Ducks Attack

New Website and History Lesson

2008-06-13T00:34:00.000-07:00

After hours upon hours and being jealous of super cool blogs on wordpress and also wishing and kicking myself for not signing up with wordpress from the get go I have decided to switch sites and now go with wordpress.

You can find our new home at www.DucksAttack.com. But before you visit our new and improved site that AJ and I somewhat worked on go and ahead and read the history of Ducks Attack!

I am sure there are ton's of people out there who don't know the story of how and why this blog was created. So here is a short lesson on the history of Ducks Attack and also a glimpse into the future...

Around early March I(mops) was studying for a mid-term and I needed to get away from the books and get off some energy. So I hit the internet and just was wasting time away when I fell upon a blog that covers college football, Every Day Should Be Saturday, and I thought I could do what they do but just focus on Oregon sports since thats pretty much all I talk about with friends and family. I considered myself pretty in the know about all Oregon athletics.

So I started a blog called Ducks Illustrated and I only told a few people about my blog but as all blogs that become heavily visited word spreads. Someone I told told someone and that someone told someone and that someone told someone and well you get the point.

Well eventually that someone was Jay Jones over at Ducks Sports News and he got in touch with me about promoting my blog. He also brought me on to blog for his site which I have done a few but have become busy with school, work, an internship(which I got because of my visibility thanks to DSN), and this blog. But I plan on stepping my game up more this summer as I have gotten into my groove on how I need to handle my time.

From there word spread about my blog like no other and I truely owe my success to partially what DSN has been able to do for the promotion of my blog. I grew and grew and now I average over 700 hits a day with almost 400 people coming back that same day for more duck news. I kind of consider myself the "underground connection" to Duck news. Nothing official but also something thats one of its kind.

I then linked up with the hottest message board on the net for Duck News at Chat4Quacks and we combined forces although we were pretty much already.

Then just a few days ago I got in touch with some guys Jay over at DSN introduced me to that do podcasts on Duck Sports and we got to know each other and it struck me that we should just combine our forces because we both do the same thing and we both provide different venues of info.

So I brought on AJ and Cameron along with TK over at C4Qs as beat writers and things were all dandy.

Then after hours of talking with AJ on how we can improve Ducks Attack and get the ball rolling even faster we decided to make a financial plunge...a 25 dollar financial plunge...we got some hosting from a provider and have now switched platforms for our blogging. We are now apart of Wordpress and things couldn't be happier.

We have uploaded a podcasting ability to the site as well as links to our message board and DSN and to our own blog within our "blog".

You can now find us at www.ducksattack.com and as you can see theres no more .blogspot or .wordpress! We are now an official website because we own our domain and we control our own site now!

Theres work going on behind the scenes as we are building a newsletter that will be going out to all our readers who wish to sign up and are working on other exciting features as well.

We hope you guys will continue to visit our site and our blogs and help continue this amazing growth of what we like to call, the lil guy in the sports reporting world of Oregon Athletics.

Luke Jackson Striving For Another Chance

2008-06-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

Luke Jackson left the Oregon basketball program as an All-American and recent lotto pick as he was heading to Cleveland to play alongside NBA superstar LeBron James and continue his success on the hardwood in the NBA.

A few back injuries and a career where he has played for seven different teams Jackson is just looking for a place to stick.

"I played two straight seasons with my back injury and never was healthy. Its what it is but there isn't much you can do about it," said Jackson.

Its clear his injuries were a factor into how Jackson hasn't been able to stick with an NBA team. He's found some success in Toronto for the Raptors in the spring of 2007 as he signed a long term contract but found himself cut before the season started.

The 2007-08 season was a wild and crazy ride for Jackson as he went from playing in the NBDL to the Miami Heat and back to the NBDL and playing for the Idaho Stampede in the finals.

This off-season Jackson has been very busy getting himself ready for tryouts with other teams.

"I have been training in Eugene, Portland, Las Vegas, and L.A., but mostly in Vegas."

When asked why in Las Vegas Jackson stated it's a place where he can play with pro's to get himself ready for the upcoming season.

"Right now it's hard to say what teams like me enough to sing because free agency doesn't start until July but I have been hearing good things from a few teams around the league," stated Jackson who went on to add, "I had a really good work out down in California with Golden State. They like what I can bring to the table and I like it down there."

Golden State isn't the only team thats go an eye on Jackson as he quickly points out, "I have been hearing from Portland a bit, and I'm in New York (City) right now as I just finished up a work out with them which went really well."

Jackson informed Ducks Attack he has another workout scheduled next week down in Dallas with the Mavericks and is looking forward to that workout as well.

"I'd like to stay on the west coast if I could, but it's all about finding a team that works for me personally and also works for the team and the rest of the roster. Both sides have to match for it to work," Jackson added.

The uncertainty of his pro career, non stop traveling, and the injured past haven't even phased Jackson as he keeps his head up and mind set on his goal to land a spot on an NBA roster.

"My body is healthy and I feel great when it comes to my injuries in the past. I feel the best ever and I know my best years of basketball are still ahead of me," said Jackson.

