Tag: N’Faly Dante

8 notable quotes from Dana Altman as Oregon basketball dives into fall practice

“Our guys are getting in (the gym) more on their own. This isn’t rocket science. If you’re not putting time in it’s hard to be really good.”

Many fans may recognize the month of October as the middle of football season, but across the bridge from Autzen Stadium, inside Matthew Knight Arena, Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks are getting the basketball season underway.

It looks like a promising one, as well.

With veteran leaders like Will Richardson, N’Faly Dante, Quincy Guerrier, and Rivaldo Soares all back for one more go-around in Eugene, the Ducks also have an incredibly talented group of young players like 5-star center Kel’el Ware, plus JUCO transfers Tyrone Williams and Brennan Rigsby. On top of that, Oregon also got Colorado transfer Keeshawn Barthelemy in the mix, along with South Carolina transfer Jermaine Couisnard.

The Rubicks’ Cube is set for Altman, now he’s getting to work assembling it.

After practice on Monday, Altman spoke with media members to preview the start of the season. Here are some of the most notable quotes:

Fall Ball Takeaways: Will Richardson leads veteran group of Ducks into 2022 season

Will Richardson lived up to his “Altman Junior” nickname at Monday’s practice as the Ducks let media members in for the first time in 2022.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team is underway in their fall season of practice, and while there were a lot of familiar faces on the floor, it wouldn’t be a Dana Altman-led team without several newcomers in the bunch.

Will Richardson leads a group of experienced veterans in Eugene, with N’Faly Dante, Quincy Guerrier, and Rivaldo Soares all coming back for another go-around in Eugene. We also saw the new group of transfers with the Ducks — Keeshawn Barthelemy (Colorado) and Jermaine Couisnard (South Carolina) — plus the JUCO transfers — Tyrone Williams and Brennan Rigsby — and the high-profile freshman — 5-star C Kel’el Ware.

Media members were allowed to watch practice on Monday for the first time all season, getting a glimpse at how this new Oregon team will look in 2022. Here are my takeaways from the day:

Oregon center N’Faly Dante announces return for 2022 season

N’Faly Dante is back for another year with the Ducks. A front court of him and 5-star C Kel’el Ware is going to be fun to watch.

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The Oregon Ducks got some big news on Monday morning, with center N’Faly Dante announcing on social media that he plans to return to Eugene for the 2022 season rather than test the NBA draft waters.

This news was somewhat expected after Dont’e had a great year back from injury in 2021, but now it is confirmed.

The return of Dante is a major piece for Oregon, who has 5-star center Kel’el Ware coming to Eugene this summer. Putting him with Dante, while hoping that former 5-star center Nate Bittle can further develop, is something that Oregon fans have to look forward.

On top of what potential lineups can be, it’s also good new for Oregon after the recent transfer of center Franck Kepnang, who announced his commitment to Washington last week. Oregon also got word that guard Rivaldo Soares will be returning in 2022 as well, while Will Richardson and Quincy Guerrier test the NBA draft waters.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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What Franck Kepnang’s transfer could mean about the future of N’Faly Dante

It’s always tough to watch a player like Franck Kepnang leave. However, it may mean good things when it comes to a potential return of N’Faly Dante.

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On Monday evening, Oregon Ducks center Franck Kepnang announced that he will be entering the transfer portal and looking to leave the team this offseason.

Kepnang, who averaged 4 points, 3 rebounds, and 1 block in his 14.5 minutes per game this season, was always more of an impact player than he showed to be on the stat sheet. As a 6 or 7-man coming off of the bench, ‘Franck the Tank’ always brought the energy for the Ducks and quickly became a fan favorite in his time in Eugene thanks to his infectious effort and hard work on both ends of the floor.

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While it is absolutely unfortunate for Oregon to lose a player like Kepnang, who stands 6-foot-11, 225 pounds, there could be a chance to look on the bright side in this scenario. It could mean that the core of Oregon’s big-men, of which there are plenty, might be sticking around for the 2022 season.

