Oregon Ducks Win Their First Pac-10 Game: Why Did This Not Happen Earlier?

The Oregon Ducks' men's basketball team, although young, has surpassed many milestones already this season. They won their first home, away, and non-conference game of the season. However, they still had not won their first conference game until yesterday.

The Oregon Ducks rallied behind the always faithful McArthur Court crowd and topped the Stanford Cardinal 68-60.

The Ducks were led by a trio of double-figure scorers. Freshman center Michael Dunigan led the Ducks with 14 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore guard LeKendric Longmire contributed 11 points and six rebounds, and junior forward Joevan Catron tallied 10 points and a team-high four assists.

The young Ducks have finally won their first conference game. That is a huge milestone for a team so young. Give props to all the players not just the aforementioned three.

That being said, this first conference win should have come a long, long time ago. Before the season started, I said that the keys to an Oregon win were Tajaun Porter's ability to play off the ball, and Dunigan's and Josh Crittle's ability to stay out of foul trouble.

These goals have been unmet this season. One could say this is the result of inexperienced players, but this inexperience could be overcome by a good coach.

This brings me to my next point, which I have been advocating for for the past three years. Ernie Kent is the reason that the Ducks have only won one conference game and are currently 7-20, not the youth of the team.

Need an example of how a coach can win with young players? Look at Ken Bone of Portland State. In his four seasons as head coach of the Portland State Vikings, he has recorded only one losing season. He is also on track to take the Vikings to their second consecutive NCAA tournament appearance, a feat rarely heard of in Portland State athletics.

He has taken players that, simply put, are not the most sought-after recruits in the nation and has turned them into winners. Jeremiah Dominguez, at 5'6" is the reigning Big Sky Player of the Year. How often do you hear of a player below 5'10'' winning such an award?

Do you need another example? Take Craig Robinson of Oregon State. Last season, the Beavers set the record for the worst Pac-10 record ever in a season, 0-16. In only his first season as the head coach of Oregon State, he has led the Beavers to seven conference victories, a great surprise to even the most faithful Beaver fans.

Ernie Kent can sweet talk highly sought-after recruits into donning the "Thunder Green" and "Lightning Yellow," but aside from that, that is all he can do.

Had Oregon bought out Kent's contract following his pitiful coaching performance against the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the first round of the NCAA Tournament and brought in a much better coach, Oregon would have more than one conference victory.

Again, congratulations to the young Oregon Ducks for winning their first conference game. The players, who have worked hard all year, deserve it. But the coach, who has not worked hard to develop his young players, does not deserve it.

He does not deserve his four-year contract extension. He does not deserve to stay in five-star hotels on recruiting trips. He does not deserve the high life of recruiting, while his assistants do all the work behind the scenes.

Kent most likely will be fired after this season, which will be a great rebuilding move for Ducks basketball. Hopefully, Oregon brings in a good coach. Pat Killkenny's days as athletic director are numbered. If he wants to be remembered not as the guy who killed wrestling and brought back baseball but as the guy who saved Oregon Ducks basketball from fading into the depths of Division I mockery, he must make the right decision.

And he must make it this offseason!