The history of Oregon basketball has been sprinkled with greatness, while also having some very rough years. The Ducks have become a contender in recent years, as current head coach Dana Altman has turned the program around. Oregon first burst on the scene during the inaugural NCAA tournament, as they faced off with the Wisconsin Badgers for the title. Oregon basketball captured that first NCAA Championship. Now they get to face the Badgers every year. By joining the Big Ten, the Ducks have a chance to further themselves as a contender for years to come.
The only other Final Four appearances for the Ducks were in 2017. Other than that it has been hit and miss most of the time for Oregon basketball. That hasn’t stopped the school in Eugene, from producing some special players during their history. The All-Time Oregon Ducks basketball, starting lineup has plenty of talent that turned into great pro players.
Let’s take a close look at which Ducks greats made the lineup.
Oregon Basketball: Ducks All-Time Starting Lineup
Guard: Payton Pritchard
The Ducks had a great NCAA tournament run when they added guard Payton Pritchard into the fold before the 2016-17 season. He showcased his Championship caliber play well before he arrived in Eugene. Pritchard won four High School State Championships and looked destined to carry that success on to Oregon. His freshman season saw him play in 39 games, as the Ducks made their deepest NCAA run since the inaugural Championship win in 1939. Pritchard was the only freshman to start on all of the four teams that reached the final four in 2017.
A one-point loss against North Carolina didn’t derail the run Pritchard would go on as an individual for the Ducks. His sophomore and junior seasons didn’t see the same team success as his freshman campaign, but Pritchard didn’t let that stop him from exploding as a senior during the 2019-2020 season. He quickly became one of the best players in the country. Despite Covid-19 ending that season prematurely, Pritchard earned Consensus First Team All-American honors, along with winning the Lute Olson Award. He was also the PAC-12 Player of the Year.
Pritchard certainly looked set up to lead the Ducks to a deep run in the NCAA tournament had it been played. He left the Ducks with 1,938 career points and 659 assists. His great Duck career led to his selection in the 2020 NBA Draft with the 26th pick. He landed in a perfect situation with the Boston Celtics and is coming off winning his first NBA Championship. Pritchard has become a key piece for Boston as a reserve guard and appears to have a bright future ahead. He made the No. 3 jersey famous for the Ducks.
Guard: Terrell Brandon
Oregon basketball was amid a very downtime in the program’s history when Terrell Brandon became a focal point. Brandon had a major disability as a child, as he suffered from a chronic foot deformation. Despite the early odds, Brandon quickly became a star player in the state of Oregon. After being named the Oregon State High School basketball Player of the Year, Brandon chose the home-state Ducks for his college ball.
Despite not reaching the NCAA tournament during his time in Eugene, Brandon quickly became the face of the Ducks as a sophomore. That season which was the 1989-1990 season, he led Oregon basketball to NIT. That also helped him earn first-team All-Pac 10 honors that season. He was ready to show off during his junior season, as he quickly became the face of PAC-10 basketball during the 1990-91 season. Once again repeating as a first-team all-conference player, Terrell also claimed the PAC-10 Player of the Year Award. He was a prolific scorer that season as he scored 745 points. Despite scoring at such a high level, and leaving Oregon plenty of records at that time, he became the first Oregon player to leave early for the NBA.
Brandon was the 11th overall pick in the 1991 Draft by the Cleveland Cavaliers. He started his pro career, being a backup for Cavs’ point guard Mark Price, before quickly taking over his spot. That led him to back-to-back All-Star game appearances in 1996 and 1997. Brandon’s number 10 might not be hanging in the rafters at Oregon, but he was still a very important player for the program at a time when the Ducks were lacking.
Guard: Dillon Brooks
Next up is a pretty controversial player. He’s got the attitude of the Detroit Bad Boys, just with a little more peskiness to it. Still, Dillon Brooks is a defensive star. Brooks was a star for Oregon when they needed him most, as he was in Eugene during a great run for the program. Coming from Canada, Brooks was ready to showcase his all-around ability the moment he arrived in Oregon. He may not have had the defensive skill he has now, then but he certainly showcased a lot in his time playing for Coach Altman.
