Tag: oregon ducks basketball

Kel’el Ware nearly falls out of first round in The Athletic’s 2023 NBA mock draft

It’s been a rough season for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks, and it’s impacting the draft stock of freshman center Kel’el Ware.

Things are not good for Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks basketball program right now.

A win over Utah was sandwiched by two embarrassing, blowout losses to Colorado and at home against Arizona State, effectively pushing Oregon entirely out of the NCAA Tournament picture barring a surprise victory in the Pac-12 Tournament.

Injuries and inconsistent guard play have been the primary culprit for the Ducks this season, but one could argue a lack of dominance from freshman phenom Kel’el Ware has played a role as well.

The young center is averaging a respectable 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game, showing flashes of the dynamic versatility that has made him such a highly regarded NBA draft prospect.

However, some of that shine has begun to wear off. Ware has mostly been mocked in the late lottery or at least the middle of the first round of the 2023 NBA draft, but the latest mock from Sam Vecenie of The Athletic has Ware down at No. 26 overall, where he would go to the Houston Rockets.

From the article:

I remain very intrigued by Ware largely due to the versatility of skill set. He’s a superb athlete with great balance and movement skills at 7-foot tall. On top of that, he blocks shots, shoots 3s and even shows a couple of flashes as a passer. I’m not totally sure he made the right college decision because he often doesn’t get to play his best position (center) due to Oregon already having N’Faly Dante. You’d also like to see him finish with more force around the basket. But there are worse bets to take than a 7-footer with skill-set versatility and this type of athleticism. He’s a project big worth investing in, even if the numbers are a bit pedestrian at 8.6 points and 4.9 rebounds per game.

While many Oregon fans want to see Ware stay and join the incoming class of 2023 – highlighted by KJ Evans, Mookie Cook, and Jackson Shelstad – it seems pretty likely he will still head to the NBA as long as he is projected to go in the first round.

It just might not be as high as initially projected.

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A midseason transfer from Illinois could fix Oregon’s guard depth

The Oregon backcourt scored just seven points against Colorado on Thursday, should the Ducks look into adding Illinois transfer Skyy Clark?

The Oregon Ducks put up a measly 41 points in an absolutely embarrassing effort against the Colorado Buffaloes on Thursday. The starting backcourt duo of Will Richardson and Rivaldo Soares combined for seven points on 2 of 14 shooting.

Dana Altman’s team is clearly feeling the absence of Colorado transfer guard Keeshawn Barthelemy, who is out with a left foot injury and watched his former team dominate the Ducks from the tip.

Richardson and Soares have been inconsistent at best this season. While Jermaine Couisnard’s return is great news for Oregon (he had nine points in 20 minutes on Thursday) this team clearly needs help if it has any hope of making a postseason run.

Enter Skyy Clark. Clark is a true freshman who announced his intention to leave the Illinois program after just 13 games.

Clark initially committed to Kentucky while at Montverde Academy. Prior to his commitment to Kentucky, he listed Oregon among his top eight schools along with Memphis, Michigan, North Carolina, Tennessee State, UCLA, and USC.

Of course, Clark eventually decommitted from Kentucky and joined a school in Illinois that wasn’t on his finalists list — so there’s no indication he is still interested in coming to Eugene.

If he is, Oregon should at least put in a call, despite his up-and-down performance this season.

Clark started 12 of 13 games for the Illini, averaging seven points, 3.7 rebounds, 2.1 assists, and 2.1 turnovers while shooting 33.3% from deep.

Of course, stats don’t tell the full story here, and Clark’s otherworldly athleticism and score-first mentality made him a top-40 recruit in the class of 2022. An ACL injury may have affected the start to his season, and there is reason to believe he could become a legit star in the right situation.

There is no confirmation Clark will be immediately eligible to play this season, meaning he may be transferring somewhere to start playing again in 2023-24.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing for the Ducks, who are losing both Richardson and potentially Soares after this season. Barthelemy and Couisnard should be back next year, along with junior college transfer Brennan Rigsby and incoming freshman Jackson Shelstad.

However, adding Clark to this program is well worth exploring for Altman after another lackluster performance by the backcourt.

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Former Oregon guard Tyler Dorsey waived by Dallas Mavericks

Tyler Dorsey appeared in three games for Dallas this season, his first NBA action since 2018-19.

