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May the Spirit of Bill Walton Reign Over Oregon Basketball | FishDuck

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May the Spirit of Bill Walton Reign Over Oregon Basketball | FishDuck


OK, let’s get it out of the way.

Yes; his quirky, rambling, meandering and obscure commentary during basketball telecasts could be extremely frustrating — evoking reactions ranging from cute to cursing, endearing to eye-rolling, joy to “you’ve gotta be joking,” and from a sense of comradery to cursing. And, for some, simply anger.

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But, for many of us, doesn’t that sound a hell of a lot like the state we love?

So, in a sense, Bill Walton was Oregon.

I pulled Mr. FishDuck from his fun where he learned how a Fanatics Sportsbook NC Promo Code will help you maximize your potential earnings if you are adding stakes to any game. He had a number of memories about Walton, being a lifelong Oregon resident.

During telecasts Walton had an odd habit of referencing his 1977 championship Portland Trailblazers teammates. Maurice Lucas, Lionel Hollins, Johnny Davis and Larry Steele to name a few. I would assume the vast majority of the viewing audience had no idea who those players were. He was talking to a minority of us Oregon sports junkies almost as an inside joke, to which I would find myself in exasperation, responding, “Bill! Nobody knows who Dave Twardzik is!!”

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And that encapsulated my general feelings toward Walton. I loved him and liked his color commentary, but sometimes he could drive me crazy.

Walton was an old hippie. He loved the Grateful Dead, riding his bike, nature, and Oregon: the state that adopted him after he brought its only professional sports championship in 1977. Walton came from Southern California, but Oregon was in his DNA. He had the good sense of putting others ahead of himself over the “me first” glamour of his native Los Angeles. This way of life served him well on the basketball court as he was one of the best passers and most unselfish players the game had ever known.

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The 1977 final pitted the Trailblazers against the Philadelphia Seventy-Sixers. As an egoless entity, the Blazers epitomized “team.” They played like graceful figure skaters on the hardwood where passing, off-the-ball cuts, and basketball IQ were emphasized over scoring and individual accolades. Coach Jack Ramsey would famously run practices where the ball would not touch the floor as the elegant sound of squeaking sneakers rang like Mozart in the ears of basketball purists.

In contrast, the Sixers were a motley crew of outlaws (think Jailblazers) with immense flash and talent led by the Michael Jordan of the 70s, Julius “Dr J” Irving. The Sixers were favored and had more individual talent than the Blazers, but wherein the sum of the whole was greater than that of the individual parts for the Blazers, the opposite was true of the Sixers.

 

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In today’s era of NIL and transfers it is difficult to put together a true team as the “me first” mentality rules the day. Because of this, Dana Altman has had a difficult time putting together a true “team” the past few seasons, as the Ducks have always been at their best when they fielded a team as opposed to a group of self-directed individuals. The Luke’s (Jackson and Ridnour) under coach Ernie Kent, the 2017 Final Four team, and the Payton Pritchard era were all about team-first.

Altman is known for getting his teams to play their best toward the end of the season. Only a true team can grow together throughout the season and continually improve. At 65, and with an outstanding sophomore floor general leading the way in Jackson Shelstad, it feels as if Altman has at least one more great run of “team basketball” left in him at Oregon.

As long as he can get them to play Bill Walton basketball.

Oregon, the humble, quirky little state tucked away in the Pacific Northwest not known for its flashiness (minus uniforms) but rather for a collection of underdogs and misfits like Ken Kesey, Steve Prefontaine, and Phil Knight who rise to do great things. And that is what Oregonians relish the most.

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Whether you loved or disliked Walton’s public persona, it was easy to recognize his joy, kindness, self-deprecation, and giving nature. At the very least, and above all else, you could see that Walton was a good person.

R.I.P. big man, and the piece of Oregon that passed away with you.

Darren Perkins
Spokane, WA
Top photo credit: From X

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Natalie Liebhaber, the FishDuck.com Volunteer Editor for this article, works in technology in SLC, Utah.

 

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New 2024 FishDuck Publishing Schedule….

During the off-season the FishDuck.com publishing schedule will consist of articles on Mondays and Tuesdays. Do keep checking as new articles could be published during the week when a writer has something to say.

In mid-August of 2024, we will go back to the seven-days-a-week of articles during the football season as we did in the football season of 2023.

The Our Beloved Ducks Forum (OBD) is where we we discuss the article above and many more topics, as it is so much easier in a message board format over there.  At the free OBD forum we will be posting Oregon Sports article links, the daily Press Releases from the Athletic Department and the news coming out every day.

Our 33 rules at the free OBD Forum can be summarized to this: 1) be polite and respectful, 2) do not tell anyone what to think, feel or write, and 3) no reference of any kind to politics. Easy-peasy!

OBD Forum members….we got your back.  No Trolls Allowed!

