Eugene Omoruyi earns 2-way contract with Mavericks after blazing start to Summer League

With a team-high in points per game during summer league, Eugene Omoruyi signed a 2-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks.

Sometimes all you need is a chance to prove that you really belong.

That’s exactly what former Oregon Ducks guard Eugene Omoruyi did with the Dallas Mavericks in NBA summer league, where he recently signed a 2-way contract after an incredibly hot start to the season.

About a week into the league, Omoruyi is currently leading the Mavericks in points per game, with 16.0. He is also adding 7 rebounds per game as well.

The 2-way contract allows Omoruyi to play for either the Mavericks NBA team or their G-League affiliate, once the regular season comes around. If he continues to show out the way he has over the past couple of weeks, it isn’t out of the question that he could get his shot on the big stage come this fall.

[vertical-gallery id=5018]

For The Win 2022 NBA mock draft has Will Richardson at No. 48 overall

Oregon Ducks guard Will Richardson is mocked to the Atlanta Hawks at No. 48 overall in the latest For The Win 2022 NBA mock draft.

The 2021 NBA draft came and went, with former Oregon star Chris Duarte getting selected 13th overall by the Indiana Pacers.

Duarte’s extremely strong senior season catapulted him up draft boards, resulting in a spot in the lottery despite being the oldest player in the draft class.

Will Richardson will hope to follow a similar path in the 2022 NBA draft after deciding not to leave the Oregon Ducks early and instead returning for a final go-round in 2021-2022.

The latest mock draft from Bryan Kalbrosky at USA TODAY’s For The Win does have Richardson getting selected, although not until the middle of the second round at No. 48 overall to the Atlanta Hawks.

Richardson averaged 11.3 points and 3.9 assists last year, both improvements from his sophomore campaign, but he also saw his field goal percentage drop from 47.9% to 44.3% while his three-point shooting went from an outstanding 46.9% to a still good 40.3%.

He also only appeared in 16 games thanks to a thumb injury, which sucked the air out of what was expected to be an extremely stellar season taking over point guard duties from Payton Pritchard.

Richardson has a chance to wow scouts and front office personnel once again in 2021-2022 and is widely expected to be selected in the draft.

Could he take a leap, as Duarte did, and end up in the first round? Time will tell, but the story of Oregon’s season next year will no doubt hinge on how Richardson handles the point guard duties over a full season.

[listicle id=4293]

Emoni Bates cuts his list to four, Oregon remains an option

Star prospect Emoni Bates reclassified to 2021 and narrowed his list of options to four – and the Oregon Ducks made the list.

In late July Emoni Bates, the top prospect in the 2022 recruiting class, included the Oregon Ducks on his non-traditional top-8 post high school list. The list included four other schools and three professional options – the G-League, the Overtime Elite League, and the National Basketball League.

Now, barely two weeks later, Bates has cut his list in half. Only the G-League remains among non-college options, while Oregon is one of three schools remaining alongside Memphis and Michigan State, where he initially committed over a year ago.

Bates also made the decision to reclassify and join the class of 2021, meaning he will be eligible to suit up at his next stop as soon as next year.

While it is extremely exciting to think about adding Bates, who has drawn comparisons to Paul George, on Oregon’s roster in the fall, it seems very likely he will take his talents to the G-League rather than going the college route.

Still, being among the top three schools on Bates’ list is a testament to how strong of a recruiter Dana Altman has become, and it is a great sign for future recruiting efforts in Eugene.

Plus, there’s always a chance Bates makes the move out to Oregon – which would instantly elevate the Ducks into the national conversation heading into the 2021-2022 season.

[listicle id=4293]

Analysis: How Eugene Omoruyi could crack the Mavericks’ roster

A look at how former Ducks wing Eugene Omoruyi could crack the rotation for the Dallas Mavericks next year.

While Chris Duarte was the only Oregon Ducks player selected in the 2021 NBA draft, he was not the only one to get a step closer to realizing his professional dream.

Eugene Omoruyi, a Rutgers transfer who starred for the Ducks in his lone season with the team in 2020-2021, signed a two-way contract with the Dallas Mavericks shortly after the draft concluded on Thursday evening.

A two-way contract indicates Omoruyi will split his time next season between Dallas and the team’s G-League affiliate, the Texas Legends, based in nearby Frisco.

