Tag: Ducks Basketball

Oregon lands commitment from USC transfer Endyia Rogers

Kelly Graves added more talent to the 2021-22 Ducks roster, landing a commitment from USC transfer Endyia Rogers.

It worked out very well the first time around, so the Ducks decided to go to the well once again.

USC point guard Endyia Rogers is now the Trojans former point guard as the junior-to-be has announced she is coming to Eugene to play for Kelly Graves and the Oregon women’s basketball team.

She will follow in the footsteps of Minyon Moore, who also left USC to be a Duck, but the two situations are quite different. Moore left Los Angeles as a senior transfer in hopes of playing in the NCAA tournament, which she was an integral part of Oregon’s Final Four team of 2019.

Rogers is leaving the Trojans because of a coaching change. Longtime Trojan coach Mark Trakh retired after 26 years of coaching, including nine total seasons with USC. Lindsay Gottlieb was hired as his replacement and that was when Rogers announced she was going elsewhere.

It was widely believed that the 5-foot-7 guard from Dallas was going to choose between Oregon and Arizona as her next destination.

In her time with the Trojans, ironically, she was Moore’s replacement as being their primary scorer. She averaged 14.8 points and 3.5 assists per game last season as a sophomore. As a Duck, Rogers won’t be expected to carry that kind of workload as she will be Te-Hina Paopao’s backup.

Oregon has become a popular landing spot for transfers as Graves is rivaling Dana Altman in convincing players to come to Eugene. Besides Rogers, the Ducks have signed Ahlise Hurst (New Mexico), Taylor Hosendove (Georgia State), and Chanaya Pinto (Northwest Florida State College).

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Oregon Ducks land 5-star point guard Dior Johnson, No. 3 guard in the nation

Dana Altman landed 5-star point guard, Dior Johnson, the No. 3 PG and No. 15 ranked overall player in the class of 2022.

QUACK QUACK!

The Oregon Ducks landed one of the best basketball recruits in the nation, with 5-star point guard Dior Johnson committing to the Ducks and joining Dana Altman in Eugene.

Johnson is the No. 3 point guard recruit in the 2022 class, and the No. 15 ranked player overall.

“I decided to commit to Oregon because of the great relationships I have built with the coaching staff,” Johnson said, via ESPN. “Coach Crutchfield and Coach Altman welcomed me with open arms from day one. We were able to get on the same page quickly as they have built a great plan for me to succeed.”

Johnson is the first player committed to Oregon in the 2022 class and one of only a handful of five-star recruits to select a college at this stage.

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Ducks land commitment from Rivaldo Soares, a JC 1st-team All-American

One of the top junior college players in the nation, Rivaldo Soares, announced his commitment to the Ducks on Monday.

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It was a huge day for the Oregon Ducks’ men’s basketball program.

After a cryptic hype-video was released by the team’s Twitter page, the announcement came that the Ducks landed a commitment from Rivaldo Soares, a junior college first-team All-American.

The 6-foot-6 sophomore said on his Instagram page Sunday that his announcement would come on Monday, deciding between six schools — DePaul, Florida, Oklahoma State, Oregon, St. John’s and San Diego State. Obviously, Soares liked the Ducks the most of that group, choosing to come play under Dana Altman and try to further the winning ways of Oregon.

Playing with South Plains College in Texas last season, Soares averaged 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 45.5 percent from the floor.

Soares is a huge get for the Ducks, who are facing a number of holes on the roster after players like Chris Duarte, Eugene Omoruyi, and LF Figueroa graduated out. Chandler Lawson and Jalen Terry also transferred from Oregon following the end of the season.

Now that he is committed, Soares has a chance to come in and fill the spot left by Duarte, who is projected to be a first-round pick in this year’s NBA draft.

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Oregon’s newest guard, De’Vion Harmon’ announces number change

De’Vion Harmon announced that he will be switching to No. 5 after transferring to the Oregon Ducks.

