Looking forward to Kepnang next season!

[OregonFan4Life]

I said it a thousand times since Dante went down, Altman should play Kepnag more especially with Lawson regressing. Tonight it showed why he should’ve had more playing time. But oh well, too late now. I absolutely love this kid! There is never a moment whether it’s on the game or in the bench that he doesn’t have an amazing attitude and is a fantastic teammate. Multiple times during the game everyone on the Oregon bench was sitting except Kepnag who was encouraging everyone and yelling and clapping, seems impossible to get him to sit down when he’s not in the game. And when he’s in, he is playing 110%, he never slows down or let’s anything discourage him. Tonight Mobley had a nice dunk on him, can’t lie it was impressive. It wasn’t Kepnag’s fault it was Omoruyi but Kepnag was the victim. Kepnag followed it up by running up the floor ready for the next possession, he didn’t let that ruin his demeanor or attitude, he just kept going at it 110%. That right there is the sign of a true winner, he doesn’t let any situation affect how he plays the game. This kid no doubt is a fan favorite, and I’m so glad he’s a duck! Altman got a good one.

With a full offseason of practice and hard work, he’s going to be a real force to reckon with next year! He and Dante together would be a real challenge for any team in the nation. I am so excited to see Kepnag next year! If they still did C’s on the jersey for captains, he should be the first to get one next season.

I guess what I’m trying to say is, as a duck fan, I’m super proud of this kid and I’m stoked to watch Kepnag next season!

[Phalanx]

I suspect our good impression of him is exactly the reason Dana didn't play him more. Kepnang goes into next season with some positive experiences and hungry for more. Right where the coaches want him.

[bigsugarduck]

Yep. Pretty much agree with you. Love what he brings, however, I would argue Oregon does not win then conference with Kepnang getting big minutes down the stretch. Winning the conference depended on Oregon reducing the bench and getting good with small ball. It might have been worth it to trade a few wins for the experience though, especially in this game.

[GrantDuck]

Yep. Pretty much agree with you. Love what he brings, however, I would argue Oregon does not win then conference with Kepnang getting big minutes down the stretch. Winning the conference depended on Oregon reducing the bench and getting good with small ball. It might have been worth it to trade a few wins for the experience though, especially in this game.

Agree with this. Franck had a ton of assignment issues on defense. Teams would go on mini-runs with him in the game because of it. He's going to be fun to watch though once he figures it out. By all accounts he's a really hard worker/studier.

[greenyellow]

Oregon shouldn't have any problem with height next year as they'll likely have Kepnang, Dante, Bittle, and Lawson on the roster and likely 2019 signee Isaac Johnson. They'll really have to find some shooting and scoring from the wings with Figueroa and Duarte leaving.

[Duck07]

Oregon shouldn't have any problem with height next year as they'll likely have Kepnang, Dante, Bittle, and Lawson on the roster and likely 2019 signee Isaac Johnson. They'll really have to find some shooting and scoring from the wings with Figueroa and Duarte leaving.

From Game 1 Bittle should be taking his share of 3's since it's a part of his game and we need that versatility from him.

Any word on Hardy's little brother?

[OregonFan4Life]

Oregon shouldn't have any problem with height next year as they'll likely have Kepnang, Dante, Bittle, and Lawson on the roster and likely 2019 signee Isaac Johnson. They'll really have to find some shooting and scoring from the wings with Figueroa and Duarte leaving.

Richardson has the potential to be a solid consistent wing scorer for Oregon and we've seen flashes from him, it just seems from my perspective that he gets too timid too often. I'm not sure if he just gets intimidated or what, but for the sake of the team next year he needs to figure out how to play aggressive and consistent next year.

[GrantDuck]

Richardson is a team player first and foremost. He's set up the winning play against Arizona 2 years in a row, for example.

I'm sure his growth next year will be in being "the guy" more often.

I'm also really rooting for N'Faly Dante next year. Kid has been snakebit with injuries and eligibility issues, but he has such a high ceiling. Luckily, doctors have gotten exceptional with ACL surgeries and he will probably be playing next year pretty early if not to start the season. 9 months is seemingly the recovery time these days, and then yet again, he'll be coming in rusty.

Bittle is a stud. He's a bit less athletic than Boucher, in terms of hops, but he's not slow for his size and his skill/basketball saavy are going to be way ahead of where Boucher's were. (Although I think he needs to fine tune his release point on his shot a bit as I think STU or someone else mentioned, it's a bit low and I think he's been working on it at Prolific this year).

But yeah, we need some wings and we'll lose some guys too. Transfer portal is a crazy world these days.

[GrandpaDuck]

Predicting which guys will transfer or not has been such a crap shoot the last few years. Guys who seemed happy and in-line for a big role transfer out all the time. I have given up on predicting who, but you're always safe predicting that there will be a few to a lot.

[UOducksTK1]

Yep. Pretty much agree with you. Love what he brings, however, I would argue Oregon does not win then conference with Kepnang getting big minutes down the stretch. Winning the conference depended on Oregon reducing the bench and getting good with small ball. It might have been worth it to trade a few wins for the experience though, especially in this game.

Agree with this. Franck had a ton of assignment issues on defense. Teams would go on mini-runs with him in the game because of it. He's going to be fun to watch though once he figures it out. By all accounts he's a really hard worker/studier.

This. I don’t know what his +/- is but it probably isn’t great.

With that being said, he probably has the most upside on the team.

[OregonFan4Life]

Richardson is a team player first and foremost. He's set up the winning play against Arizona 2 years in a row, for example.

I'm sure his growth next year will be in being "the guy" more often.

