2014-15 Pac-12 Conference Preview: #10 Oregon Ducks
By Daniel Tran
2013 Season Results: 24-10 overall, 10-8 conference record. 3rd place in the Pac-12, 63-82 quarterfinal loss vs. UCLA in Pac-12 tournament, 77-85 2nd round loss vs. Wisconsin in NCAA Tournament
Key Losses: Mike Moser (graduated), Jason Calliste (graduated), Damyean Dotson (kicked off team), Richard Amardi (graduated), Johnathan Loyd (football)
Key Returns: Joseph Young
2014 Recruiting Class (247 Sports Composite No. 22 in the Nation): PF Jordan Bell (4-Star), PG Ahmaad Rorie (4-Star), SF Dillon Brooks (4-star), C Michael Chandler (JuCo, 3-Star), SF Dwayne Benjamin (JuCo, 3-Star), PG Casey Benson (3-star)
At the end of the 2013-14 season, the Oregon Ducks were a team in great position to equal their successful year. Joseph Young surprised everyone and returned to Eugene after scoring 18.6 points a game last season and their impressive recruiting class looked talented enough to make for the losses of Mike Moser and Jason Calliste.
That’s when it all started falling apart for the Ducks.
On June 23, Oregon and head coach Dana Altman suspended Brandon Austin, Damyean Dotson and Dominic Artis due to an alleged rape that occurred at house party on March 8. All three players were eventually banished from the team. Damyean Dotson was supposed to take a bigger role in the offense and make up for the scoring and rebounding that Oregon lost. Dominic Artis would’ve been depended upon to add depth and experience at the point guard position with Johnathan Loyd leaving the team to play football.
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Then the Ducks left ESPN 100 No. 42 recruit JaQuan Lyle off the final roster when his admissions process hit an undisclosed roadblock. All at once, Oregon’s hopeful season took a turn for the worse.
But you know what they about the Ducks: when the roosters are crowing and the cows are spinning circles in the pasture, Ducks fly together. They have enough young talent and an offensive system that caters to their strengths, but Oregon will have trouble winning games in the Pac-12 because they are unproven and untested.
Mike Moser was a beast on the glass last season grabbing 7.7 boards per game, 22.7% of the Ducks total rebounds. Enter Jordan Bell to pick up the slack. Freshman power forward Jordan Bell looks like he can handle the speed and athleticism at the college level. He is an excellent shot blocker and has enough strength and jumping ability to rebound the ball with little adjustment needed, but he will still need help from the guards to get the other rebounds.
As has been the case with Oregon Ducks basketball since Dana Altman took over, the guards are the stars of this team. This years tandem was supposed to be Lyle and Young, but after Lyle was left off the roster and Johnathan Loyd leaving to run 1000 plays with the Oregon football team, there is a question of who should be starting as the point guard.
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4-star freshman point guard Ahmaad Rorie looks like he is up to the challenge. The 6’0, 175 pound Rorie is a slick scorer that will supplement Joe Young’s own explosive scoring. Rorie and Young can both excel in Altman’s early offense sets, taking advantage of their ability to create their own shots in the half court and set up their teammates in transition.
Though they will have games where they light it up from the outside, the Ducks will find their inexperience as their downfall. They may still force steals with their quick hands and full court press defense, but there is little evidence to suggest that they will improve on their 281st ranked defense from last season.
It’s always tempting to think about what could’ve been if Austin, Artis, and Dotson kept their noses clean and how JaQuan Lyle could’ve helped this team, but the reality is this Oregon Ducks team will not have the same kind of firepower they did last year. Though they have Joe Young, the rest of the backcourt is unproven and will not have what it takes to win games quite yet. They’re going to be explosive but the Ducks will not crack the middle of the Pac-12.
Projected Finish: 10th Place