WiseKwacker

I desperately want to stay positive after this shaky 2-0 start to the season. Thus, I'll stick with, "Hope you're right, my friend."

Just listening to Jerry Allen since I don't have my Comcast alternative sorted out yet. Yikes! Where did Mike Bellotti stash that sledgehammer?

Well, Shelstad had a stronger rookie season with the Ducks, so there's that.

Just want to get something off my chest that's been bothering me for the past few months. As the NBA draft inches closer, I always check out the various mock drafts posted online. Seems every one has Adem Bona (UCLA) going in the middle of the 2nd round. Our beloved Dante, meanwhile, goes undrafted. Are you kidding me? Okay, I realize that Dante has a long injury history. And, I realize that he was--until recently--petitioning for an additional year of college eligibility. Even so, did these scouting savants watch the Ducks play these past few seasons? Dante made huge improvements in his footwork over the past two years. The Blazers may not be the best example right now, but I look at some of the guys they've had on their roster as back-up centers recently--Moses Brown, Ibou Badji, Duop Reath--and I can't help but think that Dante is easily better than any of them. I'm betting he lands on an NBA team roster next season, whether it's as a draftee or as a free agent.

Sorry. Former teacher here. Ticonderoga makes--in my humble opinion--the best pencils around. Several years, my team of teachers specified Ticonderoga pencils specifically on the school supply list for parents as we were sick of seeing kids bring in cheap pencils with leads that were not centered. You'd watch a kid sharpen and sharpen an inferior pencil down to nothing, trying to get a point without a portion of wood on the tip.

New rallying cry heard at Duck baseball games: "TICONDEROGA, baby!!"

Just letting you know, Darren. I got a call from Tinker Hatfield this morning. He ain't laughing.

Hat off to Dante and Couisnard. What an incredible run for the two seniors. Boy, was I wrong about Dante early this season. What I'd seen from him throughout his career to that point was a guy with a marvelous body who made many successful plays around the basket despite poor hands and bad footwork. Boy, did he prove me wrong. In retrospect, I'm guessing that he was just not fully in shape after having so many injuries throughout his first four years as a Duck. As I watched him outplay guys like UCLA's Bona and Arizona's Ballo, I wonder why Dante's not on anybody's NBA mock draft as a second round pick. On rebounding and defense alone, the guy's better than almost every backup big man on NBA rosters, IMO. What can you say about Couisnard? He had a lull in performance near the end of the regular season, but, once the PAC12 tournament started, he's really turned it on. Like Dante, I can't imagine that there's not a place for him on an NBA roster (see Jaime Jaquez). While his three-point shot is a bit inconsistent, his ability to take his man to the hoop and "bully" the ball into the hoop is truly remarkable. I think his game will translate well at the next level. Beyond those two, though, the moment seemed too big for the rest of the guys on the offensive end of the floor last night. Defensively, Tracy is a tenacious defender. I hope he returns next year. Shelstad has had an up-and-down season as a scorer, but he's a willing defender, a solid foul shooter, and provides excellent ball handling at the point. By way of comparison, I think his freshman season has easily been better that Pritchard's. He should be much improved next year. Hopefully, Evans will return next season. He needs to learn to play faster and add some muscle. He's got tremendous up side. Rigsby gives you decent minutes off the bench; nothing more. And, Oquendo will likely transfer out. He was constantly in Altman's "doghouse" for poor defensive play, and his offense was basically limited to explosive drives to the hoop with his right-hand dribble. For me, the key loss of the season was Barthelemy. During the first half of the season, he seemed a bit lost on the bench. At times, he even seemed to be sulking on the bench--presumably because he'd been supplanted by Shelstad as the lead point guard. Then, when Shelstad hit the "freshman wall" a bit during the middle of the season, Barthelemy came off the bench with a couple of really good games where he helped close out wins. At the end of the season, I think he would have made a tremendous difference as a tested, capable sixth man. As to Bittle, Cook and Zarzuela, I don't think you can say the team missed their contributions since none of them played more than a few minutes all season. I really hope Cook decides to return next year as Bittle has indicated he will. This season has again demonstrated what has made Altman such a successful coach--particularly in the late season--over the years. He is a defensive coaching genius. His multiple defensive schemes are extremely effective, but it typically takes his players a good part of the season to work out how to play together within that system of near constant switches. When he gets a group that can also play together on the offensive end, it's golden. Can't wait for next year.

That was a helluva game. I've watched several SMU games on TV this season--two of them vs. Gonzaga. I felt, going into this game, that they were tournament darkhorses. While, I'd seen half of GCU's WAC tournament win over UT Arlington, I assumed they benefitted from playing against inferior competition. WRONG! This team is very impressive, making up for an overall lack of size in the front court with some incredible leapers--including one ex-Duck, Lok Wur. One thing that caused me to smile a bit during the game came after one of the analysts wondered aloud: "How did Lok Wur not get any playing time at Oregon?" This came after a made three-pointer and an impressive blocked shot at the other end of the floor. Then, as the Lopes were trying to close out the win, we saw Wur jack up an ill-advised three-point shot and then lose his man on an inbounds play, resulting in an open three-point basket. I thought to myself, "Yep, I remember that guy." I imagine he must've driven Altman nuts at times.

