No Surprise Here: Ducks Waste No Time in Firing Ernie Kent

Most everyone knew Ernie Kent would be fired following this season. Unfortunately, it had to happen during the second half of the final Pac-10 game at historic Mac Court. At least they got the win though, right?

This was a move that had to happen. The program was basically stuck in neutral, waiting for its talented young players to blossom once they became seniors. Problem is, in college basketball these days, you can’t only win once every four years. (He only had four seasons where his teams finished conference play over .500).

With a brand new, state of the art $200 million stadium due to be unveiled at the start of 2011 Pac-10 season, Oregon needed a change. If Ernie couldn’t sell out the shoebox that is Mac Court, then, well, there would be a lot of empty seats at expansive (and expensive) Matt Court.

Although it certainly wasn’t a smooth ending, Kent should be greatly appreciated for his 13-years as the Ducks head coach, as the program has grown leaps and bounds under his leadership. (Although I could make the argument that the growth was almost completely connected to Nike’s sudden “interest” in the program).

According to KVAL’s initial report, athletic director Mike Bellotti fired Kent on Feb. 22, after home losses to Stanford and California. The TV station says the firing will take effect, when the Ducks wrap up the 2009-10 season, presumably after their “play-in” game to the Pac-10 tournament. KEZI reports Kent was fired earlier last week. KMTR says talks between Bellotti and Kent will continue through the Pac-10 tournament.

In addition, Kent’s entire staff will be replaced, with the possible exception of assistant Kenny Payne.

This is where it gets interesting, at least in regards to Kent’s replacement.

Payne has long been friends with ‘World Wide Wes’, who is often called the most powerful man in basketball because of his influence behind the scenes. Payne’s friendship helped create a recruiting pipeline in Detroit, bringing in Malik Hairston and Tajuan Porter.

Yesterday, SI’s Seth Davis wrote a story that William Wesley has agreed to be an agent, representing NBA and college coaches for Creative Artists Agency. Its client list includes Lebron James and John Calipari, among just about every others big name in sports.

Wesley has a special gift for befriending star players, including Derrick Rose and Tyreke Evans. Both of those players coincidentally went on to play for his client.

I hope athletic director Mike Bellotti lets Payne stay on, and hire a client of CAA.

As for Oregon’s needs for its next basketball coach, the goal is clear: fill the seats. The Ducks couldn’t even fill The Pit tonight for its last conference game ever, and if you haven’t heard, the new stadium is a bit bigger.

Yes, the athletic department might be in the red right now, but the boosters won’t allow the basketball program to wallow in mediocrity. The Kent firing signifies this.

One donor in particularly might have an interest in Bellotti’s hiring process. (Here’s a hint who: he donated $100 million towards the new stadium).

If Phil Knight has already given that much, spending a few million more on a top coach is a must in order to make the most on his already weighty investment.

Although I don’t have a complete list of CAA coaching clients, I’m sure there are a few big names on there that could be attracted to Oregon for the right price.

Of course, filling the seats is not the only thing of interest. Winning is important as well, although it’d be nice to have a coach who can create interest in the program and sell tickets in and of himself.

My top quality: player development. That has been Kent’s biggest bugaboo. Kent would get talent, but very rarely would there be noticed improvement, thus, leading to his teams only being competitive when his star players were seniors (Luke, Luke and Fred; AB, Malik and Bryce).

Hopefully the new coach can teach Michael Dunigan what a “screen” is, and also run a half-court set that actually resembles a functional offense.

Is that too much to ask for?

(I will have another piece in the next day or two further discussing possible coaching replacements for Ernie Kent)

For now, here’s a quick list of possibilities: Mark Few, Steve Lavin (five sweet 16’s in 7 years at UCLA), Jeff Capel, Mark Turgeon, Tubby Smith, Terry Porter, Cameron Dollar and Randy Bennett.

Warsaw Sports Marketing Center Partners with KIDSPORTS for Youth Tournament

EUGENE, OR – The Warsaw Sports Business Club is hosting their 13th 3-on-3 basketball tournament this Sunday at McArthur Court.