At the heart of the paint is N’Faly Dante, the Ducks’ go-to big-man who averaged 8 points and 6 rebounds in 20 minutes per game this past year. After the season, there was a thought that Dante might capitalize on his recent success and try to make a jump to the NBA, but a growing feeling has it that he will return for one more season instead. Kepnang’s departure may portend to that train of thought being true, since having both of them back, plus incoming 5-star center Kel’el Ware could lead to too many cooks in the kitchen.

On top of that, there is also the Nate Bittle piece of this all. Bittle is a former 5-star PF/C who stands at 7-feet tall with a high ceiling. He didn’t play very much in his freshman season, but there are hopes that he will find more of a role going forward. In my view of things, it was going to be either Bittle or Kepnang to transfer this offseason — as long as Dante returned — and the Ducks would have to keep that core going forward.

Now we have the first domino to fall with Kepnang departing. Should that lead to the other players announcing a return, we will see.

Contact/Follow us @Ducks_Wire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Oregon Ducks news, notes, and opinion.

Let us know your thoughts, comment on this story below. Join the conversation today.

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Early look at Oregon Duck basketball’s 2022 projected starters, key players

With Altman’s usage of the transfer portal, it’s tough to project the starting lineup for next season, but we gave it a shot.

We’ve certainly talked about what a disappointment the end of the Oregon Ducks’ 2022 basketball season was, with early-season tournament expectations fizzling down to a second-round loss in the NIT tournament. The final 10 games of the regular season saw seven losses, and because of an illness that was deemed mysterious for the better part of a couple of weeks, the Ducks’ leading scorer — Will Richardson — was nowhere to be found down the stretch.

We don’t need to look into that any further, though. Now it is time to look ahead. After the season officially came to an end with a loss to Texas A&M last weekend, head coach Dana Altman talked about what he thought needed to change with the team, and how they could get better going forward.

Related: Dana Altman is ready to hit the reset button

“We’re gonna have to make some adjustments to our staff, figure out our players who want to be there, the transfer portal,” Altman said. “We’ll probably have some guys go and some guys stay, and that’s their right. That’s their opportunity. I only want guys that want to be at Oregon and are fully invested in our program.”

While we know for sure that a couple of players — Jacob Young and Eric Williams Jr. — will be moving on, there’s still a chance that a lot of players come back. Richardson has another year of eligibility if he wants it, and other players like N’Faly Dante, Quincy Guerrier, and De’Vion Harmon could significantly benefit from another year before trying their hand and the professional level.

As the offseason settles, we will surely see some players enter names in the transfer portal — we already saw it earlier this week with Isaac Johnson looking for a new team — so trying to project a lineup or rotation for the 2022-23 season is a bit of a crap-shoot.

That’s not going to stop us from taking a stab at it, though. Here’s how we project the Oregon Ducks’ basketball team to look like next season in a way-too-early projection.

First … Oregon potential starters

Oregon to be without Will Richardson for NIT game vs. Texas A&M; N’Faly Dante available

Bad news: Will Richardson is out again for Oregon vs. Texas A&M. Good news: It appears that N’Faly Dante has a chance to play.

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The Oregon Ducks will once again be without their leading scorer on Saturday morning in their second-round NIT game against the Texas A&M Aggies. According to a UO spokesperson, senior guard Will Richardson did not travel with the team to College Station for the game, which tips at 9:00 a.m. PT on ESPN.

Richardson missed the first game of the NIT, as well as the Pac-12 tournament with a “non-COVID illness.”

On a brighter note, center N’Faly Dante did travel with the team and take part in practice on Friday. Dante missed Oregon’s first-round NIT game against Utah State after coming down with the flu, per Dana Altman.

The winner of Oregon and Texas A&M will face the winner of VCU and Wake Forest in a quarterfinal on Tuesday or Wednesday.

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Richardson and Dante to miss NIT first round at Utah State

Oregon will be missing both Will Richardson and N’Faly Dante tonight for the first round of the NIT at Utah State.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team will be without two huge pieces of the puzzle tonight in the first round NIT matchup against Utah State.

