Oregon men’s basketball all-time roster: Duck Legends
We are gearing up for one of the most electric and entertaining times of the year in the world of sports, with the annual NCAA Tournament just around the corner.
While the Oregon Ducks are unlikely to be in the mix this year after a disappointing 2023 season has left the team with a path to the NIT instead, Duck fans are familiar with March Madness after a handful of deep runs over the past couple of decades.
So what would an all-time Oregon Ducks roster look like? Here at Ducks Wire, we decided to find out, choosing one coach, two assistants, and 10 players to make up the all-time roster.
Head Coach: Dana Altman (2010-Present)
In his coaching career at Creighton, Kansas State, Marshall, and Oregon, Dana Altman has been to 15 NCAA Tournaments and was the 24th coach to ever reach the 700-win mark. Altman is the only Oregon coach to win 300 games.
Assistant Coach: Mark Turgeon (1992-1997)
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After his stint as the assistant coach at Oregon, Mark Turgeon went on to work with the Philadelphia 76ers before starting his head coaching career. Turgeon spent 7 years as the HC at Witchita State, 4 years at Texas A&M, and then 11 years at Maryland, where he was named Big Ten Coach of the Year in 2015 and made 5 NCAA Tournament appearances.
Assistant Coach: Tad Boyle (1994-1997)
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Tad Boyle started his college coaching career at Oregon, where he was an assistant for 4 seasons. He went on to work as an assistant at Tennessee, Jacksonville State, and Witchita State before becoming the head coach of the Colorado Buffaloes in 2010, where he still coaches now. Boyle has made 5 NCAA Tournament appearances with Colorado.
Ron Lee: Starting Guard (1972-1976)
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Total Games Played: 112
Career Points: 2,085 (1st in UO history)
Career Rebounds: 580
Career Assists: 543 (3rd in UO history)
Career Average: 18.6 PTS | 5.2 REB | 4.8 AST
Analysis: The only player in Oregon history to score more than 2,000 career points and one of the leaders of the basketball phenomenon known as “The Kamikaze Kids.” You could argue Ron Lee is the greatest Duck of all time and likely does not get much pushback. He ranks first in career points, third in career assists, and is a three-time All-American selection.
In 1976, Lee was drafted by the Phoenix Suns as the 10th pick in the draft. To this day, he is one of only seven Ducks to have his jersey — No. 30 — retired.
Payton Pritchard: Starting Guard (2016-2020)
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Total Games Played: 144
Career Points: 1,938 (4th in UO history)
Career Rebounds: 550
Career Assists: 659 (1st in UO history)
Career Average: 13.5 PTS |3.8 REB | 4.6 AST
Analysis: Some of you may be surprised by this selection, and say that Payton Pritchard is on this list mainly due to recency bias. When you look at his career stats though, it’s hard to deny he belongs: fourth in career points, and first in career assists. Those numbers are more impressive when you consider he was one point shy of third place on the list. Pritchard had a decorated college career, during which he was the Pac-12 Player of the Year and a first-team All-American in 2020.
He received the Bob Cousy Award in 2020 but unfortunately had his final season cut short due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There is a common thought the Ducks were primed for a deep run in that tournament, which could have added to Pritchard’s trophy case. Pritchard was drafted by the Boston Celtics with the No. 26 pick in 2020.
Luke Jackson: Starting Forward (2000-2004)
(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)Total Games Played: 126
Career Points: 1,970 (2nd in UO history)
Career Rebounds: 746 (8th in UO history)
Career Assists: 424 (7th in UO history)
Career Average: 15.6 PTS | 5.9 REB | 3.4 AST
Analysis: It may be considered cheating a tiny bit, but we are going to deploy Luke Jackson as a small forward for this exercise. You just can’t keep him out of the starting lineup. If you’re going to argue that Ron Lee is the best Oregon player of all time, Luke Jackson may be the only candidate that could offer some pushback.
Jackson is the only player in Oregon history to rank inside the school’s top 10 in points (2nd), rebounds (8th), and assists (7th). As half of the famous “Luke-to-Luke” combo in the early 2000s, Jackson helped lead the Ducks to an Elite Eight appearance in 2002, and he will go down as one of the best Ducks of all time.
He was drafted by the Cleveland Cavaliers with the 10th pick in 2004.
Greg Ballard: Starting Forward (1973-1977)
(AP Photo/Gene Puskar)
Total Games Played: 115
Career Points: 1,829 (4th in UO history)
Career Rebounds: 1,119 (1st in UO history)
Career Assists: 220
Career Average: 15.9 PTS | 9.7 REB | 1.9 AST
Analysis: The anchor of the “Kamizake Kids,” Greg Ballard was among the best big-men in Oregon history, grabbing a school-record 1,119 career rebounds. Ballard was a force in the paint. He is fourth in career points and holds the Oregon single-game scoring record (43).
