Oregon center N’Faly Dante announced he will return for his final year of eligibility at the University of Oregon, on Monday, April 17 via his personal Twitter account. After a season in which Dante averaged a career-best 13.4 points per game and 8.4 rebounds, the big-man felt he had “Unfinished business” in Oregon. 

His return adds experience to an Oregon roster that’s set to be led by three top-40 recruits, according to ESPN’s Top 100. One that hopes to put a 2022-23 season — which sputtered to a close after a loss to Wisconsin in the National Invitational Tournament — behind itself. 

Oregon failed to reach the NCAA Tournament for consecutive years and Dante didn’t want to finish off his long-tenured career on that note.

His presence fills a need on this Ducks roster as the recruits — Jackson Shelstad, Mookie Cook and KJ Evans — present as perimeter-oriented talents. After center Kel’el Ware transferred to the University of Indiana, Nate Bittle became the lone frontcourt member on Oregon’s roster.

Dante will slide right back in next to him as the two complement one another’s game. Dante controls the paint, while Bittle provides spacing on the perimeter.  

Dante’s first four years at Oregon was a bag of mixed results. He missed out on the Ducks’ Sweet-16 run in 2021 after tearing his ACL earlier in the season. And, as one of the team’s building blocks over the last two seasons the results didn’t go as he planned. 

No demerit to his individual talent as Dante is lauded as one of the best big men in the Pac-12 on both sides. He won’t be asked to carry nearly the same load offensively when Shelstad, Cook and Evans arrive, not to mention the return of guards Jermaine Couisnard and Keeshawn Barthelemy.

Head coach Dana Altman is always active in the transfer portal, so it will be interesting to see what talent he seeks to round out a roster that presents as an upgraded one from the previous two seasons.