Oregon welcomed five new players to its roster for the 2016-17 season.
Before the additions of transfers Paul White and Kavel Bigby-Williams, Oregon boasted the 30th ranked recruiting class in the nation according to ESPN. Recruiting sites Scout and 247sports.com rated head coach Dana Altman’s haul as the 10th- and 12th-best freshman class, respectively.
Here’s a rundown of all the newcomers:
Payton Pritchard; Guard, 6’2″, West Linn, Oregon
Coming out of high school, Pritchard was the top recruit in the state of Oregon. After verbally committing to Oklahoma his junior year, Pritchard decommitted in July of 2015. A little over a month later he committed to Oregon. Pritchard already created a legacy for himself during his prep days at West Linn, winning four consecutive state titles for the Lions. He ranked as the 54th-best player in ESPN’s top 100 as well as the 13th-best guard in the nation. He averaged 23.6 points, 5.1 rebounds, 6.8 assists and 3.1 steals per game his senior year. He was named the 2014 Class 6A boys basketball Player of the Year as a sophomore. His junior year, he was the 2014-15 Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year.
Kavell Bigby-Williams; Forward/Center, 6’11”, London, England
For the second-straight year, Altman landed the reigning Spalding NJCAA Division I Player of the Year. Bigby-Williams spent his past two seasons at Gillette College in Wyoming, where he put together an impressive resume. He averaged 10.1 points and 9.6 rebounds per game his freshman year en route to third-team All-Region honors. He improved dramatically in his second season, tallying 16.8 points, 13.6 rebounds and 5.6 blocks per game and earning NJCAA first-team all-America honors. The London-native also recorded a nation-high 211 blocks and collected five triple-doubles in points, rebounds and blocks that season. The Pronghorns went 35-2 and finished third at the junior college national tournament.
Keith Smith; Forward, 6’7″, Seattle, Washington
The three-star recruit started his prep career at Franklin High School before transferring to Rainier Beach for his junior and senior years. He battled injuries for much of his high school career but proved his worth the few games he was healthy. Smith only played 10 games his junior year but averaged 18.5 points in those games. Limited to 13 games as a senior, he scored 15.3 points per game and helped Rainier Beach to its third-straight 3A State Championship.
Michael Cage Jr; Forward/Center, 6’10”, Santa Ana, California
Cage, son of former NBA player Michael Cage, spent his prep career at one of the premier high schools in the country, Mater Dei. He averaged 14.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game as a sophomore and played alongside future NBA lottery pick Stanley Johnson. He helped lead the Monarchs to both a California state title and national title in 2013-2014 and was co-MVP of the Trinity League as a senior.
Paul White; Forward, 6’9″, Chicago, Illinois
White will sit out this season due to NCAA transfer rules, but will have two years of eligibility once he returns. He played his first two collegiate seasons at Georgetown and averaged 5.0 points, 2.8 rebounds and 1.2 assists per game as a freshman, appearing in all 33 games for the Hoyas that year. He suffered an abdominal injury that caused him to miss all but seven games his sophomore season. A top-50 recruit in the nation as a senior at Whitney Young High School, he averaged 22 points, 9 rebounds, 6 assists and 4 steals in his final year in high school.
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