Oregon
‘Lethargic’ Arizona State basketball looking for new answers after lost weekend in Oregon
CORVALLIS, Oregon — Last season when the Arizona State men’s basketball team played at Gill Coliseum it trailed by 16 points but rallied in the second half to come away with a narrow victory. Coach Bobby Hurley was hoping his team had that kind of second half in his team again.
It didn’t.
This time the Sun Devils trailed by 15 at the break and could not answer back, falling to the suddenly surging Oregon State Beavers 84-71 in Pac-12 play Saturday night.
It marked the second straight loss as ASU (11-9, 5-4) dropped the first half of the road trip at Oregon. Meanwhile, Oregon State (10-10, 3-6) won its second straight contest after upsetting No. 9 Arizona on Thursday on a 3-pointer at the buzzer by Jordan Pope.
Oregon State shot 57% (26-for-46) on the night while ASU managed just 35% (23-for-66). ASU got 19 from Jose Perez, 14 from Frankie Collins and a season-high 13 from Shawn Phillips. The Beavers got 19 points and six assists from Pope, the hero in the win over Arizona earlier this week,
The contest was not even as close as the final score indicates. Oregon State’s biggest lead was 22 points at 71-49 with 6:15 left in the game.
What went right
Collins the thief: Collins added six steals to his team-leading total. He now has 64 on the season. He came into the night third in the country in that category and is in striking distance of the school’s single season leader Lafayette Lever who had 76 in 1982. Starting the night, Collins’ 58 steals were 19 more than any other player in the Pac-12. This was his fourth game of six or more steals.
Made free throws: ASU came in averaging 64% on the season which put them 336th out of 351 Division I schools but made 22 of 25 attempts (88%). Part of that was having the right players at the line. Perez was 9-for-9 while Adam Miller was 5-of-6. They have been the best in that regard this season.
Perez continues solid play: Perez has been the bright spot in the team’s recent struggles. He finished with 19 points, giving him 82 in his last four games. He had 20 in each of the last two games. His season best of 26 came against Utah. He also had five rebounds.
What went wrong
Miller continues to struggle: It’s never on just one player but it’s been a tough stretch for Miller, who provided an offensive boost as soon as he became eligible right after Christmas. He had 20 points in his first game, an indication of what all hoped he would bring. But Miller was just 4-for-17 in the two games before Saturday’s game and then that one didn’t go well either. He was 0-for-7 which included an 0-for-6 in the first half. Among the misses were a dunk after he had stolen the ball away from a Beaver and a point blank shot right under the basket late in the half. He had five points, all of those coming from the free-throw line.
First half scoring drought: In Thursday’s game it was a poor first half that did in the Sun Devils. This time it was the first half so its 40 straight minutes of bad basketball. The first half featured nine minutes in which they managed only one field goal. They went from leading 5-2 to trailing 23-8 and it only got worse from there.
Three-point shooting problems: ASU is not great in this department to begin with as they entered averaging 31.3% and it struggled even more than usual, going 3-for-26, including a 1-for-10 in the first half. Jamiya Neal made one for ASU’s first basket of the game but then missed 19 3-pointers in a row. Collins and Neal each knocked one down late in garbage time. Collins was 1-for-7 and Alonzo Gaffney 0-for-5.
Lack of rebounding: Another area in which the Sun Devils are among the worst teams in the country at -7 rebounding margin which places them 348th, the only schools worse being Coppin State and Pacific. ASU lost the battle on the boards in this one 47-26. They don’t have to win the rebounding battle they have to at least keep it close. Oregon State had a whopping 38 defensive rebounds. Michael Rataj led Oregon State with 10.
They said it
“We kind of went back to our old ways, not playing defense, not playing hard, picking and choosing when we want to play. We can’t do that if we want to win games in the conference. We’re not playing hard enough. Teams shooting 60-70% on us whenever they want. That can’t happen. If a team is shooting 60% that means we’re not playing defense. We got to play hard and we got to play hard for 40 minutes. We can’t decide to play hard for 10 minutes or 20 minutes.”
— ASU point guard Frankie Collins
“I thought we were kind of lethargic, flat early in the game and got behind by a significant margin. You can’t perform like that on the road. And this was a team (Oregon State) that was coming off a dramatic win (over Arizona) and feeling good about itself. So the last thing we needed to do was let their confidence grow even more. I knew it was going to be a hard game. I was prepared for anything to happen. Not to see us have the same fire, the same passion that I’m accustomed to seeing was disappointing.” — ASU coach Bobby Hurley
Up next
The Sun Devils return home to host Stanford (10-9, 5-4) and California (8-12, 4-5). The Cardinal come in for a 7 p.m. game on Thursday, that game to air on ESPN 2. Cal then stops in for a 1 p.m. game on Saturday, with that one televised on the Pac-12 Network.
