— Oregon men basketball won its 41st consecutive home game Thursday night — defeating Utah 79-61. Dillon Brooks led the onslaught with a game-high 20 points, including a massive dunk in the second half that was featured on SportsCenter’s Top-10 plays, checking in at No. 2. Jordan Bell and Chris Boucher combined for eight blocks while Bell added 17 points.

— The Oregon acrobatics and tumbling team started its 2017 season with a bang, defeating Hawaii Pacific University 284.98-273.18 on Wednesday evening. The Ducks were leading by a tenth of a point before breaking open the match in the six-part tumbling event that followed.

— Marcus Chambers, driven by last year’s disappointing season, is off to a great start during the indoor portion of the Ducks’ track and field season. Chambers is currently No. 11 in the nation in the 200-meter dash and 20th in the 400-meter run. Hannah Bonnie digs deep into what happened last year with Chambers and what he’s doing to improve upon.

— Pharaoh Brown, Oregon’s former tight end, is the lone Duck invited to this year’s NFL Combine. Brown suffered a devastating knee injury three years ago and after taking a entire season off to recover, Brown returned to the field last year with a solid season. The combine begins on Feb, 28 and goes until March 6 in Indianapolis, Indiana.

— Even after securing the win on Thursday night, Oregon head coach Dana Altman was not pleased with his team’s performance. The Ducks, one of the best teams in the Pac-12, were outrebounded by Utah 38-31 en-route to giving up 19 second-chance opportunities. Although Oregon got the win, Altman was quick to note that the Ducks still have a long way to go if they they want to accomplish their season-ending goal.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The post Quick Hits: Basketball runs home-winning streak to 41 games, Pharaoh Brown lone Duck invited to NFL combine appeared first on Emerald Media.

Back on Jan. 26 when No. 7 Oregon traveled to Salt Lake City to face Utah, the Ducks needed late free throws to put away the Utes and secure the win.

When the two teams met again Thursday night in Eugene, it was an entirely different story.

Led by Dillon Brooks’ 20 points, Oregon started hot and never took its foot off the gas pedal en route to an easy 79-61 victory. With the win, the Ducks improved to 23-4 overall and 12-2 in conference play, one game behind No. 6 Arizona.

“Defense again got us out and into transition,” guard Payton Pritchard said. “Our team is a great defensive team and when we pick it up in the beginning it gets everything else going.”

Head coach Dana Altman was pleased with his team after the win.

“I thought defensively our activity was pretty good for the most part,” Altman said. “We did hold them to 38 percent. … All-in-all it was a good win.”

Tyler Dorsey, who had 16 points, got the scoring started when he hit a 3-pointer to continue his hot-shooting of late. From there, a balanced attack helped Oregon surge as three other Ducks scored within the first 3:15 of the game for an 11-6 lead.

The Ducks continued to pile it on as Dorsey scored Oregon’s next seven points for the 18-8 lead, a lead it would never relinquish.

“He (Dorsey) got most of those (points) in the flow as guys were looking for him,” Altman said. “He started off 4-for-4 and had a hot hand.”

Oregon went on to shoot 58.1 percent from the field and 40 percent from beyond the arc in the first half for a 41-25 lead at the half.

“We had some inside-outside movement, hit some 3s and had some pretty good looks,” Altman said. “But again, our defense got some things going a little bit there with our activity and some blocked shots. It was a pretty good half for us.”

The second half was a big-play clinic for the Ducks as Brooks, Jordan Bell and Chris Boucher all provided season highlights.

Bell and Boucher, Oregon’s twin towers down low, had back-to-back blocks that prevented Utah layups. Bell finished the game with five blocks while Boucher had three.

“Me and Chris weren’t blocking shots at first so we really just tried to pick up the defense in the second half,” Bell said.

Brooks added to his poster collection when he threw down a hard dunk over Utah’s 6-foot-10 center David Collette. Bell thought Brooks’ jam against UCLA still stands as the best of the year.

“If (some of) my dunks would have counted then it might be different,” Brooks joked.

Bell added 17 points and seven rebounds while Pritchard finished with nine points, seven assists and six rebounds.

“It’s difficult for teams to play us because they don’t know who to (focus on),” Pritchard said. “You don’t know who’s going to go off each game so they can’t really game plan against one player — just make things easier.”

Oregon seeks revenge on Saturday when the Ducks host Colorado at 12 p.m. at Matthew Knight Arena.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The post Oregon trounces Utah, 79-61, for 41st consecutive home win appeared first on Emerald Media.

