3-16-2020 Emerald Media - March Madness Special Edition

SHORTENED BUT SWEET

THE UNFORTUNATE CANCELLATION OF THE MEN’S AND WOMEN’S NCAA CHAMPIONSHIPS TAKES NOTHING AWAY FROM A HISTORIC OREGON BASKETBALL SEASON

FA N T U R N O U T B R O K E R E C O R D S P G 4

S AT O U S A B A L LY ’ S S E A S O N C U T S H O R T P G 1 2



PAY T O N P R I T C H A R D ’ S C O L L E G E C A R E E R L E F T U N F I N I S H E D P G 1 4

PA G E 2

|

EMERALD

|

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

SPECIAL SECTION

The whole team gathered for a photo with their brand new title as Pac-12 champs. (Maddie Stellingwerf/Emerald)

LIM: NCAA TOURNAMENT CANCELLATION ROBS OREGON WOMEN’S BASKETBALL OF NATIONAL TITLE RUN BY: Brady Lim @BradyLim619 Oregon women’s basketball looked unstoppable.

The team won 19 games in a row and racked up both Pac-12 regularseason and tournament titles. It was led by a truly transcendent superstar in Sabrina Ionescu, two other graduating seniors in Minyon Moore and Ruthy Hebard, and a superstar junior who chose to go pro in Satou Sabally.

Everything was coming together for a run at the program’s first national championship ever. And now, just like that, it’s gone, and it’s not coming back.

“We’re the best team,” head coach Kelly Graves said just last week. “I don’t mind saying that. We just are.”

He was right. When everyone was playing well, there wasn’t a team

NEWSROOM Editor in Chief Michael Tobin Art Director Devin Roux Copy Chief Tanner Shipley

on the planet that could’ve beaten them. Beyond that, too, this team had begun to bear the torch for something much larger. They were becoming the most visible team in women’s athletics, selling out arenas every night and showing the world what women’s athletics mean to so many people.

“Just honored and humbled to be a part of something bigger than myself,” Ionescu said at the Pac-12 Tournament. “Playing for these people around me that I love … excited to see how our team is really changing society and society’s view on women in sports.”

To be clear, that doesn’t change.

Nothing that this team accomplished for women in sports is erased.

But Ionescu’s greatness was

Sports Editors Gabriel Ornelas Shane Hoffmann Brady Lim Writers Gabriel Ornelas

Shane Hoffmann Brady Lim Noah Noteboom Charlie Gearing Carly Ebisuya Clayton Franke Oscar Duyck

supposed to be showcased in front of the world one last time in an Oregon jersey. People who had been hearing about her from all over the country were going to get their chance to see her on the biggest stage against the best teams. Now, that chance will never come. That’s truly a shame, and fandom has nothing to do with it.

The people of Eugene were robbed of this moment, too. The community had rallied around this team like no other basketball team to ever play in this small city. The support was unprecedented, and four years of building this program from the ground up was supposed to culminate in one final run in March.

For a school that hasn’t won a men’s or women’s basketball national championship since 1939, this year

Emma Spaeth Photo Editor Sarah Northrop Designer Editor Morgan Darby

was the best chance to change that.

Everyone felt it. It was supposed to be a celebration of how far they’ve come.

“The house that we built” is what Ionescu called Matthew Knight Arena. The grand opening for the world to see was coming, and now it’s not.

Public health comes before sports.

That’s not debatable with the rapid spread of COVID-19 and the decision to not hold the NCAA Tournament was the right one. But sports mean so much to so many people. This sport, and this team in particular, meant even more. To Eugene, to the University of Oregon, to women’s athletics.

Now, all that’s left are what-ifs. And that’s why it’s so heartbreaking.

ON THE COVER Oregon Ducks celebrate their win. Oregon Ducks women’s basketball takes on University of Washington at the Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. on Mar 1, 2020. (Maddie Knight/Emerald) Back: Ducks guard Payton Pritchard (3) throws up the trophy for the home crowd.

(DL Young/Emerald) M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

|

EMERALD

|

PA G E 3

SPECIAL SECTION

OREGON FANS TURNED OUT IN RECORD NUMBERS TO CATCH A GLIMPSE OF TITLE-CONTENDING WOMEN’S BASKETBALL BY: Carly Ebisuya @carlyebisuya

Oregon Ducks forward Ruthy Hebard (24) thanks her team during the senior celebration.

