PACIFIC 10 PROFILES

THE SHOT BLOCKER

STANFORD CENTER CURTIS BORCHARDT

The latest in a long line of Stanford trees clogging the lane, Borchardt took shot-blocking to a new level for the Cardinal.

With 77 blocks (2.9 a game), the oft-injured junior has stayed healthy enough to obliterate Tim Young’s five-year-old school record of 50.

“I take a lot of pride in blocking shots because I think it changes the flow of the game,” Borchardt said. “Especially if teams are penetrating on you and getting a lot of easier baskets.

“I’m the ultimate help defender because I can slide over and go after and change their shot.”

Purdue and Michigan State were the guests of honor at his block party this season; Borchardt blocked six shots against each team, tying his personal record set as a freshman against Cal State Bakersfield.

He had at least three blocks in 14 games and, despite missing 28 games his first two seasons because of injuries, his 138 career blocks rank second on the Cardinal all-time list.

Of course, standing 7 feet and being somewhat athletic also helps.

“A lot of it is anticipation, but having long arms and being able to anticipate what the other guy’s going to do helps a lot too,” Borchardt said.

THE SCORER

STANFORD FORWARD CASEY JACOBSEN

The ways and means by which Jacobson scores are prettier than the frosted tips of his hair. He can take defenders off the dribble, drive to the basket and get to the free-throw line or stop and shoot from outside.

“From an early age,” Jacobsen said, “scoring in basketball games has always been so much fun. And now, I think, my teammates really need me to put the ball in the hoop.

“Scoring is important to me, but I definitely would trade some of the points for a win.”

He has scored at a league-leading 22.2 average overall, 23.1 in Pacific 10 games.

After going for a career-high 49 points in a 90-81 victory against Arizona State on Jan. 31, Jacobsen scored 41 seven days later in a 90-87 overtime victory against eventual conference champion Oregon.

Jacobsen, from Glendora, said a scorer is not necessarily born but can be created.

“I wasn’t born with amazing talent,” Jacobsen said. “But I have some talent and with work and work and work and with the little talent I do have, I have a desire to make shots.”

THE REBOUNDER

USC FORWARD SAM CLANCY

Clancy never thought much about grabbing rebounds ... until NBA scouts told him last summer at a pre-draft camp that he needed to work on that aspect of his game if he wanted to succeed at the next level.

“This year I really made an effort to get more rebounds,” Clancy said. “Before I’d just let the ball bounce around and not really care about it. I’d think, ‘Who cares about rebounds?’ Obviously, some people do.”

The 6-foot-7, 250-pound Clancy cared enough to average a career-best 9.8 rebounds, 2.3 better than last season’s figure.

The surge on the boards has left Clancy, who equaled his single-game high of 14 rebounds three times this season, 25 rebounds away from taking over the No. 2 spot on the Trojans’ all-time list.

Already an accomplished scorer, Clancy’s newfound affection for rebounding enabled him to rack up a conference-best 17 double-doubles this season, and his late-season run of 11 consecutive double-doubles was a national best and the most at USC since Ron Riley had 13 in a row in 1970-71.

“It’s hard constantly fighting around your guy [for a rebound],” Clancy said. “It’s not so much skill. It’s just who wants it more.”

THE SHOOTER

UCLA FORWARD JASON KAPONO

He has been knocked for everything from being slow to having bad taste in headwear to being unable to create his shot.

But set a screen for the Bruin sharpshooter or let him fire a three-point shot from the wing to finish a fastbreak and, when he’s on, there’s not a more dangerous long-range threat in the Pac-10.

“If you start off well, then you keep shooting it,” Kapono said. “If you don’t start off well, then you keep shooting it. The only way to break out of a slump is to shoot out of it. You’ve got to keep shooting it or you have no chance of making any.”

Kapono has 248 career three-point baskets, more than any shooter in UCLA history, having passed Toby Bailey (171) and Tracy Murray (197) this season.

He is within 76 of passing Arizona State’s Stevin Smith as the Pac-10’s all-time leader. But Kapono’s yearly flirtation with the NBA draft is drawing near.

But his three-point shooting percentage in conference games has gotten worse through the years. He shot 49.5% (52 for 105) as a freshman, 43.2% (41 for 95) as a sophomore and 43.0% (49 for 114) this season.

THE FREE-THROW SHOOTER

ARIZONA GUARD SALIM STOUDAMIRE

Stoudamire said he’s not a superstitious sort, so he was more than willing to talk about his charmed life on the line.

“Every point counts, right?” he said. “So I try to focus on every shot. That’s all.”

He has been focused enough to have made 83 of his 89 free throws, 93.3%. . In league games, the freshman missed only four free throws, going 68 for 72, 94.4%, the third-best percentage in Pac-10 history.

Only the 100% (28 of 28) UCLA’s Gary Cunningham made in 1959-60 and the 95% (95 of 100) UCLA’s Rod Foster made in 1981-82 are better.

Stoudamire, a cousin of former Arizona standout and current Portland Trail Blazer point guard Damon Stoudamire, said he has always been a decent free-throw shooter in the 80% range.

“I try to extend myself all the way through [on the shot],” he said. “I don’t expect to make every shot, so I don’t put any pressure on myself.”

THE BALL HANDLER

OREGON GUARD LUKE RIDNOUR

The flashy yet consistent Ridnour has been compared to John Stockton of the Utah Jazz and Jason Williams of the Memphis Grizzlies. But the Oregon point guard prefers to be compared to the late Pete Maravich of Louisiana State.

“I think my game has a little flair like his did,” Ridnour said. “I like that I can do a lot of things with the ball and still be in control of the game. When you make a play, you get the crowd involved.”

A hoops junkie, Ridnour carried a basketball with him everywhere he went growing up, even on a date. His whip-like passes around the perimeter and his lightning-quick bounce passes in traffic draw the most oohs and ahhs.

But it’s his assist-to-turnover ratio that has the Oregon coaches smiling and letting go of the reins.

Ridnour’s overall ratio of 1.88 was second in the league, as was his 2.00 ratio in league games.

And when he’s not dazzling opponents with his skills and unselfishness, he’s scoring. Ridnour is averaging 15.1 points a game.

THE PASSER

ARIZONA FORWARD LUKE WALTON

Depleted by NBA draft defections, the Wildcats have turned to Walton, who is on track to become the first frontcourt player to lead the Pac-10 in assists since the league began tracking the stat in 1974-75.

The 6-8, 241-pound forward, who had started only six of the 36 games he played as a sophomore, is averaging 6.44 assists. This after starting the season with a 3.51 career average.

Walton posted the league’s only triple-double this season--27 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 97-80 rout of USC in Tucson on Jan. 17.