|
Beginning Monday, June 21st,
2004 CHN began unveiling 144 Team previews in 144 Days. CHN ranked the
nations top 144 teams, and is unveiling one per day leading up until the
opening day of the 2004-05 Season.
Bookmark the
144 Teams in 144 Days home page, and check back
each day to see which team is previewed next.
#37 Oregon Ducks
Pac 10
2003-04: 18-13, 9-9, 4th
2003-04 postseason: NIT
Semifinals
By
Joel Welser
 The question with the Ducks is how
long will the growing pains last. The team is extremely young and two
freshmen could be starting from day one. If they get things going by the
conference season, there is no reason Oregon couldn’t compete for the Pac 10
championship.
Who’s Out: This list might
be painful for Duck fans to read, but the “Who’s In” section will ease those
pains and create a lot of excitement for the future. Luke Jackson led the
team in points, rebounds, assists and steals. A world without a Luke will
seem weird for a while in Eugene. Andre Joseph put up some good numbers as
a senior averaging 12.6 points, 4.5 rebounds and 2.9 assists. James Davis
was the main long range threat last year, making 86 of 209 from behind the
arc. The 5-10 guard averaged 10.6 points and 2.1 assists. The only loss to
the frontcourt is Jay Anderson. The 6-9 center saw some quality minutes off
the bench averaging 2.6 points and 2.2 rebounds.
Who’s In: If there was one
replacement for Luke Jackson in this years’ class of freshmen, it’d be Malik
Hairston. He’s a passer, a rebounder and a shooter. Hairston doesn’t have
a shot like Jackson, at least not yet, but he’ll rack up some points. He’s
had a spot in the starting five since the day he signed with the Ducks.
Overshadowed by Hairston is a great group of newcomers. Bryce Taylor has a
shot at starting in the back along side point guard Aaron Brooks and
Hairston. Taylor is a great shooter and could be putting up James Davis’
type numbers sooner then later. Taylor has good size for a shooting guard
at 6-5 and 200 pounds. He prefers the perimeter but will drive the lane to
keep the defense on their toes. The backcourt gets some more help with
Chamberlain Oguchi. The 6-5 Houston product is an athletic wing who can
play inside and out. Oguchi should compete with returnees Brandon Lincoln
and Jordan Kent for minutes off the bench. The point guard situation gets
even better with sophomore transfer Kenny Love. The Casper College transfer
will back up Aaron Brooks at the point guard spot. The frontcourt is pretty
solid with Ian Crosswhite and Mitch Platt leading the way. Newcomer Maarty
Leunen will see some minutes backing up those two. The 6-9 power forwarded
averaged 21 points and 12 rebounds his senior year in high school. Redshirt
freshman Ray Schafer isn’t just a 7-foot body. The Alaskan is athletic and
can run the floor quite well for a man of his size. Schafer is still a raw
player, but has tons of potential. Both Leunen and Schafer will compete for
minutes off the bench with Adam Zahn and Matt Short.
Who to Watch: The Ducks
didn’t do too well when Aaron Brooks was out with a broken wrist. He was
just a freshman last year and still was a big part of a team that had three
senior guards with averages over ten points per game. In the 21 games
Brooks played, he averaged 7.0 points and 2.7 assists. Suddenly, Brooks
becomes the team leader and he’ll have to play that role well to hold this
team together. He’s deceptively quick and is great at getting to the basket
and finishing. More importantly for the Ducks though, he can find his
teammates and create space for other players. Head coach Ernie Kent even
picked up another point guard in Kenny Love to be able to keep Brooks
fresh. And you can never have too many point guards in college basketball.
Projected Conference Rank:
Getting 4th place last year wasn’t enough to get the Ducks to the
big dance. Getting 4th place this year will be. Aaron Brooks is
a great talent who can hold the young team together. By the time USC and
UCLA roll into town on New Year’s weekend, the Ducks will be ready to play.
Malik Hairston and Bryce Taylor are talented enough to learn on the job and
they will play a big role in getting Oregon back to the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Post-season
Tournament: NCAA
«
Team #38 ,
Team #36
»
Email Joel Welser:
jwelser_chn@ameritech.net
Chat About CHN's Top #144
Ranking:
http://pub14.ezboard.com/fcollegehoopsnetfrm8
Return to the
144 Teams in 144 Days home page
|