Omoruyi was one of a handful of undrafted free agents signed by Dallas, who did not have any picks in the draft. Omoruyi joins Feron Hunt from SMU, EJ Onu from NAIA school Shawnee State, and Carlik Jones from Louisville.

For Omoruyi, trying to crack Dallas’ rotation this season will be an uphill battle, thanks to the presence of multiple young wings already on the roster including former Pac-12 foes Tyler Bey and Tyrell Terry.

However, Bey and fellow shooting guard Nate Hinton are restricted free agents, while starters Josh Richardson and Dorian Finney-Smith are set to hit free agency after the upcoming season.

Expecting Omoruyi to work his way into a starting role after one year on a two-way contract is obviously bold, but it would not be surprising to see him stick around this year and eventually play his way into a real role with this team, which could be enhanced next year if some of their wing depth departs in the offseason.

Perhaps the biggest area Omoruyi can make himself valuable is as an outside shooter. He was an abysmal 23% three point shooter in three years at Rutgers, attempting less than one per game, before blossoming into a 37.6% shooter on 3.9 attempts per game with the Ducks.

If his outside shooting continues to improve, and the rest of his well-balanced game plays up at the next level, he could easily become a solid role player for a very good Mavericks squad before the year is up.

[listicle id=4293]

Analysis: How Chris Duarte fits on the Indiana Pacers

A look at former Oregon Ducks star guard Chris Duarte and his fit on his new NBA team, the Indiana Pacers, who selected him 13th overall.

As the oldest player in the 2021 NBA draft, former Oregon Ducks guard Chris Duarte was generally expected to be selected by a team on the verge of an NBA championship, where he could contribute right away as a bench option.

Instead, he was gobbled up by the Indiana Pacers with the 13th overall pick, just sneaking into the back end of the lottery while joining a team that missed the playoffs in the Eastern Conference last year, and looks more like a team entering a rebuild than one trying to win a trophy.

Still, looking at Indiana’s second unit, particularly defensively, makes it pretty easy to see how Duarte could be a good fit.

The Pacers dealt Aaron Holiday to the Wizards on draft day and seem poised to let Doug McDermott walk in free agency, giving them limited scoring options on the second unit.

Duarte can fill the role as a three point specialist coming off the bench, something Indiana is lacking on their current roster, while also providing a much, much needed defensive presence.

Duarte can slide in alongside Justin Holiday and/or Oshae Brissett on Indiana’s second unit, which should create a much more stout defensive group especially if paired with Goga Bitadze and Edmond Sumner.

The 24-year-old rookie from Oregon should carve out a decent role in his rookie year, launching a few three pointers per game which will open up the floor for Malcolm Brogdon and Domantas Sabonis to flourish in the two-man game – and his defense will be much needed for a team that struggled on that side of the floor last year.

It may not be the bright shiny lights of Los Angeles or New York, but Duarte looks like a key piece for a Pacers team that might be looking to make a push sooner than expected.

[listicle id=4274]

Will Richardson goes to Phoenix Suns in latest 2022 NBA mock draft

In ESPN’s latest 2022 NBA mock draft, Will Richardson is the only Oregon player to be selected, going to Phoenix at No. 56.

The Oregon Ducks are basking in the success of Chris Duarte and his early draft selection earlier this week, but it’s never too soon to look ahead to the next year.

While we may think that the Ducks’ roster this season is going to be extremely talented, ESPN might not quite agree. According to their latest mock, they only have one Oregon player getting selected in the 2022 NBA draft.

That player is Will Richardson, the veteran point guard who is expected to lead the Ducks’ to a deep tournament run this season. In the 2022 mock, Richardson lands with the Phoenix Suns at No. 56 on the board.  After missing the first several games of the 2020-2021 season with a thumb injury, Richardson shook off the rust and managed to average 13.8 points per game during the final 7 contests of the year.

So what about Quincy Guerrier, or Jacob Young, or De’Vion Harmon, or N’Faly Dante? Well, we might think they have a chance to be taken early in the draft, but the worldwide leader in sports doesn’t agree.

This season, though, all of those players will have a chance to prove the draft analysts wrong and climb up the draft board before the big day.

