Charles Fischer

More about some of the players! Over .500 in On-Base-Percentage? Whew! Step up in Competition Doesn't Slow Cowley After spending three seasons at Division II Cal Poly Pomona, JR INF Drew Cowley made the move to Division I this season. Playing both third base and second base, Cowley is off to a blistering start batting .467 (21-for-45) with the nation's 13th-best OBP (.571). He also ranks 16th nationally in batting average, and 35th in slugging percentage (.822). In addition to batting average and on-base percentage, he leads the team in slugging percentage and base on balls (9), while ranking second in doubles (5). In the Pac-12, Cowley leads the league in two of the three slash categories (AVG/OBP), while ranking second in slugging percentage and 10th in RBI and home runs. It's HOT in the Shade After battling injuries early in the season as a true freshman, SO OF Colby Shade is healthy and producing for the Ducks in 2022. The Ducks' centerfield produced in a big way in the St. John's series, batting a team-best .667 (8-for-12) with a home run, three doubles, nine RBI and nine runs. He added four walks and three HBPs to finish with a .789 on-base percentage while slugging 1.167. He also reached base in 13 straight plate appearances during the series. For the season, Shade is tied for the team lead in RBI (17) and stolen bases (4), while ranking second on the team batting .429 (21-of-49), runs scored (18), OBP (.525) and slugging percentage (.694). In the Pac-12, Shade ranks fourth in batting average, RBI and OBP, while ranking sixth in slugging percentage and seventh in runs scored. Nationally, Shade is 51st in the country in batting average, 62nd in on-base percentage and slugging percentage. Somers Named Preseason All-America Coming off a season where he claimed NCBWA third-team All-America honors, SR LHP Kolby Somers has been named preseason third-team All-America by both Collegiate Baseball and D1Baseball. A senior from Hillsboro, Ore., Somers claimed first-team All-Pac-12 Conference honors in addition to NCBWA All-America honors last season. He was dominant closing out games for the Ducks in 2021. The lefty finished the season with a 2-2 record and a 3.08 ERA with 11 saves. He fanned 37 in 26.1 innings pitched while holding opposing hitters to a .149 batting average. He ranked third in the Pac-12 in saves, as well as ranking sixth all-time in single-season saves at Oregon. His seven saves in conference games were the second most in the league, one behind the leader.

I know everyone is saying that these stats are padded from some of our opponents....but we did not do this in the past! Others say, "wait for the Pac-12 Season, and watch those stats plummet!" Oregon took two of three at Stanford last weekend, who was voted by the coaches as the Preseason BEST team in the conference. The Ducks averaged nearly nine runs per game against a Cardinal staff that had an incredibly low ERA going into the series. The Ducks were a good hitting team last year, and have continued that trend--even with the graduation of Aaron Zavala, and Gabe Matthews (and others!) thus good coaching in the batter box is happening. (No, it is extraordinary coaching taking place) The pitchers are improving, and if they can keep us in the games, our bats can win them. Utah won two of three off of Washington last week, so the Ducks have a challenge! This is the prowess you want...

