For Oregon men’s basketball, despite winning three conference titles in the last five years, continuity has been rare.
Once again, head coach Dana Altman has lost a chunk of his roster from last year. Payton Pritchard, Shakur Juiston and Anthony Mathis graduated, while C.J. Walker, Addison Patterson and Francis Okoro entered the transfer portal, leaving a lot to make up for.
To counteract this, Altman used the transfer portal to his own advantage, looking to bring pieces together to form a contender. Thus, the Ducks feature more unfamiliar faces in 2020-21. Here’s a look at Oregon’s rotation.
Guards
Replacing a Bob Cousy Award winner and consensus all-american in Pritchard is an impossible task.
Luckily for the Ducks, they return their second leading scorer and rebounder from last year in senior Chris Duarte. The Dominican Republic native, who was named to the preseason Pac-12 all-conference team, averaged 12.9 points, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals per game last season, good for fourth in the conference. He was also an honorable mention All-Pac-12 and All-Defensive selection as a junior.
Joining him in the backcourt is fellow preseason All-Pac-12 selection and the third leading scorer from last year, Will Richardson. Last season, Richardson averaged 11 points, 3.7 rebounds and 2.3 assists while shooting 47% from three last season, a mark that led the Pac-12. He is expected to take over the majority of the ball handling duties for Oregon.
Amauri Hardy, a former four-star recruit and a graduate transfer from the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, will provide crucial support to Richardson and Duarte in the backcourt. Hardy was third-team all-Mountain West last season and scored in double figures in 26 of his 32 appearances.
LJ Figueroa, a transfer from St. John’s University, is still awaiting a waiver from the NCAA that grants him eligibility during the 2020-21 season. If available, he could play both guard and forward, providing the Ducks more depth on both sides of the ball. As a junior at St. John’s, Figueroa was 12th in the Big East in scoring with 14.5 points per game and he led the conference in steals with 1.9 per game.
The only true freshman on this year’s squad is Jalen Terry, a four-star recruit from Flint, Michigan. With the Ducks’ lack of point guard depth, there is no doubt Terry will be in the rotation to begin the season.
Forwards
Arguably the most important addition for the Ducks this season is Eugene Omoruyi. As a junior at Rutgers during the 2018-19 season, he was awarded honorable mention All-Big Ten while leading the Scarlet Knights in scoring and rebounding. Although he didn’t play last year, Omoruyi was with the team and practicing, meaning he has a year of experience in Altman’s system and will hit the ground running this season.
Sophomore Chandler Lawson returns after starting in the final 12 games of last season. Lawson came into his own towards the end of the year and showed flashes of brilliance on the glass and defending the rim while averaging 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. With an improved role, Lawson has the potential for a breakout sophomore campaign.
Eric Williams Jr. comes to Eugene from Duquesne University and is yet another key transfer that will be getting substantial minutes for the Ducks. Williams Jr. sat out with Omoruyi last season and offers scoring, rebounding, three-point shooting and defense for the Ducks. He averaged 14.2 points and 8.5 rebounds in two seasons at Duquesne.
Lok Wur could make his way into the Ducks rotation after redshirting as a freshman last year. He averaged 20.8 points and 10 rebounds in his final season of high school. Wur’s incredible length and athleticism will help him to create plays on both sides of the ball.
Center
The fourth returner and the lone true center for Oregon is sophomore N’Faly Dante. The 6-foot-11 Mali native only played in 12 games last season due to a knee injury, but he impressed in limited minutes. If he can remain healthy, with his NBA-size and potential, Dante will prove as an essential difference-maker for the Ducks.
Oregon men’s basketball is coming off a 24-7 record and a Pac-12 regular season championship in a shortened 2019-20 season. Ranked No. 20 heading into this year, Altman and his squad aim to continue their tradition of success.
The Ducks are deep, and expect to field a rotation of no less than 10 men on any given night. With some key returners, complemented by talented additions, Oregon will once again compete for the Pac-12 crown.
The season returns Nov. 25 as the Ducks will host Eastern Washington at Matthew Knight Arena.