Instead of having college students form teams to play in the annual Warsaw Classic, the student-organized tournament decided to become more community-focused, partnering with KIDSPORTS to benefit the youth of Eugene and Springfield.

“The Sports Business Clubs primary focus is providing undergraduate sports business students opportunities to gain experience in the field of sports , and now we have a great youth sports property to manage,” said Tournament Director and University of Oregon senior, Steven Strand.

“We are essentially playing the role now of an agency by handling all of the marketing, sponsorship, and operations of the event.”

The KIDSPORTS Invitational has the same model—64 teams and 320 total players – as before, and again will be hosted at the University of Oregon’s historic Mac Court. Quite the experience for these youngsters.

Despite the restructure, it will still be a one-day tournament on Sunday, February 28th at 9:00 a.m.

The Warsaw Sports Business Club wants to connect local children with the University at a young age and subsequently create a positive, memorable experience for participants and their families.

Money raised through sponsorship of this tournament will go towards the Stephen Dember Memorial Scholarship Fund as well as the Emerald Scholarship Fund, the fund established for KIDSPORTS participants.

Everyone is welcome to come: friends, parents and siblings, so be sure to come out and support the Warsaw Sports Business Club and cheer on the kids!

# # #

More information can be found at http://warsawcenter.com/3on3 and http://kidsports.org or by contacting Tournament Director, Steven Strand at sstrand@uoregon.edu.

Unfortunate Irony: Random Acts of Kindness Week is February 15-21

I don't think we'll see LaMichael's name on that poster. (click for larger image)

Apparently LaMichael James didn’t know what week it is.

ActsOfKindness.org is holding its annual Random Acts of Kindness Week this week,  and with that said, it’s pretty clear that LMJ didn’t see the big poster about it posted in Dux Bistro of the Living-Learning Center dorm on campus.

Talk about irony – although this story was plenty random.

LMJ has been a model citizen, and a personal man crush that my girlfriend has been deservedly nervous about, ever since stepping foot on campus nearly two years, which makes this news even more disheartening.

After going through enough scandal already this off-season, resulting in three players leaving the team and more facing possibly legal action, this isn’t wasn’t the way Duck fans were looking to bounce back from their Rose Bowl disappointment.

I have heard way too many comparisons to the Jail Blazers and “The U” today, things that shouldn’t be synonymous with Oregon football.  Although at this point, I’d take Miami’s four championships.

The toughest part is that Chip Kelly really can’t do much about this. Sure, he can impose punishments and give stern speeches, but he can’t babysit his players at parties or be there to furiously yell “No!” when a player ponders a possible foray into Springfield.

The only thing that really sends a message is taking away scholarships. The only reason most of these players are here is to play football. But Chip needs these guys too. It’s a complicated ethical predicament.

He’s dismissed a few players this off-season, Garrett Embry, Matt Sims and Terrance Montgomery, and had Mike Bowlin “withdraw” and leave the University, but until he kicks a player off that actually is of importance, the star players have nothing to worry about.

Now I’m not advocating for Chip to dismiss LaMichael. But IF he is found guilty, I think intensive counseling, extensive community service and a three-game suspension would serve as fair punishment.

There is definitely a problem here in the athletic department that needs to be fixed. And as passionate Duck fans, I don’t know how much more of “star player x” is in trouble stories we can handle.

With our luck this offseason, I can only imagine the next headline: “Phil Knight gets caught running Ponzi scheme through the Duck Athletic Fund”. Knock on wood. I actually am looking forward to Matt Court.

Poll: IF guilty, what would you want Chip Kelly to do with LMJ? Link.

For further updates: follow me on Twitter.

The Answer to All of Oregon’s Basketball Woes: Manther

TP is 2-21 from beyond the arc in February. It's no coincidence his initials are "TP".

At this point, I’m just about out of words on how bad the basketball team is. The team is playing lazy, Ernie Kent needs to be replaced, blah blah blah.

And although you might disagree, Saturday was no different.

