For the first time in recent memory, it’s safe to say Duck fans ought to be at least somewhat excited about the upcoming Oregon men’s basketball season.
I realize writing this column in early September, in the middle of what will surely be another remarkable football season that owns everyone’s attention from here until January, might seem a little odd. But if you took notice of what the newly formed Duck hoopsters did over the summer, there’s reason to keep reading.
As hard as it is to believe, I’ll be entering my third season covering the Oregon men’s basketball program this winter, which is always an interesting time of year. The past two seasons, we’ve dealt with the football hangover from losses in the Rose Bowl and BCS title game. Those first few weeks back from winter break are usually cold, rainy and downright depressing at times (this coming from a lifelong Oregonian).
But somewhere in the mix, a handful of you made the effort to go support a struggling, undersized men’s basketball team at McArthur Court. And last year, even more took interest when the Ducks opened their state-of-the-art Matthew Knight Arena — well worth the walk across campus.
Throughout these times, I’ve written more than a handful of columns both praising and criticizing the play of the Ducks. Most of the time, they just haven’t been much good. The Pac-10 hasn’t been anything to write home about since Kevin Love and O.J. Mayo made their way into the conference several years back.
But for some reason — and I don’t mean to sound ignorantly optimistic here — I really believe (at least on paper) that this year’s team finally has the athletic ability to be a dominating force on the West Coast. I can’t sit here and knock what Joevan Catron accomplished as he led the Ducks to a CBI Tournament victory in his fifth year with the program last season. But, that said, Oregon was rarely a fun team to watch.
Sure, there was Jay-R Strowbride’s 26-point outburst against Oregon State on his birthday, but the highlights were few and far between.@@http://kezi.com/page/204969@@
In 2011-12, Oregon looks to finally have a complete and balanced roster, which has been a glaring problem over the last two seasons. They went from a freshmen-heavy team in 2008, to an odd mix of sophomores and junior-college transfers in 2009, and wound up somewhere in-between last season.
The Ducks remained undersized throughout, with their most talented big man, senior forward Jeremy Jacob@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=3748532&Q_SEASON=2011@@, fighting a knee injury that has bothered him for most of the last two years. But, as I pondered the roster this offseason, a few things kept me positive.
Oregon has depth at guard, though only Garrett Sim, Johnathan Loyd and Devoe Joseph (the Minnesota transfer)@@http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/31921227@@ have significant Division I playing time. Yet, when the Ducks took their summer trip through Italy and played five exhibition games, it was true freshman Jabari Brown who started each contest at point guard@@http://www.cbssports.com/mcc/blogs/entry/26283066/31921227@@. Standing 6-foot-4, 200 pounds, Brown might be the spark plug Oregon has so greatly lacked offensively. Having not seen him play in person, it’s tough to say just how good he’ll be in his first college season, but I don’t doubt for a second that he’ll be in the starting lineup come late November.
Fellow true freshman Brett Kingma@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185498&Q_SEASON=2011@@ is poised to be the next great three-point shooter, while Austin Kuemper (6-9)@@http://www.goducks.com/ViewArticle.dbml?SPSID=4295&SPID=235&DB_LANG=C&DB_OEM_ID=500&ATCLID=205185545&Q_SEASON=2011@@ brings some much-needed height to the lineup. Speaking of height, Tyrone Nared (6-8) is back with his freakish athleticism, while junior college transfer Chris Larson (6-11) and Wake Forest transfer Tony Woods (6-11) give the Ducks one of their tallest lineups in recent memory.
The measurements are just that at this point — nothing more, nothing less. But considering what head coach Dana Altman got from his undersized and overmatched lineup a year ago, I’m anxious to see what he can do with a capable group in 2012.
You should be, too.