Basketball Recruiting
Transfers
A little less than a week ago, head coach Dana Altman worked his transfer magic yet again with the addition of former Villanova point guard, Dylan Ennis (Transfer/Brampton, Ontario).
“The visit went really great,” said Ennis. “It was great to see the campus and the program.”
While certainly heralded, Ennis may provide the greatest asset a young Oregon team needs – leadership.
“I think I hit it off the best with Elgin [Cook] and Dwayne [Benjamin]. They want to win, bad, just like I do and I think we could all relate. They were telling me how the team is going to be very good next season and how I could come in and help with the leadership of this team. I know Dillon Brooks really well and we hung out, but I’d say I was around those [other] two guys the most and it played a factor.”
With this addition, the Ducks gained a top-tier point guard with the intangibles to move Lightning Yellow and Thunder Green into the the final breaths of March.
“Seeing how other guys have come into the program and have done well and adjusted, [it] was something I noticed. It is always good to know the system they run allows guys to come right in and help.”
Now, back to the gridiron, west coast prep Lamar Jackson (3-Star/Elk Grove, CA) is primed to become the latest steal from southern California.
“[Coach Don Pellum and I] had a nice chat earlier this morning,” said Jackson.
The two-way star finally received a Ducks offer after months of recruitment from Eugene.
“Oregon is definitely near the top [now that an offer has been extended]. They have one of the best programs in the country.”
At 6-foot-3, 207 lbs., Jackson is the type of player who may not enter his first college practice with a set position, but as a jack-of-all-trades who plays just about anywhere. Seeing time at quarterback and opposing wide receivers as a cornerback, Jackson will most likely find his niche somewhere in the secondary where a “hit first, ask questions later” mentality makes him an ideal candidate at the rover position.
“I like tempo, the fast speed,” he said. “I like a lot of the stuff that [Oregon does]. They’re pretty dynamic.”
Expect an official visit from Jackson sometime during the 2015 home campaign, stay tuned!
Top photo by Craig Strobeck
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Mark Flores, a Salem, OR resident, is a Firefighter/Paramedic and an avid Oregon Ducks fan. Prior to the fire service, Flores, a graduate of nearby Corban University, spent over seven years in professional journalism including a stint at the Statesman Journal in Salem and held the position of Sports Editor for the Hilltop News (Corban). A career transition however never dampened his love of writing and FishDuck is now his source to share his love of Mighty Oregon. Flores brings detailed knowledge of Oregon recruiting to the FishDuck team and welcomes your feedback.