DUCKED

It was probably a blessing that Mario coached Herbert down. The Chargers are a perfect fit for him.

I certainly hope money was involved. If so, that kid deserves every penny. He gave his heart and soul to the Ducks for 3+ years, and when Mario headed East and Riley headed West, his decision to move closer to home and play for an offensive minded coach rather than a defensive coach with no head coaching experience makes total sense. Travis Dye IS a Duck and always will be.

Since 2010 there have been 12 playoff games that went into overtime. The team that won the toss has prevailed in 10 out of those 12. That’s wrong. A coin toss should never decide the outcome of a football game.

Justius Lowe may be the surprise in this class. The kid is still a little raw, but he can really fly. And you know what they say: You can’t coach speed.”

Has there ever been a more dramatic fall? This was a team that last year made it to the elite 8, and was in a great position to capitalize on that success in 2022. But it’s clear that Tinkle was the only one to benefit, with a nice raise and an extension. To go 3-28 is almost unimaginable.

Are you sure about Number 6?

I think if Dante comes out, Bittle may stay. Otherwise, he’s gone. It’s a real plus when big men can stretch the court. Bittle can do that, he has 3 point range, but we never got a chance to see it this year. Unfortunate. I love Franck’s energy and enthusiasm, and he is a great teammate. But his skill level is lacking. Top National recruits, like Bittle, a McDonald’s All-American, want to play, and they won’t hang around if they don’t see the court.

I would assume their coach Brandon Staley is. He was defensive coordinator for the Rams before the Chargers hired him as their head coach.

If he plays even just reasonably well he adds a lot. I’m not sure what his recent disappearing act is all about. I sense, without any confirmation, that there is something more involved than an “illness.” The Ducks have no true point guard without him. Young pushes it too much and is often out of control, and Harmon’s sporadic shooting is a liability. Without Richardson there is no steadying hand on the floor. The Ducks miss that….a lot.

Totally agree. You have a chance to play and compete you go for it, money be damned. It’s not as if Oregon can’t cover any potential shortfall. And Altman is right. Oregon is NOT too good to play in the NIT. It’s where the Ducks belong.

As bad as that loss was, and as bad as that pass interference call was, I think we can all agree that the Ducks had no business letting Stanford hang around long enough to steal the win. That was the main issue. And the loss of Moorhead certainly didn’t help.

This Oregon team is probably the least talented in recent years. And when you combine that with inconsistent effort, and a propensity to turn the ball over at an alarming rate, an up and down season will assuredly follow. And Altman is right. They need to play harder. Their effort at home, in an important game against a bad Cal team, was flat out embarrassing.

If Oregon was capable of being blown out at home, against Cal, a loss to the Huskies in Seattle should not be that big of a shock.

I think Bittle is the Ducks’ big man of the future. He does some thinks that neither Dante or Franck can do…..and that is shoot the ball, even from distance, though we have rarely seen that part of his game. His instincts around the basket are impressive and he’s a quick jumper, too. I’m actually surprised he hasn’t played more, but Altman must have his reasons, and I trust his judgment. Now, if the Ducks could only find a point guard who could score - just a few points - they might be the 4th seed in the Pac-12 tourney and have earned a first round bye.

If Oregon is 1-2 after the BYU game, look for Thompson to get his shot. I’ve always felt the reason Nix chose Oregon was to pair up with Dillingham once again, and Oregon felt more comfortable sending Nix out against Georgia in the opener. But if Nix fails to impress, Thompson deserves the opportunity to show what he can do. That strategy worked out pretty well at Utah when Cam Rising took over for Charlie Brewer and led them to a Rose Bowl berth.

Pointer Sisters…..straight outta McClymonds in Oakland.

Growing up in Oakland the Ducks weren’t even on my radar, until my transistor radio late one night in 1957 picked up a Ducks basketball game. For some reason I became a Charlie Franklin fan, and kept track of him, more than the team itself. But the seeds were there. I went to Cal, arriving in the Fall of ‘64, and two memorable things happened my very first day on campus. Number one was seeing Mario Savio on the steps of Sproul Hall charging up a huge crowd…..it was the beginning of the Free Speech Movement that spread to liberal campuses, like Oregon, all over the country. The second thing was I met my roommate, Russ Critchfield, who was from Salinas, and a highly recruited basketball player who went on to be 3 year starter and an All-American for the Bears. One night in passing I casually mentioned the Ducks and he went off: “I hate the Ducks!” He went on to tell me that his brother, Ron, had played for Slats Gill at OSU in the late 50’s (no doubt playing against my favorite Duck Charlie Franklin), and that’s all it took to spur the hatred. Still one of my best friends to this day, he has reminded me more than once that his best game ever came at Mac Court when he went for 36 points his senior year. He also says Mac Court was the loudest place he’s ever played. So, how did I become a serious Duck fan? I moved to Oregon in 1971 to take the job as sports editor at the Ashland Daily Tidings, and occasionally I would cover Ducks basketball games, usually sitting on the floor under basket, snapping pictures. If you have read Bud Withers’ book Mad Hoops, you’ll see a photo I snapped on the cover. It’s a great read and if you are or were a fan of the Kamikaze Kids I highly recommend it. Fast forward…… I’ve lived in Oregon for 50 years and have become a diehard fan of the Ducks. Both of my daughters are Oregon grads and my two grand daughters were just admitted for the Fall of 2022. I’m still a fan of the Golden Bears but I live and die with Oregon. GO DUCKS!

Richardson is a solid player. But he is not a creator with the ball, he’s not quick, not a great ball handler, and he has a slow release on his jumper. His best move is taking it inside in hopes of laying it in or drawing a foul. Having said all that, I like him as a player and appreciate the four years he has given to this program. But I also think it was a mistake to put the ball in his hands with 7 seconds to go. Something needs to happen very quickly in that situation and that’s not Richardson’s game. Bad call on Altman’s part.

And get to the rim for what? Two points? The Ducks needed three!

He wasn’t. Was he not aware of the score? The Ducks needed a three to tie the game. It looked like he was going to launch from behind the arc, then decided to drive. Bad choice. AZ could have allowed him to score uncontested and they still would have won. Ducks needed three, NOT two. Not the play you would expect from a 4th year senior.

I would say only No. 2 applies……

Too many great points to mention. Thanks for posting.

Cota had given serious thought to entering the portal last summer. He was promised more targets by Chip, and that didn’t happen. He wasn’t going to come back. He’s a great kid and will be an asset for Oregon, whether or not he plays a lot. Nothing but a plus for him joining the Ducks. I think Dave Marsh made an excellent point regarding Chase’s decision to go to UCLA. And though it did not turn out the way Chase expected, I doubt it would have been better had he chosen the Ducks and became stuck in their plodding unimaginative offense.

If you’re comparing Mathew Stafford to Bo Nix, I think not. Nix is a serviceable passer at best.

Cota wasn’t targeted much at UCLA because Kyle Phillips was the main guy, deservedly so. But one thing you rarely saw Cota do, when he was fortunate to have a pass come his way, was drop it.