Oregon star center N'Faly Dante out for Ducks' showdown with Tennessee State
Oregon will once again be without its star big man when it hosts Tennessee State at Matthew Knight Arena Friday evening.
The Ducks’ all-conference center, N’Faly Dante, did not go through pre-game warmups on Friday and will miss his second straight game.
On Tuesday, Oregon head coach Dana Altman said Dante had some swelling in his knee and had an appointment that afternoon. While speaking with reporters, he was still waiting on results from UO’s trainers.
Dante played in Oregon’s season-opening win over Georiga and led the Ducks with 16 points and 21 rebounds in 27 minutes. But he was sidelined for last Friday’s win over Montana.
“He was all-conference last year,” Altman said. “He got almost 14 points, nine rebounds a game for us last year and he got double-teamed every time he touched it. He shot 62%. He’s a good basketball player. He’s tough. He’s hard-nosed. Guys love him. He’s all about the team. He’s a really good player, that’s why he’s one of the top 50 nominated for the Wooden Award, he deserves that. I think he, on the West Coast, is one of the best centers in our league obviously and really important, good player.”
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Senior guard Jesse Zarzuela, who transferred in from Central Michigan during the offseason, is making a healthy return for the Ducks on Friday after missing the Montana game. He started Oregon’s season-opener.
Oregon will also be without freshman point guard Jackson Shelstad, who has yet to play this season due to a knee injury. Freshman forward Mookie Cook is expected to be out until late December after undergoing ankle surgery last month.
Altman said both Shedlstad and Cook will travel with the Ducks when they depart for Florida, where they will face Florida A&M next Monday and then take part in the Emerald Coast Classic.
