In a college basketball world full of coming and going, N’Faly Dante has been one of the few Oregon basketball mainstays over the past four years. He originally came to Eugene in 2019, choosing to enroll with the Ducks instead of the usual powerhouses Kentucky, Kansas or Michigan State.
According to 247Sports, Dante was ranked as the number one player from the state of Kansas, as well as being the No. 4 ranked center and No. 14 player in the class of 2020.
Head coach Dana Altman recruited the Malian big man to be Oregon’s future at the center position, but his career got off to a complicated start.
On Oct. 15, 2019, it was announced that Dante had been ruled ineligible for part of the 2019-20 season due to the NCAA missing his clearance date.
The hype for the five-star to replace former center Bol Bol had been through the roof, but it tempered after the news of his ineligibility. According to NBA Insider Shams Charania, Dante was a projected lottery pick in the 2020 NBA draft with his ability to rebound and protect the rim at an elite level.
“He is talented, and if there’s one guy who can adjust, it’s him,” Altman said. “With him inside we can simplify things inside both offensively and defensively. He’s a wonderful young man and I love working with him.”
His Duck debut was put on hold temporarily, but it didn’t last long. On Dec. 18, 2019 he would don the green and yellow for the first time, notching 11 points in a 33-point blowout win against Montana.
Throughout 2019, Dante played in mostly a reserve role, averaging 14 minutes a game as a part of a team that made a Sweet 16 run.
He showed great promise in the following season, leading the team in rebounds in a pivotal three-point win at Washington. Just three days before, Dante showcased how dominant he can be, dropping 22 points and five rebounds on Florida A&M.
Right as he was rounding into the shape experts had predicted, on Dec. 19, 2020, it was announced he had torn his ACL and missed the remainder of the season.
“It was a really hard moment for me. When I had my surgery, I didn’t have my mom. No one in my family knew about it,” Dante said in an interview with the Pac-12 Network “All I could do was be sad about it. It is what it is, you can not control being hurt. All you have to do is work your butt off and you’ll be fine like I did.”
Right when it seemed Dante’s career was veering off path, he put together the most consistent season to that point. He played 32 games in the 2021-22 season. In 10 of those games, he led the team in rebounding including a season-high of 15 in a 3-point loss to No. 3 Arizona.
Oregon’s record was 7-3, whenever Dante led the team in rebounding, proving that his physicality led to wins.
While some thought he could opt for the NBA, he decided to come back for his senior year.
“I’m excited for this team. One thing I love about us is that we all want to play together and play hard,” Dante said coming into the 2022-23 season. “That makes me happy, seeing my teammates go really hard. We’re all about winning. I have confidence we’ll be better than last year, but we still have a lot of work to do. You can’t be successful if you don’t work hard so we all want to work hard.”
Thus far in the 2022-23 season, Dante has averaged a career-best in points (13.6) and rebounds (8.1).
His hard work has been on full display this season, having been the leading scorer in eight of 28 games, along with being the team’s leading rebounder in 15 of those games.
When Dante boxes out and positions himself well against the defender, it’s nearly impossible to out-rebound him. This ability has given Oregon one of the most fearsome rim-protecting duos with him and fellow five-star big man Nathan Bittle as the duo averages nearly two blocks a game, although it hasn’t always translated to wins.
The Ducks have recently lost three straight games to No. 4 UCLA, Washington and Washington State, likely putting an end to any March Madness hopes. It’s an unfortunate way to go out, but it doesn’t mean that Duck fans don’t appreciate the dedication Dante has put in any less.
As for what’s next: Look for Dante’s name to be called in the 2023 NBA Draft on June 22.
