EastBayDuckDad

With TFerg out out for the rest of the spring, I'm sure there is a DL portal wish list for another TE. I wonder if they are considering having Matayo U as a backup plan, àla DJJ a couple years back. Matayo was a monster at TE for Bosco and if he is not going to be utilized much on the edge as a true freshman, the offense could sure use him.

Rogers and Prince were off to the WNBA, then not, and now not coming back to the Ducks. Pao Pao is in the portal. Along with the extensive losses of several 5 star players last year, there may indeed be a major issue with the program. It's of interest that Prince is following a former Duck assistant back home to Texas and TCU. Has the appeal of Oregon been more with the staff than the coach at the top? Maybe we were all spoiled by the Sabrina era, but it sure seems like things have slipped from those heady times. Let's hope that the promising young players stay, and with the new recruits and a quality portal entry or two, Oregon will have a NCAA tournament level team next year. I'm not taking off my glass-half-full hat yet, but if one or two of those players bolt I'll need to reconsider.

Oregon basketball involved with three of the Top 10 Transfer Portal Prospects 247SPORTS.COM The Oregon Ducks are recruiting three of the top 10 best players in the transfer portal this... I'll bet I'm not the only one who would be interested in seeing and hearing "Bamba inside to Bittle to Battle at the corner.....three!"

Not much surprise here as I always had the impression that Ware came in thinking he'd be one-and-done. That turned out to be true, just not the way anyone wanted. He seemed to lack the court smarts and work ethic to go along with his size and talent. Once Altman called him out mid season for effort, the handwriting seemed to be on the wall. He'll have a lot of interest in the portal and perhaps some other coach will be able to develop him. For Oregon the development came too little and too late. It would be nice if he left the PAC altogether but he could land with a rebuilding team as a kind of worse case scenario. Other than that, Ware leaving just isn't that big of a negative Personally I like Bittle's upside a lot more. Altman can build around him at the post. Maybe Dante will return and develop a nice 10-12 ft jumper that gets him into the 2024 NBA first round draft. There will be some quaity big men in the portal willing to come to Eugene and put in the work. As this year's NCAA tournament shows, experience and a sense of team still matters in MBB. It sounds like DA wants to get back to that style of Oregon basketball.

Altman is a throwback to an earlier era. Coach young men up for at least 2 or 3 years. Push for accountability and personal work ethic. Demand that the student-athletes (yes, I said that) expect more out of themselves and put in the extra work to excel. And have one or two true leaders to hold their teammates to task. He named them: Pritchard, Brooks and Ennis. This new era of NIL, social media, transfer portal, one-and-done and 5-star egos is not Coach's forte. Grinders that have talent that can be developed is. It's possible he'll join the list of old timer coaches that end their careers, like K, Boeheim etc. I understand why he was frustrated. He tiptoed around it but laid some of it back on the team. He may lose someone to the transfer portal or an ill-advised early NBA exit. Hopefully it will sink in and both he and the 'dog' core of the team will return in 2023-24.

I agree with Charles and Darren's take on the NIT observations and with the role that NIL could have to keep Ware another year to help him develop into a legit first rounder. One of the Duck podcasts noted that keeping two of the three big men in Ware, Bittle and Dante would be a major plus for 2023-24. Bittle at the 5 and Ware at the 4 hasn't been used much in this post-season, but could be a 7ft tall inside-outside juggernaut if Altman coached it from the start of next season. Guard play and outside shooting is the big 'what if'. Soares seems to be hitting his stride as perhaps a small forward instead of a guard. Maybe Cousinard at the 1 or 2 with one of the newcomers at the other guard. Shelstad may only be a shade over 6ft on a low gravity day at altitude, but he could slide into the 1 spot on day one, like his mentor PP. I love Luk Wur's defense and attitude, but watching him launch a three is a "Nooooo!" moment that turns into a "Yeah!" only 2/10 times. The fact that he even attempts the shot means the cupboard for shooters is bare. Too many Duck three pointers had that same level.of apprehension this year. That dead eye SG or SF (think Duarte or Dorsey) was lacking this season and isn't on the current roster. Guys like Guerrier and Soares could get hot but weren't consistent and Richardson was simply asked to do too much trying to be a PG and SG at the same time. Altman just added Jadrian Tracey, 6'6" JUCO transfer from Florida who averaged 14.4 ppg and shoots +40% from beyond the arc. He could be a plug and play at the 2 position and fill an immediate need. More shooting help and a good PG could make next season something special.

