To many, the Oregon men’s basketball team’s most valuable player is Joseph Young. He leads the team in scoring, plays a flashy brand of basketball with aggressive defense and can make a crowd erupt.
But another player who arguably contributes just as much and goes about his business just may be Oregon’s best. That man is Jason Calliste.
The fifth year transfer from Detroit plays like the veteran he is, limiting turnovers and only shooting when he has an open look. Though he has yet to start a game in an Oregon uniform, Calliste is third on the team in scoring with 12.5 points per game and averages 25.7 minutes per game — more than three Oregon starters.
Calliste is one of Oregon’s most consistent scorers having scored double-digit points in 14 of 21 contests, fewer than only Young, who’s done it 18 times, including each of the last six contests after dropping 18 in Oregon’s 78-66 win over USC Saturday night, the only Duck who’s done so.
“He’s consistent, knows how to play the game on and off the ball and he’s just a good player,” Young told reporters following Thursday’s night’s loss to UCLA, in reference to Calliste. “One of our best defenders.”
Saturday’s game against USC was a true testament to how valuable Calliste is to the Ducks. In 12 first half minutes, he shot 2-for-6 from the floor including 1-for-5 from three-point range and Oregon trailed by four.
In 15 second half minutes, Calliste scored a team-high 13 points on 4-of-6 shooting, connecting on two of four three-point attempts and hitting three of four free throws en route to a much-needed 78-66 win at home, Oregon’s first home victory in conference play.
The poor-shooting first half was uncharacteristic of Calliste, who’s been lights out from all areas of the floor. Entering Saturday’s game, he led the Pac-12 in three point accuracy (54 percent) and free throw percentage (88.8 percent) and was shooting 53.2 percent overall from the field, better than just two Oregon players, Richard Amardi and Elgin Cook, neither of whom typically shoot from outside the paint.
Calliste has especially come on as of late. As aforementioned he’s scored 11 or more points in each of the last six contests, leading the team in scoring twice. But according to Calliste, scoring is something he’s accustomed to.
“My whole college career I’ve been a scorer so it’s kind of what I’m used to. Just trying to be more aggressive and pick my spots,” he said.
Even so, Calliste’s shooting percentages are vastly better than they were in any of his three years at Detroit, which he quietly attributed to “hours of work.”
When asked about Calliste’s value, head coach Dana Altman gave a long-winded answer, emphasizing his value to the university and the program off the court. Altman compared him to previous fifth year transfers Jay-R Strowbridge, Olu Ashaolu, Devoe Joseph and Arsalan Kazemi, pouring out compliment after compliment regarding their appreciation for the university. Altman added that Calliste and fellow transfer Mike Moser “have been great to work with,” and are “great with our younger players.”
“Jason’s been really fun to work with,” Altman said. “He’s all about the team. It’s nice to have guys appreciate what’s being done for them. Jason Calliste is a fine young man. He’s done a great job … he has represented Oregon basketball really well.”
Follow Madison Guernsey on Twitter @guernseymd