Tag: N’Faly Dante

Oregon Ducks sophomore Jackson Shelstad named to preseason All-Big-Ten team

Jackson Shelstad, the star point guard for the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team, was named to the Big Ten’s preseason All-Conference team.

We’re in the full swing of the college football season, with the Oregon Ducks looking great at 4-0, but we’re also two months away from a college basketball season that could be a memorable one for Oregon. Leading the Ducks will be sophomore point guard Jackson Shelstad, who on Tuesday, was named to the preseason All-Big-Ten team.

Shelstad’s selection doesn’t come as a surprise after his spectacular freshman season. Playing in 32 games in 2023, Shelstad averaged 12.8 points, 2.8 assists, and 2.8 rebounds per game while shooting 45% from the field, 34.5% from three, and 85.7% from the free throw line.

The Ducks’ 2023 season was capped off with an incredible and improbable run to the NCAA tournament. With no chance at an at-large bid, the Ducks beat UCLA, Arizona, and Colorado consecutively to win the final Pac-12 Championship, punching their ticket to March Madness where they upset South Carolina in the first round, and took three-seeded Creighton to overtime in the round of 32.

Shelstad was a major factor in the Ducks’ win streak at the end of the season, averaging 13.6 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists, with 40%/32%/85% shooting splits in the Pac-12 and NCAA tournaments. Shelstad was hitting big shots in those games, but like all season, he struggled with consistency.

A lack of consistency isn’t a surprise for a freshman like Shelstad. Instead, it’s the expectation. But now as a sophomore, he’s, hopefully, developed that part of his game, because Oregon will need it. With N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard — the other two stars of the 2023 teams — gone, Shelstad will be tasked with leading the Ducks back to the NCAA tournament.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

WATCH: N’Faly Dante rejects Bronny James in NBA Summer League

WATCH: NBA Summer League fans got a taste of what was the Pac-12 as N’Faly Dante managed to block a driving Bronny James.

This is probably something that should have occurred in the Big Ten next season only if the NCAA allowed a sixth season for N’Faly Dante and if Bronny James wasn’t too eager to play with his superstar dad.

Instead, we got to see it in the NBA Summer League right now as Dante, playing for the Houston Rockets, came over from the weak side to block James in a would-be lay-up attempt.

Houston ended up defeating Los Angeles 99-80 in the exhibition game played in Las Vegas. Dante ended with just two points but grabbed seven rebounds and two blocks in a little over 15 minutes of playing time.

Dante was signed by the Rockets as an undrafted free agent.

N’Faly Dante agrees to a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets

N’Faly Dante agrees to a two-way deal with the Houston Rockets after he became a free agent, going unselected in the NBA draft this week.

The Houston Rockets know a little about great play from the center position.

Once the home of the Hall of Famer Hakeem Olajuwon, the Rockets have signed former Oregon Ducks center N’Faly Dante to a two-way deal after he went undrafted this week.

The “two-way” deal means Dante will most likely be going back and forth from the Rockets to the Grande Valley Vipers of the G-League throughout the season. After the 2024 season, the NBA plans to disband the minor league and it’s unknown what the plans are after that.

As for Dante, unfortunately, he went undrafted after his appeal for a sixth season at Oregon was denied by the NCAA. He was looking for an extra year after battling numerous injuries that cost him time and games as a Duck.

In what turned out to be his final season in Eugene, Dante averaged 17 points and 6.4 rebounds while playing in 22 games for the Ducks.

Jay Bilas sounds off on NCAA after deplorable N’Faly Dante decision

ESPN’s Jay Bilas sounded off on the NCAA after their denial of Oregon Ducks center N’Faly Dante’s appeal this past week.

It wasn’t long ago that Oregon Duck fans got some bad news about former All-Conference center N’Faly Dante, who had applied for an extra year of eligibility with the NCAA but had his request denied.

Then this week, after appealing the ruling, Dante once again had his appeal denied, officially ending his college career with the Oregon Ducks in an unceremonial fashion.

Oregon fans have been upset about this, but it seems that there is no person more publicly upset that ESPN’s Jay Bilas, who has been claiming all along that Dante should be given another year of eligibility if the NCAA is staying true to the message that they have always pushed.

Dante was looking for an injury hardship waiver since he played in just 12 games in 2019-20 and only six more in 2020-21. Oregon was hopeful since similar cases around the country were upheld, but Dante wasn’t as fortunate.

Ultimately, Bilas’ words won’t be able to change anything, but it is nice for Duck fans to know that he has their back, and they have every right to be frustrated at the ultimate decision.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Report: Oregon basketball adds Georgetown center Supreme Cook

A day after losing N’Faly Dante after his waiver was denied by the NCAA, the Ducks add Georgetown center Supreme Cook.

Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team don’t waste time.

A day after losing N’Faly Dante after his waiver to continue his college career was denied, the Ducks adds former Georgetown Hoya forward/center Supreme Cook.

The 6-foot-9 graduate senior adds depth and size to what is already a very talented roster throughout.

At Georgetown, where he played just one season, Cook averaged 10.5 points and eight rebounds a game for a Hoya team that went just 9-23 overall and 2-18 in Big East action.

In the previous seasons at Fairfield, Cook averaged 10 points and 7.5 boards a game. For his last season for the Stags, Cook averaged 13.1 points a game and 8.5 rebounds.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Report: N’Faly Dante’s appeal is denied, ending his college career

The NCAA has officially ended N’Faly Dante’s college basketball career by denying his appeal for an extra year of eligibility.

