Tag: Pro Ducks

Ducks in the NBA: Bol Bol struggles, Eugene Omoruyi finds new home

There are a handful of Oregon Ducks contributing at the NBA level this season, although injuries are impacting many of the big names.

It was a disappointing season for the Oregon Ducks on the hardwood this season, but for hoops fans in Eugene at least there are a handful of alumni playing at the NBA level.

Dillon Brooks has been the Ducks player in the news most often this season, although usually for his antics on the court rather than his play on the court – which has been disappointing for the most part this year.

Elsewhere, Payton Pritchard is still with Boston despite requesting a trade before the deadline, Chris Duarte is still dealing with ankle injuries that have plagued him for two years, and Bol Bol’s tantalizing potential is marred by inconsistent play.

It all seems so familiar, which is why it’s no surprise that Chris Boucher is posting almost the exact same stat line from last year again this season.

There are some differences, namely Eugene Omoruyi’s team and the emergence of Troy Brown as a starter, but otherwise it’s a lot of familiarity in our latest update on Ducks in the NBA:

9 Oregon Ducks expected to contribute to MLB clubs in 2023

The Oregon Ducks have nine former players expected to be contributors in the MLB, which begins on Thursday.

Football and basketball rule the college athletics landscape, often leaving baseball (and softball) as the forgotten sports of the spring season.

For the Oregon Ducks, it can be a missed opportunity to see high level athletes both in Eugene and across the Pac-12, a conference that excels in both sports.

It’s also a chance to see future big league stars, as evidenced by the high number of pros the Ducks have cycled through the baseball program in recent years.

A quick look at Fangraphs’ 2023 projections shows nine Oregon alumni who are projected to make a difference in the big leagues this season, with first pitch slated for Thursday, March 30.

Oregon has primarily succeeded at developing pitching, with seven of the nine big leaguers coming from the mound and only two at the plate.

Below is a look at those nine players, when they played at Oregon, and how they are projected to perform this upcoming season:

Atlanta Falcons release former Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota

The Atlanta Falcons released former Oregon Ducks superstar quarterback Marcus Mariota, making him a free agent.

The Atlanta Falcons released former Oregon Ducks quarterback Marcus Mariota on Tuesday, ending his tenure with the squad after just one season.

Mariota signed with Atlanta last offseason, reuniting with former offensive coordinator Arthur Smith at Tennessee, who took the head coaching job with the Falcons.

The 29-year-old was starting for the first time since 2019 after spending a few years as a backup to Derek Carr in Las Vegas. He went 5-8 in 13 games before getting benched for rookie Desmond Ridder and finishing the year on the injured reserve with a knee injury.

All told, Mariota threw for 2,219 yards with 15 touchdowns, nine interceptions, and a 61.3 % completion rate.

Mariota will now look to catch on with his fourth NFL team this offseason, and quite frankly a starting job may be hard for the former Oregon star to find.

His best bet may be to secure a backup job with a team that has an oft-injured quarterback, which could afford him the opportunity to step in as needed during the regular season.

Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 after throwing for 42 touchdowns and just four interceptions while leading the Ducks to a Rose Bowl victory over Florida State.

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Social Media Buzz: NBA World reacts to Chris Boucher’s Michael Jordan-esque dunk

Chris Boucher threw down a dunk on Thursday that’s in contention for the longest in NBA history. Of course he did.

One of the most entertaining developments of the current NBA season is the fact that some former Oregon Ducks are starting to really establish themselves among the most entertaining young stars of the game.

We’ve seen time and again that Bol Bol is an enigma in the league, capable of doing almost anything he wants with the ball in his lanky possession with the Orlando Magic. Another guy who has really been coming into his own is Toronto Raptors’ Chis Boucher, who has developed nicely into a stretch 4 who can handle the ball, shoot from deep, and still be a nice presence in the paint thanks to his length.

On Thursday night, the first games back from the NBA All-Star break, Boucher provided a highlight that made waves throughout the league, bringing back images of Michael Jordan in the slam dunk contest.

Of course, we aren’t comparing Boucher to MJ himself, but the dunk that he threw down from the free throw line on Thursday night definitely was MJ-esque.

Here’s how the NBA world reacted to the incredible highlight:

Kellen Moore could help Justin Herbert have best NFL season yet

Former Oregon Ducks quarterback Justin Herbert should benefit from the Chargers hiring of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore in 2023.

The Los Angeles Chargers made a much needed move at offensive coordinator this offseason, hiring former Boise State quarterback and Cowboys OC Kellen Moore to replace Joe Lombardi.

Lombardi’s offense was tenth in the NFL last season, but they were horrendous on the ground, with their 89.6 rushing yards per game good for 30th in the league.

Moore will help balance LA’s offensive attack, and while at first glance that may seem problematic for star quarterback Justin Herbert, Locked on Chargers host Daniel Wade believes it could end up being a good thing for the former Oregon legend.

“He could be more efficient and he could have a better season without putting up those stats,” Wade said. “A 40 touchdown season is not out of the question for Herbert. If you’re running the ball well you’re getting more opportunities to score, and Kellen Moore’s offense with the Cowboys was much better in the red zone.”

Sure a more balanced offense likely prevents Herbert from topping the monster numbers he posted in 2021, when he threw for over 5,000 yards and 38 touchdowns, but forcing defenses to respect the run game does free Herbert up a little, and his ability to use his arm and legs will make him an even more dynamic threat heading into his fourth NFL season.

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Kayvon Thibodeaux offers his Super Bowl LVII prediction ahead of big game

Kayvon Thibodeaux knows who he’s picking in Super Bowl LVII between the Eagles and Chiefs.