[listicle id=4293]

Oregon becomes one of only schools with players drafted top-15 in 2021 NFL, NBA drafts

Oregon now joins USC and Alabama as the only schools to have players drafted in top-15 during both 2021 NBA and NFL drafts.

Success breeds more success, and for the Oregon Ducks, the recent run that they are on across the sporting landscape over the past decade is truly remarkable.

With Chris Duarte being selected by the Indiana Pacers with the No. 12 pick in the NBA Draft on Thursday night, the Ducks joined the USC Trojans and Alabama Crimson Tide as the only three schools in the nation to have players drafted in the top-15 in both the NFL and NBA Draft this season.

For the Ducks, it was Penei Sewell — drafted No. 7 overall to the Detroit Lions — and Duarte. If you were to go back a year, you could also add Justin Herbert to the list, who was drafted at No. 6 to the Los Angeles Chargers.

When speaking after the Spring Game earlier this season, Ducks coach Mario Cristobal talked about how important it was to see Oregon players finding a path to the next level.

“You’re upping the talent level that’s coming in, but you’re pouring yourself into player development,” Cristobal said. “It’s showing up and it’s showing up big. Some of these guys are Top 10 picks. That trend is only going to keep going. We all see that.”

For recruits to see sustained success from the program, topped off by players getting national attention as high draft picks, is massive. That will drive players to want to come to Oregon, and continue to up the level of success.

As Cristobal says: “We’re just getting started.”

[listicle id=4293]

NBA DRAFT: Chris Duarte selected by Indiana Pacers with 13th overall pick

Chris Duarte landed with the Indiana pacers in the 2021 NBA Draft, giving him a chance to help get Nap-Town back into title contention.

For the third time in the past four years, an Oregon Ducks basketball player has been selected in the first round of the NBA Draft.

Oregon star Chris Duarte kept that trend going on Thursday night when the Indiana Pacers drafted him with the 13th overall pick. As we expected, Duarte’s supreme summer that was filled with high-level workouts propelled him into the back-end of the draft lottery, which was not expected earlier in the spring.

Duarte is just the 6th Duck to be drafted in the first round this century, and just the third to do so since 2010. Now with the Pacers, Duarte will look to be a plug-and-play guard who can immediately contribute and look to help a young roster that is looking to get back into championship contention.

[listicle id=4127]

Oregon makes the top eight for uber prospect Emoni Bates

The Oregon Ducks are in the top-8 finalists for 2022 five-star Emoni Bates, widely considered one of the best basketball prospects in ages.

Emoni Bates, the top prospect in the 2022 recruiting class and high school phenom, announced his top-8 post high school destinations on Friday evening and the Oregon Ducks cracked the list.

The Ducks were one of five schools Bates named, along with Memphis, Baylor, Miami and Michigan State – where he originally committed in a rather shocking move in the summer of 2020, before decommitting earlier this year.

Bates hasn’t ruled out a return to the Spartans or other colleges, including Oregon, but most believe his next step will be a one-year stop at a professional level, with the G-League, the newly formed Overtime Elite League, and the National Basketball League all in his top-8.

The NBL in Australia and New Zealand previously hosted top hoops prospects LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton, while Overtime Elite would love to add Bates to help get their league off the ground.

The six-foot-nine Bates is already among the most talked about NBA prospects in a long time, and where he ends up next season will be a huge talking point and a tremendous boost for that program for many years to come.

While I wouldn’t hold my breath as an Oregon fan, the fact that Dana Altman and company are among his top five college options is a great sign for future recruiting in Eugene.

[listicle id=3963]

Dana Altman signs one-year contract extension with Oregon Ducks through 2026-27 season

Altman, who stands as the winningest basketball coach in Oregon Ducks history, has added a year to his contract, lasting through 2026-27.

Oregon Ducks basketball coach, Dana Altman, has been extended for an extra year on his contract, lasting through the 2026-27 season.

The extension for Altman is worth $4 million in the final year, which will be higher than his current rate of $3.525 million this season.

In Altman’s 11 seasons with the Ducks, the team is 280-109. Altman stands as the winningest coach in school history, and has a Final Four trip in 2017 under his belt, as well as a pair of trips to the Elite Eight, five to the Sweet 16, and five Pac-12 Championships.

[listicle id=3861]