Former Oregon Ducks guard Tyler Dorsey was waived by the Dallas Mavericks on Monday, making room for new two-way signee AJ Lawson out of NBA G League College Park – according to Shams Charania of The Athletic.

Dorsey’s three NBA appearances this year were his first since he was with the Memphis Grizzlies in 2018-19.

He spent each of the previous three years overseas, first in Israel with Maccabi Tel Aviv in 19-20 and 20-21 and then with Olympiacos in Greece for 21-22.

Dorsey had nine points on 4-4 shooting in his first game of the season back on October 22, but he didn’t get back into a game until December 14, going 0-1 in two and a half minutes. He saw the court for another 90 seconds on Christmas, failing to score before ultimately getting cut the next day.

Dorsey shouldn’t have any issue finding a job in Europe with a prominent club, should he choose, but he could also try to work his way back into the NBA via the G-League – assuming he passes through waivers and is free to sign with a new team.

Dorsey played two years at Oregon in 2015 and 2016, averaging 14.1 points in 75 games while shooting a blistering 41.6% from beyond the arc.

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Oregon MBB recap: Ducks pick up narrow win over UC-Riverside

Brennan Rigsby drops 19 points and leads the Oregon Ducks to victory over UC-Riverside on Wednesday evening.

16 turnovers and a tough shooting night from beyond the arc nearly sunk the Oregon Ducks on Wednesday evening, but they were able to hold on and secure a victory over UC-Riverside at Matthew Knight Arena.

A 17-point lead dwindled to three as the Highlanders caught fire late in the second half, but a 19-point effort from guard Brennan Rigsby helped lead the Ducks to a win.

Dana Altman’s squad moves to 6-5 on the year with the victory. They have won four of their last five, a nice response after a rough three-game losing streak in the Phil Knight Invitational.

Rigsby’s performance helped mask a rough night from Oregon’s other starting guards – Rivaldo Soares and Will Richardson – who shot a combined 1-7 from beyond the arc. N’Faly Dante stuffed the stat sheet as well, posting 14 points with five rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.

Oregon gets the Portland Pilots next, as they continue to gel together and get healthier heading into the meat of Pac-12 conference play.

Pac-12 Power Rankings: Arizona and UCLA remain conference powerhouses

The Arizona Wildcats and UCLA Bruins are the teams to beat in the Pac-12, but Oregon, Arizona State, and upstart Utah are making noise.

The Pac-12 basketball season got underway last week, with every conference team playing two league games before a few more non-conference matchups to finish out the month.

Tommy Lloyd and the Arizona Wildcats remain the top team in the conference, despite suffering a loss to upstart Utah to begin conference play. Behind Azuolas Tubelis and Oumar Ballo, Arizona’s frontcourt is going to be nearly impossible to stop this season as they look to once again earn a No. 1 overall seed in March.

UCLA is on a nice winning streak after losing two straight in Portland, and Arizona State is sitting pretty with a 9-1 record and wins over Michigan and SMU.

Oregon is getting healthy, securing a win over Washington State and comfortably defeating a solid Nevada squad. If they can find some consistency early in 2023 they could easily contend for a top-5 spot in the conference and an NCAA Tournament berth.

Here is a look at the Pac-12 power rankings just over one month into the 2022-23 season:

Oregon Ducks in the NBA: Bol Bol is becoming a star before our eyes

Bol Bol has developed into a star for the Orlando Magic, representing the eight Oregon Ducks in the NBA quite well so far this year.

The Oregon Ducks have consistently churned out NBA talent during the Dana Altman era, and so far this season eight alumni have suited up at the game’s highest level.

The biggest storyline among Oregon alumni has been the emergence of center Bol Bol. After getting traded twice last season (and having one trade voided) Bol has found a home in Orlando.

Playing alongside superstar rookie Paolo Banchero, Bol has begun to show the tantalizing promise that made him such an intriguing prospect. He’s blocking shots, shooting threes, taking guys off the dribble, and making a strong impact on both ends of the floor so far this year.

Dillon Brooks, Chris Boucher, Chris Duarte, and Payton Pritchard are all settling into key roles similar to previous seasons – although an injury to Duarte has slowed his progress in year two.