It was a long shot, but the Ducks were hoping for a miracle anyway.

According to CBS reporter Jon Rothstein, the NCAA has denied N’Faly Dante’s appeal for a sixth season of college basketball. His original case for an extra season was denied late last month, but now with all of his options exhausted, Dante’s college basketball career is now over.

He was looking for an injury hardship waiver since he played in just 12 games in 2019-20 and only six more in 2020-21. Oregon was hopeful since similar cases around the country were upheld, but Dante wasn’t as fortunate.

It would have been a huge boost for the 2024-25 Oregon Ducks basketball team to retain Dante for one more season as they would have been Final Four possibilities with the 7-foot center in the lineup. He had a career season last year as he averaged 17 points a game and 9.2 rebounds.

Dana Altman will lead what is still a very talented squad next season in their first year as a member in the Big Ten Conference.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Report: Ducks to open next men’s basketball season with UC-Riverside

Oregon is expected to open the 2024-25 men’s basketball season with the UC-Riverside Highlanders Nov. 4.

With the Ducks entering the Big Ten Conference this next season, Dana Altman said he wanted to cut the travel time by scheduling as many West Coast non-conference games as possible.

They won’t have to travel for the 2024-25 season opener as the Ducks are going to host UC-Riverside in early November, according to CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein.

The Highlanders, out of the Big West, finished 16-18 overall last season and a 10-10 conference record.

Oregon is expected to be one of the contenders to win the Big Ten next year as the conference welcomes in not only the Ducks, but USC, UCLA and Washington. The roster is strong, talented and deep even without N’Faly Dante, who lost is appeal for an extra season of eligibility.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Jay Bilas slams NCAA over ‘outrageous’ decision on N’Faly Dante eligibility

ESPN’s Jay Bilas seems to have N’Faly Dante’s back after his appeal was denied on Thursday.

Oregon Duck fans did not wake up to the news that they were hoping for on Thursday, with a report from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein that former All-Conference center N’Faly Dante’s hardship waiver for another year of eligibility had been denied.

Dante played only 12 games during the 2019-20 season after having his eligibility approval delayed before suffering a knee injury then only played in six games in the following 2020-21 season after tearing his ACL. The medical hardship that Oregon filed was in relation to those two seasons.

The NCAA denied the waiver, and now they are finding themselves subject to criticism from one of the most well-known figures in college basketball — ESPN’s Jay Bilas.

Bilas was in favor of Dante getting another year of eligibility, claiming that he is “everything the NCAA claims it wants in an athlete.”

“Dante is a model athlete and person, wants to come back to play and advance his education, and has never asked his school for anything,” Bilas wrote on Twitter. “When the NCAA says ‘athlete welfare,’ it rings hollow. The NCAA needs to do the right thing…allow Dante his additional year.”

According to Rothstein, Oregon will appeal the ruling and continue to push for an additional year for the big man, but it appears to be an uphill battle at this point.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

N’Faly Dante’s hardship waiver denied by NCAA, per report

The NCAA has reportedly denied the hardship waiver for Oregon Ducks star N’Faly Dante, per a report.

For a few months there, it seemed that Oregon Ducks former All-Conference center could be coming back to Eugene for one more season under Dana Altman, but those dreams seem far less likely now.

On Thursday morning, it was reported by CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein that N’Faly Dante’s hardship waiver to the NCAA for one more year of eligibility has been denied.

Rothstein reports that Dante and the Ducks will appeal the decision and continue to push for one more year of eligibility for Dante.

In April, Oregon submitted a hardship waiver request to the NCAA, stemming from Dante’s ACL tear in the 2020-21 season that forced him to miss most of the year.

While Dante had a long and very successful career at Oregon, he has missed a lot of time due to injuries. The big man played only 12 games during the 2019-20 season after having his eligibility approval delayed, and then suffering a knee injury. In 2020-21, Dante played in only six games before suffering a season-ending torn ACL. The medical hardship that Oregon filed was in relation to those two seasons.

In 2023, Dante was the Ducks’ best player on the court, averaging 17 points, 9.2 rebounds, and 1.9 blocks per game, carrying the team to a remarkable tournament run in March alongside Jermaine Couisnard, helping the team win the last ever Pac-12 Tournament.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

Oregon center N’Faly Dante receives invite to 2024 NBA Combine

N’Faly Dante has received an invite to the 2024 NBA Combine.

The future remains unclear for Oregon Ducks’ all-conference center N’Faly Dante, but he certainly has his options open ahead of him.

In April, The Oregonian’s James Crepea reported that Dante and the Ducks are seeking a waiver from the NCAA for an additional year of eligibility for center N’Faly Dante stemming from his ACL injury during the 2020-21 season. This means that there is a possibility that Dante returns to Eugene for one more season to lead what is turning into a talented Oregon team in 2024-25.

However, Dante also has been invited to the 2024 NBA Combine, where he can work out in front of NBA general managers, coaches, and scouts, in hopes of upping his draft stock and potentially being selected in the 2024 NBA Draft at the end of June.

Currently, Dante has been projected as a second-round pick in the draft, but there is a chance that he could improve that with a solid workout and performance at the combine.

While we wait to hear what the NCAA’s decision is on Dante’s waiver, we will see if he participates in the combine, which takes place from May 12-19.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]