Last Year: 24-12; 12-8, Fourth in the Pac-12 and conference tournament champions, lost in the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament
Head Coach: Dana Altman (15th Year; 345-152 at Oregon, with eight NCAA Tournament appearances)
Projected Starting Lineup
PG Jackson Shelstad – 6’0″, 185 Sophomore
G Jadrien Tracy – 6’5″, 210 5th-year Senior
G TJ Bamba – 6’5″, 220 5th-year Senior
F Kwame Evans, Jr – 6’9″, 220 Sophomore
F/C Supreme Cook – 6’9″, 230 5th-year Senior
Experienced Reserve
G Keeshawn Barthelemy – 6’1″, 185 5th-year Senior
G Ra’Heim Moss – 6’3″, 205 Senior
F Mookie Cook – 6’6″, 210 Sophomore
F Brandon Angel – 6’9″, 225 5th-year Senior
C Nate Bittle – 7’0″, 240 Senior
Freshmen
G Jamari Phillips – 6’3″, 185 / Top 100 recruit
In switching leagues, Oregon has taken a whole-Pac-12 approach. What better way for a team from a zombified conference to make its debut in the Big Ten than to show up with a roster full of guys who represent half of the teams in the once and future Pac-12?
The Ducks sure would love to have one more year of N’Faly Dante, whose return from injury and dominant play late last season led Oregon to a Pac-12 tournament title and a win in the Big Dance. Unfortunately, the governing body denied Dante’s appeal. Without him, there are questions for the Ducks up front. The backcourt, though, is home to genuine excitement.
Entering his 15th season at the helm in Eugene, head coach Dana Altman still has some new tricks to show off. The guard play which will form this team’s foundation offers Altman tremendous versatility, but in what feels like it’s become a yearly storyline, Oregon must stay healthy in order to reach its potential. The Ducks have had as many serious injuries to significant contributors as just about any team in the country over the past few campaigns. When he’s playing with a full deck (or, you know, as close to it as the trainer’s room allows), Altman has consistently driven the Ducks to high-end success. How will the dice fall this time, heading into a rough-and-tumble new conference? Grab the ibuprofen and some ice packs, because Oregon aims to fly straight into contention.
Coming off of one of the more tantalizing rookie seasons of any player who’s returning to the college game, Jackson Shelstad looks a whole lot like the type of star who can raise the Ducks toward greatness. Altman’s sophomore point guard is quick, clever, and flat-out exciting, and for his second act, Shelstad is going to have the ball in his hands constantly. Coming off of a debut which saw the standard freshman inconsistency but some legitimate glimpses of excellence, Shelstad has put some polish on his skills during the offseason and has everyone around the program hyped to see what’s next.
“That jump from freshman to sophomore, that’s usually as coach the biggest jump you see,” Altman said when asked about Shelstad this fall. “They have a good feel for what it takes, they go and work on their game in the offseason.” Though he was streaky at times, Shelstad posted very strong numbers overall for a brand-new starter. He hit for 20+ points five times, shot 45.0% from the floor and 85.7% at the charity stripe, and handed out 88 assists against 52 miscues to begin his time as a Duck. He isn’t that big, but Shelstad has everything else you look for in a point guard. He’s got a tremendous first step attacking off the bounce or anticipating his man’s intentions on defense, and Shelstad glides confidently past the big guys inside. When the defense presses him closely, Shelstad can still convert near the rim, but he’ll need to do a better job of getting all the way to the rim this year. A trustworthy ballhandler, Shelstad gained Altman’s trust early and will truly have the keys to this year’s Nike-designed car.
Shelstad truly stood out from a few feet outside of the restricted area as a rookie. His daring and quickness often got defenders off balance, and Shelstad repeatedly used that to his advantage. Utilizing slick floaters and a solid pull-up jumper, he sank 48.5% of his 130 mid-range tries. Only five power conference players in the country hit a better rate on at least that many attempts, per Bart Torvik. Over Oregon’s final 12 games, Shelstad averaged 14.3 points and played some of the best ball of his rookie year, being named to the Pac-12 All-Tournament team along the way. If he can put it all together on a more consistent basis, there should be few barriers set in the way of Shelstad becoming the true maestro of this team, and one of America’s best point guards.
