If a kid from Puerto Plata, a city in the Dominican Republic, wants to play sports, they usually turn to the national sport: baseball. Growing up, Oregon guard Chris Duarte was no different.
“[My fastball] is 90-plus miles per hour,” Duarte told the Pac-12 Network. “I really can throw, I was a good pitcher.”
Despite his talent, he wasn’t satisfied. Then he noticed his brother had started to play basketball.
“I saw my brother playing basketball, and I was just like, ‘Okay, I’m going to follow your steps,’” Duarte said. “I saw him getting big, and I just followed his steps.”
Lucky for Oregon, Duarte grew quite fond of basketball. He was a significant contributor to Oregon’s Pac-12 championship last season and is a key component to their backcourt this year. It hasn’t always been easy for Duarte, but his non-traditional road to Oregon has paved the way to his success
In 2015, his family moved to New York and Duarte began playing high school basketball at Redemption Christian Academy.
Duarte had offers from Division I schools in high school, such as New Mexico State, but he chose to move to Niceville, Florida, to play for Northwest Florida State, a junior college. He wasn’t particularly ecstatic about the choice at the time.
“I was sad at first that I had to go the junior college route,” Duarte told Addicted to Quack. “I was mad that I was giving up two years of my life to go play basketball at a junior college in Florida. My friends and family convinced me it would be the best option for me if I wanted to end up playing the highest level of basketball I could.”
Duarte continued to work on the game that his brother had inspired him to play. His freshman year he played the role of “sixth man.” He played in 32 games, but only started once. But his second year was a different story. He averaged 19 points per game while starting 33 times and won the NJCAA player of the year.
This awarded him some leverage in his second round of recruitment. He garnered interest from Kansas, Oklahoma, Houston, VCU and, of course, Oregon. This time around, he was content with his choice.
“I chose Oregon because of the coaching staff and the school’s history,” Duarte told Addicted to Quack. “When I visited Eugene for the first time, I loved everything about it. The coaches, players and fans made me feel welcome.”
Last season, Duarte found a home in Eugene, and it showed on the court. He was second on the team in both points and rebounds, with 12.9 and 5.6 respectively. He also recorded 47 steals highlighted by an eight-steal game against USC. For five games, he battled through a broken finger late in the conference schedule while supporting Peyton Pritchard in the backcourt.
Now that Pritchard is gone, the rest of the guards will need to step up behind Duarte.
“We have so many different guys that can get the job done,” Duarte told the Pac-12 Network. “Of course we’re going to miss Peyton, he’s a great player, but we have so many different options. We have Eugene, Will, Eric, LJ — if we can get his waiver — and myself.”
Duarte is preparing for his final season of the Oregon chapter in his winding basketball career. His improvement between each of his first three college years has been exceptional, making the outlook for his senior season quite promising. Not only that, but he’s projected to be picked in the second round of the 2021 NBA draft. It’s fitting for Duarte, who seems to always be on the move.