ASU swept both those schools on the road to open conference play with those two games decided by a combined five points.
BLUE RIVER, Ore. (KATU) — The founder of a former disaster relief nonprofit is being sued for allegedly diverting nearly $837,000 in donations and grants for personal gain.
Oregon Attorney General Dan Rayfield filed the lawsuit Thursday against the founder and executive director of Cascade Relief Team (CRT), Marcus Brooks. In the complaint, Rayfield calls CRT “a sham.”
Brooks is accused of stealing donations and government grants meant for disaster relief following wildfires and flooding in 2020, and using it for personal expenses including casino visits, travel, vehicles, and more.
CRT was founded in 2020 and was hired for cleanup and relief services following the Labor Day Wildfires that burned over 1 million acres across Oregon.
In Blue River, an unincorporated community in the McKenzie River Valley, the 2020 Holiday Farm Fire destroyed nearly 800 homes and burned more than 173,000 acres.
I am angry that my community was taken advantage of
Just months after the fire, long-time Blue River resident Melanie Stanley said CRT stepped in and promised help to the community.
“For us, it was…like a savior at that point,” Stanley said.
Stanley was the manager for the Blue River Resource Center and worked for Brooks to help facilitate recovery efforts. She said CRT operations slowly became questionable.
“None of us knew the level at which all of this stuff that finally came out was at,” Stanley said. “We knew that there was some stuff that had started to look hinky or feel hinky, or there was just some lack of communication that was happening. There were some other things that were happening, and so we just all were kind of guarded.”
In fall of 2023 the nonprofit was reported to have run out of money, and Brooks allegedly fired staff without disclosing the organization’s financial conditions and did not notify donors or beneficiaries. Stanley was one of those people fired.
The state now claims the funds that were meant to go towards communities like Blue River, never made it out of Brooks’ hands, including donations given by Blue River neighbors.
“I am angry that my community was taken advantage of, and I am angry that they now have to worry about trusting when something else happens, because we know something else is going to happen,” Stanley said. “We hope to God it’s never anything as big or as bad as what has happened, but you know, we also have learned that groups like Locals Helping Locals…they are our foundation, and they are because they’re us.”
The state is seeking to recover the money, permanently bar Brooks from serving in a leadership role at a charitable organization and dissolve the nonprofit.
Stanley said Brooks’ actions have tainted reputations.
“We as a community and as the people from the community who helped kind of put all of these things together, we did what was asked of us,” Stanley said. “We did help clean things, and we did help get things to provide, you know, more progress and get things moving forward, and we did good work, and so I just really hope that this is not overshadowed.”
According to Stanley, Blue River’s recovery now stands at 50%.
“We will be very picky from here on out about who and what groups gets let in to help with anything,” Stanley said. “And sadly, it may be to our detriment, but he did more damage now, as far as reputations go, and for that I’m angry. I’m very angry.”
The Oregon Ducks have been progressing through the class of 2027 with hopes of landing some of their top target’s commitment on both the offense and the defense.
With many names left on the board, the Ducks have started to receive some great news, including some news from someone they have been targeting since they offered back in January of 2025.
Darius Johnson Releases His Top Four Schools
One of the Ducks top targets’ in the 2027 class at the cornerback position is Darius Johnson. Johnson recently released his top schools with Hayes Fawcett, as he is entering a crucial part of his recruitment. The four schools he has listed at the top include the California Golden Bears, Michigan Wolverines, UCLA Bruins, and the Oregon Ducks.
Johnson is one of the better cornerbacks in the country. He currently ranks as the nation’s No. 178 prospect in the country, No. 20 player at the position, and the No. 14 player in the state of California, according to Rivals. Landing his commitment would be major for any of the schools, as he is someone who could see the field early due to his size, and his growing ability to lockdown a side of the field all by himself.
More About Darius Johnson
Johnson currently measures in at 6-1 and 155 pounds, and will be someone who continues to add weight through his high school program, and will eventually have the chance to really improve his frame when he gets to college. As of now, each of the four schools has a solid chance to win its recruiting battle, but there seems to be a clear leader at this moment.