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Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a

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Auburn signs former Oregon State QB Tristan Ti’a


Auburn’s quarterback room gained another piece out of the transfer portal on Sunday, and is now up to four scholarship players.

The latest signee is Oregon State transfer Tristan Ti’a, a source confirmed to AL.com. He comes to Auburn after spending one season with the Beavers, and will likely fill the backup quarterback role at Auburn behind Byrum Brown.

Ti’a was a backup during his freshman season at Oregon State, playing in three games. In that time, he completed 37 of his 53 passes for 385 yards with three passing touchdowns and two interceptions.

He’s the third and likely final transfer quarterback to sign with Auburn since the portal opened on Jan. 2, joining Brown and former USF third-string quarterback Locklan Hewlett. Incoming freshman Rhys Brush will also be in the quarterback room next season.

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With Ti’a signing, Auburn is now up to 22 incoming transfers. The portal will remain open until Jan. 16. Keep up with all of Auburn’s incoming and outgoing transfers here.



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Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal

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Oregon outside linebacker Blake Purchase to enter transfer portal


Oregon is losing a second edge defender to transfer.

Blake Purchase will enter the transfer portal, he announced via X. He has two years of eligibility remaining.

“I want to start by thanking God for this journey and everything that has come with it,” Purchase told DenverSportsMedia.com. “Thank you to my family for the continued love and support they have given me. I’m forever grateful for these past three seasons at the University of Oregon. The lessons l’ve learned here will stay with me for a lifetime. Thank you to all the coaches who poured into me and helped me grow as both a person and a player. And to my teammates – the bonds we built are forever. You are my brothers for life.”

The 6-foot-3, 245-pound Purchase had 32 tackles (4.5 for loss) with two sacks, one interception and one pass breakup this season. His 352 snaps on defense ranked 14th for UO this season.

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Purchase had two tackles while redshirting last season and five tackles as a true freshman in 2023.

A four-star recruit out of Cherry Creek (Colorado) High School, Purchase was the No. 294 overall prospect and No. 34 edge defender in the class of 2023 in the 247Sports Composite.

Purchase will be the sixteenth scholarship player to transfer from UO this offseason, joining defensive backs Jahlil Florence, Dakoda Fields, Solomon Davis, Sione Laulea, Kingston Lopa and Daylen Austin, receivers Justius Lowe and Kyler Kasper, quarterbacks Austin Novosad and Luke Moga, offensive lineman Lipe Moala and running backs Jay Harris, Makhi Hughes and Jayden Limar. Oregon has 79 projected scholarship players in 2026.





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Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland

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Oregon State men slip up down stretch of competitive matchup with Portland


Despite a strong start and competitive effort for much of the night, Oregon State men’s basketball fell apart down the stretch of a 82-76 loss to University of Portland on Saturday night at Chiles Center.

A corner three-pointer by Mikah Ballew buried the Beavers (9-10, 2-4 WCC), putting Portland up 78-70 with just 1:10 remaining.

The Pilots (9-10, 2-4 WCC) had four players in double figures: Cameron Williams with 23, Jermaine Webb Balsinger and Joel Foxwell with 18 apiece, and Ballew with 16.

The Beavers were led by Olavi Suutela with 19 points and Johan Munch with 14. Dez White, Josiah Lake II and Yaak Yaak each had 10, and OSU out-shot the Pilots — 47% to 43% — but untimely turnovers and missed shots hurt them in the second half.

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OSU came out hot, taking a 18-8 lead early in the first half including 12 points from Suutela. It got up to 24-15 before the Pilots mounted a response.

Turnovers and miscommunication by the Beavers on offense led to a 8-0 run by Portland. OSU clung to its lead for a while, but Portland took its first at 31-30 late in the first half.

The Pilots carried a 39-38 lead into the break.

Coming out of the half, after some back and forth, the Beavers went on an 11-1 run — fueled by the scoring and defensive effort of Suutela, and inside play of Noah Amenhauser — to take a 54-45 advantage at the 13:11 mark.

Turnovers reared their ugly head once again for the Beavers, though, and a pair of jumpers by Joel Foxwell cut the OSU lead down to 56-53.

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Portland retook the lead, 57-56, with 10 minutes remaining. With an increased energy on both ends of the floor and OSU missing open shots, the Pilots led 66-63 with six minutes remaining and never relinquished it.

Portland’s defense smothered OSU in the halfcourt, and Wayne Tinkle’s side couldn’t find an easy basket, settling often for one-on-one opportunities rather than consistent and meaningful ball movement. Portland led, 71-68, with 3:19 to go.

Trailing by nine, Lake II hit a three-pointer to cut it to six with five seconds left. Too little, too late for the Beavers as they slipped back below .500.

Next game: Oregon State (9-10, 2-4 WCC) vs. LMU (11-7, 2-3 WCC)

  • When: Wednesday, Jan. 14
  • Time: 7:00 pm PT
  • Where: Gill Coliseum, Corvallis
  • Stream: ESPN+



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