Oregon softball’s program is in the midst of a remarkable run. The Ducks have reeled off four consecutive Pac-12 titles while advancing to the Women’s College World Series in two of those seasons.

Coincidentally, Oregon’s championship run began when pitcher Cheridan Hawkins stepped onto campus. Hawkins, a three-time Pac-12 pitcher of the year and two-time all-American, graduated last spring. Now Oregon must make up for Hawkins’ dominant stats, which were 24 wins and 174 innings last year.

The fight to replace Hawkins’ innings comes down to a two-person battle: freshmen Miranda Elish and Maggie Balint.

Miranda Elish (GoDucks.com)

Maggie Balint (GoDucks.com)

“The both of them [Elish and Balint] are two of the most competitive pitchers I’ve been around,” Oregon head coach Mike White said. “And they’re really going to push each other more than we could push them.”

Elish enrolled at Oregon as the more-touted high school player. She’s the consensus No. 1 recruit in the nation — from Crown Point, Indiana — and went 15-2 as a senior in high school with a 0.41 ERA. She’s a dominant type of pitcher who likes to throw the ball with a lot of north-south movement.

“Miranda throws very hard and we’ve really worked on her rise ball, getting true spin on it because at that level [high school], she used to just throw it by people,” White said. “She’s really excited and I think she just can’t wait to get out there.”

Battling Elish for the innings is Balint, the No. 4 recruit in the nation. From West Grove, Pennsylvania, Balint is a three-time state player of the year — same as Elish. As a senior, she went 24-4 with a 0.52 ERA but didn’t really land on softball recruiting radar until later in her high school career.

Balint differs from Elish in the fact that she’s more of a east-west type of pitcher, relying on craftiness rather than speed to record outs.

“Maggie has been a good surprise,” White said. “She has the screwball-curveball combination going on, so it’ll be very interesting to see how she does.”

Elish and Balint both saw their first action in Oregon uniforms when the Ducks competed in the Kajikawa Classic last weekend in Arizona.

Balint was the star of the weekend, going 4-0 with a team-leading 19.2 innings pitched. Although she gave up a total of six runs, only one of them was earned. She also struck out 33 of the 79 batters she faced and finished with a 0.36 ERA.

Elish struggled out of the gate. Although she went 1-0, she allowed six runs in nine innings. Even with the mixed results, White expects Elish to play a big role as the season progresses.

With sophomore Megan Kleist also expected to pick up more than her 127.2 innings thrown last year, it would seem the Ducks are going with a three-headed monster to help replace the departed Hawkins.

“I think we all complement each other really well,” Elish said. “We’re similar pitchers but we’re all different.”

White said each pitcher brings something unique.

“They’re very competitive,” White said. “The three M’s we call them; Maggie, Miranda and Megan. Each one brings something a little different to the table that will make it difficult for our opponents.”

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The post Who will replace All-American Cheridan Hawkins in the pitcher’s circle? appeared first on Emerald Media.

The No. 9 Oregon softball team began its 2017 season with back-to-back victories in the Kajikawa Classic in Tempe, Arizona.

The Ducks got their bats going in the season opener as three players had at least two RBIs in Oregon’s win over Virginia. The Ducks then beat Creighton 8-0 in six innings as sophomore Megan Kleist dominated in the pitcher’s circle.

Game 1: Oregon 11 — Virginia 6

It didn’t take long for Oregon’s prolific offense to get going; South Carolina transfer Alexis Mack started the game off with a double. She came around to score when Nikki Udria doubled, giving the Ducks a 2-0 lead. Mia Camuso singled home Udria before coming around to score on a single by Miranda Elish for the 4-0 lead.

The Ducks added to their lead when they scored four more runs in the top of the second inning. Sammie Puentes started the rally with a single before Camuso and Elish added run-scoring singles later in the frame.

After another Oregon run in the third, Virginia rallied with three runs. The Virginia runs were all unearned as the Ducks committed three errors in the frame.

Virginia added another unearned run in the sixth inning before the Ducks’ bats came alive again in the seventh. Oregon scored two runs in the frame for the 11-4 lead before the Cavaliers scored two runs in the seventh.

Udria went 3-for-5 with four RBIs and two runs scored. Camuso had two hits and two RBIs while Elish added two hits and three RBIs.