(Maddie Knight/Emerald)

The Oregon Women’s Team at senior night. (Maddie Knight/Emerald)

PA G E 4

|

EMERALD

|

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

Oregon women’s basketball became more than just headline news. They became must-watch TV. Traveling to Eugene to see a titlecontending team appealed to people who wanted a good show, and the Ducks gave their fans that.

“Sabrina” became a household name nationwide, No. 20 Nike jerseys were sold out in hours and, as the team’s popularity grew, so did the number of viewers.

The Ducks’ one-two-three punch of Ionescu, Satou Sabally and Ruthy Hebard has garnered the attention of NBA athletes, little girls who look up to the players and the hearts of dedicated Ducks fans.

Before the “Big Three” started their journey in Eugene, the team averaged 1,629 fans per game, almost enough to fill three sections in the lower bowl of Matthew Knight Arena.

Ionescu’s freshman year? They averaged 2,595.

The year before that, when Oti Gildon and WNBA player Maite Cazorla started out as freshmen, sounds in the arena were almost

nothing.

Fans could hear head coach Kelly Graves’ yelling from across the arena years ago, but now his voice is drowned out by thousands of fans who’ve piled into the arena.

The Ducks currently hold the second-highest attendance mark in the nation for home games. Now in the trio’s senior season, the average number of fans heaping in to see the star-studded team was 10,852 this year. That is over quadruple the number since their freshman season.

Four years ago, the arena seemed like general admission. Students could sit wherever they wanted and now they’re fighting for seats and tickets the second they come out.

Matthew Knight Arena has become a marquee attraction for loyal Duck fans where if students aren’t entering the arena an hour before the game, they’ll be sitting in the nosebleeds.

“Coming in my freshman year and seeing all these empty seats and having my friends be able to sit wherever they want, and now they’re all fighting over who texts me first

SPECIAL SECTION

“I became a firm believer that the Hayward Magic does exist.”

-Ashton Eaton, two-time- Olympic Champion

Foreword written

by Andrew Wheating

LIMITED Y T QUANTI LE! B AVAILA

ONLY $ 39.95

ORDER TODAY! at dailyemerald.com/haywardbook

New coffee table book celebrates Hayward Field’s Legends and Legacy Oregon guard Sabrina Ionescu looks to make a pass. (D L Young/Emerald)

for tickets,” Ionescu said. “So this is awesome.”

The attendance numbers have nearly doubled every year since Ionescu and Hebard’s freshman year — 4,255 their sophomore campaign and 7,148 their junior year.

Home game attendance the past few years since the rise of Graves’ program started in 2014 have grown exponentially.

In the 2018-19 season, Oregon ranked No. 8 in the nation in average home attendance with 7,148 and 121,511 total for the year. They also ranked first in the largest average attendance increase between seasons in the NCAA from the 2017-18 season to 2018-19 with close to a 3,000-person increase.

Attendance in other visiting arenas and neutral sites have also exponentially risen. When Oregon played at Long Beach State for a nonconference game, there were more fans for the Ducks, particularly Ionescu, then there were Long Beach State fans.

Fan attendance at visiting Pac-12 venues has shot up 75% when the

Ducks roll into town, Graves said in a postgame press conference.

Oregon’s highlight reel season seems to be never-ending and fans in Eugene are glued to the must-see basketball team that has taken the nation by storm.

“Wow. The house that we built. This is crazy,” Ionescu said after senior night on their home floor.

Even before the season began, Matthew Knight Arena hosted 11,530 fans for an exhibition game against Team USA, where Oregon was the first college team to defeat the nation’s best since 1999. That game didn’t even count toward their record, yet more than 11,000 fans itched to get a sneak peek of the success.

“I’ve just been very impressed about the outpouring of support we’ve got from our fans. I give them a lot of credit,” Graves said postgame after the win over Team USA. “The season tickets are way up and hopefully they continue to come out to watch and support this team because they are fun to watch and they play really hard.”

Meaningful and inspirational to the most casual or dedicated track fan, “Hayward Field: Legends and Legacy” is a keepsake book for the community to embrace, enjoy and treasure.

Former Register-Guard sports columnist Austin Meek and Daily Emerald reporter Bryce Dole provide colorful and compelling stories covering the early years of Hayward Field to the record-breaking moments of the modern era.

Only a limited number of books are being printed and will sell out fast. To secure your copy, place an online order by going to dailyemerald.com/haywardbook.

Wonderfully written • Image rich • 140 pages, hardcover For more information, call the Emerald at 541-346-5511, ext. 302, or email kcarbone@dailyemerald.com.

