CHECKING IN ON PRACTICE
Friday, Nov. 7, 2008
Yesterday was my first chance to get out to practice since Sunday’s exhibition win over Northwest Christian University.
I caught about the last hour of practice and watched the Ducks run through some five-on-five defensive and offensive sets against their practice players. I missed the scrimmage, but student manager Cody Johnson said the ladies knocked off the guys 24-23.
The good news - both Taylor Lilley and Lindsey Saffold have returned to action after being held out of last Sunday’s exhibition game with injuries.
Taylor’s first day back was yesterday, while Lindsey hit the floor on Wednesday after recovering from a sprained toe. Both are expected to be available for Monday night’s exhibition game with Western Oregon.
The bad news - although there was good news with the return of Tay and Lindsey, the Ducks were dealt a blow earlier this week when Rita Kollo broke her right foot at practice on Monday. Projected to be a starter at small forward, the redshirt senior is expected to have surgery at the end of the week and return in 6-8 weeks...just in time for the Pac-10 season.
The Ducks have now lost two players to extensive injuries this season. Starting the year with 13 available, Oregon lost Nia Jackson to an ACL tear in Italy, and now Rita will be out for nearly two months.
Oregon now enters the season with 11 bodies.
Who will Rita’s minutes be dispersed to in her absence? My guess will be that Lindsey Saffold will see a lot of playing time at small forward, while Darriel Gaynor and Tatianna Thomas will also be relied upon. Small forward is probably the Ducks’ deepest position on the floor with Thomas, Saffold, Jasmin Holliday, Victoria Kenyon and Amanda Johnson all having the ability to handle the position.
Catching Up with Nia - Nia Jackson has been a presence at all workouts, practices and games this season despite tearing her ACL during the team’s tour of Italy. The Seattle native has had surgery and is working hard to be at full strength for 2009-10, and I had the chance to catch up with her last night in between her exercises.
“My knee is feeling good,” she said. “My leg is getting stronger and I am making progress. I am off my crutches - so that’s a good thing, and I am getting a better range of motion.”
So what does an injured athlete do at practice while her teammates are running up and down the floor?
“When the team is lifting weights, I usually do stairs or work on my upper body,” she said. “At practice, I work on my ball handling, do cardio on the bike, or work on my shooting motion. I do a lot of exercises for my quads, hamstrings and calfs...I want to strengthen all the muscles around my knee.”
And what has it been like being relegated to the sidelines?
“I am not going to lie, it’s been really hard,” she said. “I wish I could be out there contributing, but we’ve been doing well and working hard, and that makes me feel good. I just know that I have to work on my rehab and the rest of my game so when I come back, I can be ready to play next year.
“My job right now is to motivate and encourage everyone the best I can...get the bench fired up and get everybody going. I just want to support my team and help them with whatever they need.”
SEEING DOUBLE
Apparently assistant coaches Willette White and Velaida Harris have been coordinating their outfits. What do you think of their look?
