Reuters – USA TODAY Sports
The No. 19 Oregon Ducks traveled to South Korea to open up the season against the Georgetown Hoyas in a tough non-conference matchup. The game looked to get even tougher for the Ducks when they announced that both Dominic Artis and Ben Carter would be suspended indefinitely after selling team shoes. But Dana Altman found the right mix with the players he had available and got the Ducks to an 82-75 win thanks to the strong efforts of three key transfer players.
Coming into the season, there were questions about how well the multitude of new-comers in the Oregon lineup would fit in at Eugene. But if Friday’s game was any indication, they’re going to do just fine. Mike Moser, a transfer from UNLV, made the biggest impact of the bunch scoring 15 points with seven rebounds, six steals and three assists in the win. Joseph Young (from Houston) led the team with 24 points on the night with 12-of-12 shooting from the free throw line and Jason Calliste (from Detroit) chipped in 16 points with 11-of-11 from the free throw line as well.
Getting big games out of their transfer players now becomes the key for Oregon moving forward. It’s unclear how long Artis and Carter will be suspended but Altman can’t simply twiddle his thumbs and wait for them to get back. He must get more strong contributions out of his new-comers and find a reliable leader out of the group before the Ducks hit the meat of their schedule. If Moser can continue to find well-rounded success like he did against the Hoyas, Oregon will be in good hands.
After the first game, Oregon is looking good thanks to the efforts of its transfer players. Can they look just as comfortable when the Ducks get back to the States?
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