Another sophomore is back, and Kwame Evans proved immediately that he’s going to cause a ruckus whenever he’s on the floor. Long and bouncy with live-wire athleticism and a feisty attitude to match, Evans brings a bunch of the most in-demand skills a young forward in today’s game, and after a summer of sanding down rough edges, Evans is hoping to make a leap. As a rookie on a team whose big guys were constantly in and out of the trainer’s room around him, Evans started 29 games, threw down 18 dunks, ranked eighth in the Pac-12 in steals, and finished 11th in blocked shots. Evans did so despite going up against grown dudes and doing his learning on the job. Along the way, Evans picked up fouls in clusters and had some freshman moments, but also showed that he can really cause problems defensively.
When Evans was good as a freshman, he looked like a future NBA lottery pick. In a win against Southern Cal in late December, he went for 22 points on three triples in four tries, plus eight rebounds and five steals. A week later, his 15 points, eight boards, trio of blocks and pair of thefts were instrumental in a road win at Washington. As will happen to rookies who are thrown straight into the briar patch and then watch injuries remove the veterans who may have helped them, Evans had a tougher time on occasion. Even when he bricked three’s or misjudged positioning when trying to make a defensive play, though, Evans did things with great energy. With a more consistent jumper, Evans should make an impact as an pro-style combo forward, and he’s going to be causing opponents headaches with his two-way, momentum-grabbing style.
Stanford transfer Brandon Angel is a quality scoring forward who’s decided to spend his final year of eligibility as a Duck. He turned in a spectacularly efficient fourth season, and Angel will give Altman and his staff a significant matchup advantage on some nights. A stretch forward who scored in double figures 21 times last year and proved a great fit playing off Maxime Raynaud, Angel will bomb away from the outside if given half a chance. Last winter, he sank a sensational 62.2/44.7/81.6% of his two’s, three’s, and freebies. His assertives and willingness to battle his way inside for buckets was more impressive than ever last year, and Angel seems likely to continue that act. He wants to go out on a winning season at long last, telling the Big Ten Network this fall that “I don’t want to win, I need to win.”
New to the Ducks but – again – no stranger to them, former Washington State and Villanova guard TJ Bamba has headed back west to play a key role. A powerful guard with great size, Bamba had shown a more complete set of skills in each of his three seasons as a Coug, but didn’t take a big step forward as Nova struggled through last season. Now that he’s swapped Kyle Neptune for Dana Altman and will be playing alongside one of the country’s best young guards, Bamba just might be on the verge of a major bounce-back. He’s admired the way Oregon plays from afar, and feels good about joining a team which expects to win.
“For the last and final year of my career I wanted to be coached by a coach of Coach Altman’s caliber.”
– TJ Bamba
“For the last and final year of my career I wanted to be coached by a coach of Coach Altman’s caliber, and I want to be pushed to an extreme that nobody ever pushed me to and I want to win.” His game is largely predicated upon getting all the way to the rim or finding good spots to launch three’s, and Bamba is playing to his strengths by doing so. Over the past two seasons, he’s made an even 100 triples at a 37.0% rate, and Bamba is too much for lots of guards to handle as he slashes to the goal. His toughness and quick reactions are going to help defensively, as well, and even on a team with plenty of threats on the perimeter, Bamba figures to play big minutes.
Another transfer, Ra’Heim Moss, will battle both Bamba and returnee Jadrien Tracy for prime run as scoring guards. Each of the past three years, Moss started for Toledo…and each of the past three years, the Rockets won a Mid-American Conference regular season title. Now, he brings that winning pedigree plus a stout frame and fairly complete game to Eugene. His breakout as a primary scorer came last winter, but over his time at Toledo, Moss averaged 10.8 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 2.7 assists, and largely been right around those figures each year. An opportunistic and indomitable defender, Moss gathered up more than 50 thefts each of the past two years and was named to the MAC All-Defense squad last season. He’s not a great three-point shooter, but Moss drives like he means it and he will battle for and convert hard-earned looks near the cup.