(Will Graves plays for Gonzaga) PORTLAND — Mary Graves woke on Thursday morning in Eugene, fed the dogs, and pointed her black SUV toward Portland. She made the two-hour drive alone, dropped in on her father at his home near NW 23rd Ave. and together they headed to Moda Center for Gonzaga’s opening-round NCAA Tournament game. Lunch was a hot dog. The seats were in Section 122, a dozen or so rows directly behind the Zags’ bench. They watched No. 1-seed Gonzaga beat No. 16 Georgia State 93-72 and in the final 48 seconds it got especially interesting. Walk-on guard Will Graves checked into the game. We’re told March is made for Madness. We’re sold fairy tales and shining moments. But on Thursday I observed Mary as the horn sounded to end the game. She trained her eyes on her son and he scanned the crowd to locate her with the post-game scene cascading like confetti all around them. They waved at each other. He grinned. She teared up. “I wish we could have hugged,” mom said. Will Graves and his mother, Mary. Will Graves was just 14 months old when the doctors noticed he wasn’t reaching his milestones. He hadn’t walked or crawled. He couldn’t sit up correctly. “Hypotonia,” doctors said. Will had low muscle tone. There would be years of physical therapy appointments. He’d eventually grow strong like his two older brothers, Max and Jack. The three boys would all gravitate toward the family business — basketball. “Will and I were buddies during those early years,” his mom said. “We were like best friends doing physical therapy together. Maybe it’s because he’s the baby of the family but we had a blast while he grew up.” Kelly Graves was 2,500 miles away when his son Will checked into the first-round NCAA Tournament game on Thursday. The University of Oregon women’s basketball team is a No. 5 seed in the women’s bracket and will play No. 12 Belmont on Saturday in Knoxville, Tenn. Would Mary go on the road with the Ducks in the first round? Or head to Portland to support Gonzaga and her youngest son? I asked the UO coach this week. The answer came: “What do you think big guy?” Kelly and Mary Graves and their three sons. Will, far left, is on Gonzaga’s team. Will Graves wasn’t born in Spokane, Wash. but it’s where he spent the first 14 years of his life. His dad coached the Gonzaga women’s team and Will became fast friends with a group of boys that included Mark Few’s son. “They’re great family friends,” Mary said, “and Will can still call on them for a family meal.” Graves played basketball at South Eugene High. After that he attended Lane Community College. He’s 6-foot-5 and could have picked a small college — a place he could get ample minutes and more shots. But Will Graves wanted to play for what would become the top basketball team in America. He wanted to be a ‘Zag. “Gonzaga was all he ever wanted when he was little,” Mary said. “When Mark (Few) asked him to walk on he said, ‘Mom it’s my dream.’ He didn’t didn’t know where it would lead him but he had to try. “This is meant to be.” Graves averaged just two minutes a game this season. He took 10 total shots, nine of them threes. The records will show that he scored 11 points in the regular season. But if you’re looking at the box score to define Will Graves’ college basketball season, your eyes are aimed in the wrong direction. He’s the first off the bench after a big shot by a teammate. He clapped, shouted and cheered from the sideline on Thursday. And when Few motioned for him to check into the game in that final minute Will Graves ripped off his warm-up and bounced toward the scorer’s table. Said Will: “I wouldn’t trade my experiences here for anything.” I asked Will this week if he could identify the traits he got from his parents. He called his mother “the rock of the family” and pointed to how much she cares for others. He said his dad taught him competition and the love of basketball. “He introduced it to me at a very young age and I’ve been in love with it since I can remember,” said Will. Over the years the Graves boys, along with their father, often played spirited pick-up games in the driveway. During the pandemic they worked together to film funny videos and practice trick shots. Max, 26, works for a non-profit in Baltimore that uses soccer to bring joy and growth to children in the world. Jack, 25, is an assistant women’s basketball coach at Lane Community College. And there’s Will, 22, who is chasing a national title with his teammates this month. “It’s just so fun to see them all so close,” Mary said. Will Graves averaged two minutes per game this season. Will is a senior with one year of college eligibility left. He plans to transfer after this season to a college where he’ll play more. He’s not sure where, yet. “I have gotten so much better in my three years here going against NBA guys day in and day out,” he said. On Thursday at Moda Center in that final minute of play Will checked in, touched the ball on one possession, dribbled a couple of times and made a single pass. The horn sounded. The game ended. Gonzaga advanced to the second round and he scanned the crowd looking for his mother and grandfather. This tournament will crown a champion. Confetti will be shot out of cannons and nets will be cut down. Maybe it will be Gonzaga. Maybe some other team. But it’s not lost on me that the beauty of March Madness often comes in the best of forms. A son’s smile. A mother’s tears. “I love my kids all the same,” Mary said, “but he’s my baby.”

Yep, and volunteer sites are free, but need help…?

Agreed, and that is why I like to follow some recruiting and pass it along here, but not go too crazy about it. "Nico" put out his top-5 this week, and since Oregon is in it...we're supposed to get excited? No, everyone knows he will "follow the 8-million" to Knoxville.

