First Day of UO's Final Four Experience Includes Visit With Kobe

GLENDALE, Ariz. — Late Wednesday night, a few hours after arriving in Phoenix for the Final Four, the Oregon men's basketball team assembled in a hotel meeting room for what players thought was a film session.

Instead, head coach Dana Altman introduced Nike's senior director of college basketball sports marketing, Eric Lautenbach. He spoke to the Ducks about Nike's brand, and expressed pride in the way they'd represented it, while winning the Pac-12 regular season co-championship and successfully navigating the first four rounds of the NCAA Tournament.

As Lautenbach spoke, another representative of the Nike brand snuck into the back of the room, unbeknownst to the Ducks. Then, Lautenbach called to the front of the room that person: all-time NBA great Kobe Bryant.

"Everybody was speechless," UO junior Jordan Bell recalled Thursday, prior to Oregon's first on-site practice for Saturday's Final Four matchup with North Carolina. "I stood up like, 'Yo!' and went to shake his hand.

"LeBron's my favorite player and I met him this summer, and it was nothing like meeting Kobe. It was crazy — 10 times better."

Bryant, the NBA's third all-time leading scorer and an 18-time All-Star, spent around 15 minutes speaking to the Ducks, taking questions from the team and posing for photos.

"At first when he came in, you just felt his presence," UO junior Dillon Brooks said. "He's a Hall of Famer, one of the greatest players to ever play. So everybody was in shock for a second. But once he started talking, I focused in, and wanted to really take in what he was saying."

Brooks' major takeaway was when Bryant touched on "thinking the game — that's what I've been priding myself on this year, really thinking the game. And to know his mindset, how he thinks, really touched me. I want to be the same way."

Sophomore Tyler Dorsey thought back to a similar experience he had at a high school All-Star game, featuring Michael Jordan. In both cases, Dorsey was struck by their passion for preparation.

"He's a freak about it," Dorsey said. "When I started listening to him, it was similar to when I was listening to Jordan. They've got the same mentality."

Bell took to heart Bryant's message to the Ducks about playing on the big stage of the Final Four at University of Phoenix Stadium.

"He treats every game the same, whether it's the first game of the season or Game 7 of the Finals," Bell said. "He tried not to change anything, just keep doing what you're doing.

"When you have too much emotion, your legs start moving faster than your mind. You're moving at a speed you're not used to, and he said that's when people tire themselves out."

After addressing the team, Bryant invited the Ducks to pose questions for him — and they collectively froze, Bell said. Eventually he asked one — about balancing preparation with staying fresh for games — and then a second, before teammates began to chime in.

Then, each of the Ducks was presented with a pair of the new Kobe NXT sneakers. While his teammates rose to accept the new shoes, Bell took the chance for a one-on-one interaction with Bryant that he'll never forget.

"I was like, those shoes are still going to be there," Bell said. "Kobe's not."

Oregon's locker room in University of Phoenix Stadium — the same locker room used by the UO football team for the Fiesta Bowl following the 2012 season — is decked out with images of the team on the walls, and two video game systems.

When the team first saw it Thursday, they boisterously marveled at its lavishness, and documented the moment on their social media feeds. Amidst the hooting and hollering, Altman sidled up to Brooks.

"So much for keeping the same routine," Altman joked with the Pac-12 player of the year.

"I've been getting on him about limiting distractions — and he's been doing a terrible job of it," Brooks joked a few minutes later, when asked about that interaction. "But he has no control over it, and I just like to joke around. This venue is crazy, and the 'Oregon' stuff all over the place is amazing. I'm glad we're here."

Altman has to be encouraged that his most visible player has so willingly embraced the idea of eliminating distractions this week. That will be easier said than done, but Brooks expects the Ducks to keep their heads.

"I feel like we have coach's persona: calm, collected, level-headed," Brooks said. "But this has been the craziest thing, for all of us, seeing everything, getting used to so much recognition, so many people finally being Oregon fans. It's been great overall."

The Ducks are dealing with a crush of media this week. But perhaps working to their advantage is the fact they've had cameras in their faces throughout their NCAA Tournament run.

For the second year in a row, a CBS Confidential crew has been with the team since Selection Sunday, documenting Oregon's tournament experience. That's been a small taste of what awaited the Ducks in Arizona this week.

"It helps a lot," Brooks said. "The only way you get used to it is experiencing it a lot. Guys that aren't used to it are getting used to it. If you want this lifestyle, that's how it's going to be the rest of your life."