Baseball Lands 2009 Commit

2008-06-11T12:21:00.000-07:00

This is the first commitment to our knowledge here at Ducks Attack and hopefully the start of things to come for the baseball program.

Michael Becker of The Press-Enterprise newspaper has reported in their blog that the Ducks have landed Jake Marisnick of Riverside Poly High School in Riverside, CA.

Marisnick, a 6'4 200 pound center fielder is said to be one of the best baseball prospects in the state of California next spring as a senior.

Marisnick posted a .495 batting average with 22 RBIs and 5 homeruns to go with his .535 on base percentage according to MaxPreps.com's statics.

Fox Becomes A Duck

2008-06-11T12:02:00.000-07:00

When it comes to recruiting sometimes news about a commitment can come from nowhere and shock the average fan. You can now now another surprise commitment for the Oregon Duck football program as the Ducks have landed their newest commitment, Trevor Fox, a 3* OG out of Charparral high school in Temecula, CA.

Brandon Huffman of Scout.com broke the news and to read his story click here.

Fox is 6'4 270 pounds and was a key part to the Charparral season as he anchored down one of the guard positions.

According to the Scout.com bio Fox has offers from Oregon, Arizona, and Northern Arizona.

The Duck coaching staff have known about Fox for the past few years now as current sophomore to be Talmadge Jackson, a defensive back, came from the same high school in the 2007 class.

Here is a video of the Chaparral team this past season where you can watch the OL and see Fox in action.

Foundation to save Oregon wrestling speaks out.

2008-06-11T09:15:00.000-07:00

With the lawsuit scheduled to be heard by Oregon judges in Salem during the second week in July, the question of the trial emerges why? Why is wrestling suing the University of Oregon? Why was the Program cut? What is the long-term effect of the removal or reinstatement of the program going to be?

Ron Finley from Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation was able to answer a few questions on the topic. When asked why wrestling ended up having to sue the UO he said, “It’s the only choice we’ve been given”.

“We are taking the UO to court using a law suit because of the wrongful processing of termination” explained Jeremy McLaughlin a current wrestler at UO.

Athletic Director Pat Killkenny has been getting most of the blame for the cutting of the wrestling program and rightly so to some fans and people close to the program.

If you look at it the first real influence he had as athletic director you would find it being on July 13, 2007 with the cutting of wrestling and the addition of baseball and completive cheer.

“It’s pure and simple… it’s the Athletic Director fault,” said Finley.

Now the reasoning that Pat Killkenny used for dropping wrestling is the Title IX which states that there needs to be a even balance of men’s and woman’s sports within each college’s athletic department.

However, after angry booster argued that title IX does not require Oregon to drop wrestling the UO came out in response saying that their title IX belief was flawed.

According to the press release from the Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation these are the four reasons Oregon’s athletic department is cutting the program:
“(1) UO lacks a wrestling facility;
(2) The Eugene area lacks a dedicated fan base;
(3) The opportunity to capitalize on an investment; and
(4) The lack of support in the Pac-10 and NCAA Division I.”

This information was released only after Pat Killkenny’s special assistant Neal Zoumboukos acknowledged that Title IX did not require UO to drop wrestling according to an article inside the latest issue of Ducks Illustrated magazine.

Finley said “Donors have offered to pay for a new facility instead of the UO having to pay for it.”

A student poll conducted by the foundation shows that the overwhelming majority of students at the university wanted wrestling to stay a at the UO.

So how can it be said that the area lacks a fan base if the numbers clearly state that they want wrestling back?

McLaughlin stated that “They(UO) keep switching reasons why we(Wrestling) were terminated. First with Title IX and then with funding.”

When asked if Phil Knight who is one of Oregon’s largest donors Finley stated Mr. Knight was no where to be seen.

“Phil Knight has been completely out of the picture when it comes to giving money to the program,” said Finley.

So he will pay for how many football jerseys? Pay for a new law building on campus, but not put anything down for wrestling? Not to take away from anything that Phil Knight has done but it just seems weird.

Now we can’t forget the same thing that happened at Arizona State where the wrestling program was cut but then reinstated after ASU wrestling fans and boosters pledged $8 million to save the program. But the situation in Eugene is that the athletic department is not behind the effort to raise money to reinstate Oregon wrestling.

In fact, according to Finley, they (UO) have told people to not waste their money on this and going so far as to not allow fundraising for the Save Oregon Wrestling Foundation at the state high school wrestling tournament.

McLaughlin said, “It is two different situations with us and ASU because they (ASU) gave the wrestling program a goal to reach but no such thing has happened at the UO.”
“If Killkenny set a money goal that had to be reached for the reinstatement of wrestling it would be reached very fast,” stated Finley.

Now only if the UO and Killkenny could have the same view on this that ASU did maybe things would have gone down a different path. Killkenny has been very reluctant to answer questions on the subject of wrestling to all the media as of now while Finley has been open to discuss this situation with anyone who will listen.

With the hearing approaching the wrestling program won’t settle for anything less than the reinstatement of the program at the UO.

