Oregon

Projecting the Oregon Ducks 2023-24 starting basketball rotation

Published

2 years ago

June 5, 2023

Projecting the Oregon Ducks 2023-24 starting basketball rotation

After a long offseason full of roster moves, the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team has finally taken final shape and is ready to start preparing for the new season in 2023-24.

A second-straight frustrating season in 2022-23 has understandably left the roster looking much different than it did a year ago. A handful of players — Kel’el Ware, Rivaldo Soares, Quincy Guerrier, among others — entered the portal and left Eugene, while a group of others — Kario Oquendo, Devan Cambridge, Jadrian Tracey, and Jesse Zarzuela — opted to join Dana Altman and transfer to Oregon. The Ducks also have the No. 9 ranked recruiting class coming in, bringing 5-star Kwame Evans, 5-star Jackson Shelstad, and 4-star Mookie Cook to town.

So with the roster finalized and 12 scholarship players now set in stone, how will things play out on the court? It’s too early to know the type of rotations that Altman may choose to deploy, but here is my best estimation on who the starters and role players will be to start the season:

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Career Stats: 92 Games | 11.8 PPG, 2,8 REB, 3.0 AST

Analysis

After missing the start of the 2022-23 season with a knee injury, Couisnard was one of the first player to announce his return for one more year with the Ducks. He was one of the primary scorers for Oregon last year with 12.8 PPG, and that should continue this season.

Career Stats: 87 Games | 8.1 PPG, 1.7 REB, 2.0 AST

Analysis

Barthelemy was one of the best deep shooters for the Ducks last season, shooting over 35% from beyond the arc. The team could use that again going forward, and he will likely bring it along with his veteran experience in the backcourt. While I expect Barthelemy to have a starting job early in the season, there is a lot of depth and competition behind him, so keeping it will take a lot of effort.

Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia Bulldogs

2021-22: 31 Games | 15.2 PPG, 4.3 REB, 0.8 AST

2022-23: 29 Games | 12.7 PPG, 2.6 REB, 0.6 AST

Analysis

Kario Oquendo is a proven scorer in the SEC, where he averaged almost 14 points per game over two seasons with the Bulldogs. He brings some nice size at the guard spot and will be a high-energy player who can help alleviate some of the pressure in the backcourt.

Zachary BonDurant-USA TODAY Sports

Career Stats: 51 Games | 4.8 PPG, 3.7 REB, 0.5 AST

Analysis

Bittle’s career statistics at Oregon aren’t all that impressive, but the promise that he showed over the final half of the 2023 season is certainly notable, especially in the NIT with fellow big-man N’Faly Dante sidelined with injury. Once Bittle got free reign to operate as the lone starting center, he flourished, turning in career-highs in back-to-back games and establishing himself as one of the emotional leaders of the team. It seems that the future is bright for Bittle in Eugene, and the fans have taken to him quickly. He will definitely be among the starters in 2023 -24.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Career Stats: 81 Games | 9.8 PPG, 6.6 REB, 0.8 AST

Analysis

Dante comes into the 2023-24 season as hands down the best player on Oregon’s roster, looking for one more standout season before making a hopeful leap to the NBA. He had a breakout season in 2023, averaging 13.4 PPG and 8.4 REB, leading the Ducks in scoring and proving that he can be a dominant force in the paint. His NBA prospects may not be high at the moment, but with another year with the same production in Eugene, and that will likely change.

247Sports Rating: 5-star (97)

National Ranking: No. 15 overall (No. 4 PF)

Analysis

It’s sometimes hard to project whether or not a true freshman will be able to come to the collegiate level and have an instant impact, but KJ Evans projects as someone who can help the Ducks right away next year, with the potential to be a one-and-done, making the leap to the NBA in the 2024 draft. It wouldn’t shock me at all to see Evans find his way into the starting lineup for Oregon before next season is over.

Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports

Career Stats: 127 Games | 7.8 PPG, 3.8 REB, 0.6 AST

Analysis

Devan Cambridge is another in-conference transfer that Dana Altman was able to get, following the lead of Keeshawn Barthelemy a year ago. Cambridge had his best season last year with the Sun Devils, where he averaged just under 10 points per game and 5 rebounds per game. He can be a nice scorer for the Ducks in 2023. I think he will start by coming off of the bench, but it wouldn’t shock me to see a few starting lineups with him included down the road.