I've always found The Wave to be an irritant when I'm in attendance. It has nothing to do with the action of the game, and I guess that I end up feeling a bit manipulated into standing up, raising my arms and giving a random yell just to be part of the crowd. To what end? My favorite Wave moment came years ago when The Wave was at its most popular point. I was watching a game on TV when the crowd began The Wave. The game analyst began throwing out a couple of claimants (including U of W) as the originator of The Wave. Al Michaels, who was calling play-by-play for the game quipped, "To me, a more important question than when The Wave started is, when will it end?" No doubt, I spit out a mouthful of beer as I laughed at that one.

I'm totally with you on this up to the point where you wonder if Altman "has any idea how to make this all work." I believe he does, but that doesn't mean he's going to get this team there. For me, the "problem" is Dante. How, you may ask, is an all-PAC12 center a problem? Well, he's definitely a good player who has improved by leaps and bounds over his years as a Duck. Close to the hoop with the ball in his hands, he's developed an excellent touch coupled with very good footwork, making him almost unstoppable. In addition, he's a very good rebounder, something the Ducks were lacking when he was out. Defensively, he gives the Ducks somebody in the paint that limits opponents' willingness to take the ball inside on offense. He's a good--not great--defender. HOWEVER, Dante has bad hands. Somehow, he was only given three turnovers in the Arizona game. Seems to me, there were quite a few more balls bouncing off his hands than that. Maybe some of those turnovers were given to teammates attempting to pass to him with a bounce pass that he clearly couldn't handle. While Dante's shooting has improved greatly, he's still not a guy you want to see shooting jumpers from 10-15 feet out. Too many times, the offense ran the clock down to the last few seconds with Dante holding the ball beyond the foul line. Not his fault, but not good. I also think that I've seen enough of the Dante/Bittle combo. Their games don't complement one another, or, more specifically, Dante's presence in the post hampers Bittle's game. In my view, it's not a coincidence that Bittle began to blossom last season in the last few games when Dante was out. Frankly, I think Bittle's upside is greater than Dante's. I don't think we'll see that, though, until next season when Dante has moved on. In the meantime, I'd like to see Bittle playing with the second unit, and see Evans--who is really coming into his own the past few games--moved into the starting lineup. Evans is more of a power forward than Bittle, who I'd like to see playing in the paint more often. Having said all that, I think the Ducks can figure this out with more practice time. They've got to figure out how to regain the ball movement they had when the two big men were out. And, losing Barthelemy will hurt. Five or six games ago, he was hardly playing and looked like he was sulking a bit on the bench. Then, as Shelstad hit the freshman wall, Barthelemy really found a groove with increased playing time. For the first time in his Duck career, he began resembling the player we saw in a Colorado uniform. Now, it's on Shelstad to figure it out and adjust to the adjustments his opponents have made to his game. This week will tell us a lot. While both USC and UCLA boast talented teams, neither has played particularly well this season. Both games are winnable for the Ducks.

Really pullin' for Ty to realize his potential. Seems like this could be a great fit for him.

Since seeing him play in the Les Schwab Invitational last season--where he absolutely out-played Bronny James--I've been singing the praises of Jackson Shelstad. The asset I most frequently note about his talent is his exceptional quickness. (And, many BB fans of my vintage well remember John Wooden preaching that in basketball players, quickness is far more important than speed.) Anyway, watching the game last night, where at least the 4th different broadcast team called a Ducks' game, I was struck by Don MacLean's description of what makes Shelstad take your breath away at times during a game: his "burst." Looking back at the best Duck basketball teams of the past, the ones that come to mind all had an exceptional point guard (Ridnour, A. Brooks, Pritchard, Brandon) running the show. Much as I liked and admired Will Richardson, his style of point guard play didn't routinely result in open shots for teammates. I think the culprit there was his lack of quickness or "burst." This year, despite the potentially crippling loss of two exceptional big men, the Ducks are playing winning basketball. Shelstad is a huge part of that. And, clearly, Altman realizes that as Shelstad rarely comes out of the game. Looking forward to what Mookie Cook will contribute down the road, too.

Yeah, I sure never wanted to play on a team coached by my dad back in the day. Of course, my dad knew nothing about football and never had any desire to be a coach. Come to think of it, I was severely lacking in football "skills," so it really didn't matter.

That game was pretty, pretty...BAD. Watching Ryan Day's face on the sideline when their QB fumbled in the waning seconds of the game was pretty funny, though. And, then, his mid-field post-game meeting with Drinkwitz was classic: a quick handshake, no discernable comments, and a quick turn with a genuinely scary scowl plastered on his face. Wouldn't want to be in the OSU locker room after that game.