If it wasn’t already clear, Oregon’s opener against Coppin St. could act as a trailer for things to come, as far as who the game plan will consistently run through this winter. With a starting lineup featuring three guys playing their first collegiate game, Joseph Young calmed some of those nerves, scoring 32 points and adding eight assists in Oregon’s 107- 65 dominant win over the Eagles.
Despite another lackluster start to begin the game – the Ducks would trail 11-2 within three minutes – Young became the Ducks’ catalyst, offensively, and by the end of the first half, assisted on six scoring possessions while also scoring 26 points of his own.
Essentially, the game solely worked around him and Oregon was able to play off its slow start and turn in an offensive showing like the ones it had put on display in its two exhibition games last week.
“I just felt like I had to make extra plays,” Young said. “My freshman year when I had a season opener, I was shocked. It’s just how it is, as the game got going on and as they knew it was just basketball, they started to play their game.”
As the rustiness from the inexperienced quelled, Oregon became locked into a back-and-forth scoring barrage that put the contest at 27-26 Ducks with just under 10 minutes to go in the half. However, as the defensive intensity started to match the level that the offense had risen to, the game turned into a commanding performance for Young and the Ducks.
Going on 33-1 run in the final 9:46 of the first half, Oregon put the game out of reach and cruised the rest of the way.
Limiting Coppin St. to just seven points in the final 15 minutes of that half, Oregon would hold the Eagles to just 31.3 percent shooting from the field over the game’s entirety, while also out rebounding them 49-35.
“They played pretty good,” head coach Dana Altman said. “We got to show more maturity quicker, but I like the way they shared the ball but for a first outing it was pretty good.”
Essentially though, it was Young’s night, and the senior playing in front of his parents who traveled from Houston, to attend had one of his better performances while adorning an Oregon uniform.
Minus the scoring, Young finished the game with eight assists and five rebounds, acting as the primary facilitator of the offense.
“That’s what I learned this summer,” an energetic Young said. “I know guys are going to be dying in on me. There’s going to be a lot of guys open and just making the extra play, and as coach says, the smart plays.”
The smart plays were made Friday night and the direct results are encouraging. Including Young, Oregon had five scorers in double-digits, three of which were freshmen.
Those promising signs come before a slate of games that will test Oregon in quite a few more ways than it did in its opener. With Detroit coming to town on Monday and a home matchup versus Toledo on Friday, Altman acknowledged after the game just how much this team will learn about itself in the next weeks.
“It’s a young team,” Altman said. “We’re going to have to play through some ups and downs. Grinding games out and finding ways to get stops will be important for us all year.”
Follow Justin Wise on Twitter @JustinFWise