This NIT run may be a bit of a blessing in disguise. With three starters out, an NCAA bid would likely have been brief. Role players and limited minutes starters like Guerrier, Ware, Barthelemy, Soares and Bittle are getting major roles and elevating their games. Legs are fresher and there seems to be a lot of energy and motivation. Inside-outside ball movement is as good as it's been all year. Defense has been aggressive and tenacious. Bittle is growing by leaps and bounds (sorry for the pun), Ware finally seems engaged and Soares has discovered a bit of his inner Chris Duarte. Not his game by a long shot (mea culpa, another pun), but Wur has even hit a couple of timely treys. Getting Cousinard and Dante back would help at the point and rotationally inside against Wisconsin and beyond. The added depth would be an advantage for sure. Even if they don't return, the development and opportunity for the other guys has been worth taking the NIT bid. Lots to like with who Altman has coming in next fall.

Funny that Chip left Oregon and the opportunity to take MM and the Ducks to the NC game to take the job with the Eagles. I remember at the time some comment that if the Eagles could draft high enough that they would have taken Marcus. Woulda, coulda, but almost ten years later it comes about... This is a great landing spot for MM. The offense is already geared to a QB that can run and he will add much to the locker room and team culture.

Reading a bit about the background of the legislator that introduced it reveals they are the parent of a walk on UO football player. The abusive behavior it is meant to curb includes boorish comments hurled at players and coaches of the home team. So maybe the heart is in the right place even if the execution is badly flawed. As a general rule: One thousand 18-21 year olds + Sunny September Saturday + five Jagerbombs apiece = Stupid behavior If by some wild stretch of misguided legislative fancy this bill moves forward and passes (hey, it's Oregon, it could happen), it almost certainly would not withstand judicial scrutiny. 1st amendment, free speech and all (then again, Oregon, so who knows). Punishing the head coach for crowd misbehavior does have one amusing recent historical context. Could Mario have been suspended for a game, along with his offense, when the crowd booed him so vociferously?

Wasn't Crow the same guy that staunchly supported Larry Scott to the bitter end? Take anything out of his mouth with a grain of salt

"My dog ate my paperwork. It just happened to be my mom that smeared peanut butter on it and fed it to him."

I think Graves can coach. Just look at the Gonzaga teams he had before coming to Oregon. He does seem to be more hands off during the games and has his assistants do more. The best Graves coached teams have had a strong leader-floor general. None was better than Sabrina. For any program. There is a reason so many NBA greats thought she was special. She could run the floor, elevate all the players around her and wouldn't let anyone give up or let down. TPP has never quite brought her game to that level. Rogers has had flashes of it, but the supporting cast hasn't elevated consistently as shooting woes have plagued the Ducks two years running. Leadership by committee seems to be an issue for Graves coached teams. The good players that have left the program may indicate some internal issues, but Graves continues to brings in great classes. While we'll never see another Sabrina, I believe there will be great teams in the future.

MM as a #2 could be a stabilizing factor for a younger more talented QB. I don't see a team building an offense around him as the #1, but I would like to see him stay in the league a few more years as a backup I know he has been playing hurt the last few years, but NFL secondaries have exposed his relative lack of arm strength and he has had the snot beat out of him when he used his legs too much. Silly idea, and the offense that Moore will put in place for JH is not one that fits Mariota's skill set, but I would love to see the two on the same sideline in LA. Otherwise a team like SF or KC would be a good landing spot. Regardless, Duck fans will never forget what Marcus meant to OBD, the blur offense, the Heisman and the incredible run of victories he engineered. He helped build the Oregon brand that has resulted in the success we have enjoyed in the past and should enjoy in the future.

Oregon a different team when TPP has her groove on and makes 3s. Better late than never.

Oregon Football: Traeshon Holden reinstated at after charges dropped DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Wide receiver Traeshon Holden has been reinstated at Oregon after all charges were dropped... Now confirmed by multiple sources. Lanning has essentially said that new information dictated the reversal. “Following the release of new information from the Lane County District Attorney’s office, student-athlete Traeshon Holden has been reinstated to the Oregon football team,” Dan Lanning said in a statement. “We will always take allegations of this nature very seriously. However, when new information is provided by authorities, such as in this instance, disciplinary action will be reevaluated and adjusted, when appropriate.”

