university of oregon ducks mens basketball

Once it was confirmed that Oregon Men’s Basketball was brining back Nate Bittle, Jackson Shelstad, and Kwame Evans, fans knew they had a solid base to build upon for the 2025-26 season.

The question then became, who to fill the remaining holes with.

Over the last 15 years, head coach Dana Altman has been stellar at doing just that, utilizing the Transfer Portal to his advantage long before it was so main stream to do so.

This month, he filled a big gap at the Center position by reeling in 7-foot Nigerian Ege Demir. Initially recruited to play at UCLA, Demir didn’t qualify due to lower than desired English test scores.

After playing in Turkey for three years, Demir has developed into a reliable big, one that will give Bittle some much needed rest throughout the season. Last year, Oregon utilized Supreme Cook at backup Center, who at 6’8” wasn’t your prototypical big.

At 7-foot with a 7’3” wingspan and 9’3” reach, Demir fits the bill of another true five.

There was also the task of replacing the production of TJ Bamba and Jadrian Tracey.

For that, Altman turned to transfers Sean Stewart and Devon Pryor. Stewart, who transferred in from Ohio State, provides even more size and depth in the frontcourt at a sturdy 6’9” and 220 pounds.

Averaging six points and six boards a game while shooting 54 percent, Stewart is an ideal backup to Evans.

With averages of three points and two rebounds, the 6’7” Pryor doesn’t quite match Bamba’s production on paper, but provides the needed middle ground at the three and should be a solid backup to expected starter Dezdrick Lindsay, who missed last season due to injury.

Finally, there was the difficult task of bolstering the guard position after mainstay Keeshawn Barthelemy graduated.

Shelstad will undoubtedly be more effective than ever, but playing alongside Barthelemy and Jermaine Couisnard the year prior gave him some cushioning should he fall on the wrong side of a hot/cold streak, which he’s been prone to.

Enter Elon transfer TK Simpkins, who averaged 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, and shot a reasonable 37 percent from beyond the arc. At 6’4”, Simpkins can be somewhat of a hybrid guard while the smaller Shelstad mans the point.

To solidify the guard rotation, Altman picked up 3-Star recruit JJ Frakes, who should be able to stretch the floor fairly well with a 45 percent shooting percentage from the floor and 36 percent from deep.

Jamari Phillips, who appeared in 14 games for Oregon last season, is returning for his sophomore campaign. Somewhat of a hybrid himself, Phillips should be a viable option at the two in any given situation.