Vandenberg Is UO's "Mama Duckling"

EUGENE — During the hustle and bustle of road trips, the Oregon women's basketball coaching staff counts on Jacinta Vandenberg to keep their Ducks in a row.

Or, more accurately, in their seats on a bus. Whether driving to an arena or an airport or a hotel, before the bus leaves the curb, UO assistant coach Jodie Berry will call out from the front row to Vandenberg, who sits mid-bus in the first row of player seating.

"Jacinta, do you have all your ducklings?" Berry will ask, only giving the bus driver cue to leave after Vandenberg has finished her head count of players.

The Oregon women, who open their final homestand of the season against California on Friday (6 p.m., Live Stream), have fought themselves into NCAA Tournament consideration largely on the play of a top-five freshman class in the country. But the quick development of young forwards Ruthy Hebard and Mallory McGwire wouldn't have happened, coaches say, without the input and selflessness of the senior post Vandenberg.

"I said right at the start of the year, she was going to be our most important player," head coach Kelly Graves said of Vandenberg, who will be honored along with fellow senior Mar'Shay Moore following Sunday's 1 p.m. home finale against Stanford. "And it has nothing to do with X's and O's, or how much she produces on the court. It has everything to do with teaching those young ones what it takes to be a Division-I player."

Vandenberg, a regular starter last season following a redshirt year stemming from her transfer from Fresno State, was in the starting lineup again to open this season but has ceded that role to McGwire in Pac-12 play. She's averaging about 16 minutes per game, and even missed one recent game entirely because the freshmen were a better matchup.

But through it all, the 6-foot-5 Australian has maintained a team-first attitude and a nurturing disposition befitting a student-athlete pursuing a graduate degree in Conflict and Dispute Resolution, one who spends about a dozen hours per week at a local shelter working with women and children.

During select UO practice periods, coaches will scrimmage some team members while having others stay loose by shooting on another court. When Vandenberg and McGwire are in the shooting group, Vandenberg won't allow idle shooting; she grills McGwire on keeping her arms straight in the air while defending, to break a habit of bringing them down and drawing fouls.

"Jacinta has pushed me really hard; I know I want to be like her as a senior," McGwire said. "No matter what, Jacinta's always positive. She always has that mindset. She wants me to get better, and it's awesome. …

"I call her 'mom' more than I call my own mom 'mom.' She's the mother duckling."

Vandenberg, who completed her undergraduate degree after just three full years of college, said she's always had a nurturing side.

"I've always really loved kids; I love older people, and animals," she said. "Those are all things that need taking care of."

At some point last year, the UO women worked at a local shelter, the Eugene Mission, doing a service project that involved painting an area of the shelter's center for women and children. That spurred Vandenberg to seek out more opportunities there as part of her graduate program this year.

Vandenberg gets a credit for her work, small compensation for the estimated dozen hours a week she spends there.

"I love it; I love the kids," she said. "It's hard when they leave — but it's always good because they're finding a home, finding another solution."

During the winter quarter, Vandenberg is also taking a sexual violence education and prevention internship, she said. Tuesdays are off days for the women's basketball team, ironically also Vandenberg's busiest day of the week since that's when she tries to load up on her other responsibilities.

With her intelligence, drive and work ethic, Vandenberg has the potential to be a CEO if she wanted, Graves said. But he predicted she'll end up "doing something to help people," and indeed that's her goal: working to divert non-violent youth offenders away from the juvenile justice system and into community based resolutions.

Until then, Vandenberg will be the "mama duckling" for at least a few more weeks.

"Every huddle, every organizational piece, it's Jacinta," Berry said. "Whether before games, during games, she's the one who brings the team together, says the right things, makes sure they're doing the right things. I think that's just her instinct."

Vandenberg, who also maintains Dutch citizenship, could pursue a pro career there after leaving Oregon, Graves said. Her college statistics won't fully illustrate to pro scouts her value to the Ducks as a rebounder, passer and post defender, Graves said — let alone as a mentor.

"How many times a day do we say to our young posts, 'Watch Jacinta,'" Graves asked the other day of junior Lexi Bando during practice.

"Oh my gosh; 50," Bando answered between shots.

"Well I don't know about 50, but we do say it every day — watch her and watch how she does things," Graves said. "She's a great teacher. But also, believe me, if the game's on the line and we need a stop? Jacinta's in the game. She still has a place (on the court), and she's going to help us win games in the postseason. No doubt about it."