The leader for the Ducks target seems to be the Michigan Wolverines, who have the only scheduled official visit at this moment. It seems likely that the talented prospect will schedule his other official visits sooner rather than later now that he has officially cut down his list. If the Ducks want to land his commitment, they will need to get him on an official visit because they are likely trailing at this point.
What If He Committed to Oregon Today?
If he were to commit to the Ducks today, he would be the ninth commitment for the Ducks in the class of 2027. He would also be the third cornerback commit for the Ducks in the class of 2027, which is a position they have been recruiting heavily. The cornerbacks the Ducks have at this moment are four-star Ai’King Hall from the state of Alabama and four-star Josiah Molden from the state of Oregon.
Some of their other commits at this moment include four-star EDGE Rashad Streets, four-star defensive linemen Zane Rowe, and four-star EDGE Cameron Pritchett. This class is shaping up to be another top-five class if the pieces continue to fall into place for Oregon coach Dan Lanning and his staff.
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Oregon tight end Jamari Johnson, after an impressive 2025 season with the Ducks, now becomes the leader at his position following the departure of star Kenyon Sadiq to the NFL.
With an Oregon offense set to return several top stars and bring in two talents at the tight end position, Johnson looks to not only improve as a leader but build off his impressive 2025 season, in which he recorded 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns.
Here’s everything Johnson had to say during his media appearance following Oregon’s scrimmage on Saturday, with the spring game on the horizon.
Everything Tight End Jamari Johnson Said After Spring Scrimmage
What He Learned From Playing With Tight End Kenyon Sadiq:
“So many, but one is training. Everybody in this facility harps on it, and it’s just a standard here. It’s like him from last year, that man strained his guts out almost every play. I just feel like I got to do the exact same thing or even more to uphold the standard.”
Stepping Up At Tight End:
“It just changed because obviously Kenyon leaving somebody has to step up and be a leader in the room, and me being one of the older guys, it just happens to be me. I just accepted that role, and I actually kind of like it, getting these young guys going, getting them in the playbook and getting them used to college football.”
Participating Again In Spring Practice:
“It feels good coming back. Feels like I have something to prove for me personally, I feel like I haven’t really done anything in college football. I feel like this year is that year for me to show everybody what I’m about.”
On Tight Ends Kendre Harrison and Andrew Olesh:
“Both good dudes, they both got that dog in them. Andrew, he came from Penn State. He’s been coming along well, getting in the playbook. Kendre, he’s a big, tall guy, getting in the playbook too. They’ve been getting after it, man. It’s been good taking them under my wing. Hopefully, we just get going this year.”
Goals and Expectations Ahead of Spring Game:
“I’ll say one expectation that we really try to harp on in the room is just going 100 percent. That’s with your effort, that’s with knowing the plays and just giving it your all. A goal is just to get in that endzone. That’s one of the goals for the tight end room right there.”
Why He Returned to Oregon:
“Like I said earlier, to me, I felt like I haven’t really done anything in college football. That was one of the reasons, and another is I wouldn’t say I’m not ready for the NFL, but like that’s pretty much what I’m getting at, is just like I have a lot of stuff to work on that’s within footwork and hand placement, block in the run game, and route details. Getting to the right depth and just touching up everything I can so when I get to the NFL, there’s none of those problems, it’s just the big problems I have to fix.”
How Reps Helped Him Improve:
“It really helped me. Last year, we ran a lot of twelve personnel at the end of the season because we had a couple of injuries, but that really helped me. This year, I feel like I’m coming in rolling off the ground. It’s just so much more fluent, and those reps really helped me with the playbook. Playbook is way easier now, and I’m getting a good feel for it.”
His Leadership Traits:
“I like to get the guys going. I have a real voice on the field, and if y’all hear me on the field, I get the guys going. I wouldn’t say I’m a vocal leader, but I lead by example. Vocal leader, probably something I need to work on.”
On New Offensive Coordinator Drew Mehringer:
“It’s been different. They’re two different people, coach (Will) Stein and coach Drew. My guy’s getting us going. I’m excited for this season.”
Supporting Dakorien Moore At Track Meet:
“Yesterday, that touched my heart, man. Just all of us going out there, and it wasn’t even just for Dakorien. It was really for Oregon. It was just more for Dakorien because we see him every day. That really touched my heart, and the connection is just unbelievable. I don’t think many people are doing that for their teammates.”
Quarterback Dante Moore’s Growth:
“That guy has his head on his shoulders at all times. He’s been growing consistently, but it’s a couple of different things. I probably can’t name them right now, but he’s been having his head on his shoulders. He’s just been on the climb.”
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