BREAKING: Johnathan Loyd to forego final two years at Oregon; enter NBA Draft
Shocking news out of the basketball program this weekend:
Sophomore G Johnathan Loyd has informed coach Dana Altman of his decision to leave Oregon and enter the NBA draft after only two seasons in Eugene. [...]
"I question the advice that Johnathan is getting" said head coach Dana Altman. "I'm not sure he has the understanding of what playing at that level really entails." Loyd's status as a career backup unable to string together any consistent performances also has draft analysts puzzled. "He has no shot to get drafted, and may not even get a decent look in Europe" opined Bjorn Zetterberg, a prospect analyst for SwishScout.com. "This is the most bizarre draft decision I have ever seen."
Loyd was unavailable for comment.
This is a truly stunning decision. Obviously, the first concern is for Loyd, a career 32 percent shooter who hasn't shown the enough ability to shoot or defend well enough to get a consistent look in Eugene, and will not leave with a degree. But it also leaves the Ducks in a tough spot. Loyd had an excellent shot at earning a significant rotation spot next season, with the much lesser experienced Brett Kingma the only other returning guard, and freshman Dominic Artis the only incoming guard in the next class. Altman was already under tremendous pressure to find a guard, and probably two, with the scholarships that he has left to fill this class. Now, multiple guards are a must.
Loyd leaves Eugene with career averages of 4.1 points and 2.5 assists per game. We wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors.
And please click HERE to listen to the full interview with head coach Dana Altman and with SwishScout.com
What an insane decision. The guy is 5'8 and is a backup. Jeez...get your degree. I really thought that he wanted to play with Ben Carter - guess not. I doubt he'll get any offers from any European teams. Is there a Canadian basketball league or a basketball version of arena football? What a joke. Check today's date for a hint. Should be interesting to see who falls for this. Loyd had no shot of beating Dominic Artis out for the starting PG position next year.
Altman has to be pretty pissed off. That means that Artis will be the only point guard on the roster, unless you include Kingma.
“If everybody in this room just want to be real with themselves, this game could have went either way,” he said. “We turned the ball over a lot. We beat ourself. Just be real with yourself right now. We beat ourself.”
-Jameis Winston after Oregon's decisive 59-20 victory over Florida State in the Rose Bowl
Credit to addicted to quack. I thought it was a hilarious April fool's joke.
“If everybody in this room just want to be real with themselves, this game could have went either way,” he said. “We turned the ball over a lot. We beat ourself. Just be real with yourself right now. We beat ourself.”
-Jameis Winston after Oregon's decisive 59-20 victory over Florida State in the Rose Bowl
Even if it were true, I have a feeling Altman would be more puzzled than pissed...
