Oregon
Three Reasons to be Excited for Oregon Ducks Basketball Next Season
The Oregon Ducks suffered through their worst season yet under coach Dana Altman. With a 12-20 record, the Ducks were under .500 for the first time in Altman’s tenure. Oregon was plagued by injuries and inconsistent play, but the program will need to quickly forget and move on in order to compete in the Big Ten next season.
Here are three reasons why Ducks’ fans should be excited for the 2026-27 season.
Freshman Reinforcements on the Way
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Despite not having much on-the-court success this year, Altman and the Ducks were able to get it done on the recruiting trail. Sitting with the No. 27 class in the 2026 recruiting cycle according to 247Sports’ rankings, Oregon is listed ahead of UConn, Arizona, and Houston.
Leading the way for Oregon is four-star forward Tajh Ariza. He is ranked the No. 13 small forward and No. 32 player in the country. Ariza should be counted on in a big way during his freshman season, especially with the rash of key departures the Ducks have sustained. Altman has shown that he isn’t afraid of playing freshmen. If Ariza can prove he belongs on the court, he will play significant minutes.
Joining the four-star signee are four-star center Kendre Harrison and three-star forward Seven Spurlock.
Harrison is a dual-sport athlete at Oregon and is on campus already with the football team. As a basketball recruit, Harrison is ranked as the No. 22 center and No. 7 player in the country. It will be interesting to see how the timing will work with the Ducks’ football season going into January, the past two years. Any contributions they can get out of Harrison are a plus.
Spurlock is the most recent addition to their 2026 recruiting class. He committed on March 29, choosing Oregon over Auburn, Houston, and Missouri.
The Potential for a Big Transfer Portal Class
Since the end of the season for the Ducks, they have seen four players enter the transfer portal in Kwame Evans Jr., Dezdrick Lindsay, Devon Pryor and Jackson Shelstad.
That’s three scholarships plus NIL money that opened up for Oregon to use for some potential incoming transfers. The transfer portal doesn’t officially open up until April 7, but the Ducks’ coaching staff should have an idea of what type of players they need to bring in.
With Shelstad leaving, plus center Nate Bittle running out of eligibility, Oregon will be in the market for a starting point guard as well as a quality big man to help replace the outgoing talent.
The Development of Key Returnees
Despite losing key players like Shelstad and Evans to the portal, the Ducks have been able to retain some key players so far. A pair of guards in Wei Lin and Jamari Phillips, as well as forward Sean Stewart, have yet to announce their intentions, but all three pieces could have bigger roles with the program next season.
Stewart, Lin and Phillips played in at least 26 games or more. The experience is there. It’s just about building chemistry with the right five pieces. Add in an offseason of development for the quartet, and the Ducks could avoid another disastrous year on the hardwood.
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Aaron Sibarium explains how Oregon County’s homeless housing scoring system prioritizes certain individuals, potentially disadvantaging others in need.
Aaron Sibarium details Multnomah County, Oregon’s, homeless housing priority system, which awards higher scores to LGBTQIA2S+ and BIPOC residents. This system could give preference to a transgender immigrant over a homeless woman with a child. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is now investigating these race-based criteria.
PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) – As we approach the hottest days of the year, people are finding ways to stay cool.
It’s been two weeks since Portland turned on splash pads across the city.
The water was just one of the ways people were keeping cool on Friday.
“Did you see our cooler? We have a bunch of water in there. More water, stay in the shade, I mean look at these trees, it makes you feel comfortable,” said Beaverton resident Ailan Roman.
Oregon Health Authority says young children and older adults are just a couple of groups of people that face a higher risk of heat related illness.
OHA says in addition to staying hydrated and lounging in the shade, wearing loose fitted, lightweight clothing can make a big difference.
Roman makes sure her, and her grand kids are protected using several different defenses.
“Sunscreen, we have to put that in order to protect our skin,” Roman said.
When temperatures rise, OHA officials recommend staying in air-conditioned buildings.
But for some Portlanders, that’s not always an option, so to cool down, they must get creative.
“We get cheap kiddy pools, and we just stick our feet in it, drink lots of water and beer and weight our feet in the pool and that’s how we stay cool,” said park goer, Jill.
And most Oregonians can agree, water in all its forms is the best way to beat the heat.“You have the water view and then you have the water fountain and I think it’s quiet, I don’t see no issues around,” said Roman.
The CDC shares how you can recognize heat related illnesses. While OHA shares how to avoid issues in the heat.
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Video shows rafting Oregon’s iconic Wallowa-Grande Ronde River
Learn about an overnight rafting trip on a famous 40 mile stretch that includes both the Wallowa and Grande Ronde rivers.
The beloved Cannon Beach Sandcastle Contest returns for a series of events from June 19 to June 21.
In 1964, this event was founded by four locals to lift community spirits after a tsunami washed out the Elk Creek Bridge. Now, the event draws thousands of tourists and is recognized as the first and oldest sandcastle contest in Oregon.
Registration for the contest is available online through the Cannon Beach events site.
To start off the weekend, contestants can pickup their competition materials from 10 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. on June 19.
The same day, Bill Rose will provide a live sandcastle demonstration on the beach off Second Street from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Then, the kickoff celebration will take place at Steidel Community Hall from 5 to 7:30 p.m.
Competition day starts 8:30 a.m. on June 20 when the beach opens for parking. During the time of the contest, parking is allowed in every public parking lot, on the beach and the sides of the street.
The contest will be on the beach west of Ocean Avenue near Madison Street.
The artists can begin crafting their masterpieces at 9 a.m. when the sandcastle building starts. Only natural materials native to the beach can be used.
Final judging takes place at 2 p.m. Judges are looking for team effort, enthusiasm, composition, detail, adherence to the rules and final appearance.
Spectators and competitors can celebrate from 7 to 10 p.m. with s’mores and music on the beach at the west end of Second Street. There is free admission for the party.
For those looking to get their steps in, the weekend wraps up with the Singing Sands 5K Fun Run at 9 a.m. June 21.
Registration for the run is on the beach at the Tolovana Wayside entrance at 8 a.m.
The Cannon Beach Chamber of Commerce and Information Center is available to answer any questions at 503-436-2623.
Makenzie Stamets is an outdoor intern at the Statesman Journal. She can be reached at mstamets@statesmanjournal.com or on X at @MakenzieStamets.
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