It’s not often that you see current players in the NFL offering in-depth looks at other games taking place in the league, giving detailed breakdowns and analyses. It’s also not often that you see current players in the NFL pick their division rival — a team that beat them in the playoffs — to win the Super Bowl, usually with a good amount of spite weighing on the prediction.

Obviously, personalities like Kayvon Thibodeaux don’t come around often.

The former Oregon Ducks’ great and current New York Giants’ defender got a jump start on his media career this week, offering up his prediction for what is going to take place in Super Bowl LVII between the Kansas City Cheifs and Philadelphia Eagles.

Spoiler alert, Thibodeaux picked the Eagles to win the whole thing on Sunday afternoon.

Thibodeaux’s reasoning was that Philadelphia’s running game was better, the passing game was better, and the defensive line was better, in his opinion. Thibodeaux also took the Eagles’ secondary over the Chiefs’ and reasoned that the coaching staff wasn’t going to play a major factor.

“It’s any given Sunday, so anything can happen,” Thibodeaux said. “But I’m going to take my chances with the Eagles.”

Whether you agree with him or not, it’s clear that Thibodeaux has a future with a microphone in his hands.

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Christian Gonzalez joins former Oregon Duck in latest College Sports Wire NFL Mock Draft 4.0

According to the latest mock draft from @PatrickConnCFB, Christian Gonzalez is going to be teaming up with a former Oregon great at the next level.

Mock Draft season has been in full swing for the past couple of months since the college football season came to a close, and at this point, we’ve got a pretty good idea where the top players are going to end up, for the most part.

While there are some differences here and there, depending on which mock draft you look at, players and fans can feel confident that they at least know which round, or where in the first round some of the top players will be drafted.

For fans of the Oregon Ducks, the past couple of months have been spent trying to figure out where cornerback Christian Gonzalez is going to end up landing. Some mock drafts have him going as high as the No. 7 or No. 8 pick in the draft, while others see him more as a middle-to-late rounder on day one of the draft in April.

According to USA TODAY’s Patrick Conn, who recently put out his latest 4.0 version of the College Sports Wire Mock Draft, it will be a little bit of a wait until Gonzalez hears his name on draft night. Conn has Gonzo being taken by the Detroit Lions with the No. 18 pick.

“The Lions could use an upgrade at tight end, but the opportunity to snag Gonzalez is one they might not want to pass up,” Conn writes. “The Ducks cornerback can be a physical tackler and he hauled in four interceptions in 2022.”

While it may not mean much to Gonzalez, since he never played with the Oregon legend, Duck fans would be happy to see Lions’ offensive tackle Penei Sewell be able to welcome in a fellow Man of Oregon in Detroit and help get him settled into the NFL. We will see on draft night if Gonzalez ends up having to wait this long to hear his name, but at this point, it’s pretty clear that, regardless of when it is, Gonzalez should come off the board sometime on day one.

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How NBA trade deadline impacted every Oregon Duck

The eight Oregon Ducks in the NBA all stayed put during the 2023 NBA trade deadline, but the moves their team made will impact playing time.

The NBA trade deadline is guaranteed to be among the most action packed days in sports every single year, and 2023 was no different.

Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns was the big move, immediately cementing this club as a title contender. The local Portland Trail Blazers made moves involving a pair of former Pac-12 stars, shipping Oregon State product Gary Payton II to Golden State while bringing in Washington alumni Matisse Thybulle.

No Ducks were involved in any deadline deals, although many will feel the effect of this day for the rest of the season. Some guys have a bigger opportunity to snag playing time, while others just saw their chances dwindle over the final few months.

Here is a look at how each of the eight Oregon alumni in the NBA were impacted by their team’s trade deadline acquisitions and departures, with an updated look at their performance on the season as well.

A dozen Oregon Ducks football records that are unlikely to be broken

What are the records that will never be touched at Oregon? There are actually quite a few.

In the wake of LeBron James making history on Tuesday night by becoming the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, passing Hall-of-Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, we got to thinking here at Ducks Wire.

That feat by James was unimaginable for much of his career. With Abdul-Jabbar’s record standing for almost 39 years, it seemed outside the realm of possibility that anyone would score more than 38,388 points in a single career. Of course, then King James came around and made it all possible.

So, what are some records at the University of Oregon that might be unlikely to be broken in the future? Are there any feats that Duck football players have accomplished over the past century in Eugene that were so legendary that they will never be replicated?

This question intrigued me. I dove into Oregon’s history books and looked at some of the most notable performances. As it turns out, there are quite a few statistics that it would be hard to break going forward, whether it be due to the fact that players typically don’t stick around for four years in college anymore, or that the transfer portal sees to it that few guys are at a single school for their entire career.

I would certainly love to be wrong, but here are the records that I don’t think will be broken in Eugene for a long time coming.

Social Media Buzz: NBA world reacts to Dillon Brooks’ dirty play vs. Donovan Mitchell

It appears that former Oregon star Dillon Brooks hit Donovan Mitchell…below the belt on Thursday night. NBA Twitter had some thoughts after the scuffle.

At this point, former Oregon Ducks forward Dillon Brooks has made a name for himself as one of the more controversial figures in the NBA. As one of the key players for the Memphis Grizzlies, it’s not uncommon for Brooks to be involved in some dust-ups throughout the season.

On Thursday night, Brooks might have been in one of the biggest scuffles of his career, getting into it with Cleveland Cavaliers’ star Donovan Mitchell, leading to both players being ejected from the game. The play that led to the scuffle on the court appeared to come after Brooks when to the ground and flailed his arm, catching Mitchell with a fist to the groin area.

By all means, it did not look like a clean play, to say the least.

As you would expect, with a villain in the NBA committing an act like this on the court, the Twitter world went wild. Here are some of the best reactions after the incident.