1395 University St. #302, Eugene, OR 97403 M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

|

EMERALD

|

PA G E 5

SPECIAL SECTION

THE RISE OF CHANDLER LAWSON

Ducks forward Chandler Lawson (13) glides through the air for the slam dunk. (Connor Cox/Emerald)

BY: Charles Gearing @GearingCharlie

I’m so proud of him. He’s stayed with it. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

PAYTON PRITCHARD

PA G E 6

|

EMERALD

|

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

As the Ducks entered halftime facing a 12-point deficit to their rival Huskies, their hopes of leaving Seattle unscathed seemed grim. Having dropped their previous game in an upsetting loss to an unranked Washington State team, the Ducks needed to leave victorious, and it was clear that if they were to do so, somebody — anybody — would have to step up.

Looking at the Ducks’ 2019 recruiting class, you may think that spark would come from five-star recruit N’Faly Dante or No. 28-ranked recruit C.J. Walker, who both ranked in the top 10 at their respective positions, but that wouldn’t come to be the case.

Instead, the Ducks’ late-game heroics came

from a player you wouldn’t expect: Chandler Lawson. The freshman forward ranked No. 4 among the six-player recruiting class but that day in Seattle, he was given an opportunity. One he couldn’t pass up.

Lawson finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds in the Ducks’ comeback win over Washington, tallying his first collegiate doubledouble.

“I’m so proud of him,” senior guard Payton Pritchard said of Lawson’s performance in Seattle. “He’s stayed with it. He has a bright future ahead of him.”

Running on momentum from the game before, Lawson went on to play a massive part

SPECIAL SECTION

in the Ducks’ double-overtime win over USC in late January. The freshman solidified his role, playing 45 minutes and tallying his second-highest point total of the season with nine.

The Memphis, Tennessee, native had to work and earn every minute of play, and it’s been no simple task.

“It’s been a tough journey,” Lawson said. “I’m learning.

I’m just trying to follow the footsteps of Francis [Okoro] and just learn and get better each and every day.”

Although Lawson’s recruitment ranking fell beneath many of his fellow freshmen, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise that he’s come into such a role with the Ducks.

For Lawson, the younger brother of former Kansas Jayhawks KJ and Dedric Lawson, basketball is in his blood.

For Lawson and the Ducks, what would’ve likely been a highly promising postseason run was cut short due to the rampant spread of COVID-19 in the United States. But all is surely not lost for Oregon basketball.

An unexpected end to the season won’t prevent talented youngsters like Lawson from bouncing back with conviction next season.

Ducks forward Chandler Lawson (13) plays defense on a Trojan. (Kimberly Harris/Emerald)

MARCH 18-29 oakshire

reclaim the fame ninkasi

prismatic

MARCH 18-29

the final four

3 legged crane

3 legged ipa

march 30- april 5

planktown

lost city ipa

elkhorn

mckenzie

bracket buster

w. 6th springtime the wheel

gratitude

haze your face

on the requ request line

team tap & growler

team beergarden

March Madness eugene’s best ipa blind taste-off challenge

16

eugene brews

winning Ipa!

at MARCH 18-29

MARCH 18-29 hop valley

manifest

bubble stash

for the belt

coldfire

falling sky

kite string

pub life ipa

claim 52

viking braggot

west side mc menamins high st.

grandma betty’s

hazy northwind

at

get a madness passport

long timber

stump hopper

team whiskey lab

team beer hall

at

try all 5 flights

vote for your

fav

March 18March 29 beergarden, 777 w. 6th ave tap & growler, 207 e. 5th

March 30 thru april 5 publichouse, 418 a. street

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

|

EMERALD

|

PA G E 7

COVER The Oregon Ducks pose with the work done by Allen Hall Advertising.

(Courtesy of Allen Hall Advertising)

PA G E 8

|

EMERALD

|

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

WITNESS THE WONDER: HOW ADVERTISING STUDENTS HELPED DUCKS WOMEN’S BASKETBALL SCORE THE NATION’S HIGHEST ATTENDANCE BY: Shane Hoffmann @shane_hoffmann Three years ago, Allen Hall Advertising, a student-run ad agency, took on what would become one of its biggest clients: the Oregon women’s basketball program.

The timing couldn’t have been better.

The Ducks, led by underclassmen stars Ruthy Hebard and Sabrina Ionescu, were beginning to establish themselves among women’s basketball elite. And the student ad agency, also known as AHA, had a chance to promote what would soon become one of the nation’s premier teams.

But promoting and raising awareness wasn’t the only goal. The Ducks wanted butts in seats.