I'm also really rooting for N'Faly Dante next year. Kid has been snakebit with injuries and eligibility issues, but he has such a high ceiling. Luckily, doctors have gotten exceptional with ACL surgeries and he will probably be playing next year pretty early if not to start the season. 9 months is seemingly the recovery time these days, and then yet again, he'll be coming in rusty.

Bittle is a stud. He's a bit less athletic than Boucher, in terms of hops, but he's not slow for his size and his skill/basketball saavy are going to be way ahead of where Boucher's were. (Although I think he needs to fine tune his release point on his shot a bit as I think STU or someone else mentioned, it's a bit low and I think he's been working on it at Prolific this year).

But yeah, we need some wings and we'll lose some guys too. Transfer portal is a crazy world these days.

Eh, sometimes putting the team first is playing aggressive, I think Richardson definitely needs to be more aggressive and assertive next season.

Yeah I really have felt bad for Dante, his commitment letter was my fav of all time. I hope the kid can find success in the NBA and finally get to see his mother again.

[OregonFan4Life]

Yep. Pretty much agree with you. Love what he brings, however, I would argue Oregon does not win then conference with Kepnang getting big minutes down the stretch. Winning the conference depended on Oregon reducing the bench and getting good with small ball. It might have been worth it to trade a few wins for the experience though, especially in this game.

Agree with this. Franck had a ton of assignment issues on defense. Teams would go on mini-runs with him in the game because of it. He's going to be fun to watch though once he figures it out. By all accounts he's a really hard worker/studier.

This. I don’t know what his +/- is but it probably isn’t great.

With that being said, he probably has the most upside on the team.

Of course Kepnag had issues on defense, the kid is raw and young. I knew playing him early in the season meant growing pains, but sometimes it's necessary. In college basketball, you need height and you can't go far in the tourney with a small-ball lineup that Oregon had. Sure you might make it to the Elite Eight, but when you face a team with height and solid big men, you won't win. How many times have we seen Oregon lose tourney games because they can't get a defensive rebound? I can think of at least 3 times in recent memory.

Playing Kepnag early would've been sacrificing early games and possible the conference championship with the chances of going farther in the tourney. For me personally, that's a worthwhile sacrifice.

Serious question, would you rather Oregon win the Pac-12 and go out in the Sweet Sixteen, or take 3rd in the Pac-12 but go to the Final Four? I'd take the Final Four trip.

[UOducksTK1]

Yep. Pretty much agree with you. Love what he brings, however, I would argue Oregon does not win then conference with Kepnang getting big minutes down the stretch. Winning the conference depended on Oregon reducing the bench and getting good with small ball. It might have been worth it to trade a few wins for the experience though, especially in this game.

Agree with this. Franck had a ton of assignment issues on defense. Teams would go on mini-runs with him in the game because of it. He's going to be fun to watch though once he figures it out. By all accounts he's a really hard worker/studier.

This. I don’t know what his +/- is but it probably isn’t great.

With that being said, he probably has the most upside on the team.

Of course Kepnag had issues on defense, the kid is raw and young. I knew playing him early in the season meant growing pains, but sometimes it's necessary. In college basketball, you need height and you can't go far in the tourney with a small-ball lineup that Oregon had. Sure you might make it to the Elite Eight, but when you face a team with height and solid big men, you won't win. How many times have we seen Oregon lose tourney games because they can't get a defensive rebound? I can think of at least 3 times in recent memory.

Playing Kepnag early would've been sacrificing early games and possible the conference championship with the chances of going farther in the tourney. For me personally, that's a worthwhile sacrifice.

Serious question, would you rather Oregon win the Pac-12 and go out in the Sweet Sixteen, or take 3rd in the Pac-12 but go to the Final Four? I'd take the Final Four trip.

Of course I’d rather take the final four trip. But don’t think that question has anything to do with Kepnang. He’s too raw to develop in just two months, even if he was getting starter minutes.

Just my opinion but I think he would have changed little to none if he had been playing more during the regular season.

[droop10]

Yep. Pretty much agree with you. Love what he brings, however, I would argue Oregon does not win then conference with Kepnang getting big minutes down the stretch. Winning the conference depended on Oregon reducing the bench and getting good with small ball. It might have been worth it to trade a few wins for the experience though, especially in this game.

Agree with this. Franck had a ton of assignment issues on defense. Teams would go on mini-runs with him in the game because of it. He's going to be fun to watch though once he figures it out. By all accounts he's a really hard worker/studier.

This. I don’t know what his +/- is but it probably isn’t great.

With that being said, he probably has the most upside on the team.

Of course Kepnag had issues on defense, the kid is raw and young. I knew playing him early in the season meant growing pains, but sometimes it's necessary. In college basketball, you need height and you can't go far in the tourney with a small-ball lineup that Oregon had. Sure you might make it to the Elite Eight, but when you face a team with height and solid big men, you won't win. How many times have we seen Oregon lose tourney games because they can't get a defensive rebound? I can think of at least 3 times in recent memory.

Playing Kepnag early would've been sacrificing early games and possible the conference championship with the chances of going farther in the tourney. For me personally, that's a worthwhile sacrifice.

Serious question, would you rather Oregon win the Pac-12 and go out in the Sweet Sixteen, or take 3rd in the Pac-12 but go to the Final Four? I'd take the Final Four trip.

Ducks would have been far from a shoe-in to even make the tourney with a few additional losses given their lack of games and resume.

[Duck07]

Ducks would have been far from a shoe-in to even make the tourney with a few additional losses given their lack of games and resume.

In hindsight we can see how justifiably wrong that level of thinking was.