Seattle Pacific Basketball; Pair Of Transfers From Oregon Soar With The Falcons
Their pride hurt and their playing time diminished, Donte Quinine and Yasir Rosemond decided last spring to leave the University of Oregon basketball program.
Now, as senior starters at Seattle Pacific, they say they're glad they did.
Quinine, a wiry 6-foot-6 forward, and Rosemond, a versatile 6-1 guard, were at one time key players for Oregon.
Quinine decided to leave Eugene after four years - three as a contributing player and one redshirt season. Rosemond played as a freshman at Okaloosa-Walton Community College in Niceville, Fla., then the past two seasons at Oregon.
"At the end of my time at Oregon, I didn't even like basketball," said Quinine, Seattle Pacific's leading scorer at 18.4 points. "I grew bitter toward the game, because I wasn't playing as much.
"I didn't even watch games on TV like I used to. But I have the love back for the game now."
Both Quinine and Rosemond knew they could do more for the Ducks under new coach Ernie Kent, but the opportunities were sporadic during the past two seasons.
"My situation was a little bit different than Donte's because I was playing a little more toward the end of our time there," said Rosemond, primarily a point guard for the Ducks, usually the first guard off the bench and starter of five games. "But the best situation for both of us was to leave and carry on our careers somewhere else.
"I realized Coach Kent wasn't going to build his offense around me. So I decided to go somewhere where I could expand my game. I could've stayed, but any ballplayer would think they should play more."
Rosemond has struggled to pick up all of Seattle Pacific's offensive sets under Coach Ken Bone, but he has contributed 11.2 points and team-highs of 3.6 assists and 1.8 steals, and the Falcons are 6-2.
Rosemond has picked up the pace of late, scoring 15 points as Seattle Pacific upset No. 23 Drury (Mo.) 90-81 on Friday in the High Desert Classic at Las Vegas. Quinine, who also averages 5.9 rebounds, had 20 points in the victory.
The Falcons won their fifth game in a row on Sunday, beating Texas A&M Kingsville 102-97 to win the tournament. Quinine, who also is tied for the team lead in three-point percentage (.520), scored 19 in that game and hit the go-ahead basket with 1:08 to play.
Seattle Pacific, which lost last year's NCAA Division II West Region championship game to Cal State San Bernardino, travels to San Bernardino for a rematch tonight. Then the Falcons host their Holiday Classic at Brougham Pavilion Dec. 29-30.
This is just the second time in Bone's 10-year tenure that he has brought in a senior transfer. The first was Anthony Williams of Kent, who joined the program from Utah in 1991-92.
"They're what we expected," Bone said of the Oregon transfers. "They've given us another dimension that we didn't have. They give us athleticism, quickness and experience."
Bone likes the fit.
"It can be an advantage or disadvantage bringing in transfers," the coach said. "It depends on who the individuals are and how they fit the team's needs. We felt we needed better quickness at the point guard spot and more offense from a wing player to replace Jeff McBroom (24.3 points) and Ryan Sowards (12.6 points) from last year."
When Quinine knew his time at Oregon was winding down, he searched for a Pacific Northwest school to take him and signed a letter of intent April 20. Then, Rosemond, Kent's first recruit, followed May 7.
"I called (assistant) coach (Jeff) Hironaka and left a message," said Quinine, who played high-school ball at Rowland Heights, Calif. "He called me back and came down to see me."
Both players couldn't understand why they weren't playing more, especially since both had seen extensive court time at another time. Quinine played in 71 games for Oregon, Rosemond 54.
"When I first got there, Coach Kent said Donte was going to be the next Michael Finley," said Rosemond, who played at Frederick Douglass High in Atlanta. "Coach was looking for him to be the man.
"Donte can play. He never got the opportunity to play there. Donte wasn't (Kent's) recruit. It was a situation where Donte never really was given a chance."
Like a high dribble plucked from his grasp, Quinine felt he had something stolen from him during his junior season as a Duck.
"My life kind of goes as my game is going," said Quinine, sounding upbeat. "It's a big part of my life. When you invest so much time into it, it gets to the point that it's all you care about. Then, you want to make a career out of it, and when that's taken away, it hurts."
Neither player blames Kent for their abrupt departures. Quinine and Rosemond remain in contact with Kent.
"That situation taught me a lot," said Rosemond, who had difficulty with his changing roles at Oregon. "I could have made my situation better at Oregon. If I was more mentally stable my sophomore year, I probably could've been a star in the Pac-10. I can't blame Coach Kent. I blame myself a lot. It taught me a big lesson."
With basketball back as a dominating presence, Quinine and Rosemond are much happier. And the Falcons are pleased to make a home for them.
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Fast forward.
Former University of Oregon players Donte Quinine and Yasir Rosemond have resurrected their games since transferring to Seattle Pacific for their senior seasons this winter.
Donte Quinine. Now - Seattle Pacific, 18.4 points, 5.9 rebounds. Then - Oregon career, 2.1 points, 1.1 rebounds. Yasir Rosemond. Now - Seattle Pacific, 11.2 points, 3.6 assists. Then - Oregon career, 4.3 points, 1.6 assists.