by Brian Mahuna, DSH basketball columnist
Mike Moser #0
The 6’8” Power Forward from Portland, Oregon is playing for his 3rd team in five years of collegiate athletics. As a senior for Portland’s Grant High School Moser tantalized scouts with length, fluidity, and explosive athleticism. After an unsuccessful campaign as a freshman at UCLA Moser transferred to UNLV where he turned into one of the premier rebounding big men in the country. He led the Mountain West in rebounding during the 2011-12 season and was an Honorable Mention All-American.
For Moser, his biggest strength is simply being able to find the ball in traffic. He’s a Small Ball 4-man, not proficient with his back to the basket but certainly not weak at it either. He is at his best running the floor at the front of a break, getting position and getting easy buckets. He has a knack for reading where the ball might come off of the rim and works extremely hard to be in position to snatch the ball down for his team. Moser has shown that he is capable from beyond the three point line.
His career percentage isn’t fabulous, somewhere in the ball park of 24%. 2011-12 was Moser best season as a collegian, averaging 14 points and 10.5 rebounds a game Moser was the ultimate weapon for the Rebels making 33% from deep all while playing 31 plus minutes a game. Last season was a rough one for Moser. He battled injuries all season, and saw his minutes diminish greatly. His minutes were cut not only because of injuries however. The Rebels were debuting their new freshman phenom Anthony Bennett. Bennett who played the same position as Moser offered a bigger body and a more versatile scoring threat than Moser who seemingly took a back seat when injuries became a problem (Chris Pietsch, Eugene Register-Guard photo).
Now Moser comes to Eugene. Healthy, and as explosive as ever, Moser looks to bring a veteran presence to a team that is coming off of a great run in the NCAA Tournament. Already in one game Moser tallied 15 points and 7 rebounds and 6 steals while chipping in a blocked shot as well. His length and athleticism will make him a force on the defensive end and a great addition to a Duck’s team on the rise in the national picture.
Dominic Artis #1
One of three true freshman to suit up for the Ducks last season, Artis found his niche early on as the Duck’s point guard. The 6’1” San Fran native brings a silky smooth jump shot mixed with great court vision and the ability to handle to ball in traffic. Artis also defends his position well, averaging a steal and a half a game. Exactly what you want to see in a point guard. Artis shined during the Duck’s biggest games as no moment seemed too big for the highly touted freshman who played his High School ball at the lauded Findlay Prep. Artis scored 14 points and had a career high 6 assists against UCLA.
Artis was responsible to helping orchestrate a run into the Sweet 16 last season, scoring 13 points and swiping away four steals against the Oklahoma State Cowboys in the first round. Artis would bounce back from a poor showing in their second tournament game to score 12 points and nab another steal against the top ranked Louisville Cardinals.
Artis missed 9 games a year ago with an injury and will miss the first 9 games of this season for violating NCAA rules and selling team issued shoes. Artis will be miss during those 9 games and will be welcomed back when the Duck’s take the court against UC Irvine on December 17.
Arik Armstead #2
The Duck football standout that everyone should already be familiar with on the gridiron should get his first chance to play as a ‘Redshirt Freshman’ for the Ducks basketball this season when the football season comes to a close.
Armstead is something of an athletic freak. A 6’8” monster at 280 pounds, Arik plays with a fluidity rarely seen in men his size. He brings an bruising inside presence with a soft touch from the perimeter. He has the strength to manhandle just about anybody in the paint and I expect to see this Defensive Line star take the court and make an immediate impact even if it is only for limited minutes. He is very agile for someone his size and showcases very good footwork in the post. His moves are decisive and when pressed he takes contact very well and fights through it showing good finishing ability.
It could be the start of a Jordan Kent type career for Arik who can excel in more than one sport, on the gridiron as well as on the court. I expect Armstead to join the team somewhere in mid January after football has finished wrapping up it’s (hopefully, BCS) bowl game.
Joseph Young #3
Gunner. The 6’2” scoring guard played two season’s at Houston before making his way to Eugene. During his time there Young lit up opposing defenses to the tune of 18 points per game last season. He shot over 40% from deep and was often called upon to be a play maker for the Cougars either with scoring, or passing, averaging two and a half assists a game, a respectable number for someone who averages nearly 13 shots a game.