Game 2: Oregon 8 — Creighton 0

This game was dominated by Kleist. She started the game in the pitcher’s circle and threw five total innings. She gave up one hit, one walk and struck out eight batters. Maggie Balint threw the final inning of the game to secure the victory.

The Ducks put up four runs in the second inning as Mack and Danica Mercado both had run-scoring singles. Puentes and Elish both scored unearned runs on error sin the inning.

Mercado hit Oregon’s first homer on the season in the third when she belted a two-out blast to score Udria.

Finally, the Ducks added their final two runs in the bottom of the sixth to end the game. Camuso hit a bases-loaded double to score Jenna Lilley and Darya Kaboli-Nejad for the 8-0 win.

Gwen Svekis, Mercado and Caruso each had two hits in the win.

Oregon returns to action on Friday when it plays San Jose State and Fresno State on the second day of the Kajikawa Classic.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The post Softball begins season with wins over Virginia and Creighton in Kajikawa Classic appeared first on Emerald Media.

After a few months of uncertainty with his coaching staff, Oregon head coach Willie Taggart has reportedly settled on his new quarterbacks coach and passing game coordinator.

Fox Sports’ Bruce Feldman reported that Oklahoma State running backs coach Marcus Arroyo will join Taggart’s staff.

http://okstate.com/

SOURCE: #OkState asst Marcus Arroyo is returning home to the West Coast to become #Oregon’s new passing game coordinator/QB coach.

— Bruce Feldman (@BruceFeldmanCFB) February 9, 2017

While the move has not been announced by the Oregon athletic department, Arroyo fills a void after former wide receivers coach Jimmie Dougherty left the program to take the same position at UCLA. Former co-offensive coordinator and tight ends coach David Reaves resigned after he was pulled over for DUII, among other offenses, on Jan. 22. Dougherty was a passenger in the car when Reaves was pulled over.

Arroyo has an impressive coaching pedigree.

Before serving as the running backs coach at Oklahoma State, Arroyo was quarterbacks coach for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Previously, he was the interim offensive coordinator and play caller for the Bucs. Prior to his stint in the NFL, Arroyo was offensive coordinator and outside receivers coach at Southern Mississippi.

Also, Arroyo has coached at Cal, Wyoming and his alma mater San Jose State — beginning his coaching career there in 2003 as an undergraduate assistant.

He’s worked with NFL players Keenan Allen (Los Angeles Chargers), CJ Anderson (Denver Broncos), Richard Rogers (Green Bay Packers) and Marvin Jones (Cincinnati Bengals).

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The post Report: Marcus Arroyo expected to be hired by Oregon as new QBs coach appeared first on Emerald Media.

After losing eight seniors to graduation last year, No. 9 Oregon has reloaded with the No. 1 recruiting class in the nation. The Ducks brought in the nation’s No. 1 recruit, as well as the top two pitchers in the country to help replace graduated all-American Cheridan Hawkins.

“We don’t want to take a year off — we don’t want it to feel like a rebuilding year,” head coach Mike White said. “We want to feel like we are just going to pick up where we left off last year — obviously the key to that is getting a very good pitching staff going so a lot of it is going to depend on how these other freshmen go.”

Pitcher Miranda Elish, a two-time Indiana Gatorade State Player of the Year and MaxPreps Player of the Year, is the consensus top recruit in the nation. Coming from Indiana to play for Oregon, Elish said it was her relationship with Coach White and his pitching prowess that made her come west for college.

“He’s (Coach White) known as one of the best pitchers in the world, so who better than to learn from?” Elish said. “The support system in Oregon is amazing — the fans follow you on Instagram and Twitter, always commenting on your stuff — I don’t think a lot of other schools have such diehard fans and it’s really fun to play for people who support you so much.”

Expecting to battle Elish for innings this year is Maggie Balint, the fourth ranked player in the nation and No. 2 pitcher. Balint is also a two-time Gatorade State Player of the Year, from Pennsylvania, and adds a different dynamic to the pitching staff compared to Elish and sophomore Megan Kleist.

“Maggie has been a good surprise — she really moves the ball well east-to-west,” White said. “The other (pitchers) move the ball up and down, but Maggie is the one that has the screwball-curveball thing going on.”

Another freshman who is expected to contribute right away is Mia Camuso, the No. 18 recruit in the nation. With returners Jenna Lilley (third base), all-American Nikki Udria (shortstop) and Lauren Lindvall (second baseman) likely starting in the infield, the only position left to fill was first base — a spot Camuso earned over the summer and fall.

