Tag: Jackson Shelstad

Dana Altman talks 5-star freshmen, jump to Big Ten, and new-look Ducks heading into 2023 season

Dana Altman talks 5-star freshmen, jump to Big Ten, and new-look Ducks heading into 2023 season

It’s been quite a while since we’ve gotten the opportunity to last speak to Oregon Ducks men’s basketball coach Dana Altman. In fact, I think the last time I was in a room with him was the night that he went on a rant about the program, the fans, and the outlook of things going forward, making national headlines in the sport.

It’s safe to say that a lot of things have happened from then until now.

For starters, the Ducks will now be playing in a new conference starting a year from now after the University of Oregon jumped from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten. That seems like pretty major news that would be worth getting Altman’s opinion on.

After that, we have also been gifted a pretty new-look roster in Eugene, which features a few holdovers from last year — N’Faly Dante, Nate Bittle, Keeshawn Barthelemy, and Jermaine Couisnard, among others — but boasts a pair of 5-star freshmen with another highly-rated 4-star player who made up the No. 8 ranked 2023 recruiting class for the Ducks.

There’s another good topic of conversation.

With those new additions, a big influx of incoming transfers, and every other storyline that has built up over the offseason, it’s safe to say that there was no shortage of things to discuss with Altman in his first media availability on Thursday afternoon.

Here are Altman’s most notable quotes from that interview:

Report: Oregon to face Georgia in Las Vegas doubleheader with USC

According to a report from college hoops reporter Jon Rothstein, the Ducks will open the men’s basketball season against Georgia in Vegas.

According to Jon Rothstein of College Hoops Today, the Oregon men’s basketball team will open the 2023-24 season in style.

As part of a doubleheader where USC will face Kansas State, the Ducks will play Georgia in Las Vegas. This will be the first college game for a few marquee players looking to make an impact on the next level.

The most notable name is USC’s Bronny James, who will mostly be a one-and-done before going on to the NBA. But Oregon also has a couple of freshmen who will most likely be on national television for the first time with their new team in point guard Jackson Shelstad and Mookie Cook.

Playing Georgia right away will also be a bit strange for transfer guard Kario Oquendo, who played for the Bulldogs for two seasons and led UGA in scoring in 2021-22 with just over 15 points a game.

There has not been a formal announcement for this marquee event, but no doubt either ESPN or Fox will want to broadcast this doubleheader in Sin City.

Shelstad and Cook invited to Team USA U19 Training Camp

Incoming Oregon freshmen Jackson Shelstad and Mookie Cook have been invited to Team USA’s Under 19 training camp.

Oregon Ducks men’s basketball fans might get to see a sneak peek into what the 20-24 team could look like.

Incoming freshmen Jackson Shelstad from West Linn, Ore. and Mookie Cook out of Portland, were both invited to Team USA’s Under 19 training camp that will be held in Colorado Springs, Colo.

A final 12-member roster will be announced prior to the 2023 FIBA Men’s World Cup, scheduled for June-24-July 2 in Debrecen, Hungary.

Shelstad most recently competed with Team USA at the Nike Hoop Summit in Portland, while Cook earned a trip to the McDonald’s All-American game.

Cook is a 6-foot-7 small forward and he was ranked as a Top 30 recruit in the Class of 2023. Shelstad is6-foot point guard tat is expected to start from Day 1 replacing Will Richardson.

Athletes attending training camp were selected by the USA Basketball Men’s Junior National Team Committee. The full list of athletes is below:

  • Omaha Biliew (Iowa State)
  • Blake Buchanan (Virginia)
  • Myles Colvin (Purdue)
  • Marquis ‘Mookie’ Cook (Oregon)
  • Jeremy Fears Jr. (Michigan State)
  • Trentyn Flowers (Louisville)
  • AJ Johnson (Pro)
  • DeShawn Harris-Smith (Maryland)
  • Milan Momcilovic (Iowa State)
  • Jackson Shelstad (Oregon)
  • Joseph Tugler (Houston)
  • Cody Williams (Colorado)

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Oregon PG signee Jackson Shelstad earns 5-star status

All three members of Oregon’s 2023 signing class are now rated as 5-star players thanks to the bump for Jackson Shelstad.

It’s been a long time coming, but Oregon Ducks point guard signee Jackson Shelstad can finally say that he is recognized — properly, I might add — as a five-star player in the class of 2023.

Shelstad picked up his fifth star in the 247Sports Composite ratings after their latest update, ranking him as the No. 23 player in the 2023 class, and No. 5 PG in the nation. Shelstad has long been rated as the No. 1 player in the state of Oregon.