Young offers a mix of size, quickness and deadly skills. He has a lot of lift on his jump shot mixed with a high release, making it tough for a recovering defender to contest with any real effectiveness. He is adept at creating space for his shots and can score the ball from awkward positions both on the ground and in the air. He’s the total package scorer that Oregon has been looking for since Aaron Brooks led the Ducks to the Elite 8.In his Duck Debut, Young lit up a reeling Georgetown squad for 24 points and added 5 rebounds from his guard position. When his shots from the field weren’t falling at their usual rate he took to drawing fouls, and his team benefited from it immensely. Young nailed a perfect 12 out of 12 free throws to seal the deal on a great night overseas.
Johnathan Loyd #10
One of Oregon’s senior leaders Johnathan Loyd brings experience, toughness and leadership to the Ducks. Built similar to former Pac-12 standouts Isiah Thomas, and Tajuan Porter, Loyd is a point guard on the smaller side that plays much bigger than his 5’8” height would suggest. Loyd is a pure point guard focused on setting his teammates up and running the Oregon attack. Loyd has never been a prolific scorer, never eclipsing 40% shooting from the field in all three of the previous seasons. But what Johnathan lacks in scoring, he makes up for on the defensive end totaling at least 31 steals in every season, including a career high 51 last season.
He’s the perfect compliment to a guard like Young who can flat out score. If Young’s minutes are better spent gunning on offense, Loyd can step in and guard his position for him. He’s an excellent defender with quick, active hands that give other ball handlers fits. Loyd may not start some games, but his presence on the defensive end will mean that he will finish games more often than not.In the season opener against Georgetown, Loyd was perfect from the field and 4 of 6 from the free throw line. He totaled 9 points but also dished out 7 assists and grabbed 2 rebounds all in 29 minutes for the Ducks as their primary ball handler.
Jason Calliste #12
Another Do-It-All guard for the Ducks transferred to Eugene for his final season from Detroit. Last season for the Detroit Titans Calliste averaged over 14 points a game as well as over 3 rebounds and 3 assists per contest. Jason is one of those gritty performers that every team wants on their side. He has a great fundamentally sound jump shot always smooth in his release and with hardly ever any wasted motions. He moved great without the ball and if he’s got his feet set with any kind of room.. Butter.
His growth as a scorer is evident when looking at his percentage from the free throw line throughout his career. Last season Calliste shot a career high 163 free throws 60 more than he shot as a freshman and 26 more than he shot the season before last. In those two years Calliste shot 68% as a freshman and 76% as a sophmore, solid percentages for a college guard, but Jason’s free throw percentage last season was a magnificent 83.4% percent, showing growth not only mentally but physically. His work ethic to be able to improve as steadily as he has is a great sign for Duck fans.In his debut Calliste didn’t shoot the ball great from the field, but proved once again how important free throws can be, connecting on a perfect 11 of 11. He showed the versatility that Oregon fans were hoping he’d bring with him from Detroit, handing out 3 helpers and doing his part in cleaning up the glass with 3 boards.
Richard Amardi #13
The 6’8” Amardi is one of the more intriguing players to transfer to the Ducks for his final season. He possesses great length and is built more solidly than the other 6’8” transfer in Moser. Amardi weighs in a shade over 220 whereas Moser is listed closer to 210. During his JuCo days Amardi averaged over 13 points and nearly 10 rebounds at Weatherford Junior College before a problem with his Visa sent him back to Canada where he is originally from. After a year off Amardi transferred to another JuCo, Indian Hills Community College where he was averaging nearly 9 points and 5 rebounds.
Richard is an athletic small ball forward that shows very good tough from mid range and freakish athleticism when pursing the ball in the air. He possesses a very strong face up game in the post, abusing slower defenders with quick rip through attacks and does a fantastic job finishing at the rim. He’s a very opportunistic rebounder. Not the cerebral, position finding rebounder that Moser is, but possibly more athletic. A very quick jumper, much like Amare Stoudemire, Amardi can take a shot, land, and as quick as his feet touch the ground he’s back up again near the rim to tip it in should it come off.At 6’8”, Amardi’s ability to shoot from mid range will be an added bonus to a team laden with shooting and pure scorers. His athleticism should benefit the Ducks greatly on the defensive end contesting shots, protecting the rim, and rebounding. In his debut, Amardi played a solid 26 minutes, totaling 7 points, two of which came on a rim rocking jam off a feed from Johnathan Lord. He also grabbed 4 rebounds, had a block and a steal before fouling out in the second half.
Waverly Austin #20
The tallest player the Ducks have, Waverly Austin is a big body inside that provides shot blocking and rebounding. He’s an athletic big man, nearly 7 feet tall, long and weighing in at almost 260 he’s an imposing rim protector that finished last season with 29 blocks, second on the team, and nearly 100 rebounds in only 11 minutes a game.