“At first base, some people think I’m crazy putting a 5-foot-2 first baseman over there, but she’s (Camuso) awesome at just digging balls out of the dirt — and being a natural lefty should help us out as well,” White said.

All together the class consists of five players, including Shannon Rhodes and Haley Cruse. Both Rhodes and Cruse could see action in the outfield, as Oregon does not return a true starter out in the grass, according to White.

Last year, the Oregon softball team was tabbed as a favorite to advance to the Women’s College World Series because it was a veteran-laden team featuring eight seniors, six of whom started. The year didn’t finish as planned as the Ducks’ bats went silent in the Super Regionals, losing to Pac-12 rival UCLA 2-1 in the winner-take-all finale.

“For me it’s been like a rock under my pillow — there aren’t too many days where I don’t think about that,” White said when thinking about last year’s ending. “It was a tough pill to swallow.”

The Ducks, looking for their unprecedented fifth-consecutive Pac-12 championship, were picked to finish tied for third in the rigorous conference.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The post Oregon softball reloads with No. 1 recruiting class in the nation appeared first on Emerald Media.

Last year when the Oregon basketball team traveled down to Tucson, Arizona, to face the Wildcats, it knew it was facing a very tall order. Not only would a win help the Ducks in their chase for a Pac-12 Championship, a win would end Arizona’s nation-leading 49 straight home wins.

Led by Dillon Brooks’ 24 points, Oregon went into the McKale Center and broke that winning streak. The Ducks emerged victorious with an 83-75 win en route to winning the Pac-12 regular season and conference tournament championships.

Fast forward a year later and the Wildcats will be presented the opportunity to exact their revenge. When No. 5 Arizona (21-2, 10-0 Pac-12) visits Matthew Knight Arena on Saturday to face No. 13 Oregon (20-3, 9-1 Pac-12), it will be looking to break the Ducks’ 39-home game winning streak, currently the second longest in the nation.

“It’s a really important game,” Jordan Bell said after Thursday’s game. “I know they’re going to try and come out and end our home (win streak) like we did to them last year. We know it’s going to a tough game, just like against UCLA. The fans are going to be here, and there’s going to be a lot of energy and emotion.”

Likewise, Oregon’s last home loss came on Jan. 8, 2015‚ to none other than the Wildcats.

Widely considered the top two teams in the Pac-12, both teams will be vying for the top spot in the conference. Also, the matchup features potential NBA players Bell, Brooks, Chris Boucher, Allonzo Trier and Lauri Markannen.

“You know Markannen, he’s just a great player. He can shoot it, he can handle it at like 6-foot-10,” Brooks said. “He’s kind of like Chris (Boucher) so we are going to have to take the matchup to our hearts, take it personal and really try to lock him up like we did to (Cal’s) Ivan Rabb.”

It will also be a battle between two of the Pac-12’s top coaches: Oregon’s Dana Altman and Arizona’s Sean Miller.

When Oregon and Arizona take the court, it will be as if each team will be looking in the mirror. Oregon averages 78.6 points a game while Arizona puts up 76 points a game. The Ducks allow 63.7 points while the Wildcats surrender 62.7 points. Both teams shoot 47 percent from the field and average 37 rebounds a game.

Arizona has proven that it’s a team that can win in multiple ways. In 15 of the Wildcats’ victories, opposing teams have failed to score more than 63 points. Also, in their much-hyped showdown with UCLA, Arizona proved that it can win offensively when the Wildcats scored a season-high 96 points.

“We are going to have to play our ‘A’ game,” Altman said. “They’ve won 15 in a row so they’ll be ready to go. I think our guys will be ready but we’re going to have to play a whole lot better than what we are playing.”

Six different Wildcats average 9.8 points per game while Markannen is the leader at 16.4 points and 7.7 rebounds. Arizona’s key is Trier, who missed the first 19 games of the year due to an NCAA suspension. Trier is an explosive athlete with an improving jump shot to take over any game.

“Obviously he (Trier) makes a big difference,” Altman said. “He gives them a lot more depth and some experience as a perimeter player. He’s very talented so he definitely gives them another weapon and we’re going to have our work cut out for us.”

Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. on ESPN.

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The post Preview: Massive showdown between Oregon-Arizona could have huge postseason implications appeared first on Emerald Media.

Love him or hate him, when Oregon needs a big shot, Dillon Brooks is the man to demand the ball.