“Money doesn’t help us, a program does. We just want to wrestle here at the UO because we love this place. Why transfer somewhere if we can have a great program here, all we need is a little help from the school,” said McLaughlin.

-AJ Untermeyer
Auntermeyer@gmail.com

AJ Untermeyer Joins Ducks Attack

2008-06-08T12:36:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone AJ Untermeyer here, I would like to say thanks to everyone at Ducks Attack for making this happen, I also run the Oregon Duckcast Podcast with Cameron Resnick.

I have had a thing for covering the Ducks for a long time. I covered the Spring Game with Cameron this spring as well as working with him on the coverage of the 2008 Sun Bowl this past season.

I will be writing on Football and Track but filling in everywhere in between. I look forward to meeting new people here and giving you guys the breaking news!

Be sure to hit me up on the Chat 4 Quacks message board.

Feel free to email me and questions or comments!

-AJ Untermeyer
Auntermeyer@gmail.com

Cameron Resnick Joins Staff

2008-06-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Hey Duck Fans!

Ducks Attack has been a growing blog over the past few months and the time and demand for Duck Information has grown to become too much for myself and that's a good problem to have. So Ducks Attack has reached out to a few people who are in the same field as myself and found Cameron Resnick who currently runs a podcast for Oregon Duckcast along with being a photographer at Duck Events most recently the Oregon Spring Football game and the Sun Bowl last winter.

Cameron is going to be contributing in all areas of Oregon Athletics for now and will move into the baseball slot next spring along with other areas down the road.

He has a great feel for photography and for writing so check back soon to Ducks Attack for more news and information that Cam will help provide!

Cam left a little message about himself to tell all Duck Fans about himself.

My name is Cameron Resnick and I am a new addition to the Ducks Attack Blog Staff. I've been a Duck fan all my life, and love to write about them. I take pictures for Oregon Duckcast, recently at the Spring Game as well as the Sun Bowl. I am very excited to join the staff here at Ducks Attack and I look forward to cover the Ducks this year. If you have any questions or comments about my posts please feel free to email me at cameron.resnick@gmail.com

Cameron Resnick

Ducks Attack Launching Newsletter

2008-06-07T11:52:00.000-07:00

Ducks Attack is pleased to announce after popular demand an online newsletter that will be sent out via email.

If you would like to sign up for this newsletter which will contain information that is left out in my posts as I edit them, Links to other Oregon material online, pictures from practices, and any other type of information that might be interesting to the avid Duck fan but not enough warrant by itself to land a post on the blog.

So if you'd like to sign up please email us at Oregonsportsreport@hotmail.com or visit the message board and click this link to sign up.

Link to sign up

Chat4Quacks or C4Q as we like to call it is a free message board that we have created thats the hottest Duck Community online with over 820 members in only 6 months with an active board that sees over 50 new posts a day.

4* WR Trims List;Ducks Make Cut

2008-06-07T01:33:00.000-07:00

The Oregon Duck coaching staff has flown across the nation back and forth trying to prowl the nation for the best recruits they can possibly find. One player thats been found and showing great interest in Oregon has cut his list and Oregon made the latest cut. Meet Jheranie Boyd.

Boyd is a 6'3 185 pound Wide Reciever with 4.45 speed from Gastonia, NC and has recently cut his schools of interest down to 15 according to Palmettosports.com

Boyd said South Carolina, Clemson, NC State, North Carolina, Oregon, Southern Cal, Ohio State, Alabama, Auburn, Florida, Florida State, Michigan, Virginia Tech and Missouri had made his final list which he trimmed down on June 3rd.

Boyd is a 4* recruit on Scout.com and currently has over 32 offers from around the nation and felt like it was time to trim his list to a more manageable 15. He states there is no favorite as of right now and that everyone is equal for now.

Boyd's next plan on choosing his school is to trim the list to 10 by the end of June and then down to 7 when he starts school up again in the fall.

Boyd told Palmettosports that he has a summer plan to try to see as many of the schools as he can before he starts his senior year. He plans on visiting Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Alabama and Ohio State during the summer, and he will camp at North Carolina and possibly Southern Cal as well.

If Oregon can make the cut to 7 the Ducks should have a great shot at getting Boyd to fly out west for a visit for one of his official visits as he will have visited a few of the schools in his top 15 before officials can start being used.

Arguably the state's top rising senior wide receiver prospect, Boyd had a huge junior year for Ashbrook High School.

The 6-foot-3, 180-pounder totaled 47 receptions for 1,151 yards (24.5 YPC) and 11 touchdowns while earning first-team all-conference and all-area honors.

Some information was drawn from Scout's Bio and Palmettosports.

Rosario Making Plays

2008-06-07T00:47:00.000-07:00

Dante Rosario came to Oregon from a small town of Dayton, Oregon as an athletic diamond in the rough type recruit. When He got to Oregon he quickly made it known he was a player to be reckoned with and as a fullback/Tight End/H-Back made the rest of the Pac-10 realize they missed a Pac-10 star. Now Rosario is showing Carolina Panther coaches they made the right choice in selecting him in the 2007 draft.