I guess that subscription thing did not work out? Canzano's website has not worked the last couple of days, but he sends me articles via his initial free subscription. I will post them until he has a pay-wall, and I have to admit that he is a prolific writer who often has some entertaining things to say. Nemec? Not so much to me... Is FishDuck and the OBD forum the best value ever?

Thank you, as I have one more component, what Kirk Herbstreit thought was the most important advantage the Bulldogs had. THAT is tomorrow...

It has already passed, and the report on another site was blah-blah, but apparently it got the high school coaches fired up. I used to be invited, but was dis-invited when Chip/Helfrich left. Perhaps my videos of the Oregon Spread Offense (viewed two million times) frightened new coaches concerning what I would write or create? I thought I was being a pretty good ambassador of Oregon football, but beginning with Taggart...they apparently disagreed.

I've heard this before....I think the first time was in the first grade when a bully asked me, "hey...what's UP, Chuck?" "Get it?" Yeah, you get it too.

Some NFL Draft projections I saw had the amazing Jordan Davis taken in the first round by the Chargers! Would THAT help their porous run-defense? An athlete at 360 lbs.?

This sounds tougher to me, and I did not flood you with quotes...just a few from Georgia fans. Even established Bulldog stars leave, as they know it can be easier somewhere else...

George Kliavkoff, the Pac-12 Commissioner, is in Portland for the NCAA Tournament first and second round games. I reached him on Wednesday shortly after he landed at PDX airport and collected his rental car. He’s in town to see No. 4-seed UCLA play its opening round game vs. No. 13 Akron at Moda Center (6:50 p.m. PT today). Kliavkoff told me the Pac-12 CEO Group met last Saturday in Las Vegas and made “a tremendous amount of progress,” on where to re-locate the conference headquarters. The lease on the downtown San Francisco money pit is up at the end of this year. I suspect the Pac-12 will plant the flag in Las Vegas, even as the commissioner wouldn’t confirm it. Said Kliavkoff: “I don't want to get ahead of conversations that I want to have with our really valued employees about where we’re planning on locating people. I want to have that discussion with our employees before I talk about it publicly for obvious reasons.” Fair enough — but it’s Vegas, right? Kliavkoff has a home there, the Pac-12 holds its basketball and football championships there, and Vegas is an easy-to-reach destination. I expect a decision before summer. We also spoke about gambling and data. The conference is geared up for its upcoming media rights negotiations. There are two years left on the current deal. But the Pac-12 seized control of its own data this week and is positioning itself to utilize it and monetize it. “I think about all the data that comes out of the game and how we might make it available, monetize it and use it to create a better fan experience,” he said. Gambling partnerships, too? Kliavkoff told me gambling sponsorship deals would be handled on a case-by-case basis by the 12 conference members. Colorado was the first NCAA member to partner with a gambling entity, signing a five-year agreement with an online sportsbook. As an aside, wagering on collegiate sporting events isn’t currently legal in Oregon. You can bet on the NFL, MLB, NBA, etc. but can’t wager on March Madness. A bill that would have allowed collegiate wagering stalled in the last legislative session when anti-gambling lobbyists and select tribal casinos successfully blocked it by asking for an in-depth study. Lawmakers will tell you that commissioning a study is code for: “Kill the bill.” Kliavkoff said the Pac-12 might be interested in someday lobbying lawmakers in various states within the conference footprint. “If it’s not legalized it doesn’t mean it’s not happening,” he said. “Illegal sports betting is a big multiple in terms of revenue and legal betting, even today. If you legalize it you have the ability to tax it, regulate it and make sure that the rules are being adhered to…”

I love reading this....good for HIM!

A good way to start the weekend?

I read he has speed in the 4.40s, and we need that BAD--to have a RB with breakaway speed again! If he can catch, then match-ups on slower LBs could create a number of first downs. Thanks for posting it McDuck!

OL Coach Steve Greatwood spoke of how tons of players had the natural ability, but he was trying to find out what was "here," as he was patting his heart. Agreed, my friend!

You can spin this a number of directions....that Stars DO matter the majority of the time. Of course another way to look at it is how over a THIRD of 5-Star players don't get drafted. How do YOU interpret this article? On3 data reveals 5-star recruits have 63% draft rate WWW.ON3.COM Data collected by On3 from the past five NFL drafts show that the major recruiting media companies have been getting it right when handing out stars.