Ahead of Saturday’s much anticipated matchup with No. 5 Arizona, the Ducks had to find their way around the pesky Sun Devils from Arizona State. For much of the game, Arizona State stayed right with No. 13 Oregon, even taking a 60-59 lead with 3:40 to play.

That’s when Brooks, Oregon best-known and most-hated player, took over. Brooks sealed the victory for the Ducks when he scored their final 12 points, including two three-pointers and a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line.

Brooks knew he found his groove after one of his big shots.

“Right after I hit the little midrange off the glass, I knew it was a big shot and I wanted it to go in so I just raised over him (ASU defender) and got the shot off,” Brooks said. “But my teammates kept giving me confidence and coach told me to take whatever shot I liked. And you know, I guess I liked all the shots.”

Brooks finished with a team-high 27 points as Oregon improved its home winning streak to 39 games in the 71-70 victory. Overall he was 9-for-14 from the field and 3-for-5 from 3-point range but most importantly he refused to let the Ducks lose.

“I’ve been with him for three years now and I’ve seen him take over game just like this so I told him to keep being aggressive and cooking,” Jordan Bell said. “I knew No. 4 couldn’t guard him so I told him to keep cooking.”

While most people who cheer for Oregon basketball love Brooks and the emotion he plays with, he’s not extremely well-liked across the country. He’s had multiple incidents on the court that have given him a “Grayson Allen” type persona. The game’s FS1 broadcasters even compared him to Allen, a Duke player who some despise for his on-court antics.

@Prehmmr247 FS1 announcers just called Brooks “Grayson Allen of the PAC-12”. Big difference between flopping to get calls and tripping guys

— Kevin Derrickson (@KevinDerrickson) February 3, 2017

Brooks exchanged words with Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski after last year’s Sweet 16 game, which garned national attention. Earlier this year, he was ejected in the Ducks’ game against Washington State for kicking a Cougars player in the groin. He was assessed a Flagrant II foul but the Pac-12 decided not to suspend him.

Also this year, Brooks had the “flop of the year” when Oregon played Utah last week, once again drawing negative national attention to the Ducks.

Oregon’s Dillon Brooks may have set the record for the best worst flop ever

(Video via @robdauster)pic.twitter.com/c1k6hk6wmZ

— NOTSportsCenter (@NOTSportsCenter) January 27, 2017

Even with the external criticisms, Brooks has emerged as the man for Oregon in clutch time.

Last year, he ended Arizona’s 49-game home winning streak when he dropped 24 points on the Wildcats. Already this year, Brooks has hit the game-winner against then No. 2 UCLA to begin Pac-12 play and then scored 28 points against USC two days to later en route to being named NCAA Player of the Week.

And then there was Thursday night. Add it to Brooks’ growing highlight reel.

“He’s just not afraid to be in that situation,” Oregon head coach Dana Altman said. “He’s missed a few and he’s made a bunch. He likes being in the situation, which is a big part of it. … I thought he was really good tonight and he’s been pretty good for us.”

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The post Dillon Brooks emerges late to keep Oregon unbeaten at home with win over ASU appeared first on Emerald Media.

As Willie Taggart sat in front of multiple members of the media on Wednesday afternoon, he couldn’t help but smile. Taggart, Oregon’s new head coach, was addressing the media after putting together his first recruiting class for the Ducks.

“There are a lot of messages out there but more it’s about getting the swagger back at Oregon — getting it back to where it belongs,” Taggart said. “Everyone realized that not too long ago Oregon was playing in a national championship game. Everyone wanted to know what the possibilities are (of returning to the national championship) and it’s going to take a lot of work — take a commitment by everyone in the program to get back there.”

In order to make a splash on the 2017 recruiting trail, Taggart said he and his staff went with the honesty approach to make up for the limitations they faced.

Unlike many programs around the nation, Taggart and his staff were left with just under three months to put together a recruiting class that is expected to help Oregon return to national prominence. They also dealt with facing the fallout from two negative incidents involving the coaching staff in the past month.

“It (the national incidents) came up and we told them the truth — we got nothing to hide,” Taggart said. “The weight room issue, we felt that was bogus. It was told the wrong way and we explained to them exactly what happened. If you got the true story you understood but it’s sad it was reported the way it was.”

With national signing day coming to a close, Oregon has secured signed national letters of intent from 24 players, including a major win in Deommodore Lenoir, Rivals’ N0. 1-ranked athlete. Taggart has likely landed a top-25 class nationally.

