There was a glimpse of it in Jackson Shelstad’s game-winner over Michigan.
There were moments like Kwame Evans Jr. combining for eight blocks and steals in Oregon’s win over Kent State.
But now with Oregon men’s basketball’s (10-3, 2-0 Pac-12) 64-59 victory over UCLA, it seems official — the freshmen Oregon waited for are here and they are thriving.
Ducks fans rejoice.
For Shelstad, Saturday’s game came in a slew of big performances. With the game on the line, the freshman point guard from West Linn, Oregon has delivered time and again.
“You either have that competitiveness, that confidence, or you don’t,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said of Shelstad who added 21 points on 7-12 shooting in Oregon’s win over USC. “It’s like the quarterback of the football team, you know. Either you got a little bit of the ‘it factor’ or you don’t. Jackson’s got ‘it.’ He thinks he’s a player. You’ve got to, you’ve got the ball in your hands all of the time. You’ve got to believe in yourself, and he does because he puts the time in. It’s not fake. Confidence comes with preparation, and he works really hard.”
That hard work has paid its dividends, Shelstad who finished with a team-high 20 points in the win over the Bruins has been Oregon’s most consistent performer in Dante’s absence.
“I see him working every day,” senior guard Jermaine Cousinard said of Shelstad. “I know he puts the time in, and I trust him to shoot those shots… I feel like every shot he shoots goes in.”
On the other hand, Evans Jr. has emerged as one of Oregon’s most steady presences as well. Leading Oregon’s active roster in blocks and steals per game, Evans Jr. has been instrumental in the Ducks’ success on the interior, especially with the absence of Bittle and Dante.
“When they went down, I had to step up,” Evans Jr. Said after the USC game. “When Altman talked to me, he wanted me to be confident and play physically.”
Altman has seen Evans Jr.’s physicality grow. His scoring touch, on the other hand, was always there as the young forward has provided a spark both on the interior and from long-range for the Ducks.
Although escaping with the win, Saturday’s game was far from perfect for the Ducks, Evans Jr. and center Mahamadou Diawara both got into foul trouble early, allowing UCLA’s Adem Bona to dominate the interior with 15 points and five blocked shots.
But that’s part of the maturing process for this young team, it’s about learning how to win, and learning how to close out games — something Oregon orchestrated perfectly against the Bruins — With 30 seconds remaining, Shelstad got the ball in transition and found Evans Jr. for a contested dunk in transition to put the Ducks up by three.
“I would have liked a better look than he got, to be honest, especially in a one-point game,” Altman said. “Jackson made a nice pass and KJ finished it.”
Following yet another missed UCLA 3-pointer, Oregon got the ball yet again, and it was up to Shelstad to ice the game. He hit nothing but net on both free-throws, extending Oregon’s lead to five.
“It was one of those games where we just found a way,” Altman said. “Jackson hit those two big three-throws, which was huge.”
Oregon may have a young team, but its freshman already are executing the things winning squads do, and with Pre-season All-Conference center N’Faly Dante soon to return, Altman and his team can only dream of the options.
“It’s a bummer we have some of our guys out,” Shelstad said after the USC game. “It kinda changes the way our team plays and that kinda thing, but I feel like our guys have done a great job with that…. When they come back their going to make a huge impact.”