Brooks averaged over 11 points per game in his freshman season and garnered PAC-12 freshman honors. He took it to the next level in his sophomore season in 2015-2016, as he was a key part of the Ducks winning the PAC-12 Regular Season Championship. They also reached a top-10 ranking that season and Brooks ended the campaign with first-team conference honors. That Championship set the tone for a huge 2016-17 season for Brooks. He was a very important part in helping Oregon reach the Final Four for the first time since they won it all in 1939. In doing so Dillon guaranteed Pac-12 Player of the Year as well as a second-team All-American honor.
Following that season, the NBA was calling. Brooks went in the second round of the 2017 Draft, but that hasn’t stopped him from becoming a defensive force on the wing. From jawing matches with the likes of Draymond Green, Brooks has made a home for himself in the NBA, now with the Houston Rockets, after breaking through with the Memphis Grizzlies in his first six pro seasons.
Forward: Luke Jackson
If you’re looking for an Oregon forward who had plenty of high hopes, look no further than Luke Jackson. Jackson was a prolific scorer in high school, so much so that he remains fourth all-time in the state’s history in scoring. To think that was over 30 years ago. Like many other prolific players from the state of Oregon, Jackson stayed home and suited up for the Ducks.
He helped lead the Ducks back into NCAA tournament competitiveness during his time in Eugene, including an Elite 8 appearance during his sophomore season in 2002. Playing alongside other future NBA’s Luke Ridnour and Fred Jones. His scoring and rebounding carried over quite well from high school, and it came to the forefront during his senior campaign. Jackson not only Oregon in scoring, he led the PAC-10 with an average of 21.2 points per game. That season also saw him earn Second-Team All-American. It also led to a lot of hype heading into Draft Night in 2004.
Jackson was selected 10th overall by the Cleveland Cavaliers, as the follow-up to the previous year’s pick of LeBron James. One thing is for sure, Jackson didn’t live up to the expectations once he got to the NBA. After two seasons with the Cavaliers, Jackson all but bounced around the G-League, which was still the D-League at that time for the next handful of years. A bright basketball player, Luke is still one of the stretch forwards, Oregon has seen since the early days of the program.
Forward: Chris Boucher
Oregon basketball was looking for some talent when they found a gem in the Transfer Portal long before what it has become today. Chris Boucher was looking for a new home after spending his freshman season at New Mexico Junior College. He then found himself at Northwest College in Wyoming. Luckily by the 2015-16 season, Coach Altman at Oregon was looking for a lengthy player to add alongside Jordan Bell.
They found that in Boucher, who showcased his potential in his second game in an Oregon uniform against the Baylor Bears. He went up against Rico Gathers, who was a football player besides a basketball player and looked great doing so. His shot-blocking was one of his best abilities. He set a school record of 110 blocks in his first season in Eugene. Despite only playing two seasons for the Ducks Boucher got to experience a lot, and was a double-digit scorer in both campaigns. The last of which saw him help get Oregon to the Final Four.
However, he didn’t get to partake in the run to that final four as he suffered a season-ending ACL injury. That was the main reason Chris wasn’t drafted in 2017. But knowing his story, he was resilient, and took the undrafted route, and it has certainly paid off for the Canadian-Saint Lucien-born player. He hitched on with the Golden State Warriors during the 2017-18 season and won an NBA Championship, before really taking off in Toronto the next season, where he was part of winning his second NBA title. Boucher didn’t have an easy path, but looking at this all-time Oregon starting lineup. This group needs an elite shot-blocker and Chris fills that need.
See Previous All-Time Big Ten Teams Below:
Illinois Fighting Illini All-Time Starting Lineup
Indiana Hoosiers All-Time Starting Lineup
Iowa Hawkeyes All-Time Starting Lineup
Maryland Terrapins All-Time Starting Lineup
Michigan Wolverines All-Time Starting Lineup
Michigan State Spartans All-Time Starting Lineup
Minnesota Gophers All-Time Starting Lineup
Nebraska Cornhuskers All-Time Starting Lineup
