Oregon lands high-scoring transfer Joseph Young and hopes to get him eligible immediately
Oregon received a late boost last summer when it landed one-year transfer Arsalan Kazemi to plug a hole in its frontcourt.
It's possible Houston transfer Joseph Young could do the same for next season's backcourt if he's able to get eligible immediately.
Young, Houston's leading scorer last season, canceled all his visits to other schools and committed to Oregon on Friday, according to multiple reports. He'll have a chance to seek a waiver to play right away based on the precedent the NCAA set last year when it granted Trey Zeigler that right after he left Central Michigan when the school fired his dad as head coach.
It's always dangerous to rely on the NCAA to follow precedents, but there are similarities between Young's departure at Houston and Zeigler's at Central Michigan. Young left Houston earlier this month when his father refused reassignment, opting to quit his job rather than accept a demotion from director of basketball operations to a community service role.
Whenever Young becomes eligible in Eugene, whether that's as a redshirt junior for the 2013-14 season or as a redshirt senior the following year, his scoring ability will help the Ducks. The former top 100 recruit averaged a team-high 18.0 points per game and shot 42.5 percent from behind the arc last season as a sophomore, leading Houston to a solid 20-13 season.
If Young were to beat the odds and play next season, the possibilities are tantalizing for the Ducks.
They could start a backcourt of Dominic Artis, Young and Damyean Dotson with UNLV transfer Mike Moser and returning forward Ben Carter in the frontcourt. They'll still miss the toughness and rebounding Kazemi and Tony Woods provided, but that's a talented enough unit to challenge Arizona for the Pac-12 crown and make another run in the NCAA tournament.
If Young cannot play until the following year, then outside shooting is not such a strength for next season's team. Regardless, Oregon coach Dana Altman continues to find transfers capable of helping his program sustain its success.
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