Rosario first came on strong late in the 2007 season when the Panthers were eliminated from playoff contention and started playing younger players. Week 13 saw Rosario snag his first touchdown catch against San Francisco. Week 15 against the Seattle Seahawks the Ex-Duck caught his season long catch for 54 yards. The last game of the season during week 17 saw Rosario catch 3 balls for 36 yards and one touchdown against Tamp Bay.

Now, according the the Charlotte Observer's Sports Reporter David Scott, Rosario is impressing Panther coaches and fans alike.

The Panthers ran several plays for tight ends during Tuesday's summer school practice and backup Dante Rosario made the most of them. Rosario looked athletic and fast as he went up high to grab a few passes over the middle. With catches like that, Rosario might become a go-to guy on third downs, although Jeff King will likely continue to start and rookie Gary Barnidge could also see playing time.
http://blogs.charlotte.com/panthers/

The chances of landing a starting spot for Rosario is there however the Panthers do have other available options in Rookie Gary Barnidge and also ofrom veteran Jeff King.

With Rosario impressing coaches and rookies Jonathan Stewart and Geoff Schwartz the Panthers are looking like a hot team to follow for Duck fans on Sundays.

Nation's 5th Ranked Center Names Ducks In Top 3

2008-06-06T21:31:00.000-07:00

California prep basketball star Greg Smith from Bethel High School in Vallejo, CA has been tearing up the Northern California basketball scene for the past 3 years and now has moved his game to Vallejo to play his final year of basketball.

Thats not the only thing Smith has done. The 6'8 230 pound center has decided to trim his list and the Oregon Ducks have made the cut and are one of three schools left standing as he informed Mario Gomez of BarkBoard.com which is affiliated with Scout.com.

"My top three are Oregon, Arizona, and Fresno State," said Smith.

Smith was the the FresnoBee's player of the year after averaging 23 points, 14 rebounds and four blocks in three state playoff games as the Tigers finished 28-5 and second to Mater Dei-Santa Ana in the Southern California Division I Regional.

Smith has offers according to his bio page at Scout.com from Arizona, Cal, Fresno State, Oregon, USC, Washington, Kansas State, Nevada, SMU, and UTEP.

Information was drawn from:
FresnoBee
MaxPreps
BarkBoard.com

Second Duck Drafted In MLB Draft

2008-06-06T16:42:00.000-07:00

Justin LaTempa, a 6'5 205 pound Right handed pitcther out of Golden West College who is signed on to transfer to Oregon in the summer to play baseball for the Ducks next spring has been drafted by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the 22nd round at pick number 678.

Here is some of the comments on his bio page at MLB.com.

He throws his changeup 80-82 mph. It can be a little too straight and hard. LaTempa threw his fastball in the 88-93 mph range, though he's been clocked as high as 95 mph in the past. When everything is clicking, he's got the possibility of a plus fastball and slider.

While LaTempa can overpower hitters, he allows too much contact for some. His arm action and delivery have something to do with that as he loses his arm slot deeper in games. LaTempa created some buzz early after throwing 95 mph this past fall, drawing scouts early before the college season began.

He's got the possibility of two plus pitches in his fastball and slider, though his other offerings need work. With his size and arm strength, he's sure to intrigue scouts all spring.

To view the rest of his bio and to see him in action click the link below.

Link of LaTempa

Duck's Baseball Recruit Drafted

2008-06-05T18:11:00.000-07:00

Ty Morrison the number 1 ranked player by BaseballAmerica.com in Oregon was selected 1st to start off the 4th round by the Tampa Bay Rays.

Morrison is a 6'2 center fielder and star player of Tigard High school in the Portland area.

It is not known if Morrison will stick with Oregon or will sign on with the Tampa Bay Rays to play minor league baseball.

He is the first player to be drafted in the new era of Oregon baseball even before a game has been played let alone the field being built.

Montana State Re-Confirms Kempt Transfer

2008-06-04T19:33:00.000-07:00

University of Oregon quarterback Cody Kempt, whose father played for the Bobcats from 1985-89, signed scholarship papers to transfer to Montana State on Wednesday, MSU coach Rob Ash announced.

A 6-2, 210 lb sophomore, the Bozeman native redshirted at Oregon in 2006 and played sparingly last fall. Originally from Westview High in Beaverton, Kempt was 6-for-26 passing last fall with for 52 yards. He also rushed eight times for 21 yards.

At Westview, Kempt completed 55 percent of his passes and threw for 1,800 yards and 23 scores to earn honorable mention all-state honors as a senior. He accumulated over 4,000 total yards as a junior and senior, earning PrepStar All-America honors and standing among the top seven quarterback prospects on the West Coast as ranked by one publication.

"The first thing we're excited about is that Cody is familiar with the Bobcat program because of his family connections," Ash said. "That should allow him to come to Bozeman and plug into MSU easily. Second, his familiarity with the type of offense we're running is exciting. He should be able to make a smooth transition to our program in that regard easily, as well. Most important is that we really like Cody Kempt as a person. He's an excellent student, a tremendous citizen, and he's transferring for all the right reasons. He wants a chance to play. He's a first-class person, and it was an easy decision to welcome Cody to our program."

