Oregon a Final Four Pick Helped By Canadian Talent

Last season the University of Oregon won the Pac-12 title and earned a No.1 seed in the NCAA tournament. The Ducks reached the Elite 8, defeating Duke in the regional semifinals and losing to Oklahoma and Buddy Hield in the regional finals. They lost two important pieces in 6-6 Elgin Cook and 6-7 Dwayne Benjamin. However, this year Oregon is once again picked to top the conference in most preseason predictions and are also a trendy Final Four pick. A trio of Canadian imports, 6-7 junior Dillon Brooks, 6-10 senior Chris Boucher and 6-2 senior Dylan Ennis all are expected to be important parts of Oregon’s projected success. Two other international players, 6-10 junior college transfer Kavell Bigby-Williams (England) and 6-10 junior Roman Sorkin (Israel) will help provide depth inside. Brooks is the centerpiece who will fuel Oregon’s run for the title. Brooks, along with 6-4 Tyler Dorsey, both declared for the NBA Draft this past summer with both pulling out of the draft and returning to school. Brooks matured significantly in his sophomore year both from a leadership and performance standpoint as well as physically. He led the Ducks last season in scoring (16.7 ppg) and in assists (3.1 apg) and was second in rebounding (5.1 rpg). He was noticeably stronger last season and clearly reduced his body fat appreciably. He has improved his three point shooting (33.8 percent), is an excellent mid-range shooter and can utilize his strength to get to the basket and score some inside. Brooks is clearly the teams leader on the floor and will invariably have the ball in his hands to make the right decision at important parts of the game. He’s Oregon first preseason first team All-America. Brooks suffered a foot injury in the summer and will be brought back to action gradually early this season. Brooks will likely be back in action by the time the team heads to Hawaii for the Maui Invitational. The Ducks will need Brooks at his best to advance as far as they are projected. Boucher has a great story, moving with his family from the island of St. Lucia to Montreal. He started playing basketball late and had no organized experience when he was discovered when he was 19 years old by Igor Rwigema at a local tournament. Boucher went to play for Rwigema at Quebec’s Alma Academy and subsequently created quite a impression at the National Prep School Invitational in Rhode Island, where he was named the Most Outstanding Player at the event. At that time Boucher clearly did not have the academic background to qualify at an NCAA school so he wound up attending two junior colleges, eventually being named the NJCAA Player of the Year. Looking at Boucher’s frame (6-10 and 195 pounds) you wonder how he can defend against interior Pac-12 bigs. But he does, helped by exceptional shot blocking ability (110 blocks last season) and a 7-3 wingspan. Boucher can also confound defenders by stepping out and hitting three-pointers. He […]

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