DUCKED

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.

Any word on UCLA receiver Chase Cota? Oregon would be a nice place to close out his collegiate career. His dad played for the Ducks in the early 90’s, and his cousin Brady Breeze did very well his senior year when Cristobal finally put him at safety for the Pac-12 championship game, followed by the Rose Bowl where he was named defensive player of the game. Cota has been in the portal for a month??

Rules are rules. Once you make an exception, especially for someone like Stockton, the rules have no teeth and become problematic to enforce. Just because he is capable of writing a big check …. that should allow him to break rules that everyone else has to follow? I could care less if Stockton wears a mask. That is entirely his choice. But until he agrees to do so the university has made it clear that he is unwelcome to attend games at McCarthey Center.

You gotta love what Meylissa Lombardy is doing with this program. It was a tough start for her, with many of Ducks’ best players following White to Texas and others transferring as well. She has turned it around in a fairly short time, and the Ducks once again are one of the best teams in the Pac-12, perhaps the strongest conference in the country.

I could not disagree more. This hire is a homerun for USC, and exactly the type of hire their big pocket boosters wanted to see. You’ve got Rick Caruso, the multi-billionaire real estate developer and newly announced candidate for LA mayor, on the podium for the announcement. Money will soon be flooding in from USC’s well healed boosters, and the days of the Ducks stealing elite talent from SoCal will soon be much more difficult. Do we lose Travis Dye to USC without Riley taking the job? Probably not. Would Caleb Williams be there? Would any of the elite recruits who had committed to Oklahoma, but switched to USC, be there, except for Riley? Of course not. This is a power shift in the Pac-12, no question. And, seriously, would those of us on this board be taking shots at Riley if Oregon had hired him?

I think Tucson will be the toughest, by far. Wildcats and Mathurin are on top of their game right now.

If you were counting Cal it’s down to four wins. I’m seeing losses to both Arizona schools, hopefully a split at home against UCLA-USC, a win at home against Wazoo, and, hopefully a split with Wazoo and UDub on the road. So….best case, 3 wins. That would put them at 19-12…...and in the NIT. I hope I’m wrong.

Dismal performance for the Ducks. Richardson was a liability, especially in the first half. He ended up with 20 something points, but stats are misleading. Richardson’s sporadic play, which included bad shots, careless passes, and woeful free throw shooting, doomed the Ducks in the first half (when Cal took control after falling behind early) putting them in a deep hole with no shovel. Oregon was throwing up one brick after another from the arc, which prevented the Ducks from making a sustained run, until late when it was TOO late. And Oregon’s big men were a non-factor. Neither Nfale or Franck have any offensive game. Neither can shoot and both seem to have trouble holding onto the ball. We’ve got 5-star recruit in 7-foot Nate Bittle, a top ten player coming out of high school, who can shoot from 20 feet and in, riding the pine the entire game when the Ducks clearly needed a spark. Maybe he wouldn’t have done anything, but why not mix things up? I am a Cal guy, went to Cal, in fact grew up with the Bears and started selling programs at Memorial Stadium when I was 8 years old. But I’ve been an avid Oregon fan since I moving to Ashland decades ago. So when Cal plays Oregon, I root for the team that has the most to gain. In other words, I root for Oregon most of the time. I rooted for the Ducks today, and frankly was shocked, not only with their performance but with their effort. Cal played like a team that just wanted it more. I am a huge Altman fan. In my mind he’s the best coach in the Pac-12. I think the next game we’ll see a different team. He will not settle another fiasco like today’s.

More likely the second loss came in the playoff…..

It’s right up there with Student-Athlete…

“Win the Natty or nothing else counts.” Ridiculous, but that seems to be what’s occurring out there.

“I want to see the love.” There is something disturbing about that. He’ll see the love when does something on the field.

Well, there is a recent book called Mad Hoops, written by former Register-Guard columnist Bud Withers, all about the Harter years and the Kamikaze Kids. It is a great read.

Regarding Bru McCoy, I think it was more a case of Bru McCoy not living up to USC’s fantasy. Kid had some pretty serious off field issues.

Draft Day Great cast: Kevin Costner, Chadwick Boseman, Jennifer Garner, Ellen Burstyn, Frank Langella, Sam Elliott, Dennis Leary. Loved the manipulation, bluffing, horse trading, posturing…..and the ending we were all rooting for.

Great win after blowing a 6 point lead with 37 seconds to go. Altman’s teams always get better as the season progresses.

Another outstanding post by Jon Joseph, filled with interesting information and opinions, good opinions, that Jon has voiced many times before. Jon, you are a great resource for this site, and I always look forward to what you have to say. But how on earth are you going to lower your handicap if you spend so much time at your computer?