Taggart made a point during the press conference that there was a need at every position. He and his staff went into the recruiting cycle looking to add players who would challenge the current players on the roster for playing time.

“For us, watching our football team, we felt like there was a need at every position,” Taggart said. “Like I told our football team, ‘we are going to go and recruit guys to come take your jobs,’ and it was going to be on (them) to keep their jobs.”

Another big win along the recruiting trail was the addition of offensive lineman Cody Shear, a local product from Sheldon High School in Eugene. Shear, a 3-star prospect, was committed to Arizona for a long time before receiving a full-ride offer from Taggart early this morning.

“I got a text from coach (Mario) Cristobal really early this morning. I talked to him the first time at 5:30,” Shear told the Oregonian “Basically, he said, ‘I’m in a meeting right now. I need to know what time you are signing.’ I told him I was supposed to sign with Arizona at 7 o’clock.

“I got a text that told me to call coach Willie Taggart before I signed, and he told me, ‘You’ve grown up down the street from Autzen. Who do you want to play for?’ I told him Oregon and they offered me a full ride.”

With the addition of Shear, Oregon has now signed two Eugene products over the previous two years, a theme he hopes to keep growing as time goes on.

“We are going to do our best to try and take care of Oregon first and not lose any kids in-state to anyone outside of here,” Taggart said. “We want to take care of Oregon — we are going to recruit the northwest.”

On the day, the Ducks signed 24 players from six different states. Ten players hail from the state of California, with seven from Florida and two from Oregon.

Follow Ryan Kostecka online @Ryan_Kostecka

The post Taggart aiming to bring the ‘swagger back at Oregon’ with 2017 recruiting class appeared first on Emerald Media.

When Oregon squared off against Cal on Thursday, it was widely considered that future NBA lottery pick Ivan Rabb would face tough competition.

To challenge the talented sophomore from Cal, Oregon head coach Dana Altman had Jordan Bell, Chris Boucher and Roman Sorkin to defend and attack Rabb.

The matchup drew interest from five NBA scouts, including a representative from the 2015 NBA champion Golden State Warriors.

What the scouts and fans attending the game got instead was an all-around dominate performance by Bell. Bell, Oregon’s dynamic and energetic junior, posted a career-high 26 points (11-12 shooting), grabbed six rebounds and recorded four blocks to lead the Ducks to a 86-63 victory, the team’s 15th consecutive win.

“He’s never been a scorer but we thought that part of his game would continue to develop and it is — there’s still a lot more,” Altman said. “We knew that he would grow into a much better offensive player because of his athleticism and he’s really worked at it.”

More impressive than his breakout offensive performance was his all-around defense. Not only did the 6-foot-9 Bell limit 6-foot-11 Rabb to four points and six rebounds on 2-10 shooting, he also switched out to guard Cal’s shifty point guard, Charlie Moore.

“It’s pretty impressive what he can do,” Oregon guard Casey Benson said. “It helps out so much when he can switch out onto a guard and defend them one-on-one with no help. He’s so versatile on that end of the court and it doesn’t go unnoticed.”

Bell is an interesting NBA prospect. While some NBA draft boards have him going in the second round, he wasn’t really considered a prospect until this year.

Going into his junior year, many knew Bell for his athleticism. He could defend but too often got in foul trouble trying to block every opponent that came into the lane. All summer, Bell worked on his offensive game and became more disciplined on the defensive side of the ball.

“Last year, it was really unfortunate because he had the foot [injury] so he didn’t get any work in the offseason,” Altman said. “He missed the first 10 games and had two surgeries so he didn’t get the chance to make that jump between his freshman and sophomore years. But this year, he was healthy and has put more time in.”

Bell made three consecutive plays late in the Cal game to help the Ducks before a national audience on ESPN2.

First, he set a hard screen for Tyler Dorsey and then rolled to the basket perfectly, collecting the pass and throwing down the dunk. When Cal came back on offense, Bell switched out onto a 3-point shooter and blocked his shot into the stands. After that, Bell stole the ball and went the length of the court, showing off a nifty euro-step for the layup.

“It’s definitely been a progression for him on the offensive end but we all knew he had that talent,” Benson said. “He’s patient with the ball, very crafty. … When he’s hitting jump shots and getting out in transition, he’s near impossible to guard.”

Follow Ryan Kostecka on Twitter @Ryan_Kostecka

The post In rout of Cal, Jordan Bell shows Oregon is deeper than expected appeared first on Emerald Media.