Mychal Kempt came to MSU from Aloha, Ore., in 1985, and started at linebacker for the Bobcats as a junior and senior. Kempt rolled up 175 tackles in his Bobcat career, adding five sacks and three fumble recoveries.

Cody Kempt is expected to compete for quarterback duty when fall camp starts in early August.

Gaddy and Bradley Not Package Deal Entirely

2008-06-04T10:26:00.000-07:00

This past week high school basketball standout Abdul Gaddy of Bellarmine Prep in Tacoma, WA pulled his commitment from the University of Arizona because of coaching changes and announced he was opening up his recruitment for 8 schools. The list included Oregon for the #2 rated PG in the nation for the class of 2009.

There was one catch apparently, he wanted to play with best friend and teammate Avery Bradley who is the #9 SG in the nation according to Scout.com's basketball recruiting rankings.

This isnt true however as Gaddy and Bradley discussed with Jon Natio of the Seattle P-I.

"It would be great if it ended up that way," Bradley said Monday night. "We know what we can do together, and I'm confident that if you put us on the same team again we could compete for a championship."

However thats not the final decision for these recruits as they quickly made it know they are going to do whats best for each other first and then try to see if they can play together.

"What was said before got mixed up," Gaddy said. "They asked if I would like to play with (Bradley) in college, and I said that would be cool. But he's going to sit down and do what's best for him, and I'll do the same. If it ends up we're on the same page, that would be great."

Gaddy who is the nation's #2 PG in the entire nation has Oregon in his list of schools he is interested in along with Texas, Memphis, Washington, Arizona, Gonzaga, and Kansas.

Gaddy averaged 23 points and five assists last season, and was the first underclassman to be named the state's Gatorade player of the year. He and Bradley teamed to lead the Lions to a third-place finish at the 4A state tournament.

With 4 current point guards on the current roster the Ducks seem full at that position. However when Gaddy would enroll at Oregon 2 players would be Seniors and another being a Junior thus allowing Gaddy a great chance to be a starter by his sophomore year.

Bradley's situation with the Ducks is a total different story. He didn't tell Natio of a current Duck offer and didn't list the Ducks in his collection of offers. What makes things even more difficult in seeing Bradley come to Oregon is the logjam at both wing positions.

If Bradley is looking for immediate playing time by his second season Oregon won't be his best choice as the Ducks have a boundless amount of talented youth at both wing spots.

Both players said their parents, along with their AAU coach, Gary Ward, would aid in their decisions, though they would have the final say.

Whether they play together after next season remains questionable. Finding a program to appease a pair of top recruits in concert might be too tall a task

some information was taken from this article: Link

Cody Kempt To Transfer To Montana State

2008-06-03T18:18:00.000-07:00

A couple of days ago I was tipped off that Cody Kempt was going to be transferring to a new school this summer and leave the UO. Now this is a topic that has been much debated in the past and it was well rumored that Kempt might leave the football program.

After a spring practice session that showed Kempt improve on all areas of his game yet still be near the bottom of the depth chart there was question if he would stay on board with the ducks.

Yesterday I got an email explaining that Kempt would transfer to Montana State and I asked him if I could post a short message about it and today I got the O.K. to announce he will be leaving the UO.

Kempt didn't want to talk much about the transfer because it is still a emotional time for him as he will miss his friends and teammates at the UO but is looking forward to a new start in his football playing career.

Ducks Attack would like to thank Kempt for all he did at the UO and would like to wish him good luck at Montana State.

Ducks' Hairston Excels At Pre-Draft Camp

2008-06-02T22:38:00.000-07:00

If you have been following the NBA Pre-Draft camp these past few days you wont be surprised to hear that Malik Hairston has made considerable strides in his effort to solididfy getting drafted in this month's NBA Draft.

Reports out of Orlando where this year's camp is being held have said Hairston has cut about 20 pounds from his frame and is turning NBA Scouts and Executive's heads with his high basketball IQ and blue collar work ethic.

It is pretty much a given Hairston won't be drafted in the 1st round of the Draft unless he blows away a few teams in individual workouts that will start up in the next few days but after this week it is safe to say early 2nd round is very possible for the senior.

With Hairston only 21 his ceiling for his game hasn't been reached and now 20 pounds lighter and not playing the Power Forward spot and instead focusing on the shooting guard/small forward spots will allow Hairston a better chance of making an NBA roster and being a regular player on a team's rotation.

The latest news out of the NBA Pre-Draft Camp is that Hairston has been named to the Pre-Draft Camp 1st Team allong with Gary Forbes(Umass), Othello Harrington(Ohio State), Brian Roberts(Dayton), and Mike Taylor (Idaho Stampede NBDL).

Here is the recent article done by DraftExpress which is the best source for NBA Draft news.

A player no one fathomed would step foot on this setting (besides possibly
to conduct a physical) when he entered the NCAA four years ago as a top-10
player in an incredible class, Malik Hairston did a pretty good job reminding people in
Orlando why he was so highly regarded to begin with.

