Last Friday night the Oregon Ducks season came to an abrupt end, losing to the Louisville Cardinals 77-69; but this was one heck of a season marked with a lot of ups and downs as Oregon had their best season since 2007.
The Ducks ended their season 28-9, marking the 14th time in school history that they have won 20 or more games.
Oregon has to say goodbye to four seniors this season—E.J. Singler, Arsalan Kazemi, Carlos Emory and Tony Woods.
[caption id="attachment_292" align="alignleft" width="300" caption="E.J. Singler was one of the most prolific Oregon Ducks' of all time (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)"]
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E.J. Singler finished his career with 1,546 points: 11th on the Ducks’ All-Time scoring leaders list. Singler saw action in every single collegiate game in his four years—totaling 142 straight games. E.J. Singler led the team this season in points per game, averaging 11.6 points. Needless to say, Singler had a great Oregon career, and the Ducks will miss his leadership and consistency dearly. Oregon career grade: A+
Oregon was blessed to have Arsalan Kazemi for only one season, but he made the most of his time in Eugene, Ore. Kazemi was third in the Pac-12 in rebounds per game, averaging 9.5 during the regular season, while adding 9.4 points. He finished the season with 350 total rebounds, which is 1 off his career high 351. Kazemi had a career high 71 steals this season. He finishes his NCAA career with over 1,000 points and 1,000 rebounds, making him a true all-around basketball player.
Oregon career grade: A
Carlos Emory was second on the Ducks with 11.1 points per game in only 26.3 minutes per game. Emory was a high flyer for the Ducks, providing the much-needed spark off the bench that helped Oregon this season. The biggest game of Emory’s collegiate career came in a win against Oregon State where he scored a career-best: 21 points in addition to four rebounds and two assists. Emory became a staple on SportsCenter’s Top 10 this season and will be desperately missed next season.
Oregon career grade: A-[caption id="attachment_294" align="alignright" width="300" caption="Carlos Emory was electric off the bench for Oregon (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch)"]
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Then there is Tony Woods, a dominant shot blocker in the middle for the Ducks the past two seasons. His first year with Oregon (his junior season) he broke the Ducks’ single season blocked shots record with 51. Woods finishes his Ducks career with 91 blocks, which is good enough for third on Oregon’s All-Time Career Blocked Shots list. Woods saw career-highs in both points and minutes per game this season.
Oregon career grade: B
Although all four of these incredibly talented seniors will be missed next year, one of Coach Dana Altman’s strengths is his ability to know his players’ skillsets and plug new individuals in to where they’re needed to only get better every year.
In his first season with the Ducks, Altman won 20 games, then 24, en route to this year’s total of 28—is a 30-win season in store for Altman and Oregon next season?
With so many unknowns for the upcoming season, it’s difficult to predict. But one thing is for sure: Oregon needs to be proud of how this season ended and be excited for what the future of the program holds for the Ducks.
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