With the beginning of faculty basketball season in early November, we’ll study the convention as an entire and Indiana’s roster over the approaching weeks.
In the present day, our workforce previews proceed with Oregon.
Beforehand: Penn State, Washington, Minnesota, USC, Northwestern, Nebraska, Iowa
After lacking the NCAA event in 2023, Oregon bounced again final season with a round-of-32 look in Dana Altman’s 14th season on the college.
With a powerful returning forged and several other key switch portal additions, the Geese hope to construct on final season and go deeper in March Insanity. Oregon may even need to navigate the transition to the Massive Ten, which is now 18 groups sturdy and extra aggressive than ever.
The Geese misplaced two key items: Jermaine Couisnard and N’Faly Dante, starters on final season’s NCAA event workforce who exhausted their eligibility.
Fortuitously for Altman, Oregon returns loads of productive items. Sophomores Jackson Shelstad and Kwame Evans Jr., fifth-year senior guard Jadrian Tracey and seniors Nate Bittle and Keeshawn Barthelemy are again. Sophomore wing Mookie Cook dinner additionally returns.
The Geese added TJ Bamba (Villanova), Brandon Angel (Stanford), Ra’Heim Moss (Toledo), and Supreme Cook dinner (Georgetown) from the portal.
The highest returnee is the 6-foot Shelstad, who began 30 occasions as a freshman and was among the finest newcomers within the Pac-12 final season. He averaged 12.8 factors, 2.8 assists and a pair of.8 rebounds whereas taking pictures 45 p.c from the sphere and 34.5 p.c on 3s. Shelstad scored in double figures 23 occasions final season, together with eight occasions within the workforce’s remaining 10 video games. Shelstad is a product of West Linn Excessive College, which was additionally the house of Payton Pritchard.
Tracey, a 6-foot-5 guard, performed in all 36 video games for the Geese final season and began the ultimate 18. He may begin on the three after averaging 7.6 factors, 3.6 rebounds, 1.8 assists and taking pictures 35.9 p.c on 3s in 26.9 minutes per recreation.
Bamba, a 6-foot-5 guard, started his profession at Washington State, transferred to Villanova and can now end his profession in Eugene. He shot near 37 p.c on 3s final season for the Wildcats and averaged 10.1 factors in 28 minutes per recreation. Bamba ought to have the within monitor to start out on the two alongside Shelstad.
Evans Jr., a former five-star prospect from Montverde Academy, performed in all 36 video games final season and began 29. He’s a transparent breakout candidate after averaging 7.3 factors, 4.9 rebounds, 1.2 steals, 1.1 assists and a blocked shot in 22.5 minutes per recreation.
Evans Jr. may begin on the 4 or come off the bench because the sixth man if Angel is the selection on the 4. Angel was extremely productive final season for the Cardinal. He averaged 13 factors advert 4.7 rebounds in 31.2 minutes per recreation whereas taking pictures 44.7 p.c on 3s (76 makes an attempt).
Bittle, a 7-footer, performed in solely 5 video games final season because of a wrist damage. Within the season opener final fall towards Georgia, Bittle had 13 factors and 9 rebounds. A five-star prospect within the 2021 class, the Geese want Bittle to remain wholesome to have a gradual presence within the submit. A former McDonald’s All-American, Bittle owns profession averages of 5.3 factors and three.7 rebounds in 56 video games.
Cook dinner, a 6-foot-9 ahead who performed at Fairfield earlier than Georgetown, will give the Geese depth behind Bittle. Cook dinner averaged 10.5 factors and eight rebounds in 27.2 minutes per recreation final season for the Hoyas.
Barthelemy, Moss and Cook dinner will bolster the guard and wing depth for the Geese.
Barthelemy shot near 39 p.c on 3s final season and performed in 18 video games final season earlier than struggling a season-ending ankle damage towards Arizona. The 6-foot-1 guard averaged 7.9 factors, 2.3 assists and a pair of.2 rebounds in 23.1 minutes.
Moss arrives from Toledo the place he averaged 15.5 factors, 5.4 rebounds, three assists and 1.7 steals in 31.9 minutes. The 6-foot-4 guard will present a scoring punch off the bench if he can’t beat out Bamba to start out within the backcourt.
And Cook dinner, a 6-foot-6 sophomore wing, performed in simply 5 video games final season because of accidents. A top-30 recruit within the remaining class of 2023 247Composite rankings, Cook dinner is proficient and will be capable of carve out a rotation function off the bench.
The Geese even have Jamari Phillips, a high 50 guard within the 2024 class, together with Dezdrick Phillips, a extremely regarded JUCO switch and Jayson Williams-Johnson, a Division III switch from Muhlenberg. All three shall be in an uphill battle for rotation minutes.
Oregon is No. 44 in Bart Torvik’s 2024-25 season projections. The Geese have been picked to complete seventh within the Massive Ten by the Blue Ribbon Faculty Basketball Yearbook and Lindy’s Sports activities Faculty Basketball preview journal.
Backside line: Massive Ten followers gained’t be acquainted with Oregon when the season begins, however Altman has the items to contend instantly within the convention. The Geese have depth, expertise and expertise. Shelstad shall be one of many Massive Ten’s high guard and playmakers and Evans Jr. has clear breakout potential as a sophomore. Oregon must navigate the challenges of quite a few highway journeys east in league play, which shall be taxing, however this is likely one of the league’s most proficient and deep rosters.
Quotable: “We’re a unique season this 12 months with the journey, and so I feel depth goes to be vital. All the colleges within the east need to make one journey west. And we’re going to make 4 or 5 east. So it’s undoubtedly going to be completely different for us. We’ll undoubtedly have some challenges.” – Altman to the Blue Ribbon Faculty Basketball Yearbook.
(Photograph credit score: Oregon Athletics)
Filed to: 2024-25 Massive Ten preview, Oregon Geese
