Aaron Gordon to Arizona per O-Live

[pdxduck]

Sucks but I'm not surprised at all.

http://www.oregonlive.com/pac-12/index. ... er_default

[OregonFan4Life]

Yay for underachieving!

[303DucksFan]

Lame... I really thought he was gonna pick Oregon.

[buckmarkduck]

Reading between the lines, is it safe to say he didn't want to be the man? Sounds like he wants to show what he can do, but not be the key guy on the team.

"But as much as I am going to be an X-factor at Arizona, at Oregon it would have been more magnified, just because they don't have as deep a roster as Arizona. If I can go to a team where I can win and show what I can do, then that's the right decision for me."

[Duck07]

Reading between the lines, is it safe to say he didn't want to be the man? Sounds like he wants to show what he can do, but not be the key guy on the team.

"But as much as I am going to be an X-factor at Arizona, at Oregon it would have been more magnified, just because they don't have as deep a roster as Arizona. If I can go to a team where I can win and show what I can do, then that's the right decision for me."

Could be the case. Maybe he doesn't think he can show what he can do as the Man.

[TheMaehlMan]

I'm not surprised. With the recent Sweet Sixteen run, it will be much easier to attract elite talent in the future, so I'm not terribly disappointed. Gordon would have been a massive pickup, but I expect at least a few of these types of recruiting battles to start swinging in Oregon's favor.

Plus, Altman has a very strong class coming in anyway. Assuming Felicio gets in, he could be a star at center in a few years. Some have described Jordan Bell as one of the best athletes in high school basketball, so he certainly has upside. Elgin Cook was a monster in the JUCO tourney and seems like a perfect fit at Oregon. Jalil-Abdul Bassit is a great outside shooter that had a lot of suitors (including the Fuskies). I'm not going to comment on Lapray since I've heard varying viewpoints on him. It sounds like he is a combo-guard that can shoot, but I'm skeptical about his future contributions.

Regardless, I really like this class and it hit on a number of big needs. The JUCO guys will also help in balancing out the scholarships among classes. Unless Oregon takes a one year transfer, we will only lose Loyd and Waverly Austin after next season, so Oregon is set up for a big run in that year.

Oregon will definitely be a factor in the Pac-12 race next season as well. Oregon will sacrifice some rebounding with the loss of Kazemi, but I do think this offense will be much more productive next season. Artis will continue to get better, and Loyd's late season run gives me a lot of confidence in him. Having two point guards that can make plays is a huge asset, and their skill-sets can allow Oregon to have diverse attack on offense. Dotson will receive a lot of attention from opposing defenses, but with better PG play he should get good looks again. Ben Carter looks like he can develop into a 4 that can hit an open jumper and stretch the defense. He also looks like a player that is a willing rebounder, so it isn't like we are going to get completely killed on the boards. The biggest key will be Waverly Austin's development. If he drops some weight and becomes a factor in rebounding and keeps on improving defensively, then there may not be much of a drop-off (and maybe an improvement) between him and Woods. He struggled offensively, but he definitely has more skill in the post than Woods had.

Should be a fun year, and Oregon will be good even though they missed out on Gordon.

[duckgrad99]

I'm not surprised. With the recent Sweet Sixteen run, it will be much easier to attract elite talent in the future, so I'm not terribly disappointed. Gordon would have been a massive pickup, but I expect at least a few of these types of recruiting battles to start swinging in Oregon's favor.

Plus, Altman has a very strong class coming in anyway. Assuming Felicio gets in, he could be a star at center in a few years. Some have described Jordan Bell as one of the best athletes in high school basketball, so he certainly has upside. Elgin Cook was a monster in the JUCO tourney and seems like a perfect fit at Oregon. Jalil-Abdul Bassit is a great outside shooter that had a lot of suitors (including the Fuskies). I'm not going to comment on Lapray since I've heard varying viewpoints on him. It sounds like he is a combo-guard that can shoot, but I'm skeptical about his future contributions.