Smart, efficient, unselfish, skilled and sporting much sleeker physique
(credit Joe Abunassar for helping him lose 20 pounds) than he did two months
ago, Malik Hairston quietly, but effectively showed that he has
every right to be considered one of the top players at the pre-draft camp. His
court vision and all-around feel for the game was the most noticeable thing here
comparing him with other players, as he repeatedly found his teammates with
beautiful bounce passes off the dribble in every game he played in (even if for
some reason he wasn’t credited with at least a half-dozen assists in the
box-score).

His ball-handling skills look better than we remembered, as he’s extremely
effective picking his spots and blowing past his man with his surprising first
step, even if he tends to struggle a bit with his left hand and some of his
advanced moves. His excellent strength helps him out considerably in this area,
and he was getting much better lift elevating around the basket than we
recalled. He rarely turns the ball over, which is a big plus considering what
his role will be in the NBA.

Hairston is a good shooter, as evidenced by the 53% he shot from the field
and 43% from behind the arc at Oregon, even if he didn’t really make it a focal
point to show off NBA range here. He does a good job moving without the ball and
is capable of coming off short screens and getting his shot off. He’s extremely
dangerous with his feet set, but is just average at best shooting off the
dribble. To his credit, though, he knows how to pick his spots and rarely will
take bad shots. He will have to improve his mid-range game considerably if he
intends on becoming a legit offensive option for his team in the NBA.

Defensively, Hairston has good length and knows how to play solid on-ball
defense when he puts his mind to it. He has excellent timing and strength, but
is slightly undersized to play the small forward position, and doesn’t bring
fantastic lateral quickness to the table to compensate. He is also not the most
aggressive or aware player you’ll find in terms of his team defense.

Hairston probably didn’t blow anyone away with what he showed at the
pre-draft camp, and thus is still most likely a second round pick at this point,
but he did show that he clearly has what it takes to make it in the NBA,
particularly in terms of his aggressiveness, which has always been a question
mark. Teams aren’t going to have to teach him how to play basketball, and he
still has room to continue to improve on his all-around skill-level, as he’s a
very young senior at just age 21. He’ll never be the star he was once billed as,
but he definitely has a chance to be a very good role player.

Link

Ducks and Bulldogs Set Dates To Play

2008-06-02T18:45:00.000-07:00

The University of Georgia has added the University of Oregon to its football schedule for 2015 and 2016 according to an announcement by UGA Director of Athletics Damon Evans.

Georgia will travel to Eugene in 2015 while the Ducks will return to Athens in the 2016 season. Specific dates for the games have not been set. Georgia and Oregon have played only once - a 27-16 Bulldog win in Athens in 1977.

"This will bring another great intersectional series to our future schedules," said Evans. "Oregon has had some great teams and has a national reputation for outstanding football."

Getting a big name to come to Oregon has been a problem in the past because schools have viewed Oregon as a team thats dangerous to lose to and would hurt their own image in the college football world.

Recently however the view towards Oregon football has improved over the last 5 or so years that now allows a loss to the Ducks as a good loss and one that won't hurt a team's strength of schedule.

Thanks to www.Sicemdaws.com for providing us this good bit of information.

Video Dump

2008-05-31T14:03:00.000-07:00

Its spring/early summer and well not much is going on in the Duck football world so as any avid football fan looking for some kind of fix to pass the time should go and look on YouTube.com for some great clips of Oregon sports.

Now I love watching old plays to remember glory days in football but I also love watching clips of High School Recruits who are coming to Oregon in the fall to get an early jump on who might be that next big star for the Ducks down the road.

Here are a few highlight clips that were posted on Chat4Quacks which is one of the fastest growing message boards out there for Duck Fans.

Chris Harper QB FR

LaMichael James RB FR

Garrett Embry WR FR

Scott Grady DB/ATH FR

Moser Sheds Light On Rumor

2008-05-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

On Monday night KGW news of Portland ran a short story saying Mike Moser, a 2009 4* SF from Grant High school had committed to the University of Oregon. Tuesday morning I called the TV station to double check and reconfirm that what I had heard about Moser committing was true. KGW informed me they did in fact run the story and were sure Moser committed. Tuesday night Scout.com ran a story with Moser saying he wasn't committed to Oregon and was a tad confused about the reports.

I corrected my report Tuesday night and issued an apology about posting false information.

Late Wednesday night I was able to get a message from Mike Moser himself shedding some light onto this situation.

"It was frustrating. Just a big misunderstanding," said Moser, "I just want it to be known that I am still very much undecided. I had no idea high the station got the idea I was committed"

When asked if he was still interested in Oregon Moser said, "Yes I'm very interested in Oregon."

"Good coaches, up-tempo team, and early playing time are things I am looking for in a school," explained Moser.

Moser informed Ducks Attack he would like to decide on a school by fall.

Moser is a 4* recruit for both Rivals and Scout and has offers from Oregon, Oregon State, Washington, Washington State, Utah, Hawaii, Cal, Marquette, Indiana, Arizona, and Utah State.

