The expectations these past two seasons have been high so this one shouldn’t be any different as head coach Dana Altman and Oregon Basketball look to make another run in the NCAA Tournament. After missing the tournament the past two seasons, though, the Ducks will look to five returners and six new additions to turn things around in 2023-24.
Jermaine Couisnard, N’Faly Dante, Keeshawn Barthelemy and Nate Bittle are the four leading names returning for Oregon while three transfer portal additions will look to make their mark in the Pac-12. The Ducks have some work to do in improving their rotation after finishing 12-8 in the conference, fourth in the standings in 2022-23. While they’ll lose a bulk of their offensive production from a season ago, the return of Couisnard for a full season should give this year’s group a ton of energy heading into a new season. He missed the first 14 games of 2022-23 due to injury.
Jesse Zarzuela (Central Michigan) and freshman Jackson Shelstad are two guard prospects with the potential to make an instant impact in the Oregon backcourt. Shelstad is an Oregon native who chose to stay home and rep the Ducks in the Pac-12 while Zarzuela is quite the combo guard prospect who made waves in the MAC this past season despite a short stint. He’ll look to end his career on a high note as quite the journeyman college prospect.
Zarzuela isn’t the only name looking to make his mark with the new-look Oregon lineup. Take a look at the projected starting rotation and depth chart for the Oregon Ducks heading into the 2023-24 season.
Point Guard
Starter – Jackson Shelstad (25 mpg)
Oregon seems to have found a leader in newcomer Jackson Shelstad. Shelstad didn’t have to travel far for college after graduating from West Linn High and has climbed up the radar rather quickly over the past year. He won 2022-23 Oregon Gatorade Player of the Year after producing 28.2 ppg, 5.4 rpg, 3.5 apg and 1.9 spg while knocking down 41.7 percent from deep in his final season of high school basketball.
The 6-foot-1 floor general went from unranked to a five-star recruit over the past 12 months, finishing ranked No. 36 in the ESPN Class of 2023 rankings. He should turn into a fan-favorite soon enough in the Pac-12.
Bench – Jesse Zarzuela (15 mpg), Brennan Rigsby
Jesse Zarzuela is a sizeable floor general at 6-foot-3 who should make his presence felt at the point guard role for Oregon this upcoming season. Zarzuela should share the guard duties with Jermaine Couisnard and provide the Ducks an outlet with his ability to shoot the ball on the perimeter and make plays for others. He put up 16.3 ppg, 2.8 rpg and 2.7 apg on 35.6 percent shooting from deep in 2022-23 with Central Michigan.
Brennan Rigsby is a returning name for Oregon after making his debut this past season out of Northwest Florida State College (JUCO). He fared well in 2022-23 across 21 appearances, finishing with 4.2 ppg and 2.3 rpg across 17.8 mpg. He should see similar minutes entering his second season at the backup point guard role.
Shooting Guard
Starter – Jermaine Couisnard (30 mpg)
Jermaine Couisnard is a rising name for Oregon Ducks fans to get familiar with heading into a new season. He put up solid production across 19 games for the Ducks in 2022-23 as he battled back into the rotation from injury. He finished this past season with 12.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg and 2.2 apg across 19 appearances, 16 starts, in his debut.
He’s a volume shooting guard who got his legs under him this past year as he adjusted to a new conference. He spent 2018-22 in the SEC with South Carolina in the years prior. Look for him to lead the Oregon offense with a full bill of health ahead of him heading into his final season.
Bench – Kario Oquendo (10 mpg)
Kario Oquendo is another addition out of the transfer portal who should make an impact off the bench at the backup shooting guard role. He spent the past two seasons in the SEC with the Georgia Bulldogs where he posted 14.0 ppg and 3.5 rpg on 42.6 percent shooting from the field across 60 games, 59 starts, from 2021-23. He’s a 6-foot-4 burly guard at 210 pounds who should change the pace with his ability to get to the painted area.
Small Forward/Wing
Starter – Jadrian Tracey (25 mpg)
Jadrian Tracey is another addition out of the portal, though he made his most recent mark in the JUCO ranks with Florida Southwestern State. He’s a 6-foot-6 presence who plays with length on the floor with an ability to rebound the ball and knock down shots on the perimeter. He averaged 14.4 ppg, 5.7 rpg and 2.9 apg on 43.3 percent shooting from deep and 44.6 percent shooting from the floor with Florida SW State in 2022-23.
In his best performance of the year, he finished with 34 points on 7-of-10 shooting from behind the arc and 12-of-16 shooting from the floor. He’s got the potential to be an efficient presence in the Oregon offense. Mookie Cook will be hot on his heels.
Bench – Mookie Cook (15 mpg)
Mookie Cook is an athletic freshman prospect joining the Oregon Ducks with a very high profile already. He’s a 6-foot-7 presence who projects to be a potential pick in the 2024 NBA Draft given his versatility on the wing to shoot the ball and finish around the rim. If he can find his way defensively and physically in the college game, look for him to be a candidate for Pac-12 Rookie of the Year and then some.
Power Forward
Starter – N’Faly Dante (30 mpg)
The Oregon frontcourt looks to be in good hands with N’Faly Dante leading the charge at the power forward position. He returns after earning first-team All-Pac-12 honors, pouring in 13.4 ppg, 8.4 rpg, 1.4 bpg, 1.1 apg and 1.1 spg on 61.4 percent shooting from the field in 2022-23. He racked up a career-high 10 double-doubles for the Ducks this past year. He’s a two-way presence who should act as quite the defensive anchor alongside 7-footer Nate Bittle this season.
They’ve got the potential to be quite the formidable duo in the Pac-12 in 2023-24. Dante finished fifth in rebounds (260) and eighth in blocks (43) in the conference this past season and returns looking to do a whole lot more in their rotation. He led the conference with a PER of 28.6.
Bench – Kwame Evans Jr. (10 mpg)
There won’t be too much pressure on Kwame Evans Jr. to play a ton of minutes right away but he’ll have opportunities for playing time. He’s another potential draft pick at 6-foot-9, 200 pounds who can stretch the floor with his shooting ability. There’s not a whole lot of depth/experience for the Ducks in the frontcourt so if Dante gets in foul trouble, Evans could be a name who gets thrown into the fire early.
Center
Starter – Nathan Bittle (23 mpg)
Nathan Bittle was arguably the most improved player on the Oregon roster by the conclusion of the 2022-23 season. He finished his sophomore campaign with 7.3 ppg, 5.1 rpg and 1.2 bpg on 49 percent shooting from the floor across 28 appearances, 22 starts, for the Ducks this past year. He’s a 7-foot big man due for a breakout year in the Pac-12 this season.
He went off for a career-high 21 points and tied his career-high 13 rebounds in a victory over UCF in the NIT back on March 19 to show his growth. He’ll look to continue his development after knocking down a career-high 21 3-pointers in his second season. Look for him to improve and lead by example as an upperclassman with this group alongside N’Faly Dante in 2023-24.
Bench – Mahamadou Diawara (17 mpg)
Bittle will split time at the center spot with Mahamdou Diawara, a transfer addition joining the squad from Stetson in the Atlantic Sun. He put up 8.2 ppg and 5.8 rpg on 55.2 percent shooting from the floor across 117 appearances for the Hatters as he looks to up the ante with a jump to the Pac-12.
He’s got good size at 6-foot-10 but will need to improve his ability to defend the painted area to maintain his minutes.