The Oregon Ducks basketball team will have a bit of a new-look roster in the 2021-22 season, and one of the star players is going to be sporting a new look as well.

Over the weekend, transfer guard De’Vion Harmon announced that he is going to be switching to No. 5 with his new team, changing from No. 11, which he wore with the Oklahoma Sooners.

Harmon announced that he was coming to Oregon through the transfer portal a couple of weeks ago, which is huge news for a Ducks’ roster that needs a little bit of help after losing players like Chris Duarte, Eugene Omoruyi, and LJ Figueroa.

Harmon, a 6-foot-2 point guard, was the former No. 47 overall prospect in the 2019 class and made for one of the top available transfers on the market.

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Ducks basketball lands Oklahoma transfer De’Vion Harmon

Former Oklahoma guard De’Vion Harmon has agreed to transfer to Oregon next season, where he will help fill out the young roster.

Dana Altman is apparently already very active in the NCAA Transfer portal, landing former Oklahoma guard De’Vion Harmon.

Harmon entered the transfer portal last week following his previous decision to enter the NBA Draft. In his 2020-21 season, De’Vion averaged nearly 13 points per game and was one of the Sooners’ most versatile playmakers.

The 6-foot-2 point guard was the former No. 47 overall prospect in the 2019 class and made for one of the top available transfers on the market.

Now, with holes on the roster left by the departure of Chris Duarte, LJ Figueroa, and Eugene Omoruyi, the Ducks are in need of some offensive playmakers to pair next to Will Richardson, Frank Keopnang, N’Faly Dante, and Nathan Bittle.

With a dynamic player like Harmon now on the roster, Oregon definitely got closer to having the athletic firepower that we are all used to once again next season.

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Eric Williams Jr. announces intention to enter NBA draft, maintain college eligibility

Eric Williams Jr. announced on Thursday that he intends to enter the NBA Draft, but will maintain his college eligibility and use opportunity to get feedback.

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Another member of the 2020-21 Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team is entering the NBA Draft, with forward Eric Williams Jr. announcing on Thursday that he plans to test the draft waters while still maintaining is college eligibility.

The difference between this announcement, and say the ones that we have seen from both Chris Duarte and LJ Figueroa, is that Williams does not plan to hire an agent, so he can still decide to come back to school and play if he isn’t drafted by an NBA team.

“Ever since I was a little kid in Port Huron, Michigan, I have had dreams of playing in the NBA,” Williams wrote on Instagram. “After much thought and discussion with Oregon staff and my family, I have decided to go through the NBA Draft process while maintaining my eligibility as a Duck. I look forward to getting feedback and getting one step closer to fulfilling my NBA dreams.”

This last season, Williams averaged 10.0 points and 6.0 rebounds over 24 games season for the Ducks.

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Oregon’s Sedona Prince named one of 13 players to make Team USA

Oregon’s Sedona Prince has been named one of 13 finalists for Team USA ahead of the 2021 USA Women’s AmeriCup.

The Oregon Ducks are going to be represented this summer at the 2021 USA Women’s AmeriCup, with sophomore Sedona Prince being named one of 13 players to make the team.

This isn’t the first time Prince has worn the Red, White, and Blue. She won a gold medal with Team USA at the 2018 FIBA Americas U18 Championship, and she was a bronze medalist at the 2015 FIBA Americas U16 Championship and the 2016 FIBA U17 World Cup.

In her first season at Oregon, Prince averaged 10.4 points and 3.9 rebounds per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the floor. It was her first active season as a college player after missing 2018-19 due to injury and sitting out 2019-20 because of NCAA transfer rules.

Prince had hoped to compete with the Ducks earlier, but the NCAA rejected her case to participate in 2019-20. So she had to wait yet another season to see the floor in Eugene. Once Prince was able to actually play for Oregon, her presence was felt. After some earlier leg injuries, Prince dominated the last half of the year.

Her efforts culminated with a career-high 22 points in a second-round upset win over 3-seed Georgia in the NCAA tournament.

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