Kelly Graves and his coaching staff worked around-the-clock to sign in the nation’s No. 3-ranked recruiting class.
With a blend of guards and posts, the class has been heralded for its depth and ability to anchor Graves’ teams for many years to come. The cohort also included four posts, giving the Ducks plenty of talent to establish an identity in the first full season without Jillian Alleyne, the co-Pac-12 player of the year in 2015-16.
Ruthy Hebard (6-foot-4), Sierra Campisano (6-3), Lydia Giomi (6-6) and Mallory McGwire (6-5) all picked Oregon, adding dynamic height and talent. Oregon’s six post players, including Lauren Yearwood and Jacinta Vandenberg, tie for the tallest team in the NCAA with Texas and Kansas State.
“I think we have good, quality depth,” said assistant coach Jodie Berry, who mentors Oregon’s post players. “We have great leadership from Lauren and Jacinta. They’re helping these four newbies come along just talking, communicating and getting extra shots up with them.”
The Ducks will get their first taste of the 2016-17 season when they play an exhibition game on Saturday at Matthew Knight Arena against Northwest Christian. Oregon opens its season officially on Nov. 13 against Lamar.
Head coach Kelly Graves, now in his third season in Eugene, said Vandenberg’s capacity to mentor the younger post players can define future seasons. The Melbourne, Australia, native is the team’s top returner in rebounds (5.5) and blocks (1.1).
“She has the ability to make an impact, not just on this season but on seasons to come,” Graves said. “She’s such a great teacher and a floor leader. The impact she can make with all those young posts is really incredible.”
Among the 2016 post signees, Campisano was first to commit to the Ducks. McGwire, Giomi and Hebard quickly followed suit. Vandenberg said she had conversations with each signee to understand where they would fit into the program. She also joked that she’s looking forward to having more players on the team to share clothes with.
“They are all really different, but in general, there’s lot of athleticism,” Vandenberg said of the freshmen post players. “Good hands and good finishes. Some can run really well and some are super strong.”
Berry said the post players have a group message where they talk about being confident and executing on the court.
“You need that experience and support from each other,” Berry said. “Inside, it’s all about heart and effort and digging in and competing. I think that with the quality we have of six kids inside allows us to compete and mix things up.”
Now that Oregon has a contingent of elite post players, the focus has shifted to development. Even though Yearwood and Vandenberg have played just two collective years at Oregon, they will, along with Berry, set the tone for Oregon’s future in the front court.
“They all knew of each other (during the recruiting process),” Berry said of the freshmen post players. “They formed that bond with each other. That was something they had talked about, is wanting to do this together. ‘Let’s go there and let’s build and let’s work.’ … We’re really fortunate to have such a deep, young group.”
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