Men's Basketball Returns with High Expectations
It is that time of year again, the UO Men’s Basketball team will kickoff their season this Friday against Army at Mathew Knight Arena. The Ducks have been ranked number five in the preseason poll which is the highest in the school’s history, coming into this season with a high ranking could really boost the team’s confidence and give them the motivation to thrive on the court. Last year the Ducks won the Pac-12 championship, and are coming into this season with high expectations from fans as well as coaches.
Junior Forward Dillon Brooks is not currently playing due to recent surgery on his left foot which could be a problem for the Ducks as they head into the season. Last season Brooks proved that he was a key player for the team, scoring an average of 16.7 points along with a total of 207 rebounds. Dillon Brooks also was the first player in the programs history to reach 1,000 points as a sophomore. The team, with such an important player missing, will have to step up their game and really work together on the court in order to succeed during the 2016-2017 season. While Brooks is out senior Chris Boucher is already proving to be a powerhouse for the team this year scoring two dunks in the first half of the Ducks exhibition game against North West Christian. In the 2015-2016 season Boucher played in all 38 games, led the Pac-12 with 110 blocks, and became the only player in Pac-12 history to have 35 three-pointers and 100 blocks in the same season. Chris Boucher has an impressive athletic resume and will be an crucial player for the Oregon Ducks this season. Boucher has become a college basketball phenom, recently being displayed on the cover of Sports Illustrated’s basketball preview issue he is definitely a player to watch out for.
Head Coach Dana Altman seems to be optimistic for this season although he does believe that the team has much more work to do if they want to be the competitors that everyone believes them to be. In 2016 Altman was named coach of the year for the Pac-12 conference, in the 2015-2016 season he led the team to 31 wins which is a record high for the school. Dana Altman has recruited strong new players for this year which should really help the team succeed this season. With these impressive new players this year all of the athletes will have work together on their team dynamic in order to be successful on the court. With so much new talent the Ducks have multiple options for almost every position on the court, each player will have to work their hardest and earn their spot in each game this season.
The four new recruits this year are Payton Pritchard, Keith Smith, M.J. Cage, and Kavell Bigby-Williams. The Ducks first new recruit Payton Pritchard is a Freshman from West Linn Oregon who will be playing as one of Oregon’s Guards this season, in 2016 he was ranked 13th point guard in the nation according to ESPN. As well as being the top player in the entire state of Oregon in 2016, Pritchard should fit right in amongst the other phonemes on the Oregon Basketball team. Keith Smith a 6’7” Freshman Forward from Seattle Washington, is a three-star recruit with a grade of 78 according to ESPN. As a senior Smith averaged 15.7 points per game. Keith Smith will have to work hard this season amongst Oregon’s other incredible guards if he wants to spend time on the court. M.J. Cage a Freshman from Santa Ana, California measuring in at 6’10” will be another one of Oregon’s Forwards this year. As one of Oregon’s tallest players, Cage should be able to dominate the court. M.J. Cage should be a key player for Oregon throughout this season. Kavell Bigby-Williams a Junior from London, England who was recruited from Gillette Community College was recently named NJCAA 2015-2016 player of the year and was rated as the number number three junior college prospect nationally. Williams has proven in the past to be a key player for his schools and will hopefully do the same for Oregon.
One of Oregon’s biggest strengths to look out for this year will be their blocking, last year they were third in the nation for blocking percentage. Chris Boucher and Jordan Bell should prove to be a dynamic duo when it comes to this area of expertise, last year the two combined blocked 7.8 shots per 40 minutes. This could be a problem for Oregon’s opponents this year as they may have to battle to get past their large defense. A weakness that may arise this year for Oregon could be their struggles when it comes to defending beyond the paint, last year their defense allowed opposing teams to score 36.2 percent from above the arc. While the Ducks defense has been known to block shots it has been much harder for them to defend further shots on the court. Although with multiple new star players the team could have this problem solved.
The Oregon Ducks are heading into this season with a high ranking and even higher expectations, they will definitely be a competitor to watch out for in the 2016-2017 college basketball season.
