On Oct. 6, Kelly Graves and his team met around a whiteboard during a team meeting.
They discussed what strengths they have for 2016-17, looking over offensive weapons and defensive abilities. Graves and the team were pleasantly surprised, as the team had only completed two official fall practices.
“It’s incredible,” said Graves, Oregon’s head coach for the third year. “Normally you don’t have this much stuff. The practices over the summer really helped. We’re a lot further ahead than we would normally be. … Basically the framework of what we run, especially offensively, is in already.”
Oregon benefited from a trip to Europe late August where the team played five games, winning all of them. That allowed Graves and the Ducks to get a leg up on many Pac-12 teams assembling this week for the first time. The Ducks kicked off the 2016-17 season on Tuesday with their first official practice.
The Ducks are coming off a deep run in the Women’s National Invitation Tournament, finishing with a 24-11 record, but graduated a core group of seniors, including Jillian Alleyne and Lexi Petersen.
Over the summer, the Ducks bolstered their roster, welcoming espnW’s No. 3-ranked recruiting class to campus. That gives Graves and the Ducks depth they haven’t seen in Eugene.
“We have a talented team,” Graves said. “There’s a lot of depth and it’s going to be fun to sort that out. So far, we’re playing really hard.”
The Ducks will rely on a few juniors and seniors to provide the leadership. Lexi Bando, who is in her third year with the team, has already begun to stand out, according to Graves.
“We still have a long ways to go, but it’s crazy to see compared to the last two years,” Bando said. “The intensity is there and there’s so much competition at each spot.”
Among the post players, who are tied for the tallest corps in the NCAA, Jacinta Vandenberg has contributed leadership. Vandenberg is the top returning rebounder and shot blocker on the roster. “That’s something that’s one of her strong suits,” Graves said. “I think we will be, in time, really, really good inside.”
Graves also said he’s been pleased with the camaraderie so far, adding that the energy has been “terrific.”
Bando said the team’s depth will help overall development this fall.
“If someone isn’t having a good game, there’s someone on the bench that can make a change,” Bando said.
Among Oregon’s seven-member 2016 recruiting class, Graves highlighted Jayde Woods, a guard from Yorba Linda, California. She brings a defensive edge for the Ducks and could prove to be a breakout player this season.

Kelly Graves has been impressed w/ @WoodsJayde so far in practice: pic.twitter.com/puJg5usKN1
— Jonathan Hawthorne (@Jon_Hawthorne) October 6, 2016

Graves said with a deep roster, no starting roles have been solidified yet.
“I think every position is up for grabs,” Graves said. “I think we’re two and sometimes three deep at every position. We’ve got a while. It will all shake itself out at some point, but right now it’s pretty even.”
Follow Jonathan Hawthorne on Twitter @Jon_Hawthorne