The Ducks’ season ended last year thanks ended last with a 87-83 loss to the Arizona Wildcats in the NCAA Tourna- ment. For a team that was strong on both sides of the court, it was not how they envisioned their season ending.

To go along with the loss in the tournament, Oregon lost Ra’Heim Moss and Jadrian Tracey to the transfer portal and Keeshawn Barthelemy and TJ Bamba to the NBA. Despite having key players in Nate Bittle, Kwame Evans Jr. and Jackson Shelstad returning to the team in 2025, head coach Dana Altman has gone into the transfer portal and the international scene to bring new high-flying talent to the Ducks roster.

To replenish the Oregon roster, Altman has brought in seven new players, four of those recruits being forwards. Two of those recruits came over 6,000 miles to Eugene from Turkey: center Ege Demir and forward Efe Vatan.

Demir, the 6’11” Nigerian center, last played for Darüssafaka Lassa, which is a team in Turkey’s Basketball Super
League, and had a decent stat line. Sitting with an average of five points a game, Demir is not known for his offensive talents. With 4.9 rebounds a game and at least one steal a game, he is going to be used for his size and will likely come off the bench behind Nate Bittle.

Altman focused on refueling the forward position this offseason. At the end of last season, along with the losses of the players mentioned above, the Ducks lost Brandon Angel, Supreme Cook and Mookie Cook; and while Kwame Evans Jr. is still a Duck, the forward position group was in clear need of some taking care of.

First, back to Turkey. Joining Demir is the towering forward, Vatan. Standing at 6’10”, the 21-year-old native of Turkey last played in 30 games for the Galatasaray U19 team, where he averaged just below 17 points a game as well as 6.5 rebounds. Vatan hit just about a third of his shots from beyond the arc and hit 62.2% of his free throws. Another forward transfer that the Ducks picked up in the offseason is Sean Stewart. Stewart played and started 30 games last season for Jake Diebler’s Ohio State, averaging exactly 50% from three, 54.2% from the field, and 5.8 rebounds a game at 18.4 minutes.

With the additions of Vatan and Stewart, Oregon can do a lot of damage with whoever they pair up with one another. Vatan and Evans would no doubt be a lockdown on defense, with Vatan having the ability to provide a stronger push on offense than Evans. Having Stewart pair up with either Evans or Vatan would be the best of both worlds. Stewart has shown that he has very solid offensive numbers and can take control of that, while Vatan or Evans can have more focus to their already very solid defense.

Rounding out the forward transfers are Devon Pryor, who the Ducks snagged from The University of Texas, and Miles Stewart from Howard University, both likely to be coming off the bench. Pryor came in 23 times off the bench for the Longhorns squad last season. He finished the year averaging 3.2 points in just over 12 minutes a game and also shot slightly above 50% from the field.

Stewart played in 31 games for Howard, mostly off the bench. Having only one three-point shot last year, he mostly shot from the field. He averaged 59.4% from the field, and with only one three-point shot made last season, 100% from beyond the arc.

The last two players that Altman brought into Eugene over the offseason are guards Takai Simpkins, who came in from Elon University, and true freshman JJ Frakes from Berrien Springs, Michigan. Simpkins was a key player for Elon last year. Playing in 27 games and starting 24 for the Phoenix, Simpkins averaged 42% from the field, just under 34% from three and had just under four rebounds a game while averaging 29.9 minutes. Simpkins would end the year named a second team All-Coastal Athletic Association honoree thanks to his team-leading averages from the field, three, and at the free throw line as well as his 3.1 rebounds a game, 2.6 assists and 1.1 steals.

Finishing up the list of newcomers to the Ducks is Frakes — a three-star recruit coming out of Michigan. At guard, Frakes was ranked fourth in the state of Michigan, No. 71 in the nation at his position, and 405 overall nationally. With the new additions, Oregon looks to have another successful season and is no doubt looking to make a stronger push into the postseason.

The Ducks will start play on Oct. 24 against the University of Utah, with Big Ten play starting on Dec. 2 against USC, both at Matthew Knight Arena. The Ducks will also have a thrilling matchup at Gonzaga on Dec. 21, hosted at the Moda Center in Portland.