Sure, Oregon was up most of the first half and tied going into halftime, but that doesn’t mean they were playing any better. Arizona State looked awful. They looked like the Ducks, except they actually made a few more shots. Possibly ASU’s worst half of the season.

I was so confident Oregon would blow it that with the Ducks up three and just under five minutes left in the half, I offered my friend a five dollar bet Oregon would lose by 10. He said no. I offered 15. He tentatively agreed.

And then what happened?

Shockingly, the wheels came off, ASU stopped playing down to Oregon’s level, and ran away with it.

Seriously, when was the last time you sat through an entire game without wondering once when the typical Ernie Kent-collapse would happen? 2007?

It’s like clockwork. Early second half, every game. If that’s not on Ernie, I don’t know what is.

Unfortunately for me, the Ducks found a little pride when ASU got up 15, and then Drew Wiley (the same guy who brought a puppy to campus last week to pick up girls, seriously), led the standard attempted comeback that would undoubtedly fall short. And it did.

But I have a solution.

Forget Tajuan Porter and his 39% shooting (16% in February), forget Michael Dunigan and his pathetic excuse for a free throw and forget Ernie Kent’s .188 winning percentage (6-26) against Pac-10 teams since the 2007-08 Pac-10 tourney.

Instead, sign up the guys from Manther.

What’s Manther, you might ask?

Manther is a hip-hop group, a la Supwitchugirl, composed of three 20-something-year-old Oregon alums who can straight up ball.

If you haven’t seen this video, you’ve been missing out.

They can sing, drop beats, and most importantly, make Tajuan Porter’s range look less than Josh Crittle’s. Seriously.

Prepare to be amazed.

And if that wasn’t enough, there’s another one:

While you’re at it, be sure to watch their other videos on YouTube and follow them on the Twitter machine as well.

My Oregon-Arizona Post Game Reaction

That is all.

Can a Recruit Save Ernie Kent’s Job?

Among the countless Twitter rumblings I came across today, these two tweets from Matt Prehm of DuckTerritory.com (@Prehmmr) stuck out like a sore thumb:

· 2011 Top 5 BB recruit Toney Wroten JR has informed me UO dropped in his list because of job stability w/Ernie Kent and concerns of firing.

· Wroten had Oregon as his favorite, but dropped them down. This was before the UCLA and USC games. Wroten is very impressed with Kent.

First of all, I’m not exactly sure which characteristic of Kent’s has impressed him, but putting that aside, is this news something Athletic Director Mike Bellotti should add this to his list of things to consider when deciding Kent’s fate this off-season?

Wroten is ranked the No. 2 point guard and No. 9 player overall in the country, per Rivals.com, describing the prep star as “an electric athlete with great size for his position, Wroten has the ability to take a game over at any moment.

“Slashing to the basket is his forte, but he can also heat up from the outside. A physical point guard, he has excellent court vision and provides a formidable presence on both ends of the court.”

Impressive.

Trust me, I want Wroten just as much as the next guy, but is having him for one year – he is almost surely a one and done type player – worth delaying the end of the Kent era at Oregon by at least two seasons?

I don’t think so, and especially not when we’re adding him to a team that isn’t exactly “one player away”.

Sure, there’s the possibility his commitment would bring more top players with him, but until Kent proves he can consistently get his team to the tournament (and not just the Pac-10 one), I don’t think John Calipari will have to lose sleep worrying about losing any of his recruits.

With this weekend’s sweep of the Los Angeles schools and the Wroten news, Kent’s status is curiously looking up.

Is a top-5 recruit worth an extension to the Ernie Kent era?

Wroten is a standout from Garfield High School in Seattle.

Among the countless Twitter rumblings I came across today, these two tweets from Matt Prehm of DuckTerritory.com (@Prehmmr) stuck out like a sore thumb:

• 2011 Top 5 BB recruit Toney Wroten JR has informed me UO dropped in his list because of job stability w/Ernie Kent and concerns of firing.
• Wroten had Oregon as his favorite, but dropped them down. This was before the UCLA and USC games. Wroten is very impressed with Kent.

