As the Ducks entered halftime facing a 12-point deficit to their rival Huskies, their hopes of leaving Seattle unscathed seemed grim. Having dropped their previous game in an upsetting loss to an unranked Washington State team, the Ducks needed to leave victorious, and it was clear that if they were to do so, somebody — anybody — would have to step up. 

Looking at the Ducks’ 2019 recruiting class, you may think that spark would come from five-star recruit N’Faly Dante or No. 28-ranked recruit C.J. Walker, who both ranked in the top 10 at their respective positions, but that wouldn’t come to be the case. 

Instead, the Ducks’ late-game heroics came from a player you wouldn’t expect: Chandler Lawson. The freshman forward ranked No. 4 among the six-player recruiting class but that day in Seattle, he was given an opportunity. One he couldn’t pass up. 

Lawson finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the Ducks’ comeback win over Washington, tallying his first collegiate double-double. 

“I’m so proud of him,” senior guard Payton Pritchard said of Lawson’s performance in Seattle. “He’s stayed with it. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

Running on momentum from the game before, Lawson went on to play a massive part in the Ducks’ double-overtime win over USC in late January. The freshman solidified his role, playing 45 minutes and tallying his second-highest point total of the season with nine.

The Memphis, Tennessee, native had to work and earn every minute of play, and it’s been no simple task. 

“It’s been a tough journey,” Lawson said. “I’m learning. I’m just trying to follow the footsteps of Francis [Okoro] and just learn and get better each and every day.”

Although Lawson’s recruitment ranking fell beneath many of his fellow freshmen, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that he’s come into such a role with the Ducks. For Lawson, the younger brother of former Kansas Jayhawks KJ and Dedric Lawson, basketball is in his blood. 

For Lawson and the Ducks, what would’ve likely been a highly promising postseason run was cut short due to the rampant spread of COVID-19 in the United States. But all is surely not lost for Oregon basketball. An unexpected end to the season won’t prevent talented youngsters like Lawson from bouncing back with conviction next season.