PACIFIC 10 BASKETBALL / DAN HAFNER : Champions in Football, Ducks Excel in This Sport Too

This apparently is a green year in the Pacific 10 Conference--and not because of all the rain. With a defense known as Gang Green, Oregon won the conference football championship, and, as the basketball season unfolds, it is Green’s Gang that has stirred things up.

Jerry Green’s Oregon Ducks, having already knocked UCLA out of the nation’s No. 2 ranking, are alone atop the Pac-10 and giving every indication they plan on staying in the race.

Green’s Gang, 11-1 overall and 3-0 in the conference, is finally beginning to impress people. The only blemish is an early-season loss at Santa Clara. The Ducks since have won eight in a row, the latest a one-sided victory at Oregon State on Saturday, their first win at Corvallis in nine years.

With a brilliant back-court pair of Kenya Wilkins and Orlando Williams, the Ducks have surprised even their coach.

“We had all five starters back,” said Green, in his third season as coach, “and beating UCLA in the final game last year was a big boost to the program. Wilkins had a fine freshman season, and he has matured into our leader. We have depth, we rebound well and we’re trying to improve our shooting. Still, I am a bit surprised we are 11-1.

“People are beginning to show interest. I got a call from a Washington Post writer after we beat UCLA, and he asked when was the last time we beat the Bruins. I told him, March 12, 1994.”

The Ducks, who play at Washington State Thursday night, have climbed to 17th in the Associated Press poll.

“Winning on national TV Saturday was a big boost for us,” said Green, who coached at North Carolina Asheville through the 80s. “I heard from a lot of people in North Carolina who watched us.

“We still have room for improvement and we’d better be ready for the Cougars. With the two suspended players back and having lost three in a row, they will be ready. But I don’t see any easy road games in this conference.”

Wilkins, a sophomore from Dorsey High, runs the offense, and Williams is the sharpshooter who benefits most. A senior from Portland, he opened both halves of Saturday’s 96-83 victory with a three-point basket. They seemed to set the tone.

Wilkins is a key player on defense too. His quickness enables him to put heavy pressure on the point guard. He completely disrupted Oregon State’s attack.

“Some people may be surprised about our play,” Williams said. “It’s not a surprise to us. And to those it is a shock, tell them to get used to it, because we’re not going away for a long time.”

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Although Arizona goes into Thursday night’s game at home against UCLA with a 2-1 Pac-10 record, the Wildcats, who started conference play with three road games, could be 3-0.

In a defensive battle that featured horrible shooting, they trailed bitter rival Arizona State, 53-52, in their opener with 14 seconds to play. Arizona was trying to set up a final good shot. And, with five seconds left, Damon Stoudamire, who had been having a poor night, swished through a three-point shot. It didn’t count because teammate Ray Owes had called for a timeout just before the shot. When play resumed, the Wildcats couldn’t get off a shot.

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After Stoudamire went two for 10 and had more turnovers than assists in the loss at Arizona State, California Coach Todd Bozeman could only moan.

“He is the best point guard in the country,” Bozeman said. “I don’t know how we’ll stop him. He won’t have another bad game all year.”

Bozeman proved a prophet as Stoudamire led Arizona to victory at Berkeley last Thursday. He had 26 points, 10 assists and six rebounds.

That was just a prelude. He came back Saturday to score a career-high 45 points, eight in overtime of an 89-83 victory at Stanford. The 5-foot-11 senior from Portland leads the conference in scoring with 21.7 points and assists with 7.2.

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After winning their first eight games of the season and being considered one of the contenders for the title, California has slumped.

Losing two in a row at home could well sound the death knell for any team with title aspirations.

The Bears, who lost their final pre-conference game, are 1-3 in the Pac-10 after losing to the Arizona schools. Their talented freshman trio of Jelani Gardner, Tony Gonzalez and Tremaine Fowlkes is finding that there’s considerable more pressure in conference play than in other games.

They also have been slowed by injuries to Al Grigsby and Ryan Jamison, their best big men. The Bears now find Stanford a must game. The teams meet Thursday night at Berkeley.

Surprising Stanford (11-2, 2-2) came close to a sweep last week. The Cardinal whipped Arizona State because Brevin Knight, one of the many outstanding point guards in the league, easily beat the notorious Sun Devils’ pressing defense.

Then, on Saturday, he kept the Cardinal even with Arizona until he fouled out one minute into overtime. When he departed, Stoudamire took charge.

Knight, wearing a brace for his ailing leg, still is not allowed to play full time.

“I’m sure his playing time will be limited the rest of the season,” Stanford Coach Mike Montgomery said. “He will be instrumental in helping us to handle Cal’s changing defenses.

“He is so important to us. We led Arizona by 11 when he had to take a rest and Arizona regained the momentum. Then, in overtime, when he fouled out we lost.”

Pacific 10 Notes

Five Pac-10 teams are still ranked in the top 25 even after the start of league play. . . . Eleventh-ranked Arizona has been in the top 25 longer than any other team, 134 weeks since the start of the 1987-88 season. . . . The Wildcats beat two top-rated teams on the road last week but dropped from ninth to 11th in the USA Today/CNN poll. Coaches are asked to vote in that poll by 8 a.m., PST, Sunday, and many don’t know the outcome of some West Coast games.

Arizona freshman Miles Simon, the sixth man, had corrective surgery on a dislocated finger. The former Mater Dei star will be sidelined at least a month. . . . If California beats Cal State Northridge on Sunday, it will improve the Pac-10’s best-in the-nation nonconference record to 67-24.