First of all, I’m not exactly sure which characteristic of Kent’s has impressed him, but putting that aside, is this news something Athletic Director Mike Bellotti should consider when deciding Kent’s fate this off-season?

Wroten, who’s listed at 6-4 and 180 pounds,  is ranked the No. 2 point guard and No. 9 player overall in the country, per Rivals.com, describing the prep star as “an electric athlete with great size for his position, Wroten has the ability to take a game over at any moment.

“Slashing to the basket is his forte, but he can also heat up from the outside. A physical point guard, he has excellent court vision and provides a formidable presence on both ends of the court.”

Impressive.

Trust me, I want Wroten just as much as the next guy, but is having him for one year – he is almost surely a one and done type player – worth delaying the end of the Kent era at Oregon by at least two seasons?

I don’t think so, and especially not when we’re adding him to a team that isn’t exactly “one player away”.

Sure, there’s the possibility his commitment would bring more top players with him, but until Kent proves he can consistently get his team to the tournament (and not just the Pac-10 one), I don’t think John Calipari will have to lose sleep worrying about losing any of his recruits.

With this weekend’s sweep of the Los Angeles schools and the Wroten news, Kent’s status is curiously looking up.

Is a top-5 recruit worth an extension to the Ernie Kent era?

Winning is Fun and Scary at the Same Time

Why this guy was so intent about staying in the Oregon student section is beyond me. At least we got to laugh at his expense. Thanks, Puddles.

A couple of things.

The Ducks looked great today. Thursday too. It was an all-around great weekend for Oregon basketball. Almost too good.

The past few weeks put a lot of fans on the “fire Ernie Kent” bandwagon, including myself, even though I’d never really been a fan of his before. We all know Ernie can recruit, but he’s had problems developing that talent over the years.

Well this weekend, Kent has flipped a 180, getting the most out of his players and more importantly, out-coaching the opposition in crunch time.

When USC tied the game up at 47 apiece, I thought it was over. Oregon looked lazy, lobbing cross-court passes and committing silly turnovers, which the Trojans brought back for easy lay-ups.

But Kent called a well-timed time out and gave his players a chance to regroup. Coming out of the break, the Ducks looked like a different, much more poised team.

Oregon then went on a 13-3 run to finish the game without much tension, with Jeremy Jacob and Tajuan Porter hitting clutch free throws to seal it.

As much as I’m happy that we won, I’m frightened.

Mike Bellotti has already stated that he’s a little gun-shy about firing Kent.

Earlier this week, Belotti gave his opinion of the situation to the Oregonion, saying, “I am one who will probably take the longer road because it’s my first time doing this. What you usually hear people in my position say is ‘we’ll evaluate it at the end of the season,’ and I think that’s wise advice and I should adhere to that.”

That gives Kent nine more games to prove his worth to the first-year AD.

As much as I appreciate what Kent has done for Oregon basketball the past 13 years, and trust me, I really do, the last nine games will not make a bit of difference to me. But I think they will to Belotti.

Ernie has been the coach for 13 years. We know what he’s capable of, we know his style and we know his strengths and weaknesses.

It’s kind of like Rich Brooks in football. We appreciate what you’ve done by making us relevant, but now that we’re here, you can’t bring us to the next level and we want more.

Ernie is a victim of his own – and Phil Knight’s – success in a way.

What he can do when he’s in “must-win” mode isn’t the real Ernie Kent. Like I mentioned Friday, it’s the contract year syndrome. When your job is on the line, of course you’re going to try harder.

So this is what I hope happens the rest of the season. I hope the team keeps playing hard, shows vast improvements from young players like Matt Humphrey, Malcolm Armstead and Michael Dunigan, but falls short of any real success.

I’m just too scared that it will save Ernie’s job.

This guy is 24? More like 34.

Look, Ernie, I know we couldn’t be in this spot without you, but unless you can prove that developing talent is your number one priority – and that you’re actually capable of doing it – it’s time to move on.

