Men’s Basketball Diary: Eugene was Named After Eugene Omoruyi
A roundup of Oregon's first three men's basketball games, and a deeper look at what Eugene Omoruyi's game reminds us of.
It’s easier for all of us if I just do quick little hits on each basketball game in bite-sized clusters. Maybe bigger arguments or focused pieces will come along, but clumping them together is also just a nice little refresher as to where this team has been, and where they’re headed.
So, how did Dana’s Dudes do this week?
Mizzou Loss, 75-83
Never overreact to early season Altman teams. That’s the rule of life.
I feel like no Duck fan ever does get too worked up over tough starts, though. Credit to the Oregon men’s basketball fandom for being one of the least reactionary group of people I’ve witnessed in sports. We surely trust the process.
The biggest loss here didn’t even happen in the game, but instead in practice when Will Richardson hurt his thumb bad enough to need surgery. The best player on the team now has to sit out for six weeks in the only season where you don’t get six weeks of preseason cupcakes.
Lucky for the Ducks, there’s another best player on the team now.
Rutgers transfer, Eugene Omoruyi, put up 31 & 11 in his Duck debut—and he did it in a zillion different ways.
He had all the stuff you love to see from your forward; Johnny-on-the-spot put-backs; offensive boards to prolong possessions; and insane athleticism in transition. The fast break game wasn’t totally there for Oregon in the Game One, however, as they spent most of the first half running back in defense after repeated bad turnovers.
Failing to protect the ball really helped the game get out of hand in Mizzou’s favor, and even though the Ducks showed a ton of fight near the end, the game could essentially be considered a comfortable Missouri victory.
But like I said, we don’t make much of early season Altman losses, folks.
Seton Hall Victory, 83-70
It wasn’t a wild shootout like last year’s Seton Hall game (and that might have something to do with the fact that both these teams are markedly different than they were in 2019), but it was fun to watch nonetheless.
St Johns transfer, LJ Figueroa, was finally declared eligible, and his defensive presence was felt immediately. After four steals in his first game, and countless other hustle plays, it’s clear that LJ is going to be the Minyon Moore energy this team needed to fully execute their hard press and set match up zone effectively.
Omoruyi went off once again. His 26 points and 50% from beyond the arc made a great case as to why he is going to be THE DUDE for this Ducks team, maybe even when Will comes back, too.
The Rise of Eugene lead to many intellectual discussions in the groupchat. Like:
“What combination of players does Omoruyi remind you of the most?”
I said Dillon Brooks + Olu Ashalou + Draymond Green. The hustle, power, rebounds, length, sharpshooting ability. It’s all there. As much as it kills me personally to mention Draymond.
My cousin Andy said Magic Johnson + Arsalan Kazemi + Tajuan Porter (just like Dan Rubenstein, I assume this refers to Tajuan Porter before he fixed that ear thing and threw off his whole equilibrium).
There were two different votes for Paul White, which I think is self-explanatory.
And then Matt Prehm must’ve been bugging the groupchat, because he went public with a submission of his own:
Like I’ve said before, my entire lens of evaluating individual basketball players is shaped by a base +/- Dillon Brooks scale. If you can’t find a way to liken an athlete to D-Brooks, you’ve lost me.
Eastern Washington Waxing, 69-52
In a last-minute rescheduling of the game that was cancelled right before Thanksgiving, the Ducks finally hosted Gonzaga’s little step-cousin for their home opener.
The game was entirely too close in the first half, but LJ, Duarte, and Eugene kept things moving with a much-improved fast break offense.
Eugene had another 18 and was overall awesome all over again. Eric Williams Jr. (AKA E-50) stayed hot from beyond the arc in key moments, and the Ducks ran away with things to outlast a veteran, corn-fed EWU squad.
The forwards have been the brightest spot of the first three games for sure. The transfers Eugene/Williams/Figueroa have shown their experience right away, and Chandler Lawson has shown a big improvement in his shooting and inside passing.
The guards have played as well as you could expect after losing their PG1 on day one. Duarte is the most dynamic but he still has that raw, rat-ball nature to his play that can lead to ugly turnovers. Amauri Hardy has been steady, despite some turnovers from him too, and young Jalen Terry has shown some flashes in his own right.
The key to competing on bigger stages will be making sure N’Faly Dante starts playing stronger than he is right now. He’s 6-11 but he often plays like 6-7. Weak-handed rebound attempts, tentative when finishing at the basket in traffic, and still a bit of a risk while handling the ball. If he can snowball some confidence together, he’d bump his 3.7 ppg, 5.3 rpg up to the standards of his stature.
Up next is Florida A&M on Wednesday, then the Husky game tips off right after Saturday football ends.
Big day.
Go Ducks.