EUGENE, Ore. – Senior guard Will Richardson has been named to the USBWA District IX All-District Team as well as the NABC District 19 All-District First Team, it was announced today. The second team All-Pac-12 selection averaged 14.1 points (.454 FG%), 3.7 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.3 steals in 30 games (all starts) this season and scored in double-digits in 22 games with seven 20-point games. Twice named Pac-12 Player of the Week this season, Richardson has helped Oregon to two regular season Pac-12 championships and two Sweet Sixteen appearances. One of 37 players in program history to record over 1,000 points at Oregon, he ranks ninth all-time in both assists and steals for the Ducks. Richardson is the first Ducks player to earn the USBWA honors since both Chris Duarte and Eugene Omoruyi did so last season. In 2020, Payton Pritchard made the team and was named District IX Player of the Year. Oregon has now had a total of seven players named to the USBWA team under coach Altman, with Dillon Brooks and Joe Young each making multiple appearances. Brooks was the 2016 District IX Player of the Year in 2016, while Altman earned district Coach of the Year that same season. Full USBWA District XI Awards below: DISTRICT IX Region: Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Oregon, and Washington. PLAYER OF THE YEAR Drew Timme, Gonzaga COACH OF THE YEAR Tommy Lloyd, Arizona ALL-DISTRICT TEAM Terrell Brown Jr., Washington Chet Holmgren, Gonzaga Johnny Juzang, UCLA Christian Koloko, Arizona Bennedict Mathurin, Arizona Isaiah Mobley, USC Andrew Nembhard, Gonzaga Will Richardson, Oregon Drew Timme, Gonzaga Azuolas Tubelis, Arizona The full NABC Team is below: District 19 First Team Johnny Juzang - UCLA Bennedict Mathurin - Arizona Isaiah Mobley - USC Will Richardson - Oregon Azuolas Tubelis - Arizona Second Team Terrell Brown Jr. - Washington Tyger Campbell - UCLA Jaime Jaquez Jr. - UCLA Christian Koloko - Arizona Jabari Walker - Colorado Coach of the Year: Tommy Lloyd - Arizona

I really don't think it was, but I do think he was responding to "the talk" that fans heard from the prior coach. In a recent interview, a sportswriter asked him, "that since Oregon IS a big gig, and he had no head coaching experience....doesn't this put him at quite a disadvantage?" (In other words...could you be in-over-your-head?) At that moment he had the perfect opportunity to tell us all he was going to do, to tell us his lofty goals, to effectively feed us a ton of what we wanted to hear. He decided to NOT write checks on accounts that were yet known...and his answer was... "Just watch. Just watch us." He was telling everyone to forget the hype and look at the results, as our friend Jon Joseph would suggest. I LOVE this, as it conveys a confidence that is even more attractive than any hype he could have blown our direction.

Tomorrow I will have an article published about another aspect of the Georgia program that has both good and negative impacts....

I believe it was 1991, but we were down to 4th string in 2007, as we won the Sun Bowl with Justin Roper at QB, who later transferred to Montana. THAT was a heck-of-a-coaching-job by Chip...

His brother was defensive lineman Gary Baker for the Ducks back-in-the-day! Some good athleticism in that family, and always fun to read about "falling-in-love" with Oregon. 2024 Offensive Lineman Recruit Brandon Baker Breaks Down Visit to Oregon Ducks Football - Sports Illustrated Oregon Ducks News, Analysis and More WWW.SI.COM Baker grew up watching his older brother don the Oregon uniform, and he got his chance to this weekend

He has been incredibly gracious to a bunch of players who would not listen to him... Oregon goes to Utah State and gets a convincing win to extend their season 247SPORTS.COM The Oregon Ducks went to Utah State without two of its starters, fought off one of the toughest home court advantages they saw all year, battled through foul trouble,

I think this is good planning, as I would assume that by the end of fall camp...one of the two remaining sophomore QBs will probably enter the portal, and you MUST have three QBs at least going into a season? Your thoughts? Oregon Ducks add preferred walk-on QB to roster for 2022 season DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM The Ducks made a roster move on Tuesday, adding a PWO quarterback to the depth chart and filling out the QB room.

