Oregon Basketball: Ducks frontcourt set for 2019-20 with Shakur Juiston pickup
Piece by piece, Oregon Basketball has rebuilt their frontcourt for the upcoming season. Here’s a look at the newest Duck, transfer Shakur Juiston.
Shakur Juiston was arguably the last available grad transfer for the 2019-20 season that could move the needle. The former UNLV forward was down to Seton Hall, Grand Canyon and Oregon Basketball. But in the end, it was the Ducks that were able to land him.
It was a tough offseason for Oregon when it came to their frontcourt. Bol Bol was always assumed to be a “one and done” but the early departures of Kenny Wooten and Louis King to the NBA really depleted their depth. Paul White was a senior and lesser-used forwards Abu Kigab and Miles Norris had already transferred. That left freshmen center Francis Okoro as the only returning big on the Ducks roster.
Oregon does have some incoming talent from their 2019 recruiting class, ranked in the top-15 overall. CJ Walker is a five-star power forward prospect, while Chandler Lawson is ranked in the top-100. Then there’s recently committed Lok Wur, a 6’9 forward who was formerly a JUCO commit before being ruled eligible to play for a D-I school.
But the lack of experience (and scholarships) made Dana Altman and the coaching staff go on the transfer market to find more players. They did land Rutgers forward Eugene Omoruyi but he’ll have to sit out a season. New Mexico’s Anthony Mathis is able to play next season but he’s a guard. Oregon struck out on other grad transfer frontcourt options but with the addition of Juiston, they finally have real depth down low.
Juiston, a former JUCO product himself, sat out most of last season after a big knee injury. But in the season prior, he averaged 14.6 ppg and 10.0 rpg for the Rebels. His 6’7 size is a bit concerning with him now playing in the Pac-12 but Juiston and his physicality/aggressiveness should be a boost for a Ducks team that was a bit soft. He’ll likely begin the season as a starter (assuming 100% health) and at the very least provide solid depth for Oregon.
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The Ducks have been linked with just about every grad transfer big man this offseason, missing out on almost all of them. But they managed to land the last quality big man available in Juiston, who could be the reason why they end up competing for a Pac-12 title in 2019-20.