247Sports still rates Shelstad as a 4-star player, as does On3 and ESPN, while Rivals has him as a 5-star as well.

All three members of Oregon’s 2023 prep signing class are now listed as 5-star players, according to the 247Sports Composite. Kwame Evans is rated as the No. 14 overall player in the class, while Mookie Cook is rated as the No. 26 player in the class. The latest update from 247Sports actually saw Shelstad jump Cook in the ratings.

At the moment, the Ducks have the No. 7 ranked recruiting class in the nation for 2023.

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Oregon signee Jackson Shelstad is turning heads at Nike Hoops Summit

Jackson Shelstad has all of the scouts talking at the Nike Hoops Summit, with some declaring him the best player on the floor.

He may technically be the lowest-rated player in the Oregon Ducks’ 2023 signing class, but it’s hard to find any player who will come to Eugene shouldering higher expectations than West Linn senior Jackson Shelstad.

The 4-star point guard has been a tour de force over the past several months, grabbing headlines throughout the high school basketball season and inching his way up the national recruiting rankings, where he now sits at No. 32 nationally. This past week at the Nike Hoops’ Summit in Portland, Oregon, Shelstad is once again making waves and dropping the jaws of many in attendance. Some are even questioning his national ranking, assured that he belongs in the conversation among the best players in the 2023 class.

With a star-studded group of players in Portland this weekend that includes Omaha Biliew (No. 11 player), Isaiah Collier (No. 1 player), Bronny James (No. 33 player), Jared McCain (No. 15 player), and Ja’Kobe Walter (No. 21 player), the fact that Shelstad is making the most noise is impressive.

Here’s some of the biggest buzz that we’ve seen on social media.

Roster Outlook: How Dana Altman’s squad could shape up for 2023-24 season

Dana Altman is likely to see some major roster turnover this offseason. Here’s who we think stays and goes for the Ducks.

The Oregon Ducks’ 2023 season has officially come to an end.

With a frustrating finish on Tuesday night in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament against the Wisconsin Badgers, an arduous season was put to rest. It felt merciful, on one hand, but also left a lot of questions going forward.

In back-to-back years, Dana Altman and the Ducks have seen their season come to a close in the NIT, rather than the NCAA Tournament. For a program that has seen 5 Sweet Sixteens, two Elite Eights, and one Final Four run over the past couple of decades, that’s not going to cut it.

“We set the bar at Sweet Sixteens,” Altman told John Canzano on Wednesday.

Now that this season is behind him, Altman plans to dive head-first into evaluations of the program, working day and night to try and figure out how to turn things around and get back to the tournament, reaching that bar once again. Looking ahead, we know that he will have a few nice pieces to work with for sure, but also a lot of unknowns to traverse.

The Ducks have 13 scholarships to work with in 2023-24. A few of those already belong to players who have announced that they will return to Eugene for another year, and a handful of others will go to the three high school recruits who have signed with the Ducks in the 2023 class, with potentially a fourth being reserved for another addition. The rest will be given to “players who want to be here,” as Altman said in a legendarily revealing press conference that he gave on Tuesday night.

So with all of that in mind, what will the Ducks’ roster look like at the start of next season? It’s far too early to know for sure, but here’s our best guess on how things will shape out, and which players decide to do what.

Jackson Shelstad named Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year

2023 Oregon Ducks commit Jackson Shelstad was once again named the Gatorade Player of the Year in Oregon.

The 2022-23 season didn’t end as planned for the Oregon Ducks, who did not see their name crop up on Selection Sunday and will instead face UC-Irvine in the first round of the NIT on Wednesday evening.

Dana Altman’s club did get good news in the return of guard Jermaine Couisnard for next season, but the biggest story will be the three headed monster recruiting class of KJ Evans, Mookie Cook, and Jackson Shelstad.

Shelstad just put another piece of hardware on his trophy case, as the West Linn point guard was named the Gatorade Player of the Year in the state of Oregon – the second time he has earned the honor.

Shelstad comes in at No. 31 in the 247Sports composite rankings of the class of 2023. He is the eighth ranked point guard an, unsurprisingly, the number one player in Oregon.

He’ll have big shoes to fill in Eugene next year following the departure of Will Richardson – who set the record for games played in a Ducks uniform.

Shelstad will have plenty of talent surrounding him, and looks primed to follow the path of fellow West Linn-to-Oregon point guard Payton Pritchard – who starred for the Ducks before playing with the Boston Celtics.