Moser Not Committed

2008-05-27T23:16:00.000-07:00

eDuck.com got in touch with Mike Moser about the reported commitment on KGW news in Portland and the report I wrote earlier in the day. Moser has told Scout.com's Steve Summers he hasn't committed to Oregon but instead was just offered by Oregon.

I would like to apologize for the confusion and posting false information to all parties that were involved.

Sunday Recruiting Update

2008-05-25T12:14:00.001-07:00

Check out the link below that shows the map of offers the Oregon Duck football coaching staff has extended to high school Seniors to be in the past few months.

Recruiting Map Link

The staff offered 5 new recruits this past week and here they are:

1. Patrick White, a 6 foot 170 pound athlete with 4.49 speed out of Central High School in Pickerington, OH has been offered by the Duck coaching staff. White was a crucial player for the Tigers as they went deep into the playoffs. White is the son of former Ohio State Buckeye and West Virgina Mountaineer.

2. Bernard Bolden, a 5'10 175 pound Corner Back with 4.45 speed from Merced High School in Mercced, CA has been offered a scholarship this week from the Oregon Duck staff. Bolden had 560 yards rushing for 9 touchdowns and an average of 9.8 yards a carry. He also added 76 via the pass for 1 touchdown. On defense Bolden recorded 54 tackles and 4 INTs. Bolden has offers from Arizona, Arizona State, Cal, Colorado, Nebraska, Washington State, and Oregon.

3. Branden Smith, a 5'11 180 pound ATH from Washington High school in Atlanta, GA was offered by Oregon this week. He currently has offers from Florida, Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Michigan, Clemson, Oregon, West Virginia, and LSU. A weapon on offense, defense, and special teams, Smith is an electrifying athlete with the ball in his hands. He has the quickness and size to be a lockdown corner, but playing receiver is not out of the question. He's a dynamite punt returner that should see the ball even if he ends up on defense in college.

4. Richard Brehaurt, a 6'1 205 pound QB from Rancho Cucamonga, CA where he goes to school at Los Osos high school. During his 2007 junior season Brehaut passed for 2,348 yards and 22 touchdowns against eight picks. Completed 65% of his passes. Rushed for 528 yards and five touchdowns.As a sophomore in 2006, was 90-for-136 for 1,298 yards and eight touchdowns and rushed for 227 yards and seven touchdowns in eight games. Didn't start until game five of his sophomore season. Won the "Golden Arm" Accuracy Award at the Elite 11 Workout in Berkeley in May 2007.

5. Michael Schofield, a 6'6 270 pound OT that was a Tight End when he started in High school has been offered be the Ducks. SChofield plays at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park, IL. Started out as a TE for Orland Park but converted to tackle for his sophomore and junior seasons. Also is a hurdler on the track team. High rising Senior to Be in the midwest.

Top Plays In Mike Bellotti History

2008-05-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

About two weeks ago I did a blog post on the All Mike Bellotti football team on offense and defense and after going back through my posts I came up with the idea to compile a list of top plays in Oregon Football history under current Head Coach Mike Bellotti.

I have been working on this for a good amount of time and I am sure I am missing a few plays here and there that would stack up as equal or more important than the ones listed so make sure to comment on other plays that should make the list.

I will be including the 1994 season strictly because it has some of the biggest plays of all time in Oregon history.

20. Wesley Mallard's Big Ear Hole Hit vs Arizona in 2000.

19. Johnathan Stewart's First College Run in 2005

18. Jared Seigal's 59 yard FG vs UCLA in 1999

With the game being a classic boxing match Jared Seigal made a 59 yard field goal as time expired in the first half. It later turned out that his field goal was key as the Ducks won by 3.

17. Blair Phillips Blocks Oklahoma's attempt to win the game in 2006

With Oklahoma putting themselves in position to win the game in 2006 after the terrible mess up on the refs part earlier in the game Blair Phillips gets a hand on the ball and stops Oklahoma from winning the game.

16. Onterrio Shake and Bake For First Down in 2001

15. Sammie Parker Chatches 79 yard TD in Fiesta Bowl in 2001

14. Harrington to Peele for Game Tying TD with 27 Seconds left vs ASU in 2000

Harrington found TE Justin Peele for the game tying touchdown with 27 seconds left in the corner of the endzone. The Ducks were down all game and Harrington led the Ducks to one of the greatest comebacks of all time.

13. Fake Statue of Liberty Play by Dennis Dixon vs Michigan in 2007

12. The Pick 2: Matthew Harper's 2 Picks vs SC in 2007

11. Maurice Morris 49 yard run for TD vs Colorado in Fiesta Bowl 2001

10. Harrington TD catch from Howry in 2000 Holiday Bowl

Joey Harrington caught a pass in the corner of the field as he was falling forward for a game changing play. WR Howry ran on reverse but stopped short and threw a perfect money ball that fell right into the hands of QB Harrington.

9. UCLA Goaline Stand in 1995

The Ducks were trying to hold on to a slim lead as the Bruins were marching down the field for the game winning touchdown. With little time left on the clock the Bruins went for a touchdown and the Ducks held on a 4th down and secured the win.

