Only an hour before Oregon was set to tip-off its Pac-12 home opener against Cal on Wednesday, the Ducks’ season was clouded with the news of Dylan Ennis’s season-ending foot injury. Playing only 21 total minutes in two games, the senior transfer’s season and possibly his collegiate career came to an abrupt end.
“It’s tough for Dylan. I really feel bad for him,” Dana Altman said.
Ennis, along with Tyler Dorsey and Chris Boucher, all came to Oregon this year expecting to have an impact on the Ducks. Of the three new players, Ennis appeared most likely to contribute immediately, having plenty of Division I experience.
“He’s all about ball,” Altman said. “His toughness would’ve meant so much to our team… When he was healthy in the summer, he was our best player. You talk about going to the gym every day, making guys work, his competitiveness, I wanted our fans to see that.”
But Dorsey, a highly-recruited freshman who nearly committed to Cal, and Boucher, the reigning NJCAA player of the year, were no slouches either.
Playing against Cal freshmen Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb, Dorsey and Boucher held their own in a 68-65 victory.
Despite playing Rabb at a considerable size disadvantage, Boucher’s craftiness led to three offensive rebounds, all three of which ended in put-backs. It helped that Rabb got into foul trouble, playing only 23 minutes. But Boucher was active in several facets.

One particular sequence perfectly epitomized Boucher’s night. With the Ducks leading 52-50 at the five-minute mark, Boucher hit a three in the corner, his only make on six attempts. Cal quickly inbounded the ball hoping to catch the Ducks napping. Jordan Matthews caught the ball near Cal’s bench and fired a three, but Boucher was there to block Matthews’ shot.
“I wasn’t even thinking about the three after I made the blocked shot,” Boucher said.
In Sunday’s offensive struggle, few players had a worse shooting night than Dorsey. The freshman made just 2 of 8 field goals, and missed all four attempts from deep. Against Cal, however, Dorsey hit two three-pointers in the opening minutes, and led the Ducks in scoring for much of the game.
Oregon and Cal traded leads throughout the second half, but the Ducks held a 60-57 lead and the ball with under a minute remaining. Coming off a timeout, Altman drew up a play in hopes of getting either Brooks or Dorsey open for a shot. Casey Benson found Dorsey in the left corner and Dorsey sank his fourth three-pointer of the game.
“Casey found me and I knocked it down,” Dorsey said. “That separated the game.”
Though Dorsey said he ”really wanted to play” with Ennis in the Oregon backcourt, Ennis’s injury news doesn’t have Dorsey feeling added pressure to score.
“We’ve just got to adjust again like he wasn’t there at the beginning,” Dorsey said. “We have to come together as a team. Other players have to step up.”
Boucher finished with 18 points and Dorsey added 17, carrying the offense on a night when Brooks and Elgin Cook shot a combined 5-of-22 from the field.
After a 70-57 loss to Oregon State on Sunday and two conference games to follow at home, the Ducks faced the possibility of starting 0-3, or possibly worse, in the Pac-12.
“We needed a win, no doubt,” Altman said. “…If you’re gonna stay competitive you got to win at home and get tough on the road.”
Top to bottom, the Pac-12 appears to be especially deep this season. As Altman noted, Washington and Washington State, who were picked to finish at the bottom of the conference, both already have upset wins in conference plays.
“I’m not sure there is an easy swing this year,” he said.
The Ducks will miss Ennis as a leader. Altman said finding their vocal leader will take even more time now that Ennis is out. Although Oregon’s win over call was far from guaranteed, their home-court advantage certainly helped. When they hit the road next, Jan. 14 against Utah, the Ducks will find out how far they have to go.
“We can’t look nobody off,” Dorsey said. “Everybody’s good in the Pac-12 this year.
Follow Will Denner on Twitter @Will_Denner