But hey, if you wanted to stick around in an Ed Orgeron super-recruiter position, I’d be more than happy.

Other Notes:

• No matter how aesthetically unpleasing those pink uniforms are, Oregon is still unbeaten in them. I hope they stay with them until they lose, which might not be for a while, as this suddenly re-energized team travels to Corvallis next Saturday for its lone game of the week.
• Here’s a well-deserved shout out for our women’s team, mostly just because of my new-found love for Taylor Lilley.  But (wo)man is this team fun to watch. The lady Ducks made up for a loss to UCLA on Thursday by beating USC 85-77, powered by nine (count ’em, NINE) threes from Lilley. Amazing. And an Oregon record.
• Down two, late in the second half, USC graduate manager Stan Holt, was called for a technical foul, apparently for screaming obscenities at the referee. The students starting chanting “You got fired!” and apparently Kevin O’Neil listened. Holt was not on the bench after the next time out and the official word came out after the game that he was gone for good. O’Neil said: “That’s incomprehensible to me in a 2 point game that our manager would get (a T).” He also said: “If somebody is getting (a T) it’s going to be me.” You tell him, coach. But after the game, O’Neil, who looks like a cross between a mad scientist and a tomato, said the heat of the moment got to him, and rescinded his earlier remarks about Holt.
• Finally, I just have to make fun of USC point guard Mike Gerrity. The guy looks like he has Greg Oden disease – old age syndrome, not the other thing. He looks like a 40-year-old version of Jimmy Neutron (that’s him in the picture to the right).

The Win is Nice, But Nice Enough to Save Ernie’s Job?

Funny headline from Yahoo: Oregon gets uglier than usual for a good cause.

This Oregon team threw themselves after loose balls, crashed the offensive and defensive boards with reckless abandon and at the same time, somehow managed to run a much smoother, controlled offense that featured several pick and rolls (even making contact with the defenders!) – something I figured as a lost art for the Ducks.

As much as I’ve criticized Kent the past few weeks, I have to give him some credit tonight. He had his team ready to go, laid out a solid game plan, kept them interested through halftime and didn’t blow it down the stretch. For Ernie, that’s a win.

But Mr. Hot Seat did something tonight that we haven’t seen for a while: he made adjustments.

UCLA’s Nikola Dragovic nailed three nearly consecutive treys early in the first half (with each one earning more and more of the Pit Crew’s ire). So what did Ernie do?

He switched to a zone defense and made sure two players closed in on Dragovic whenever he got the ball within shooting range, knowing that everyone else on the Bruins shoot about as well as a Storm Trooper from Star Wars. Well, at least until Michael Roll brought out his inner Reggie Miller and started knocking back clutch threes like Jon Daly knocks back Jack Daniels. (Think I got enough analogies in that paragraph? Sheesh.)

The switch worked, Dragovic went cold and the Ducks took control of the game.

Yet somehow, despite E.J. Singler and Matt Humphrey’s heroics, Oregon still couldn’t win in regulation. There was a chance, as Oregon had the ball in a tie ball game with 10 seconds left, but Tajuan Porter forgot that he wasn’t Michael Jordan, deciding to drive coast to coast and throw up a shot that had a lower chance of going in than Ernie Kent winning coach of the year honors.

Fortunately, Singler and Humphrey continued their Supermen acts into overtime, nailing multiple clutch free throws and three-pointers, respectively.

Unfortunately, after looking so putrid thus far this season (and last year), I’m torn about what happened last night. Do I root for losses every Thursday and Saturday so Ernie Kent will get shown the door? Do I hope for improvement expecting Kent to be fired anyway?

For fans who want to see Kent gone, this is a tricky situation.

In the post-game thread on Addicted To Quack, a few people summed up the situation perfectly. (By the way, am I the only one who giggles to himself every time I hear the phrase “the situation”? I can’t help it.)

MurphyLPendleton wrote: “Just when you are about to write Ernie Kent’s career obituary, he pulls out the defib paddles and shocks this team back to life.”