The four-year starter was the fourth pick in the 1977 NBA draft, taken by the Washington Bullets. As a rookie, he won the 1978 NBA title with the Bullets.
Stan Love: Starting Center (1968-1971)
(AP Photo/Rusty Kennedy)
Total Games Played: 78
Career Points: 1,644 (Tied 8th in UO history)
Career Rebounds: 818 (6th in UO history)
Career Assists: N/A
Career Average: 21.1 PTS | 10.5 REB | N/A
Analysis: You don’t usually think of big men as the most prolific scorers in the sport, but for the Ducks, Stan Love is in consideration for that honor. To this day, he remains the only player to average more than 20 points per game in consecutive seasons, and he ranks inside the top 10 for both points and rebounds in school history.
Love was the ninth overall pick in the 1971 NBA draft; he was selected by the Baltimore Bullets.
Luke Ridnour: Reserve Guard (2000-2003)
(Photo by Jeff Gross/Getty Images)
Total Games Played: 96
Career Points: 1,399
Career Rebounds: 285
Career Assists: 500 (4th in UO history)
Career Average: 14.6 PTS | 3.0 REB | 5.2 AST
Analysis: I have to admit when I started this project of identifying the five best players in Oregon history, I jotted down a few names I knew would be on the list before diving into the stats. Luke Ridnour was the first name I wrote down. The legend is there, but, unfortunately, the stats don’t stand up with the others on this list. If you want to argue he should be on the starting five, I absolutely will not fault you.
He’s among the best players to ever wear an Oregon uniform, and it hurt me to drop him to the all-time reserve category. As part of the 2002 team that made it to the Elite 8, this half of “Luke-to-Luke” will forever be a member of Ducks lore.
Terrell Brandon: Reserve Guard (1989-1991)
Total Games Played: 57
Career Points: 1,263
Career Rebounds: 207
Career Assists: 315 (10th in UO history)
Career Average: 22.2 PTS | 3.6 REB | 5.5 AST
Analysis: Had Terrell Brandon had a bigger sample size at Oregon, there’s almost no question he would be higher on this list. However, he played just two seasons, appearing in only 57 games. Despite that, he certainly made a splash when on the court, averaging 22.2 points per game in his two years and scoring the most points in a single season with the Ducks (745, tied with Joseph Young).
In his junior year, Brandon had 8 30-point games and accomplished the improbable feat of being named Pac-10 Player of the Year on a team that didn’t even make the NIT. Brandon is also at the No. 10 spot for career assists with 315 in his two seasons.
Dillon Brooks: Reserve Forward (2014-2017)
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Total Games Played: 109
Career Points: 1,612
Career Rebounds: 495
Career Assists: 279
Career Average: 14.8 PTS | 4.5 REB | 2.6 AST
Analysis: If we were doing a starting five of the best Oregon players since the turn of the century, Dillon Brooks would certainly be on the list. During his time with the Ducks, Brooks was the heart and soul of the team, helping lead Oregon to appearances in the Elite Eight and Final Four in his final two seasons in Eugene.
Brooks was named the Pac-12 Player of the Year in 2017, and was drafted by the Houston Rockets in the second round of the 2017 NBA draft.
Malik Hairston: Reserve Forward (2004-2008)
(Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
Total Games Played: 117
Career Points: 1,644 (Tied 8th in UO history)
Career Rebounds: 598
Career Assists: 244
Career Average: 14.1 PTS | 5.1 REB | 2.1 AST
Analysis: Malik Hairston had injuries slow his career at Oregon, but he was an integral piece to the 2007 Elite Eight run, alongside Maarty Leunen and Bryce Taylor. His career points rank tied for eighth in Oregon school history, and his rebounds and assists were not far outside of the top 10 either.
Hairston was drafted by the Phoenix Suns in the second round of the 2008 draft.
Blair Rasmussen: Reserve Center (1981-1985)
(AP Photo/Charles Kelly)
Total Games Played: 114
Career Points: 1,554
Career Rebounds: 673
Career Assists: 105
Career Average: 13.6 PTS | 5.9 REB | 0.9 AST
Analysis: Blair Rasmussen’s career stats don’t jump off the page, but he is in the conversation for the best centers to play at Oregon. The three-time all-conference selection is fourth on the career blocks list and has the second-highest in-game total (8).
The eight-year NBA veteran is also among the school’s all-time scoring and field-goal percentage leaders.