Canzano: Oregon Ducks Prized Commit Jackson Shelstad Doesn't Let the Madness Get to Him State's best basketball player is locked in at UO. Four-star high school star Jackson Shelstad is committed to the Oregon Ducks. Jackson Shelstad tells me he’ll be at Moda Center for Thursday’s opening round NCAA Tournament games. UCLA and Gonzaga will be there, too. Noticeably absent? The Oregon Ducks — the university the four-star West Linn High School point guard committed to last November. The junior guard told me this week he remains “100 percent committed” to playing for Dana Altman. “I thought they had good talent,” he said of UO’s season. “There’s some dudes that had injuries and weren’t on the court at the same time. They played hard. It was always like they played better against higher-ranked teams.” Shelstad, 16, is the most gifted high school basketball player in the state. His coach, Eric Viuhkola, told me that he believes Shelstad could have played football, baseball or lacrosse and earned all-state honors in any of them. “Jax is the best athlete I’ve ever coached,” Viuhkola said. “He’s got Allen Iverson athleticism. He is so quick, explosive, has unbelievable body balance and eye hand coordination.” Everyone wants to make a Payton Pritchard comparison. It’s a natural leap. They played for the same high school coach, wore the same No. 3 West Linn High jersey and have worked out together for years. But they’re very different point guards. “Sorry not going to do the comparison,” Viuhkola said. “They both absolutely hate it.” Payton Pritchard and Jackson Shelstad after West Linn won its fourth state title. Shelstad and Pritchard are gym rats who share a work ethic and a zip code growing up. Let’s leave it at that. The high school basketball season ended last Friday, for example. Shelstad showed up in the gymnasium at 6:30 a.m. Saturday morning for a workout. Then, he came back the next day, same time. Said Viuhkola: “He’s been coming into the high school gym four days a week at 6:30 a.m. since he was a fourth grader.” Portland drew a terrific pool of NCAA Tournament games. Gonzaga is the No. 1 overall seed in the bracket. UCLA is coming off a Final Four season. Saint Mary’s, Memphis and Boise State are all interesting and capable of advancing. But it’s Shelstad I thought about this week because I wonder how long it will be until we see him lead the Ducks on a deep tournament run. Dana Altman coached the Ducks in an NIT game on Tuesday night. A few days earlier after a Pac-12 Tournament loss in Las Vegas the UO coach said: “We've tried to set a standard at Oregon that we try to meet and I just felt like for the first time in a long time we didn't meet that standard." I left the conversation with Shelstad knowing he’s locked in at Oregon. I’m now eager to see how far a home-grown player might one day help carry the UO program. And I gained an appreciation for what highly-recruited high school basketball players endure. “It got pretty stressful,” he said. Jackson’s father, Darin, told me, “It was overwhelming. There were times there would be 10-plus calls a day. Texts, calls, a lot of Zoom calls. I was overwhelmed. If Jackson was working out and didn’t immediately reply to a text the coach might call me and ask, ‘Is everything ok with Jackson?’ “I’d tell him, ‘Yeah, he’s working out.’ It’s tough. You start building relationships with these coaches and schools. They’re really good at (recruiting). It was wild for a long time.” The younger Shelstad had UCLA and Gonzaga among his finalists. “Jackson was really intrigued by UCLA,” his father said. “We thought it was UCLA for a while. I really think it was a relationship with coach Altman and wanting to be the hometown guy. The whole, ‘This is the place for you’ pitch. That ultimately ended up winning.” Jackson Shelstad had a terrific junior season. He carried his team to the state 6A semifinals despite every opponent game-planning to stop him. “Everybody wants to come out and lock me down,” he said. Thursday, he’ll get to watch some great college basketball up close. After that, there are plans for a family spring break trip to Palm Springs. Then, it will be offseason workouts and Shelstad will play in a handful of tournaments as part of the Nike Elite Youth Basketball League. Pritchard will be home from the NBA season in the summer and the plan is for the two to work out together every day. Said Jackson: “He’s shown me what it takes to get to the next level.”