Both point guard Will Richardson and center N’Faly Dante will not be available due to non-COVID-related illnesses. Whether they have the same ailment or different issues was not conveyed to the media.

No matter what the illnesses are, this is a big blow for the Ducks. Oregon found out the hard way what it’s like without their starting point guard with losses to Washington State in the season finale and to Colorado in the conference quarterfinals.

But now the Ducks will be without Dante’s eight points and six rebounds per game. His presence and shot-blocking ability in the middle are key to the Ducks’ defense. Seven-footers Franck Kepnang and Nate Bittle will have to make those minutes up in Dante’s absence.

Richardson and Dante’s availability going forward should Oregon advance is not known. The Ducks and Aggies are scheduled to tip-off at 6 p.m. on ESPN tonight.

How it happened: Oregon’s game-winner rims out vs. USC, Ducks lose 70-69

It was almost a magical senior night for the Ducks, but a last-second shot from Will Richardson rimmed out, leaving Oregon with a loss to USC.

It was a game that would have been massive for the Oregon Ducks’ at-large NCAA Tournament hopes, but in the end, they couldn’t quite pull it out.

It wasn’t for a lack of chances, The Ducks had numerous opportunities to win, and they led by 2 late in the game. However, a USC 3 with 11 seconds left but the Trojans up by one, and a game-winner attempt from Will Richardson rimmed out at the buzzer.

Oregon struggled mightily from the floor, going just 6-for-23 from deep, and 15-for-21 at the free throw line.

Oregon isn’t out of the NCAA tournament discussion just yet, as they can boost their resume with a trip to the Washington schools next week. However, it will now take a deep run in the Pac-12 tournament at the very least to make a case.

Here’s how everything went down on Saturday:

How it happened: The Ducks get defensive in 68-60 win over Stanford

De’Vion Harmon’s hot outside shooting and 21 points led the Ducks to a 68-60 win over Stanford Thursday night.

Oregon, and the rest of the Pac-12 for that matter, learned an important lesson Thursday night. The Ducks don’t need point guard Will Richardson to play at an all-conference level in order to win.

The senior point guard was held scoreless for the first three-quarters of the game and missed his first eight shots. But Richardson ended the game with 12 points and six assists as Oregon managed to outlast the Stanford Cardinal 68-60 to win its 10th game in 11 tries.

While it took Richardson to find his offensive game, De’Vion Harmon and N’Faly Dante held down the fort. Harmon led the way with 21 points and Dante added 12 points and seven rebounds.

It was a bit of revenge for the Ducks as they suffered a loss at the buzzer down on the Farm to these same Cardinal. But this time, it was Oregon who was able to come out on top. The Ducks are now tied for second in the Pac-12 with UCLA with a 9-3 record and 16-7 overall.

How it happened: Oregon completes the massive road sweep with a 79-69 upset win over No. 5 USC

The Ducks made history on Saturday, completing a road-sweep of two top-5 teams with a win over USC. Here’s how the upset happened:

No one saw this coming. It’s doubtful even the Ducks themselves saw this coming.

Oregon just did something no other Pac-12 team has done as the Ducks went down to Los Angeles and completed a road sweep over two Top 5 teams.

After stunning No. 3 UCLA 84-81 in overtime, the Ducks avoided the letdown and took it to No. 5 USC from the opening tip and came out on top 79-69.

Point guard Will Richardson showed why he has the capability of being the best point guard in the conference with a career-high 28 points. He shot 9-of-15 from the field, including 5-of-8 from three-point land.

But he had help.

N’Faly Dante played Isaiah Mobley even on both ends of the floor with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. De’Vion Harmon poured in 16 to contribute to the winning effort.

Now at 11-6 and 4-3 in conference, the Ducks suddenly look like a sure NCAA tournament team. Just two weeks ago, making the NIT was in question. But everything has changed with two huge wins in Los Angeles.