To which Dave eloquently responded: “Given Kent’s history, we’ll win the Pac-10 tourney to get the auto bid and he’ll save his job again. Then we’ll suck for another season, make the elite eight when Dunigan and Armstead are seniors, then suck again for three more years.”

The truth hurts. I just can’t live that way as a fan of Oregon basketball. It’s too tantalizing, painful, and encourages more hair pulling than fans should subject themselves to.

This one game alone did not do anything to change my opinion that Ernie still needs to go. Even if he pulls together a solid rest of the season, I say it’s too little, too late, kind of like the Adrian Beltre and Erick Dampier contract-year syndrome. Except General Managers are dumb enough to shell out millions because they decided to give a shit for one season, or the play-offs. Yes, I’m looking at you Jerome James.

My question for you, hardcore Duck fans, is this: does last night do anything to change your mind about Ernie Kent’s future in Oregon basketball?

Ernie Kent, I Can’t Take it Anymore (Cal Edition)

Editors Note: The Stanford edition will be available immediately following the Cardinal’s blow out of our lowly ducks on Saturday.

Ernie Kent knows there’s no draft lottery in college basketball, right?

The level of suckitude that Oregon is displaying on the court right now is embarrasing. So much for the best place for a struggling team to be is on the road, right Ernie?

I just sat through another absolutely awful game of Oregon basketball.

Swatted.

Poor shooting, poor defense, poor screens, poor rolls, poor just about everything. And you know what the worst part is? I’m not even the least bit surprised.

This is what I’ve come to expect of an Ernie Kent coached team the last few years. Without a superstar creator to open up the half-court offense or dominate the fast break, the team looks lost.

It’s simple: no Lukes or no Aaron Brooks = no winning team.

I don’t know how much longer we have to wait before Mike Belotti and the athletic department does anything about it.

Look, I know Kent is Oregon born and bred, and there is this pipe dream that it would be some sort of basketball romance if he could lead us to the promise land. But he keeps disappointing us.  It’s gotten to the point where fans are starting to accept futility.

I asked fellow students today if they were going to watch the game tonight and the number one response I got was, “There’s no point, we’re just gonna get blown out anyway.”

This is beyond the point of acceptable. When fans lose interest, even interest in being outraged, things are bad.

And tonight is my breaking point.

There was this giant façade of improvement with a 10-4 record in the pre-season, but if you look a little deeper, you’ll see that we played a schedule that even Joe Paterno and Urban Meyer would cringe looking at.

Not a single ranked team played, not a single win over a team with an ounce of respectability. Their strength of schedule ranks a pitiful 167th.

When you have to decide if your best non-conference win is against Oakland or Colorado State, that’s just pathetic.

And the only reason I can think of why Kent would play a schedule so pathetic is that he wanted to pile up a bunch of easy wins to save face, and his job.

The team combined to shoot 1-18 from the 3-point line. Give them credit for persistence, I guess, but that is not acceptable.

On offense, players are setting screens without making contact with the defenders, and then forgetting to roll to the basket. They’re starting plays 15 feet behind the three-point line, so by the time they run the play, what should be a lay-up is a contested fade away 20-footer.

On defense, they aren’t making adjustments. At the end of the first half, Cal was up 48-21. Were they trying to help Cal show up Seattle U?

Oregon State lost to Seattle U by 51 points, but you know what Craig Robinson did? He and his team were ready for Oregon the next game. They were hungry for a win.

Looking at Oregon tonight coming off three straight losses to Oregon State and the Arizona Schools,  they seemed ambivalent. There’s no fire, no motivation, no sense of urgency.

The final was Cal 89, Oregon 57. Gross.

I’m sorry Ernie Kent, but you’re time is through in Eugene. You can take your perpetual disappointed, incredulous, sourpuss face somewhere else.

We can’t afford to have our program at this level of apathy with a $200 million Matthew Court Arena on the way for next year.

I’m tired of you. And I’m not the only one.

I got a tweet tonight from @NorcalDuck who wrote: “Went to the game. I’ve never seen anything like that. Complete ass kicking. No organization. No drive. Nothing. Emberassing.”

