By: Griffin Bowes
THE 2022-23 SEASON could potentially be a crossroads for the future of Oregon’s men's basketball team. Results have been rather inconsistent the last few years, as the team has struggled to bring their best to the floor over an extended period of time. Head Coach Dana Altman claimed his position at Oregon in 2010. In his time with the Ducks, his teams have won 3 PAC-12 regular season championships and 3 PAC-12 tournaments. His best team to date was the historic 2016-17 team that won 33 games and made the Final Four, before ultimately losing a classic semifinal game to champion North Carolina. However, such success has been hard to replicate. Oregon made Sweet Sixteens in 2019 and 2021, but consistency has been largely absent. Last season, they beat 3 teams ranked in the top 12, but lost to 9 unranked teams in the regular season and had to settle for an NIT berth.
OREGON’S ROSTER experienced some major turnover this season, as seniors Jacob Young and Eric Willams have departed. The Ducks brought in 4 transfers, with 2 of them coming from “Power 6” schools. Last season at Colorado, guard Keeshawn Barthelemy shot 34.7 percent from 3-point range and ranked 5th in the PAC-12 with an 82.6% free throw percentage. South Carolina transfer Jermaine Couisnard had a 5-game double digit scoring streak to finish conference play last year. The Ducks have one incoming freshman, 7-foot center Kel’el Ware from North Little Rock, Arkansas. He was named a McDonald's All-American, and was one of only 10 players to be named to the USA Basketball Nike Hoop Summit team. Recruiting database 247Sports had Ware ranked 6th overall in their individual rankings.
HOWEVER, the Ducks do have a couple key pieces returning for the upcoming season. Guard Will Richardson and center N’Faly Dante (both seniors) elected to remain in the program for another year, before likely entering the NBA draft. In the 2021-22 season, Richardson averaged a career best 14.1 points per game, and shot 45.4 percent from the floor. In a road win over #5 USC, he scored his career high of 28 points, with 12 of those coming from downtown in the first half. He has been sharp from behind the arc, making over 38% of 3s in each of his last 3 seasons. On the other hand, Dante led the PAC-12 in field goal percentage, converting on 67.5% of his attempts last season. He also averaged 6.3 rebounds per game. Seniors Rivaldo Soares and Quincy Guerrier also return after playing in all 35 games last season. Guerrier was the only player to start in every game.
THE DUCKS’ SCHEDULE appears to be very manageable this season, at least when looking from a broad view. Their most intriguing non-conference game is at home against Houston, ranked 3 in the preseason. The two teams played last year in Vegas, with the Cougars dominating 78-49 en route to a 5 seed in the NCAA tournament, and an Elite Eight appearance. Their first conference game comes against Washington State on December 1st. Notable conference games include the home-and-home with Arizona, and a pair of home games against the L.A. schools. Arizona claimed a coveted 1 seed in last year’s NCAA tournament, with UCLA on the 4 line and USC on the 7 line. As of now, it seems as if Oregon will get to play all of their most difficult games in front of their home crowd, which is an advantage that can come into play should Oregon be competitive in their big games. A much anticipated, and very consequential season awaits the Ducks, and we are about to see what they bring to the table this winter.