Any Apple+ deal is likely DOA. Unless you can get Ted Lasso as a color guy for games. Or maybe be guest coach for one of the teams every Saturday. Yeah, yeah, that's the ticket!

I guess the lesson here is that you can let Taggart fiddle around under the hood of the Ferrari, but don't let him have the keys.

That would be a very awkward presser by DL. If there is overwhelming proof that Holden was not at fault in the encounter and the firearm component was lawful (tough to imagine), then maybe, just maybe, there is an avenue to reinstatement.

The gun issue is likely the deciding factor. Even if all charges, including menacing are dropped, and the legality of possessing a registered firearm not in question, it is a toxic atmosphere for the team. DL's response the morning it all happened was swift, uncertain and appeared to be final. There is obviously more here than has been aired in the media. I don't see a viable way back to the team for Holden that doesn't involve bad optics for Lanning and Oregon.

Well, that's one way to trim a scholarship. Damn shame though. Young man had a chance at a freeh start and threw it away before he even unpacked his bags. I can't find evidence of this but I wonder if there was an inkling of this at Alabama and DL gave him a shot at Oregon based on 'one strike, you're gone'. Kiko being given a second chance after a stupid alcohol episode was somewhat understandable, as was Blount's punch. Both young men, with help, were able to salvage their collegiate careers and play in the NFL. No wiggle room with a gun felony, drunk or not. Lanning made the swift and final decision.

I'll take an optimistic view here. The hiring of Terry was not just dribble-leaked out. It was blast announced by Oregon with incredible praise from former Ducks, mostly on NFL rosters, that were coached by him on a day to day basis: Sewell, Hanson, Lemeiux, Throck, Big Sala and Forsythe. Technique and hard work were the recurring themes along with player development and relationships. Lanning wanted to hire him as an OL assistant last year before the Vikings offered him a DL assistant job. Perhaps Lanning saw him as heir apparent to Klemm a year ago, anticipating that Klemm would be a short timer. One can lament that there is little loyalty in the coaching ranks to any one program. Here is an example of someone with some Oregon roots that decided to come back 'home' to coach. Say what you might about Cristobal, he knew how to coach O-line, and Terry was a part of that success. In Lanning we trust.

On the surface it looks like coaches have used Oregon as a stepping stone. I argue that Oregon isn't unique in this. As folks have noted in OBDF before, results speak to the success, or lack thereof, of coaches at their next destination. Kelly to Philly (fired) to SF (fired) to UCLA Helfrich (fired) to Chicago OC (fired) to broadcast booth Taggart to FSU (fired) to Fla Atl (fired) to Colorado QB/OC Cristobal to Miami (4-8, fate TBD) Even the college football bluebloods like Michigan, Texas, TA&M, LSU, and (I hate to admit this) U$C have been coaching destinations with spotty success. Alabama, Georgia, tOSU and Clemson seem to be the exceptions, but even tOSU had Meyer go on to create one of the NFL's biggest dumpster fires at Jax. Position coaches and coordinators will use any program as a stepping stone and that is true across the board, particularly at Alabama and Georgia. It isn't a matter of loyalty, just upward mobility. Oregon under Brooks and Bellotti was a long term coaching family that was unique then and would be an absolute unicorn now. We will never see that again. It's possible that DL does well at Oregon and is gone by 2026. It's also just as possible that he stays put and builds a west coast juggernaut ala Kirby Smart/Georgia or Saban/Alabama with repeated playoff runs. Oregon then becomes a similar program that populates HC vacancies nationally because of quality and success. Either way, coaches will come and go. DL needs to find a good replacement for Klemm. I'll stay optimistic and continue to buy stock in that process.

Top 5 in order, including the transfers: 1. Burch 2. Cornelius 3. Dickey 4. Pleasant 5. T. Johnson

Pleasant is a tremendous athlete. Looks like another Ifo, Ugo or Demo but with better wheels. The DB room is now stacked for Coach Meat. And U$C gets stiffed again by the Ducks. Bonus!

James Crepea tweeted that both Harbor and Pleasant will announce from 10-11am. Then DL holds a press conference at 11. Why would Lanning hold a presser at 11 if there were only bad news to talk about?