Oregon guard Brennan Rigsby could make season debut for Ducks this week

On3 imageby:Jarrid Denney11/30/22

jarrid_denney

Injuries have told the story of Oregon’s 2022-23 season thus far.

The Ducks entered the year with a reloaded roster that featured a mix of uber-talented freshmen and a handful of impact transfers. But Dana Altman’s group has been decimated by both short- and long-term injuries through the first month of the campaign.

Only four Ducks have played in all seven games this season — Will Richardson, Quincy Guerrier, Rivaldo Soares, and Kel’el Ware.

N’Faly Dante, Nate Bittle, Tyrone Williams, Lok Wur, and Keeshawn Barthelemy have all been in and out of the lineup due to injury, while Ethan Butler, Brennan Rigsby, and Jermaine Cousinard have yet to play this season.

During the Ducks’ win over Villanova at the PK85 Invitational on Sunday, Altman had just six scholarship players available. He started walk-on Gabe Reichle at guard alongside Richardson.

Help is potentially on the way, though. Oregon could get at least one player back this week when it kicks off Pac-12 play against Washington State on Thursday.

“I’m hoping Brennan,” Altman said on Tuesday when asked if the Ducks might get any injured players back this week. “This was the first day he practiced — he did some live stuff today at the end of practice.

“This is the first time in a month. So, I hope he’ll make a little more progress (Wednesday) and be able to give us a few minutes.”

Rigsby, a 6-foot-3, 180-pound sophomore who transferred in from Northwest Florida State College during the offseason, could provide a major boost for an Oregon team that is sorely lacking both athleticism and long-range shooting at the moment.

But Altman is tempering expectations for what Rigsby might be able to contribute immediately.

“He’s been out for a long time,” Altman said. “Just give us a few minutes to start getting him comfortable. It’s gonna take time; I keep telling the guys that we practice for a reason.

“If you take a month off, you’re not gonna be really sharp. It’s gonna be a little up and down here for a while.”

Oregon is also hoping to get Dante, its star center, back relatively soon. He missed the Ducks’ Sunday win over Villanova as he was in concussion protocol.

Altman said Dante is day-to-day at this point. He also said Guerrier was “out” during Tuesday’s practice.

The Ducks (3-4) are set to open conference play against a Washington State squad that is 3-2 on the season and recently notched a 96-54 win over Detroit Mercy.

Altman noted that the Cougars have three players shooting greater than 50% from three-point range on the season.

“We’re just gonna have to locate those guys and do a great job,” Altman said. “But anytime you’ve got three guys shooting — as a team, they’re shooting better from three than two, that’s very rare — you’ve really gotta push out.”

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