Basketball teams play free throw defense? Yes! Although very subtly, quality teams such as the Ducks, execute a defensive scheme every time the opponent steps to the line. Free throw defense is important to the Oregon Men’s basketball team because they want to do two things: get out on the break and get buckets. But to initiate their fast break, particularly off …
Say what you will about the Oregon men’s basketball team, but one thing is for certain: they get buckets. Oregon currently ranks 11th in the nation in points per game with a whopping 83. So, how exactly do they do it? The Ducks run a mean transition offense that consistently gets men to the rim or open looks from the arc. A …
Calling J.J. Altobelli the best defensive player on the Ducks is like calling Ryon Healy the best offensive player. It’s a reach to argue otherwise. Even though Oregon is a fantastic overall defensive team with basically zero weak spots among the eight positions, Altobelli stands out the most. He’s a wizard with the glove, he’s got a strong, accurate arm, …
About a year ago, Cole Irvin had a decision to make: play for the Ducks or go to the minor leagues. The left-handed starting pitcher had already committed to Oregon, but when the MLB Draft rolled around in June, the Toronto Blue Jays decided to select him in the 29th round. We all know what happened next. Irvin rejected pro …
Watch any Major League Baseball game when a fearsome hitter like Miguel Cabrera is batting, and you’re bound to hear announcers talk about how much fear he instills in opposing pitchers. Watch a Ducks game when Ryon Healy is at bat, and you’ll hear announcers say the same things. I can’t read pitchers’ minds, but it would honestly be a …
Ducks’ closer Jimmie Sherfy got the nickname “Wild Thing” because of his long blond hair, his animated demeanor, his follow-throughs on pitches … heck, maybe he howls at full moons. I don’t know the guy. But I think one of the biggest reasons he shares Ricky Vaughn’s nickname from Major League is because his pitches last year were often as unpredictable as …
Brett Thomas is a fantastic lead-off hitter. This might seem hard to believe, given that his batting average is a good but not great .291, and he only has five stolen bases in 34 games, but he possesses one trait that is vital in the lead-off spot: patience. Thomas has a .399 on-base percentage (OBP) this season, which would be …
LAS VEGAS– Who was that team disguised in Oregon basketball uniforms playing at Colorado and Utah in the last round of Pac-12 regular season games? Certainly not the team Duck fans have learned to know this season and definitely not the same team that piled up 23 wins. Most assuredly, it wasn’t the same one that led the conference for …
Until Oregon’s recent payback win over Stanford, when the Ducks shot 48% from the field, its outside shooting woes and stagnant offensive production have been well-chronicled, especially in the nine-game absence of point guard Dominic Artis. The offensive scouting report on Oregon? “Pay close attention to Singler, Dotson, and Emory on the perimeter, but dare Loyd and everybody else to …
Arsalan Kazemi, Oregon’s most popular Iranian, has been a vital cog in the improved defense of this year’s No. 23 Oregon team. When the Ducks rallied to beat Utah last week, ending a three-game slide and regaining a share of the Pac-12 lead, much was reported about the normally-reserved Kazemi and his emotional statements to the team at halftime — …
FishDuck.com is widening its coverage of Duck sports with some UO mens’ basketball analysis. The goal is to break down parts of UO Coach Dana Altman’s philosophy as it pertains to the success of the basketball team. As a retired teacher and basketball coach, I’m interested in learning more about what makes Altman’s teams consistently so good. I don’t pretend …
A note from FishDuck.com: Today we have a unique treat, this article is from Coach Mike Morris, who coached at seven different high schools in Southern California for 30 years. We encourage other coaches that are interested in possibly writing guest columns providing their unique insight to please contact us. In the early 1970s, at Fremont High School …