Photo Courtesy of Ryan Hoppes/Pro Insight

247Sports Rating: 5-star (0.9906)

National Ranking: No. 24 overall (No. 6 PG)

Analysis

If there is any member of the true freshman clas that is going to claw out a starting role this year, it might be Jackson Shelstad. As Oregon’s Gatorade Player of the Year for the second-straight time, he has been on an absolute tear up at West Linn, following in the footsteps of Oregon legend Payton Pritchard by dominating with the Lions before coming to Eugene. Whether or not Shelstand can establish himself as a viable point guard as a true freshman remains to be seen, but Duck fans are clearly ready to embrace and love Shelstad as they did several years ago with Pritchard.

Career Stats: 29 Games | 14.4 PPG, 5.7 REB, 4.5 AST

Analysis

When the news came out that Jadrian Tracey was going to transfer to Oregon, the first thing that I did was go to his stats and check his three-point shooting percentage: 43%. That will work. The Ducks need sharp-shooters who can spot up and knock them down. If Tracey can do that, then he will fit in Eugene. I could easily see him as a six- or seven-man coming off of the bench when the team needs a spark.

(AP Photo/Gregory Payan)

247Sports Composite Rating: 4-star (0.9892)

National Ranking: No. 27 overall (No. 6 SF)

Analysis

Again, it’s hard to go out on a limb and say that Mookie Cook is going to be one of the best players on Oregon’s roster next season, but based on what we’ve seen from him at the high school level, he should have no trouble providing a spark for the Ducks at the very least.

Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Career Stats: 37 Games | 15.4 points, 2.9 REB, 3.0 AST

Analysis

Zarzuella has had an eventful college career, making his sixth stop in six years now in Eugene. He’s proven before that he can be a solid scorer, but it feels like he will need to prove it at the Power 5 level before securing a big role in Oregon’s rotation.

(Photo by Katharine Lotze/Getty Images)

Career Stats: 21 Games | 4.2 PPG, 2.3 REB, 0.8 AST

Analysis

After beginning the year injured, Brennan Rigsby started 8 games for the Ducks but was eventually moved to a role off of the bench before ultimately suffering a season-ending injury. He was a nice role player but notably saw his minutes decrease as the season went on. He showed some flashes and should feel confident that Dana Altman at least wants to use him if he produces.

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Oregon

Oregon gets more than $30 million from federal government to build overpass wildlife crossing on I-5

Published

4 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Oregon gets more than million from federal government to build overpass wildlife crossing on I-5

This undated artist’s rendering from the Oregon Department of Transportation shows the design of an overpass crossing for wildlife spanning above four lanes of traffic on I-5, looking southeast. ODOT is expected to begin construction on the crossing in 2028 in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, less than two miles north of the California border.

Oregon Department of Transportation

The Oregon Department of Transportation recently learned it will receive a $33 million grant from the federal government to build a wildlife crossing overpass on I-5 in Southern Oregon.

It will be the first overcrossing built to reduce wildlife and vehicle collisions along I-5, which spans nearly 1,400 miles from the Washington-Canada border to the California-Mexico border.

ODOT, which is providing nearly $4 million in matching funds for the project, removes about 6,000 deer carcasses struck by motorists each year in Oregon.

Wildlife corridors can not only prevent fatalities but also save motorists thousands of dollars in vehicle repairs – on average, $9,000 for a collision with a deer and $24,000 for elk, according to the agency.

In December 2024, the Oregon Department of Transportation announced it had received a $33 million federal grant to build the first overpass wildlife crossing on I-5. This undated photo shows the proposed location for the overpass which is expected to begin construction in 2028 in Southern Oregon, less than two miles north of the California border.
*Oregon Department of Transportation*

Karen Mager, an associate professor of environmental science, policy, and sustainability at Southern Oregon University in Ashland, has led a team of undergraduate students to set up camera traps and collect more than a million videos and photos of the diverse wildlife that live along the I-5 corridor south of Ashland, in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument.

