After winning the College Basketball Invitational tournament last April, the Oregon men’s basketball team graduated two seniors and saw six other players leave the team in the offseason. With those departures, the 2011-12 Ducks squad will feature eight new players — four freshman and four transfers — with expectations as high as they’ve been in recent memory. Here’s a quick look at the eight new faces fans ought to be familiar with this winter:
Name: Bruce Barron
Number: 1
Year: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height/Weight: 6-3, 200
Barron is a big, physical point guard hailing from Carbondale, Ill., where he led his AAU team to a national title in 2009, averaging 18 points per game in the tournament. The Brehm Preparatory School graduate adds depth to the Ducks’ backcourt and should help take some pressure off of sophomore Johnathan Loyd and fellow freshman Jabari Brown at that position.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185496&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Name: Jabari Brown
Number: 32
Year: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height/Weight: 6-5, 205
As the fifth-ranked prep point guard in the country by Rivals.com, Brown has extremely high expectations for his first collegiate season. With his combination of speed and size, Brown is a dynamic scorer at the rim and beyond the three-point line. He led the Ducks in scoring on their summer trip to Italy, which featured five exhibition games and has earned the respect of his teammates early on. Brown averaged more than 23.8 points and 4.1 rebounds per game his senior season at Oakland High School, and nobody would be surprised if he put up similar numbers this season.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185544&Q_SEASON=2011@@
What his teammates say: “He’s a very explosive player. I think that’s going to be a big thing for him and for our team if he can get to the basket, score, get fouled and get points that way. That will help him and help us.” — Junior E.J. Singler
What his coaches say: “There’s no doubt the talent’s there. He’s just going to have a lot of hard work ahead of him. There’s going to be an adjustment to Division I basketball, but I think he can make that and be a solid player for us.” — Second-year head coach Dana Altman
Name: Brett Kingma
Number: 12
Year: Freshman
Position: Guard
Height/Weight: 6-1, 175
Kingma will have his work cut out for him in order to see significant minutes during his first year on campus, but that’s nothing new for the sharp-shooting freshman. Though somewhat undersized, Kingma’s shooting range and consistency from the free-throw line made it hard for Altman to keep him off the court in Italy. With added depth inside, Kingma could benefit from plenty of open looks from deep this season.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185498&Q_SEASON=2011@@
What his teammates say:
“The one person I’m most astounded by is Brett Kingma. You look at him and you see this 6-foot-1 average-looking kid, but he gets on the court and he doesn’t miss a shot. He’s lights out.” — Senior transfer Olu Ashaolu.
Kingma on trying to contribute as a first-year player:
“I came in with the mindset that I’m going to work for my spot. When you come in as a freshman you know you kind of start off (behind the older guys), but if you work hard enough, and I felt if I worked hard enough, I could show that I could play and I feel like I did that in Italy.”
Name: Austin Kuemper
Number: 40
Year: Freshman
Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6-9, 230
The only in-state player in Altman’s first recruiting class, Kuemper is undersized at the center position, but will benefit from practicing with veterans Chris Larson and Tony Woods on the block. A 2011 Westview graduate, Kuemper led his high school team to back-to-back appearances in the OSAA Class 6A state title game as a junior and senior. Kuemper could be a possible redshirt candidate, depending on Oregon’s overall health in the frontcourt.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185545&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Name: Carlos Emory
Number: 33
Year: Junior
Position: Forward
Height/Weight: 6-7, 225
One of Oregon’s four transfers, Emory brings size and athleticism to the forward position. The Bloomington, Minn., native played the last two seasons at Howard College in Big Springs, Texas, where he was a first-team NJCAA All-American. Last season, Emory averaged 16.4 points and 7.9 rebounds per game. In his first year of junior college, Emory helped Howard to a 33-2 record and a NJCAA national title.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185541&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Name: Chris Larson
Number: 42
Year: Junior
Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6-11, 220
At nearly 7-feet tall, Larson brings even more size to Oregon roster. Having played the last two seasons at Black Hawk College in Moline, Ill., where he averaged 6.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game, Larson will have to adjust to the speed of the Division I game quickly. Larson’s soft shooting touch from the perimeter adds another dimension to his game, which could give him a slight edge over Oregon’s other big men.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185548&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Name: Tony Woods
Number: 55
Year: Junior
Position: Center
Height/Weight: 6-11, 250
After leaving Wake Forest last October due to off-the-court issues, Woods might have the biggest immediate impact among the Duck’s newcomers. As a natural center with the physical size to be a force in the Pac-12, Woods gives Oregon the interior presence it has lacked for years. As the No. 3 center in the nation coming out of high school in Georgia, Woods spent two years with the Demon Deacons playing in the highly competitive Atlantic Coast Conference.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185549&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Name: Olu Ashaolu
Number: 5
Year: Senior
Position: Forward
Height/Weight: 6-7, 220
For the last four years, Ashaolu has played for Louisiana Tech of the Western Athletic Conference. Known for his high-flying slam-dunk against Texas last season, Ashaolu brings experience and athleticism to Oregon’s frontcourt. Having been around the college game for several years, his adjustment to the Pac-12 should be somewhat seamless. The well-spoken Ashaolu also brings an added toughness to Oregon’s defense.@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185494&Q_SEASON=2011@@
Ashaolu on what type of player he’ll be: “Tough-nosed, hard worker — put it that way. You can call me ‘The Enforcer’ of some sort. Gotta protect the home (court).”