In his first year at Oregon, Tracy kicked in secondary scoring on most nights. He started 22 games, and brings plenty of size plus – importantly – an improving three-point stroke to Altman’s rotation. He played big minutes late in the year and became a steady contributor to the Ducks’ string finish to the campaign. If Tracy can score with greater regularity this winter, he could force his way to the fore of Oregon’s batch of proven guards. As a group, they will allow Oregon’s coaching staff to exploit good matchups – and to ride the hot hand.
| Five Stats Which Tell The Tale (with national ranks) |
| 75.5% – Defensive Rebounding Rate (81st) |
| 71.9% – Team FT Percentage (190th) |
| 10.2 – Turnovers Per Game (48th) |
| 35.0% – Opponent 3FG Percentage (256th) |
| 45.8% – Team FG Percentage (80th) |
Backcourt depth will be provided by fifth-year senior Keeshawn Barthelemy and incoming freshman Jamari Phillips. Like many of his fellow Ducks, Canadian combo guard Barthelemy has dealt with injuries the past two seasons and played just 42 games combined. He’s made 36.6% of his triples since arriving at Oregon, and Barthelemy has posted 99 assists against just 44 turnovers. As far as backup point guards go, Barthelemy is a very good one, and if he can remain healthy, the Ducks will have terrific depth at their most vital spot. Tough, confident, and deliberate, Phillips has the physique and patience to contribute right away. There have been flashes of a full scoring repertoire, though at this point, Phillips is more likely to charge towards the basket than launch from the outside. Another guard who can set others up or get his own looks, Phillips rounds out what should be a very strong group.
Up front, the Ducks will complement Evans with a pair of experienced bigs who have taken quite different paths to this moment. One, Supreme Cook, is a transfer from Georgetown who has worked his way up from Fairfield to one of the best programs on the West Coast. Meanwhile, Nate Bittle was once a high-end 4-star prospect and has been in Eugene for his whole career. Unfortunately, he seems to have been dealing with injuries or illness almost the whole time.
A springy and highly experienced board man, Supreme Cook made a very effective transition to the Big East last winter. His defining characteristic is that Cook is straight-up voracious on the offensive glass. Over the past three seasons, Cook has averaged 107 offensive boards, and in his first season at the high major level, Cook placed 15th nationally by snagging 123 of them for the Hoyas. To top it off, he’s racked up 135 combined over that span, per Hoop-Math. At his best, Cook piles up double-doubles and constantly gives his buddies extra chances to make their shots. If he can avoid foul trouble and show a bit softer touch around the rim, Cook could emerge as a very valuable player for the Ducks, too.
| Five Out-of-Conference Games to Keep an Eye on |
| N Creighton – November 30 |
| N Texas A&M – November 26 |
| N San Diego State – November 27 |
| N Stanford – December 21 |
| @ Oregon State – November 21 |
There’s real potential for Bittle to provide great contrast to Cook. A seven-footer with legit shooting range out to the three-point arc, Bittle is smooth and comfortable with the ball in his hands. During his most extended run of action, Bittle started 22 games (28 games total) two years ago, and averaged 7.3 points, 5.1 rebounds, and 1.2 blocks per game on 33.9% shooting from the land of trey. If he can play all year and provide that sort of production or better, Bittle will form the second half of a very useful post duo. Ideally, Altman will be able to count on 20ish minutes (give or take based upon matchups) from each of his veteran bigs, and they’ll combine to shore up what has been an uncertain spot on the floor.
One of three topflight prospects to sign with the Ducks last year, Mookie Cook (no relation to Supreme) had to largely sit and watch while classmates Shelstad and Evans romped along with the rest of the Ducks in March. He will factor in as a wing forward this year, and like Evans, has the size and athleticism to make things happen in a hurry. After starting the year hurt, Mookie Cook was reinjured after just four games of action and settled for a medical redshirt. A rim-rattling force in transition or on line-drives in from the perimeter, Cook wasn’t a finished product coming in and will need to figure things out, but his potential remains elite.
In their jump to the B1G, Oregon will have a chance to debut near the top of the league standings. They will also get to more fully explore a budding rivalry with Wisconsin which has flashed a few times over the past decade in postseason play. With the depth they have on the outside and combination of untapped potential and veteran know-how up front, Oregon has the look of a team which can adapt to whatever is thrown at them. If, that is, they can finally stay healthy.
“Everybody is healthy now, which is a change for us. Last four years have been kind of rough on our health,” Altman admitted at his first Big Ten media day. “I like our competitiveness in practice, and right now we’re healthy. If we can stay that way, I like our depth.” That depth will be tested all year long. In addition to appearing at the Players Era Festival in Las Vegas, Oregon will face old foes like Stanford and Oregon State. The ‘if’ when it comes to Altman potentially getting to utilize his whole roster carries a ridiculous amount of weight. Still, if this is the year that the Ducks all stay on the floor right the way through March, it may pay off in an even more memorable celebration than the folks in Eugene just got done enjoying.
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