“We have mountain lions, coyotes, bears, bobcats, Pacific fishers. We’re at the northern edge of the ringtail, which is this really cool kind of raccoon relative, and so we have a lot of diversity here,” she said.

The images Mager and her students captured were critical to identifying the future location of the overpass within the Mariposa Preserve of the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, less than two miles from the California border.

The crossing will essentially be a wide bridge arching above the north and southbound lanes of the freeway, designed with natural features such as native vegetation and high walls to dampen the roar from traffic passing below while keeping animals safe.

This undated artist's rendering from the Oregon Department of Transportation shows the design of an overpass crossing for wildlife spanning above four lanes of traffic on I-5, looking southwest. ODOT is expected to begin construction on the crossing in 2028 in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, less than two miles north of the California border. — This undated artist’s rendering from the Oregon Department of Transportation shows the design of an overpass crossing for wildlife spanning above four lanes of traffic on I-5, looking southwest. ODOT is expected to begin construction on the crossing in 2028 in the Cascade-Siskiyou National Monument, less than two miles north of the California border.
*Oregon Department of Transportation*

“The bridge itself is actually going to be connected to a couple miles of fencing to the north and to the south that help funnel animals towards the wildlife crossing. …. It’s got these jump outs on it so that if an animal accidentally ends up in the freeway, they can easily jump out to the safe side of the fence, but animals on the safe side of the fence won’t be able to easily get into the highway,” Mager said.

Construction of the wildlife crossing is expected to begin in early 2028.

“The overpass will be kind of an amazing, beautiful ‘Welcome to Oregon’ statement as you drive in from California, and it’s going to have artwork on it,” Mager said.

Karen Mager spoke to “Think Out Loud” host Dave Miller. Click play to listen to the full conversation:

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Oregon

Will No. 13 Oregon men’s basketball be able to slow down Braden Smith, No. 17 Purdue?

Published

12 hours ago

January 18, 2025

Press Room

Will No. 13 Oregon men’s basketball be able to slow down Braden Smith, No. 17 Purdue?

EUGENE — By far Oregon’s biggest remaining home game this season, a top 20 clash with two-time reigning Big Ten champion Purdue carries significant stakes.

The No. 13 Ducks (15-2, 4-2 Big Ten) are ahead of the No. 17 Boilermakers in the polls, but behind them in the conference standings and NET entering Saturday’s game (12 p.m., NBC) at Matthew Knight Arena.

Both teams could use the Quadrant 1 win to improve their respective resumes come Selection Sunday, with Purdue (14-4, 6-1) arguably in bigger need of the road victory with all of its losses coming away from home. But as jockeying at the top of the Big Ten intensifies these are the matchups that will go a long way to determining the top four seeds in the conference tournament, which all receive double byes.

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Second man dies after being washed out to sea by king tides on Oregon Coast

Published

20 hours ago

January 17, 2025

Press Room

Second man dies after being washed out to sea by king tides on Oregon Coast

A Happy Valley man died Wednesday after being washed out to sea by abnormally high tides just south of Depoe Bay.

It’s the second fatal incident blamed on the so-called “king tides” — the largest tides of the season — this winter.

Hong B Su, 45, was fishing on the rocks of the shoreline at the north end of Otter Crest Loop when he was “washed out to sea by a wave” at roughly 2:04 p.m., according to Oregon State Police.

Su was in the water for approximately 39 minutes before he was recovered by the United States Coast Guard. He was pronounced deceased when he reached the Depoe Bay Coast Guard station.

The tides were near their highest level of the month on Wednesday. The peak of the king tides was recorded on Jan. 12 at 9.84 feet in Newport, and on the day Su was swept into the sea, Jan. 15, they were just a bit lower at 9.33 feet, according to the National Weather Service. On Friday, high tide was under 8 feet. King tides is an unofficial term for the highest tides of the year.

In December, a 72-year-old North Bend man who went to photograph the king tides at the beach also died after apparently being swept into the surf. His body was recovered nearly a month later in Haynes Inlet.

Zach Urness has been an outdoors reporter in Oregon for 16 years and is host of the Explore Oregon Podcast. He can be reached at zurness@StatesmanJournal.com or (503) 399-6801. Find him on X at @ZachsORoutdoors.

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