GLENDALE, Ariz. — In the closing minute of Oregon’s Elite Eight win over Kansas, Jordan Bell had a feeling of accomplishment. He walked over to Dillon Brooks. After the two embraced, they began to talk.
“I went and hugged Dillon,” Bell reminisced, “and said, ‘We started this. Me and you. All this is because of me and you. Since freshman year we talked about it and we finally accomplished it. Let’s keep it going.’”
For both Brooks and Bell, making the Final Four has been a life-long dream. When the pair committed to Oregon — along with Tempe, Arizona-native Casey Benson in 2014 — they knew that they had a talented group. But what they didn’t know was that three years later, the trio of Benson, Bell and Brooks would lead Oregon to its first Final Four since 1939.
The three came to Oregon as part of a class ranked outside the top 25 by 247sports.com and outside of the top 40 by ESPN.
That season, the Ducks were picked to finish eighth in the Pac-12 but exceeded expectations, finishing second. Brooks and Bell were both named to the conference All-Freshman team while Bell also made the All-Defensive team. Benson came off the bench his freshman year but played his role well.
It was a sign of what was to come.
In the following season, all three were key pieces to one of the best seasons in program history — highlighted by a No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament. Things were looking up for a Ducks program that just two years before had been rocked by an alleged sexual assault scandal that left many questioning the future.
Suddenly, Oregon basketball was on the map. A loss to Oklahoma in the Elite Eight in 2016 proved to be more of a springboard than a setback. The Ducks were devastated after Buddy Hield single-handedly ended their dream run, but the loss also lit a fire in them that would grow larger and larger as the months passed.
Winning championships in college basketball is tough. Getting to the top takes time, unless you’re a program like Kentucky or Kansas that can rely on top recruiting classes to lead the charge.
“You know, it’s one year at a time,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “Our basketball program, our staff, owes those guys so much because they’ve stayed with us three years now. … I watched them develop as players, watched them grow up a little bit and really think about the team and worry about their teammates.
“It’s a special group. I’ve been fortunate.”
Oregon Ducks guard Casey Benson (2) answers a question from a reporter in the locker room at University of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale, Ariz. on Thursday March 30, 2017. (Aaron Nelson/Emerald)
During Oregon’s open locker room availability on Thursday, Brooks thought back on how far his recruiting class has come.
“It feels great to recognize what it is now,” Brooks said.
But like his teammates, Brooks knows getting to the Final Four wasn’t the lone goal.
“The only way that you can make it even sweeter is winning a national championship on top of that,” Brooks said. “Then your story will be told forever.
“And,” he added, “you might get an [ESPN] 30-for-30.”
Benson echoed Brooks’ thoughts.
“It’s pretty special,” Benson said of Oregon’s run. “We’re not satisfied, obviously, but you definitely soak it up and enjoy every minute of it.”
Follow Gus Morris on Twitter @JustGusMorris
Find all of the Emerald’s Final Four coverage here.