In 2017, the agency debuted the “Wonder Ducks” campaign. The project granted each player a superhuman identity which could be found on posters throughout campus and at home games. Hebard’s was “Paint Power,” while Ionescu, unsurprisingly, adopted “Miss Triple Double.”

The following year, AHA changed things up. Each player still had her own unique alias, but this time each “ability” or “power” dealt with a force of nature: “Wonder Ducks: Forces of Nature.” Taylor Chavez was “Ice-olation” while Maite Cazorla embodied “Wild Fire.”

By the time the 2019 season rolled around, most Oregon sports fans were well aware of the high-flying Ducks. Their uptempo, high-scoring offense was ravaging the Pac-12, and attendance skyrocketed.

Head coach Kelly Graves’ squad looked ready to win a national championship and was getting more attention than ever thanks to women’s basketball’s best player, Ionescu.

But AHA’s job wasn’t done. A team of 25 students intended to go above and beyond the agency’s previous work, this time with a new approach. They elected to keep the wonder element, but redefine what it meant.

“Wonder doesn’t just have one definition,” senior and lead designer Matti Merdler said.

“We gave it all these different branches to bring everyone together.”

So, after two years of the “Wonder

Ducks,” “Witness the Wonder” was born.

“We decided to take a stand on creating a campaign that portrayed the players in a more humanistic way,” said senior Jay Russaw-Levesque, the project’s director.

The vision was to create an environment and experience that everyone could be a part of, and not simply give them something to idolize. AHA intended to increase awareness and attendance, especially by students and the Portland audience, without abandoning the idea of a strong spotlight on the player’s individuality.

Despite starting the campaign four months later than the original deadline — due to construction and other changes within Allen Hall, the building for the School of Journalism and Communication — the team worked tirelessly to finish the project in time for the season opener.

Like past years, each player was highlighted on her own series of posters, but this time with a more streamlined approach.

“I just wanted to simplify it a ton and focus on the girls actually playing the sport,” Merdler said. “I took the photos and then I had a couple design elements I kept consistent through every execution.”

The design elements include flowing lines to represent the movement and the motion of the players, joined by circles to resemble basketballs. The posters can stand alone, but when linked together line up perfectly in one continuous piece of art.

“Everything is very simple and sophisticated,” Merdler said. “[It] shows how they can all stand alone and look great and be amazing, but when they are all together, it shows how great they work with each other.”

Banners were hung throughout campus’ Erb Memorial Union, on several street lamps on Eugene’s Coburg Road and Ferry Street Bridge and at bus shelters throughout Portland. Members of AHA also passed out posters at every Pac-12 conference home game, with a player or two featured each game. Two hundred were

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

|

EMERALD

|

PA G E 9

COVER Work done by Allen Hall Advertising for Oregon Women’s Basketball. (Sarah Northrop/Emerald)

produced each time, complete with an individual “Witness the Wonder” logo stamp, signifying the order in which they were passed out, on the poster’s back. The first 150 fans to arrive had the opportunity to collect a poster, with the remaining 50 being passed out throughout the game to young kids in the crowd.

“A lot of people started to get the idea that if they attended games they could get these posters,” Russaw-Levesque said. “Word of mouth kind of spread from that.”

The word spread quickly, and soon the social media-driven campaign was picking up steam.

A local news channel highlighted the project and the agency received rave-review calls about its efforts to highlight the female athletes.

“We talked to a group of 70-or-so-year-old ladies who went to UO back in the day and they couldn’t stop gushing about it,” Merdler said.

This year, the Ducks’ popularity has reached new heights. The arena is filled wall-to-wall nearly every game and, more impressively, the fans stay until the end. The team’s attendance is one of the highest in the nation and far outpaces that of many men’s programs, including Oregon’s.

“It’s been incredible to see,’’ Merdler said.

“The players are the ones who are doing all of the work, they’re insanely amazing. I think it’s

PA G E 1 0

|

EMERALD

|

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

kind of rare for an ad school to take on women’s basketball as a client and so we have been able to give them a platform that I don’t think they have been able to get anywhere else.

“And seeing all of the little girls, the upcoming players — Everytime we see something on social media where a little girl is holding up a poster or on the jumbotron, you can see the excitement.”

The ad team made sure to get players’ input throughout the design process. Given that several of the players are journalism majors, these interactions frequently took place in classes where classmates would share sneak peeks but nothing more, keeping the players intentionally in the dark.

A few weeks ago, as Oregon’s season was coming to a close, AHA members had a chance to meet with the team and, at long last, present each player with copies of their posters, as well as a copy of each of their teammates.

