{"id":159398,"date":"2025-09-21T08:00:43","date_gmt":"2025-09-21T12:00:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=159398"},"modified":"2025-09-20T21:19:21","modified_gmt":"2025-09-21T01:19:21","slug":"oregon-basketball-2025-26-preview-shelstad-ready-to-lead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2025\/09\/21\/oregon-basketball-2025-26-preview-shelstad-ready-to-lead\/","title":{"rendered":"Oregon Basketball 2025-26 Preview: Shelstad Ready to Lead"},"content":{"rendered":"

Having experience is a huge momentum builder for college basketball teams. The Oregon Ducks appear to have that heading into the 2025-26 season. They faced some lumps in the Big Ten last season, but were able to reach the second round of the NCAA Tournament. The Ducks return some very important pieces, and with rising junior Jackson Shelstad<\/a> back at the helm, Oregon basketball has a chance to make some noise this season.<\/p>\n

Let’s take a closer look at the guys that Shelstad will have backing him up as the Ducks try to take another step this year.<\/p>\n

Oregon Basketball 2025-26 Preview: Shelstad Ready to Lead<\/h2>\n

Roster Outlook<\/h3>\n

The Ducks have to make up for the departures of several key members from the 2024-25 team, headlined by TJ Bamba<\/a>. The biggest news they got during the offseason was that Nate Bittle<\/a> is back for one more run. Bittle proved to be a legit scoring threat and a solid defender. His importance will go hand in hand with Shlestad, along with the real emergence of Kwame Evans Jr<\/a>.<\/p>\n

The Ducks had plenty of portal additions last season, and they once again looked elsewhere to address some positions of need. Devon Pryor<\/a> (Texas) and Sean Stewart<\/a> (Ohio State) both come from high-level schools, yet neither was really a threat. Perhaps Coach Dana Altman can finally get them to hit their potential. In Stewart’s case, it’s his third school in three seasons.<\/p>\n

The Ducks also added TK Simpkins<\/a> from Elon University. Simpkins was an All-CAA player last season and will certainly see the floor quite often. After spending three seasons at Howard, Miles Stewart<\/a> was also ready for the next level. He brings 77 games of experience to the Ducks for 2025-26.<\/p>\n

JJ Frakes<\/a> is the lone high school recruit who joined the Ducks this offseason. He comes all the way from Berrien Springs, Michigan. The Ducks were also able to snatch some international talent as they brought in two bigs from Turkey. Ege Demir<\/a> and Efe Vatan<\/a> will both look to compete to get time in the post for the Ducks.<\/p>\n

The rest of the Oregon basketball roster includes:<\/p>\n

Dezdrick Lindsay<\/a> (Sr)<\/p>\n

Oleksandr Kobzystyi<\/a> (Sr)<\/p>\n

Luke Johnson<\/a> (Soph)<\/p>\n

Drew Carter<\/a> (Sr)<\/p>\n

Jamari Phillips<\/a> (Soph)<\/p>\n

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Steppin' up.@DuckSwag<\/a> x #GoDucks<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/y1xHBjpL26<\/a><\/p>\n

— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) September 12, 2025<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n