Tag: ProDucks

Report: Former Duck Dillon Brooks may be moving to Houston

Former Duck Dillon Brooks could be headed to Houston in a sign-and-trade deal with Memphis.

Dillon Brooks’ time in Memphis may be over.

According to a report from The Athletic, the former Duck star could be involved in a sign-and-trade deal that would send Brooks to Houston. No announcement has been made yet.

Brooks has had, shall we say, an interesting career as a member of the Memphis Grizzlies. He’s been productive, but Brooks’ attitude has given him problems for himself and the team. Brooks has been thrown out of several games, including playoff games, during his time with the Grizzlies.

Now he could be Houston’s problem or he could be a solution.

The Rockets are in the midst of a major rebuild as they finished with just 22 wins this past season. Adding Brooks could be a giant piece of that rebuild puzzle, but he needs to be productive on the floor.

In 2022-23, Brooks averaged 14 points a game and shot 40 percent from the field.

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Report: Former Duck Chris Duarte headed west in trade to Sacramento Kings

After two seasons with the Indiana Pacers, former Duck Chris Duarte is reportedly close to being traded to Sacramento.

After two seasons with the Indiana Pacers, former Oregon Ducks guard Chris Duarte could be on the move to Sacramento.

According to The Athletic, the Pacers are looking to trade their former 2021 first-round draft pick to the Kings for draft compensation, which likely means he’ll be traded for a draft pick to be named later.

Duarte had a solid rookie year with the Pacers in the 2021-22 season where he averaged 13 points in the 55 games he appeared in. But in this past season, Duarte’s numbers fell off due to an ankle injury that never seemed to heal properly. He averaged just under eight points a game and shot 37 percent from the field.

If Duarte is able to heal up and return to form, he could be a nice addition to a young Kings team that is on the verge of being a contender. They finished third in the Western Conference and made the playoffs for the first time in nearly 17 years. However, the season ended with a loss to the Golden State Warriors in five games.

Sacramento’s off-season has been busy as they just signed Harrison Barnes to a $54 million contract.

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Sabrina Ionescu makes WNBA history with New York Liberty

Sabrina Ionescu makes WNBA history with New York Liberty on Tuesday night.

The triple-double queen strikes again.

Oregon fans would actually count Sabrina Ionescu’s rebounds as she approached double figures in some games. Hopefully, New York Liberty fans can count to 500.

Ionescu became the quickest WNBA player to reach the 500-rebound club in an 89-81 win over the Connecticut Sun.

New York is enjoying a nice start to the season. The Liberty are 10-3 with Ionescu leading the way. She’s averaging 17.3 points, 5.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists a game.

Ionescu has had quite the year on and off the floor. The former Oregon guard announced her Nike shoe, the Sabrina 1, will be available soon. She also got engaged to former Las Vegas Raiders center Hroniss Grasu, a former Oregon standout.

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Christian Gonzalez turning heads in New England Patriots OTAs

Former Oregon Ducks cornerback Christian Gonzalez is quickly proving he is NFL material with the Patriots.

The Ducks’ secondary was better as soon as Christian Gonzalez stepped onto the Oregon practice field last Spring.

He is doing the same thing on the next level with the New England Patriots.

According to PatriotsWire, Gonzalez is turning many heads in the team’s mini-camp and OTAs with his play and quick grasp of the defensive playbook.

This is what writer Jordy McElroy said of the former All-Conference standout.

Like so many others, I went into the 2023 NFL draft with the former Oregon defensive standout as the No. 1 cornerback on the board. So it was surprising to still see him sitting there at No. 17 when the Patriots were on the clock. We could one day look back at that pick as one of the biggest steals of the entire draft. Gonzalez has come as advertised on the practice field with multiple players. He has size, technique and rare playmaking abilities.

Gonzalez has also made catches in summer camp that are usually reserved for wide receivers and not cornerbacks.

New England has a history of garnering elite talent in later rounds, and although Gonzalez was a first-rounder, he looks to be a lot better than your normal No. 17 pick in the draft.

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Former Duck Haloti Ngata nominated for College Hall of Fame

Former Oregon and All-American defensive lineman Haloti Ngata was nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta.

The term “Hall of Famer” is going to be associated with Haloti Ngata soon enough.

The former Oregon Ducks defensive lineman was nominated for the College Football Hall of Fame once again. He is one of 78 former players and nine coaches that performed on the Division I level that was so honored.

It’s almost unbelievable Ngata hasn’t already been enshrined into the Hall that is in Atlanta. In 2005, Ngata became Oregon’s first consensus All-American since 1962 and the first player in program history to be named Pac-12 defensive player of the year.

Ngata will also be eligible for the NFL Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio for the first time in 2024. He played 13 years in the NFL with none of those seasons as a Baltimore Raven. Ngata was an integral part of the defense that won the Super Bowl in 2013.

Packers to pick Bo Nix in latest 2024 NFL mock draft

In the latest mock NFL draft for 2024, Touchdownwire.com says Bo Nix is bound for the frozen tundra of Lambeau Field.

The last time the Green Bay Packers selected a Pac-10/12 quarterback in the draft, it worked out pretty well for them.

In the latest 2024 mock NFL draft put out by TouchdownWire.com, with the 25th pick, the Packers would select Oregon quarterback Bo Nix. If Green Bay did go this route, 19 years would have passed between picking Aaron Rodgers out of California in 2005 and Nix in next year’s draft.

