Freshman guard Jabari Brown has a special skill set and a potential unseen on an Oregon basketball court in half of a decade or more. Brown’s mix of natural athleticism and a smooth shooting stroke made his development tantalizing for Duck fans and had him ranked as the nation’s fifth-best prep shooting guard by Scout.com.
When it was announced that Brown would be transferring from Oregon just two games into the season, the future of the program was immediately clouded. Brown’s decision to leave Eugene for greener pastures could put the program in the same position as it was the last time a heralded high school recruit found his way to Oregon.
When Michael Dunigan committed to the Ducks — and former head coach Ernie Kent — for the 2008-09 season, he came to the school as a McDonald’s All-American and was ranked as the nation’s fifth-best prep center by Scout.com. Issues with McDonald’s aside — Dunigan was notably out of shape in his first season as a Duck and didn’t get much better during his second season — Dunigan had the same sort of mouth-watering potential as Brown. His intriguing length and strength made him a Pit Crew favorite despite the Ducks winning only seven games during his first season in Eugene.
When Dunigan didn’t pan out as a Duck, it put Kent on the back foot and eventually culminated with the coach being let go by the athletic department. Once Kent left, an internal investigation by the department ended up implicating Dunigan in an academic scandal hastening his departure from Eugene.
The problem for the program was the huge void Oregon had inside, first because of Dunigan’s underwhelming performance and then because of his departure. Because of his stature as a top-shelf recruit, Kent did not recruit other big men with the same sort of potential or ability, leaving a size vacuum behind Dunigan that was exacerbated when he left. Last season, the Ducks’ only meaningful interior contributors were the 6’6” Joevan Catron and E.J. Singler and the 6’8” Tyrone Nared.
That same talent vacuum is likely to exist in the wake of Brown’s departure. There is no other wing player on the team with comparable athleticism, nobody else who can catch a pass on the wing and create his own shot. Coupled with the offseason departure of senior-to-be wing player Teondre Williams, that type of athlete is not dressing in green and yellow for Dana Altman.
In terms of the shooting production, fellow true freshman Brett Kingma will likely be able to hold down the fort until Minnesota transfer Devoe Joseph becomes eligible in December, but both don’t have the same potential that Brown had. Joseph only has half a season of eligibility left, and Kingma’s lack of athleticism could be exposed in coming years.
The parallels of Dunigan’s departure and Brown’s transfer are striking in terms of what they could mean for Oregon basketball. The true impact of Brown’s decision to transfer from Oregon likely won’t be seen for a couple years, especially given how early in the season he made his decision. But Duck fans should not overlook the program-altering potential of his decision to leave, even now.