Regardless, I really like this class and it hit on a number of big needs. The JUCO guys will also help in balancing out the scholarships among classes. Unless Oregon takes a one year transfer, we will only lose Loyd and Waverly Austin after next season, so Oregon is set up for a big run in that year.

Oregon will definitely be a factor in the Pac-12 race next season as well. Oregon will sacrifice some rebounding with the loss of Kazemi, but I do think this offense will be much more productive next season. Artis will continue to get better, and Loyd's late season run gives me a lot of confidence in him. Having two point guards that can make plays is a huge asset, and their skill-sets can allow Oregon to have diverse attack on offense. Dotson will receive a lot of attention from opposing defenses, but with better PG play he should get good looks again. Ben Carter looks like he can develop into a 4 that can hit an open jumper and stretch the defense. He also looks like a player that is a willing rebounder, so it isn't like we are going to get completely killed on the boards. The biggest key will be Waverly Austin's development. If he drops some weight and becomes a factor in rebounding and keeps on improving defensively, then there may not be much of a drop-off (and maybe an improvement) between him and Woods. He struggled offensively, but he definitely has more skill in the post than Woods had.

Should be a fun year, and Oregon will be good even though they missed out on Gordon.

Agreed, the potential is definitely there. And if success doesn't happen next season, I think this team will be really good when Artis and Dotson are Juniors and Seniors. If there was any benefit of the Artis injury, it was Loyd getting a ton of playing time. He is a better player because of it.

[ducksrock]

I'm not surprised. With the recent Sweet Sixteen run, it will be much easier to attract elite talent in the future, so I'm not terribly disappointed. Gordon would have been a massive pickup, but I expect at least a few of these types of recruiting battles to start swinging in Oregon's favor.

Plus, Altman has a very strong class coming in anyway. Assuming Felicio gets in, he could be a star at center in a few years. Some have described Jordan Bell as one of the best athletes in high school basketball, so he certainly has upside. Elgin Cook was a monster in the JUCO tourney and seems like a perfect fit at Oregon. Jalil-Abdul Bassit is a great outside shooter that had a lot of suitors (including the Fuskies). I'm not going to comment on Lapray since I've heard varying viewpoints on him. It sounds like he is a combo-guard that can shoot, but I'm skeptical about his future contributions.

Regardless, I really like this class and it hit on a number of big needs. The JUCO guys will also help in balancing out the scholarships among classes. Unless Oregon takes a one year transfer, we will only lose Loyd and Waverly Austin after next season, so Oregon is set up for a big run in that year.

Oregon will definitely be a factor in the Pac-12 race next season as well. Oregon will sacrifice some rebounding with the loss of Kazemi, but I do think this offense will be much more productive next season. Artis will continue to get better, and Loyd's late season run gives me a lot of confidence in him. Having two point guards that can make plays is a huge asset, and their skill-sets can allow Oregon to have diverse attack on offense. Dotson will receive a lot of attention from opposing defenses, but with better PG play he should get good looks again. Ben Carter looks like he can develop into a 4 that can hit an open jumper and stretch the defense. He also looks like a player that is a willing rebounder, so it isn't like we are going to get completely killed on the boards. The biggest key will be Waverly Austin's development. If he drops some weight and becomes a factor in rebounding and keeps on improving defensively, then there may not be much of a drop-off (and maybe an improvement) between him and Woods. He struggled offensively, but he definitely has more skill in the post than Woods had.

Should be a fun year, and Oregon will be good even though they missed out on Gordon.

Agreed, the potential is definitely there. And if success doesn't happen next season, I think this team will be really good when Artis and Dotson are Juniors and Seniors. If there was any benefit of the Artis injury, it was Loyd getting a ton of playing time. He is a better player because of it.

And lets not forget....Maybe Arik Armstead might get some playing time and see what he can do, at the college level...