINGTON – Jan. 1, 2010
The festivities begin with the Oregon-Washington game on Friday, Jan. 1, when former UO great and current member of the WNBA's New York Liberty, Cathrine Kraayeveld, returns to Eugene. Kraayeveld led Oregon to its last NCAA Tournament appearance in 2005, and finished that season with All-District and Pac-10 First Team accolades after averaging 14.7 points and 8.3 rebounds per game. During her collegiate career at Oregon, she made two NCAA tournament appearances and won the WNIT title in 2002.
WASHINGTON STATE – Jan. 3, 2010
Former head coach Jody Runge will return to be the honorary captain for the Oregon-Washington State game on Sunday, Jan. 3. The Jody Runge era produced eight winning seasons, two Pac-10 championships and eight consecutive trips to the NCAA Tournament. Runge is the winningest coach in UO women's basketball history with a 160-73 record and .687 winning percentage. She coached three All-Americans and was named Pac-10 Coach of the Year twice.
CALIFORNIA – Jan. 21, 2010
Missy Croshaw, who played at the UO from 1991-94, will serve as the honorary captain for the Oregon-California game on Jan. 21, 2010. The Oregon women's basketball program's all-time three-point leader with 189 – a record current Oregon senior Taylor Lilley is closing in on – helped lead the Ducks to the second round of the NCAA Tournament during her senior year in 1994. During that season, Croshaw made 70 three-pointers. Her 417 career assists rank third all-time in program history.
STANFORD – Jan. 23, 2010
Debbie Sporcich will be Oregon's honorary captain for the Ducks' televised match up with Stanford on Jan. 23, 2010. Sporcich, who played for the Ducks from 1991-94, is a member of the Oregon Athletic Hall Fame. She was a Pac-10 First Team selection in 1994, after leading the Ducks to second round of the NCAA Tournament averaging a team-leading 15.6 points per game. In UO program history, Sporcich's 1,404 career points rank eighth all-time, and her 868 rebounds rank eighth.
OREGON STATE – Feb. 6, 2010
Lauri Landerholm will return to Mac Court for the second leg of the Civil War to serve as the game's honorary captain. Landerholm led the UO to two NCAA Tournament appearances with the Ducks, and during her senior season was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year in 1987. She is one of only two players in Oregon women's basketball program history to be given the honor. Landerholm was a three-time all-NorPac selection, and still holds the UO program record with 607 assists.
ARIZONA – Feb. 11, 2010
Oregon will be honored to bring back the first ever full-time coach of the UO women's basketball program when Elwin Heiny returns to Mac Court to serve as the honorary captain for the Oregon-Arizona game. During his 17 seasons, Heiny accumulated 310 wins, the most of any Oregon women's basketball coach in program history, and put together 13 winning seasons, seven postseason appearances, three trips to the NCAA tournament, two Northwest Women's Basketball League championships, two Northern Pacific Athletic Conference championships and one National Women's Invitational Tournament title.
A three-time NWBL Coach of the Year, Heiny instructed two-time Kodak All-American Bev Smith, as well as the program's first Pac-10 Player of the Year, Lauri Landerholm, when she took the honor in 1987.
ARIZONA STATE – Feb. 13, 2010
One of the most prolific players in Oregon history will return to Eugene to serve as the honorary captain for the UO-Arizona State game as Stefanie Kasperski will make her return to Mac Court. A member of the Oregon Athletic Hall of Fame, Kasperski remains one of the most prolific players in Oregon women's basketball history, ranking third all-time in both scoring (1,956 points) and rebounding (996). During her four-year career with the Ducks, Kasperski was a three-time Pac-10 First Team selection and a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American. Kasperski helped lead the Ducks to the second round of the NCAA Tournament as a freshman in 1987, and went on to lead the Ducks to a National Women's Invitational Tournament championship in 1989 after averaging 20.3 points and 9.5 rebounds per game as a junior. Saturday, Feb. 13 will also serve as two other important dates with alumni weekend and the UO's third annual support of the Women's Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone initiative.
USC – Feb. 25, 2010
One of only two players to receive the Pac-10 Player of the Year Award, Shaquala Williams, will return to McArthur Court to serve as the honorary captain for the Oregon-USC game. Williams played for Oregon from 1999-2003, and was both a two-time Kodak and Associated Press All-American. She was also Oregon's only Pac-10 Freshman of the Year in the history of the program after averaging 10.2 points per game and leading Oregon to its first ever Pac-10 championship in 1999. As a sophomore in 2000, Williams was named the Pac-10 Player of the Year after averaging 17.7 points and 4.3 assists per game, and leading the Ducks to a second straight Pac-10 championship in 2000. Her 1,478 points and 369 assists each rank sixth all-time in the UO record books, respectively, while her .839 free-throw percentage remains the top mark in program history.
UCLA – Feb. 27, 2010
A two-time Kodak All-American and three-time Northwest Basketball League Player of the Year, a former player and head coach, Bev Smith will be the honorary captain for the Oregon-UCLA game – the final Pac-10 women's basketball game to be played at Mac Court. Smith was a pioneer for women's athletics at the UO, playing from 1979-82. During her career, the Ducks made three postseason appearances and accumulated an astonishing record of 93-19. Smith remains the program's all-time leader in rebounds, steals and double-doubles and is second all-time in scoring.