But a lot of things have changed between now and then. Odds are the Packers would not sit their rookie quarterback for an entire season as they did Rodgers. There isn’t a Brett Favre standing in Nix’s way for playing time like he was for Rodgers.

Nix also doesn’t strike to be an individual wanting to host Jeopardy in the off-season or go in complete darkness for days on end to figure things out.

The mock draft also predicts USC’s Caleb Williams to go No. 1 to the Arizona Cardinals and Washington’s Michael Penix, Jr. No. 7 to the Las Vegas Raiders.

If Nix is a first-round pick, no matter where he ends up, it most likely means Oregon had a great 2023 season.

Oregon OL TJ Bass signs with the Dallas Cowboys as UDFA

Oregon OL TJ Bass signs with the Dallas Cowboys as UDFA

As expected, Oregon offensive lineman TJ Bass watched the NFL draft come and go without his name being called, but that didn’t deter him from signing with the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent.

The Cowboys perennially produce a good offensive line, and TJ Bass will be the newest member of that group. After a disappointing end to the season in 2022, the Dallas Cowboys parted ways with their former star running back,  Ezekiel Elliot. Next season, Dallas will be looking to reshape their offense and it will be interesting to see if Bass has a role to play in their 2023 system.

The 6-foot-4, 325-pounder from Deming, Wash. came to Oregon in 2020 Bass as a junior college transfer. He was a four-star recruit coming out of Butte College and was the No. 1 junior college offensive lineman in 2019.

Last season, the Ducks had one of the strongest O-lines in the PAC-12. Bass was a big part of that success and was named first-team All-PAC-12 and second-team All-American, for his efforts. Bass is proficient at both pass and run blocking which makes a desirable player at the guard position.

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Long list of Oregon legends to be in attendance at Ducks’ spring game

Oregon Ducks from the past and present will be in Autzen Stadium for the annual Spring Game on Saturday.

The Spring Game is about more than just the football occurring in between the sidelines. It’s a celebration as a whole for the program and a chance for some familiar faces to show themselves once again inside Autzen.

There will be some notable alumni coming back to campus to check out what the current version of Oregon football looks like. Alumni such as quarterback Dennis Dixon, and receiver De’Anthony Thomas will be joined by other former Ducks.

Quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota and defensive back Jevon Holland will also be in the house as guest coaches.

“Anytime you have guys that were just tremendous Ducks that care so much about our program and make an effort to give back, it’s always great to recreate that,” Oregon head coach Dan Lanning said. “That’s special for our players, but it’s just special for our fans. They’re loved and adored by every Duck out there. (We) love having them back for us.”

Here’s the updated list of Oregon legends expected in attendance for Saturday’s festivities.

Bo Nix leads group of Ducks to stack first two rounds of 2024 NFL mock draft

Bo Nix leads a group of 5 Ducks projected to be drafted in the first two rounds of the 2024 NFL Draft.

The 2023 NFL draft has yet to happen and there are already some mock drafts out there projecting the 2024 selections.

As far as next year’s draft is concerned, Duck football fans might want to pay attention to it more than they normally would. There are several Oregon players that are expected to go in either the first or second round, with a total of five landing in the latest Pro Football Network two-round mock. 

If those projections are even close to correct, the Ducks are set to have a productive 2023 season. In Dan Lanning’s second year on the job, the Ducks will be one of the favorites, along with USC, to win the Pac-12 championship. Having a first-round draft pick at quarterback doesn’t hurt either.

Here are the guys that PFN thinks will hear their names called early on next year in April.

Oregon legend and NFL Hall of Famer passes away at age 80

Oregon Duck football legend and NFL Hall of Famer Dave Wilcox passes away at the age of 80.

Dave Wilcox may be the only person to go from Ontario, Oregon to Canton, Ohio.

The Oregon Duck football legend and NFL Hall of Fame linebacker passed away on Wednesday at the age of 80. He was the father of former Duck tight end Josh Wilcox and safety Justin Wilcox, who is also the current head coach at California.

Born Sept. 29, 1942 in Ontario, Ore., Wilcox earned nine varsity letters in high school, three each in football, baseball and basketball, and was a two-way end for Vale Union High School on two state championship football teams.

His college career began at Boise Junior College (now Boise State), where he was named to the NJCAA All-America Team and was credited with blocking eight kicks in one season. He then came to Oregon, where he was a teammate of Hall of Famer Mel Renfro, and went on to become one of the best linebackers in Oregon history.

He was able to turn an 11-year career in the Bay Area with the San Francisco 49ers into a legendary career. Wilcox was a seven-time Pro Bowler and was enshrined into the Hall of Fame in 2000 after becoming someone who many consider among the best linebackers in 49ers franchise history.

Wilcox was enshrined in the Oregon Sports Hall of Fame in 1993.

“While Dave Wilcox was nicknamed ‘The Intimidator’ for his aggressive style of play, he was a kind, humble and gracious man in all other aspects of life,” Pro Football Hall of Fame president Jim Porter said in a statement. “He transformed the outside linebacker position, one of the many feats that earned him a forever home in Canton.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with Dave’s wife, Merle, and their entire family. We will preserve his legacy for generations to come.”

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