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LOOK: Payton Pritchard surprises Oregon signee Jackson Shelstad ahead of 6A state championship

LOOK: Payton Pritchard surprises Oregon signee Jackson Shelstad ahead of 6A state championship

Waking up on the day that you’re getting set to play in the 6A State Championship is already special enough. When you have one of your idols give you a wake up call, though, that makes it quite memorable.

That’s what happened for Oregon Ducks 2023 signee Jackson Shelstad, the star player for West Linn. According to reports, Shelstad was greeted by Oregon legend Payton Pritchard, who won 4 state championships during his time at West Linn, and had an incredible career with the Ducks as well. Pritchard is now a prized role player for the Boston Celtics.

Shelstad has been often compared to Pritchard, playing at the same high school and utilizing a similar set of skills while possessing a comparable work ethic. Shelstad will come to Eugene this summer with hopes of being able to replicate Pritchard’s career with the Ducks.

Shelstad and his team were, unfortunately, unable to take care of business on Saturday night in the championship game, getting upset by Tualatin, 60-47. It was still a memorable season for the future Oregon PG, made more special by having his future coach and Oregon idol in attendance. Here are some pictures, videos, and reactions from the night:

Bronny James and Oregon commit Kwame Evans projected lottery picks in 2024 NBA mock draft

Both Bronny James and Oregon’s Kwame Evans are projected top-10 picks in the 2024 NBA Draft. Could that be a pair of Ducks in the top 10? We’ll see…

The 2023 NBA Draft hasn’t even taken place yet, so it may seem a bit crazy to already be looking over a year down the road to 2024. However, that’s the business that we are in, and with a name like Bronny James in the mix for a potential NBA team to add to their roster — and the likely chance that it leads to LeBron James coming to your team as well — then it’s safe to say that the 2024 NBA Draft is going to be among the most heavily covered we’ve seen in a long time.

Bronny James isn’t the only name that Oregon Duck fans should be focused on, though. While James is yet to make his commitment and is still said to be heavily considering the Ducks, there is an Oregon commit who is in the mix for a top pick in 2024.

5-star PF Kwame Evans is even higher on the board than James is. According to ESPN’s latest 2024 mock, Evans is projected to go to the New Orleans Pelicans with the No. 9 overall pick, with James is projected to go to the Orlando Magic with the No. 10 overall pick.

Could that be a pair of Ducks in the top 10 of the draft? Time will tell.

At the moment, Evans is the highest-rated recruit in Oregon’s 2023 class, ranking as the No. 11 overall player in the nation. Contrarily, James is rated as the No. 33 player in the 2023 class.

It should be noted that Mookie Cook, the other 5-star recruit in Oregon’s 2023 signing class, was not included in the 2024 mock draft, nor was 4-star PG Jackson Shelstad.

There is a lot of time between now and the 2024 draft, and many, many more mock drafts to be published. Between now and then, we will certainly see more speculation about where Bronny will go, and it will be interesting to see how high up the rankings Evans can rise as well.

Until then, though, we can focus on the 2023 NBA Draft, where Oregon C Kel’el Ware is projected to come off the board at some point. He started out as a lottery pick but has fallen down the draft boards as a disappointing year goes on. With the 2023 draft taking place on June 22, we’ve got some time to see how his position changes over the coming months.

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Was Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad snubbed from McDonald’s All-American Game?

The rosters for the McDonald’s All-American Game came out on Tuesday, and Oregon 4-star PG Jackson Shelstad was notably missing.

On Tuesday afternoon, the rosters for the McDonald’s All-American Game were released for 2023. Fans of the Oregon Ducks likely scanned the lists and were happy to see that both 5-star Mookie Cook and 5-star Kwame Evans made the list. They may have even been excited to see that 4-star Bronny James — a high profile recruit who has been strongly considering the Ducks — was in the mix as well.

However, it was a disappointment to see that 4-star Oregon point guard Jackson Shelstad was not on the list.

As the best player on the No. 1 ranked team in the nation — West Linn — it seems that Shelstad belongs, especially with the senior season he is having. Earlier this year, Shelstad led West Linn to the Les Schwab Invitational Championship, defeating No. 16 Sierra Canyon — and Bronny James — as well as Duncanville, the previous No. 1 ranked team in the nation.

So was Shelstad snubbed? Does he deserve to be in the All-American showcase this spring? Our guys at SBLive seem to think so:

All we can figure here is that nobody on the selection team watched the Les Schwab Invitational. The Oregon commit was the best player on the floor against Sierra Canyon and Duncanville, both of which will have representatives in the McDonald’s All-American Game in March.

While the best players in the nation will get a chance to showcase their talents on a national stage later this spring, Shelstad won’t get that opportunity, unfortunately. He’ll have to wait until next year in Eugene to show the world what he can really do.

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