8. "The Catch" Pat Johnson's game winning TD catch against UW in 1997.

7. Keith Lewis' blocked punt against Michigan in 2003

6. Josh Frankel's game winning FG VS SC 1999

With Joey Harrington taking out the starting kicker earlier in the game after a celebration Josh Frankel the walk-on came in and kicked the game winning FG against USC in triple overtime.

5. Harrington to Howry for GW TD vs Minnesota in Sun Bowl in1999

Joey Harrington to Keenan Howry for the game winning touchdown with less than 2 minutes to go in the 1999 sun bowl. The Ducks took the lead 24-2o and the defense held on to get the Ducks first bowl win in what would be 3 straight.

4. Wilcox TD vs Arizona in 1994

3. Keenan Howry Punt Return for TD vs Beavs in 2001

With the rain coming down like a monsoon the Ducks caught a break as it seemed like the Heavens opened up and the sun shown down just as the Beavers were punting the ball late in the game. Howry took the punt right back up the middle and scored the game winning touchdown.

2. Dino Philyaw's GW TD vs Beavs in 1994

Philyaw caught the pass inside Beaver territory and guided himself into the endzone for the game winning touchdown as the Ducks held on to beat the Beavers in the civil war and then propelled themselves into the Rose Bowl as Pac-10 champs.

1. The Pick in 1994

feel free to comment on my selections and also give me your own plays that should be included. Keep in mind this is a list compiled during the Mike Bellotti era.

Ex-Ducks To Partake In NBA Draft Camp

2008-05-22T20:48:00.000-07:00

Malik Hairston, Maarty Leunen, and Bryce Taylor have all been invited to be in the NBA Pre-Draft camp at Disney’s Wide World of Sports Complex outside of Orlando, Florida on May 27th through May 3oth.

The NBA Pre-Draft camp is the only official camp organized and run by the NBA. It is open to NCAA seniors, underclassmen, International players, and anyone else eligible for this year's draft.

64 players (give or take a few) fighting for some of the spots in the 20-60 range of the NBA draft will be participating in drills, scrimmages, official games, and the combine in Orlando. Also, around 17-20 “physical only” invitees will be in attendance, for measurements, a full physical, a fantastic media session, and some basic drills on the last day of the camp.

The players will also conduct Anthropometric/strength testing, have their blood and urine tested, meet with the players association, and do various other things immediately following the conclusion of the camp on the 31st.

All 30 teams will be represented by virtually their entire front office and coaching staffs, creating a who’s who of former star players, and making this a can’t miss networking opportunity for those trying to break into the business. Numerous national media types, international coaches and GMs, and many other basketball personalities will also be present.

The Rosters are as followed:

TEAM ONE:

Ty Lawson
Jeremy Pargo
Bill Walker
Richard Roby
Jerel McNeal
Danny Green
Richard Hendrix
Kentrell Gransberry
Patrick Ewing Jr
Nathan Jawai
Trent Plaisted

TEAM TWO:

Mario Chalmers
George Tsintsadze
J.R. Giddens
Gary Forbes
DeMarcus Nelson
Keith Brumbaugh
J.J. Hickson
Darnell Jackson
Othello Hunter
Jason Thompson
John Riek

TEAM THREE:

Lester Hudson
Mike Taylor
Shan Foster
Sonny Weems
Reggie Williams
Malik Hairston
Kyle Hines
D.J. White
James Mays
Aleks Maric

TEAM FOUR:

Jamont Gordon
Mike Green
Courtney Lee
Antonio Anderson
Bryce Taylor
Pat Calathes
Joey Dorsey
Robert Dozier
Frank Elegar
Robin Lopez
David Padgett

TEAM FIVE:

Mantas Kalnietis
Jamar Butler
Brandon Rush
Kyle Weaver
Joe Crawford
Ryan Anderson
James Gist
Luc Richard Mbah A Moute
Sasha Kaun
Peja Samardziski
C.J. Giles

TEAM SIX:

Anton Ponkrashov
Sean Singletary
Joe Alexander
Wayne Ellington
Mark Tyndale
Davon Jefferson
Josh Duncan
Derrick Caracter
DeVon Hardin
Maarty Leunen

Information courtesy of draftexpress.com

Ducks Attack Joins Sports Idol

2008-05-22T12:49:00.000-07:00

I am sure some of you readers have noticed the lack of posting on my blog these past few days and have wondered why.

Well some of it is due to the point that it is spring and there aren't many sporting events going on besides the Track team winning the Pac-10 title and now going to Regionals and hopefully Nationals.

I have also been asked to join 1320 "The Score" Sports Idol show on the radio here in the Eugene/Springfield area as their blogger for the show. So I have been busy working with Justin the show's host and Joey the shows producer and trying to work myself into their show and pace.

There are some things I am working on however that I will be posting down the road.

Recruiting Map will be coming out Friday morning and I am also working on catching up with a former Duck basketball player and seeing how things are going with him.

Thanks for checking in and I hope to have you readers back for another time.