Here is a look at how every Oregon alumni is performing through the first six weeks of NBA action:

Oregon MBB recap: Ducks battle hard but fall to Michigan State in PK85

The Oregon Ducks hung tough against a strong Michigan State Spartans team, but ultimately lost their third game in a row, 74-70.

Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks suffered their third consecutive loss of the season, fighting valiantly but ultimately losing 74-70 to the Michigan State Spartans in the second round of the PK85 Invitational on Friday evening.

Will Richardson had an outstanding night for the Ducks, dropping 28 points on 10-21 shooting, while adding eight assists, five rebounds, and two steals.

N’Faly Dante left the game early while undergoing concussion protocol, pushing freshman Kel’el Ware into a bigger role. Ware finished with 17 points and nine rebounds, but he went just 2-9 from beyond the arc.

Oregon’s bench scoring was nearly non-existent, with just a Lok Wur three pointer keeping them from getting shut out as a unit.

The Ducks will take part in the seventh place contest against a banged up and underperforming Villanova squad on Sunday, giving Altman and his team a chance to pick up a nice win to close out the weekend.

Oregon MBB recap: Ducks downed by UConn Huskies in PK85 opener

The Oregon Ducks looked listless and out of sports in a demoralizing loss to the UConn Huskies in the PK85 Invitational on Thursday.

It was forgivable – understandable even – that the Oregon Ducks dropped a game to the Houston Cougars last week to move to 2-2 on the season. Houston looks like perhaps the best team in all of college basketball, and Oregon held them to 66 points and hung tough throughout.

However – Thursday’s performance against the UConn Huskies in the Phil Knight Invitational didn’t give Duck fans anything to be thankful for.

Dana Altman’s squad shot an abysmal 20-for-47 from the field, good for just 42.6%, while turning the ball over a whopping 17 times. Factor in a horrific 14-25 showing at the free throw line and you have all the makings of a world class beatdown, suffered on Nike founder Phil Knight’s birthday in Portland, just a few hours north of Matthew Knight Arena. Yikes.

Here is some more info on Thursday’s tough outing for the Ducks, and what is coming up for Altman’s team this weekend:

Oregon’s Will Richardson named to preseason All Pac-12 First Team

Oregon Ducks point guard Will Richardson was one of ten players selected for the preseason All Pac-12 first team.

The college basketball season is only a few short weeks away from getting underway, with the Oregon Ducks taking on Florida A&M on November 7 to begin the campaign.

The Pac-12 recently revealed their all conference selections, and fifth year senior point guard Will Richardson was the lone Duck on the 10-man squad.

Richardson was joined by a handful of the conference’s best performers from a year ago, with a few up-and-comers on the list as well.

Oregon is ranked No. 21 to start the season, and Richardson’s outside shooting and facilitating is a big part of their expected success this season.

Freshman big man Kel’el Ware is going to be a big hinge for Dana Altman’s team as well, although incoming freshman are rarely in consideration for preseason all conference awards.

For Oregon to reach their ceiling as a top ten team in the country, they’ll need the best out of Richardson and Ware – along with role players N’Faly Dante, Quincy Guerrier, and transfer guards Jermaine Couisnard (South Carolina) and Keeshawn Barthelemy (Colorado).

The Pac-12 preseason first team is littered with talented players from all over the conference, including two each from UCLA, USC, and Stanford.

Without further ado, here is a look at the entire Pac-12 preseason first team:

Look: NBA 2K23 ratings for every Oregon Duck in the NBA and WNBA

The Oregon Ducks have multiple players in the NBA and WNBA represented in NBA 2K23, which launched on Friday. Here is how they are rated.

The ever popular NBA 2K video game series came out with the latest version, NBA 2K23, on Friday.

As with the Madden series on the NFL side, the release of a new video game makes the rounds on social media every single year as fans, media members, and even players themselves discuss their overall ratings and the ratings of each team.

For Oregon fans, it’s a great chance to see how former players are assessed as NBA talent, with about six weeks until the actual NBA season is set to begin.

This year’s game also features WNBA talent as well, giving fans a chance to play with Sabrina Ionescu, Satou Sabally, and Ruthy Hebard as well as Oregon’s many NBA players.

Here is a look at how each Oregon alumni in the NBA and WNBA is rated on NBA 2K launch day. These ratings get updated as the season goes on, so strong (or weak) performances will see the ratings updated accordingly.