And this is after he sent me this after the Arizona State game: “Ernie Kent needs to go. It’s hard to respect the program when you can’t respect the coach.”

I think that sums it up.

From now on I’m going to root for the other team like a Detroit Lions fan in December, just so we can move on from the Ernie Kent era.

On the bright side, at least this is giving me something to write about. Gotta find the positives in life, right? Even if they aren’t Oregon basketball.

You can follow Keith on twitter or on his Facebook page.

I Can’t Take it Anymore, Ernie Kent

I just sat through an absolute wretched first half of Oregon basketball.

Poor shooting, poor defense, poor screens, poor rolls, poor just about everything. And you know what the worst part is? I’m not even the least bit surprised.

This is what I’ve come to expect of an Ernie Kent coached team the last few years. Without a superstar creator to open up the half-court offense or dominate the fast break, the team looks lost.

It’s simple: no Lukes or no Aaron Brooks = no winning team.

I don’t know how much longer we have to wait before Mike Belotti and the athletic department does anything about it.

Look, I know Kent is Oregon born and bred, and there is this pipe dream that it would be some sort of basketball romance if he could lead us to the promise land. But he keeps disappointing us.  It’s gotten to the point where fans are starting to accept futility.

I asked fellow students today if they were going to the game tonight and the number one response I got was, “There’s no point, we’re just gonna get blown out anyway.”

This is beyond the point of acceptable. When fans lose interest, even interest in being outraged, things are bad.

And tonight is my breaking point.

There was this giant façade of improvement with a 10-4 record in the pre-season, but if you look a little deeper, you’ll see that we played a schedule that even Joe Paterno and Urban Meyer would cringe looking at.

Not a single ranked team played, not a single win over a team over a team with an ounce of respectability. Their strength of schedule ranks a pitiful 167th.

When you have to decide if your best win is against Oakland or Colorado State, that’s just pathetic.

And the only reason I can think of why Kent would play a schedule so pathetic is that he wanted to pile up a bunch of easy wins to save face, and his job.

Watching this first half, all the flaws of Duck basketball are in the limelight. 35% shooting from the field, 50% from the foul line and nine threes for Arizona State? How can that be acceptable?

On offense, players are setting screens without making contact with the defenders, and then forgetting to roll to the basket. They’re starting plays 15 feet behind the three-point line, so by the time they run the play, what should be a lay-up is a contested fade away 20-footer.

On defense, they aren’t making adjustments. At the end of the first half, ASU made three consecutive three pointers. How can that happen?

Kent should take a note from wordsmith George W. Bush: “fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”

Oregon State lost to Seattle University by 51 points, but you know what Craig Robinson did? He and his team were ready for Oregon the next game. They were hungry for a win.

Looking at Oregon tonight coming off a loss to Oregon State in the last Civil War in the history of Mac Court, they seem ambivalent. There’s no fire, no motivation, no sense of urgency.

Right now it’s 71-43, ASU. I’m disgusted.

In the first half, Kent called time outs in the first half with 8:03 and 4:00 minutes left. Doesn’t he know that in less than 20 seconds, there will be a free tv timeout? If he can’t figure out these little things, it’s no wonder he can’t get his team to run an offense.

I’m sorry Ernie Kent, but you’re time is through in Eugene. You can take your perpetual disappointed, incredulous, sourpuss face somewhere else.

We can’t afford to have our program at this level of apathy with a $200 million Matthew Court Arena on the way for next year.

I’m tired of you. And I’m not the only one.

I got a tweet tonight from @NorcalDuck who wrote: “Ernie Kent needs to go. It’s hard to respect the program when you can’t respect the coach.”

There’s more.

I almost went to the game tonight, but I couldn’t get a ticket for my visiting girlfriend. I just got a text from a person who offered to sell me tickets: “F@%k. I’m glad I sold those for what I did. $15 for a $28 ticket. That’s how much the Ducks are worth.”

I think that sums it up.

