After defeating the Washington State Cougars in the Pac-12 Tournament on Thursday afternoon, Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks got another gift: redshirt senior Jermaine Couisnard let it be known that he will use his final year of eligibility to return to Eugene for another season in 2023-24.
Couisnard is Oregon’s second leading scorer at 13 points per game, along with 2.9 rebounds and 2.1 assists. He’s only appeared in 17 games due to injury, however, an issue that has plagued him throughout his career, which began at South Carolina back in 2018.
Couisnard and fellow transfer Keeshawn Barthelemy were expected to anchor Oregon’s backcourt this year alongside returners Will Richardson and Rivaldo Soares, but injuries limited both for huge chunks of the year.
“I’ve just been thinking. I haven’t played enough games for myself to leave college like that,” Couisnard told Matt Prehm, of 247Sports. “I feel like I need to start the season, have a healthy summer, change my body and how I eat, and then work on a few different things.”
Couisnard’s return next season helps ease the sting of losing Richardson, who recently set the record for games played in an Oregon uniform.
Oregon will take on number one seed UCLA on Friday at 6:00 PM, where a win could put them back inside the NCAA Tournament field and a loss will have everyone sweating on Selection Sunday.
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