Junior running back Kenny Bassett has played every game for the Ducks so far, albeit in a limited role. He’s rushed for 24 yards on 14 attempts in Oregon’s five games. After Wednesday’s practice, Bassett talked about his season thus far, Oregon’s upcoming game against Washington and his tropical roots.

His performance this season:

“I’m not going to say I’ve been great. I feel like there’s always room for improvement. The way we practice, the way we do all that preparation, there’s always room to step it up. I can always get better.”

The upcoming Washington game:

“I’m looking forward to it. They’re a good team, we’re a good team, so it should be a great matchup.”

“Everybody says it’s a big rivalry. We treat every week like it’s the same, so we’re not practicing any harder this week than we did last week. We’re just trying to get better.”

The impact of De’Anthony Thomas’ injury:

“When somebody goes down, another person steps up. That’s just what we’ve been doing. When he (Thomas) comes back, he’ll be back, but right now everybody else is stepping up and filling that role.”

His Miami Heat fandom:

“I was a Heat fan before LeBron (James), let’s get that straight. I’m a Heat fan, I’m a Dolphins fan. I used to live down in Florida, so I’m not just a bandwagon fan.”

“I was born in the Bahamas, but I lived most of my life in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. Then I moved to LA for high school.”

Why he chose to come to Oregon:

“Football, man. (laughs). They’ve got a pretty good business school, too. I’m a finance major. If (football) doesn’t work out, I’ve set myself up to where I can do other things, too.”