Goodbyes aren’t always easy, and it might be tough for Kent, but for those of us who have suffered through mediocrity and constantly underperforming teams, it will be about as easy to say goodbye as an Arizona State three pointer.

So long, Ernie Kent. We have finally outgrown you.

Another day, another Duck beat on D.

I just sat through an absolute wretched first half of Oregon basketball.

Poor shooting, poor defense, poor screens, poor rolls, poor just about everything. And you know what the worst part is? I’m not even the least bit surprised.

This is what I’ve come to expect of an Ernie Kent coached team the last few years. Without a superstar creator to open up the half-court offense or dominate the fast break, the team looks lost.

It’s simple: no Lukes or no Aaron Brooks = no winning team.

I don’t know how much longer we have to wait before Mike Belotti and the athletic department does anything about it.

Look, I know Kent is Oregon born and bred, and there is this pipe dream that it would be some sort of basketball romance if he could lead us to the promise land. But he keeps disappointing us.  It’s gotten to the point where fans are starting to accept futility.

I asked fellow students today if they were going to the game tonight and the number one response I got was, “There’s no point, we’re just gonna get blown out anyway.”

This is beyond the point of acceptable. When fans lose interest, even interest in being outraged, things are bad.

And tonight is my breaking point.

There was this giant façade of improvement with a 10-4 record in the pre-season, but if you look a little deeper, you’ll see that we played a schedule that even Joe Paterno and Urban Meyer would cringe looking at.

Not a single ranked team played, not a single win over a team with an ounce of respectability. Their strength of schedule ranks a pitiful 167th.

When you have to decide if your best win is against Oakland or Colorado State, that’s just pathetic.

And the only reason I can think of why Kent would play a schedule so pathetic is that he wanted to pile up a bunch of easy wins to save face, and his job.

Watching this first half, all the flaws of Duck basketball are in the limelight. 35% shooting from the field, 50% from the foul line and nine threes for Arizona State? How can that be acceptable?

On offense, players are setting screens without making contact with the defenders, and then forgetting to roll to the basket. They’re starting plays 15 feet behind the three-point line, so by the time they run the play, what should be a lay-up is a contested fade away 20-footer.

On defense, they aren’t making adjustments. At the end of the first half, ASU made three consecutive three pointers. How can that happen?

Kent should take a note from wordsmith George W. Bush: “fool me once, shame on — shame on you. Fool me — you can’t get fooled again.”

Oregon State lost to Seattle University by 51 points, but you know what Craig Robinson did? He and his team were ready for Oregon the next game. They were hungry for a win.

Looking at Oregon tonight coming off a loss to Oregon State in the last Civil War in the history of Mac Court, they seem ambivalent. There’s no fire, no motivation, no sense of urgency.

Right now it’s 71-43, ASU. I’m disgusted.

In the first half, Kent called time outs in the first half with 8:03 and 4:00 minutes left. Doesn’t he know that in less than 20 seconds, there will be a free tv timeout? If he can’t figure out these little things, it’s no wonder he can’t get his team to run an offense.

I’m sorry Ernie Kent, but you’re time is through in Eugene. You can take your perpetual disappointed, incredulous, sourpuss face somewhere else.

We can’t afford to have our program at this level of apathy with a $200 million Matthew Court Arena on the way for next year.

I’m tired of you. And I’m not the only one.

I got a tweet tonight from @NorcalDuck who wrote: “Ernie Kent needs to go. It’s hard to respect the program when you can’t respect the coach.”

There’s more.

I almost went to the game tonight, but I couldn’t get a ticket for my visiting girlfriend. I just got a text from a person who offered to sell me tickets: “F@%k. I’m glad I sold those for what I did. $15 for a $28 ticket. That’s how much the Ducks are worth.”

I think that sums it up.

Goodbyes aren’t always easy, and it might be tough for Kent, but for those of us who have suffered through mediocrity and constantly underperforming teams, it will be about as easy to say goodbye as an Arizona State three pointer.

So long, Ernie Kent. We have finally outgrown you.

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