He’s a raw talent, being as big as he is, it’s easy to throw him under the bus and question his skills offensively. But Austin’s role in the Ducks’ system isn’t to be a back to the basket scorer, but instead to defend his position, protect the rim, and rebound the basketball.
In the season opener, Austin was in foul trouble early and eventually fouled out after only playing 9 minutes. Against teams with a better inside presence, the Ducks will need Austin to provide them with consistent, foul free minutes against the opposing bigs.
Damyean Dotson #21
The second of three true freshman to play for the Ducks last season, Dotson is a rare mix of size and skill that will see his future at the next level be fully realized should he take the next step in his progression as a scoring guard. At 6’5” and nearly 210 pounds, Damyean has next level measurements for an NBA two guard. He has great form on his jumper, rising above defenders with a high release. One thing Dotson is underrated at is his ability to finish with bodies around him. He’s a very crafty and intelligent player on the inside with a high basketball IQ when it comes to making good decisions.
Last season Dotson came up big in some of the biggest moments, including a 23 point outburst against Saint Louis where he drilled 5 of 6 shots from beyond the arc. And he’s an underrated rebounder as well, bringing in almost 4 a game as a true freshman last season. One thing Dotson needs to work on is his consistency. There were a few games here and there where Dotson wasn’t really impacting the game in any way. He has the physical gifts, the talent and the drive, and he’s on step away from taking it all to the next level. The key for him is to stay relevent from game to game, don’t disappear, and make sure your presence is felt. He doesn’t have to score the ball great every night, Oregon has players to fill the shot chart, but he just needs to make sure that his name is brough up in the post game report for something positive. For example; In the season opener Dotson struggled from the field shooting the ball. But he made an impact by hauling in 8 rebounds and drawing fouls. His shot was off all night, as he only converted 5 of 9 attempts from the charity stripe, but those fouls put the Hoyas into foul trouble, leading to Bonus and Double Bonus situations, allowing guys like Young and Calliste to get to the line a combined 23 times and turn those chances into easy baskets.
Elgin Cook #23
Elgin Cook is another extremely athletic transfer from Northwest Florida State. Cook is a dynamic athlete and at 6’6” reminds me of a young Rudy Gay. Watching Cook play, I’m struck by how he seemingly glides through the games. He is a smooth customer with the ball in his hands possessing a wide array of moves to get from the wing to the cup with ease.
He’s a dynamic athlete at the small forward position with the ability to score the ball off the dribble, coming off of screens, and spotting up. His athleticism allows him to twist and turn in the air to avoid shot blockers and still finish is traffic as well as defend his position with great effectiveness. Here is his stat line from last season where he was a first team All Panhandle player for the NJCAA national championship runner up team. 14.9 points, 6 rebounds, 1.9 assists, 1.3 steals and 1 block per game. Cook is a complete player. Possessing size, speed, and skill. And he can be a force for the Ducks this season.Cook’s debut however was lackluster. Only playing 11 minutes, Cook finished with only 4 points but grabbed 4 rebounds. He also finished with 3 fouls. It is more than likely the play of Calliste and Young, with Dotson making noise on the boards was too much for Coach Altman to go away from in a close game with the Hoyas, but I fully expect Cook to make a big impact this season.
Ben Carter #32
The third and final true freshman to make appearances for the Ducks last season is Ben Carter, a 6’8” forward from Bishop Gorman high school in Las Vegas. Carter was a high school teammate of Shabazz Muhammad and was overshadowed a bit by that but he is most definitely deserving of his role with the Ducks. Carter has the size you want from a college four man, 6’8” around 220 pounds, he has that sneaky sort of athleticism that you see from some players. They don’t look the part but can do some things that make you say… Hmm. He has good skills down in the paint, very good feet but struggled to finish against tough defense as a true freshman last year. For someone who spends a lot of time near the hoop you look for their field goal percentage to be closer to 50%, but Carter’s was right around 38.5%, only converting 27-70 shots on the season.
Carter only saw close to 10 minutes a game last season. And with the addition of Moser and Armadi, I havent seen enough of Carter to warrant him taking the minutes away from those two. But of course, since we haven’t seen his progression in the off season, and he has 8 more games to sit, it will be hard to tell if he’s capable until December. Carter, along with Artis, was involved in the shoe selling scheme and is serving the nine game suspension. He didn’t make the trip to Korea with the team for the armed forces classic and will be able to play again in December when the Ducks play UC Irvine.
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