“The artwork that they do is amazing,” freshman guard Jaz Shelley said of AHA’s campaign. “The stuff in the EMU really gives light to women’s basketball, and it’s really cool that our school supports it so much.”

While it’s Shelley’s first year on campus, several of the other players have been a part of the campaign for years now and appreciate its

growth.

“I love the Wonder Ducks campaign,” WNBAbound junior forward Satou Sabally said. “Minyon [Moore’s] was also up in Portland on bus stops and just seeing each other somewhere, you know we always take pictures and send it to each other.

It’s just nice to get recognition and see all the love that the city has for us. We see that and just feel so much love and feel that we are recognized.”

As thankful as the players are for the exposure, the AHA team is thankful, too. The opportunity allowed them to make a difference in the community around them — one that they see the benefits of every day.

“The most fulfilling thing for me was seeing the work that came out of [our] team,” RussawLevesque said. “Seeing these players get the attention that they deserve has been awesome as well.”

Russaw-Levesque, Merdler and many of AHA’s other members will graduate from UO this spring.

But next year’s AHA team is set to continue the partnership with the basketball program for a fourth year in a row. With the departure of longtime stars Ionescu, Hebard and Sabally, next year’s campaign will be as important as ever, as AHA introduces the next generation of Ducks players to fans.

1455 Mill St The Lofts 460 E 14th 550 E 15th 365 W 17th 1390 Alder Marlatt Apartments

Great Food.

Food.

Great Friendly People.

People.

Friendly Awesome Beer.

Beer.

Awesome

In the the heart heart of of the the Market Market District.

District.

In

AWARD WINNING CRAFT BEER AND GREAT FOOD PREPARED FROM SCRATCH SINCE 1991

!

L L E B H T I W 0 T 6 0 N 2 E R 1-68854

Brewed right here in Eugene, Steelhead offers award winning, hand crafted micro brews.

In addition, Steelhead also offers single malt scotches, cocktails, ciders, and even our own homemade root beer.

SERVING BREAKFAST SATURDAY & SUNDAY 10AM - 3PM

m o c . y t l a -re

bell

199 E. 5TH AVE., EUGENE · 541-686-2739

630 River Road Eugene, OR 97404

WWW.STEELHEADBREWERY.COM M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

|

EMERALD

|

PA G E 1 1

SPECIAL SECTION

SATOU SABALLY’S

FINAL SEASON CUT SHORT BY: Emma Spaeth @spaeth_emma

Ducks forward Satou Sabally (0) pauses as she looks for an open teammate. (DL Young/Emerald)

A sold-out crowd at Matthew Knight Arena saluted Satou Sabally with booming cheers as she took the bench at the end of the Ducks’ 92-56 victory over Washington in what ended up being the final home game of her Oregon career.

There were tears in the crowd as the team gathered at center court and danced along to the traditional “Shout,” celebrating a season that redefined the Oregon basketball program and women’s college basketball as a whole.

“I mean I really just enjoyed being there and it was more like a celebration rather than sadness,”

PA G E 1 2

|

EMERALD

|

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

Sabally said. “I know I’ll be sad after our last actual game there, but this was more like a celebration. It was a really good feeling.”

Sabally capped off the regular season by earning the Pac-12 Player of the Week award after scoring 22 points and grabbing seven rebounds in Oregon’s victory over Washington State. She finished the weekend on senior day with 20 points and five rebounds against Washington.

The junior averaged a team-high 18.6 points during the 16-game winning streak that capped off the regular season, while dealing with her decision to enter the WNBA draft.

With the regular season over and the Pac-12 regular season title in hand, Sabally and the Ducks went to Las Vegas to compete for the Pac-12 title.

In a landslide victory over the Stanford Cardinal, the Ducks claimed the crown in front of a full crowd of Ducks fans at Mandalay Bay Events Center.

“It’s amazing,” Sabally said. “It just speaks for itself what this team has done and what people like Ruthy [Hebard] and Sabrina [Ionescu] mean for the community. It’s just really great that all the fans show love and bring their kids and just show that we can be good role models for the sport of

basketball.”

In 2017, before the Berlin, Germany, native became a dominant player on a trailblazing team, she was just a wideeyed freshman.

“I was so nervous,” Sabally said. “I mean I was just overwhelmed with all the emotions and the fans were loud, but I was just really nervous the first time.”

When the guard came to Eugene in 2017, she did not stand in the shadows.

Sabally started in 29 games and played in all 38, landing the Pac-12 Freshman of the Year award. She didn’t slow down in her sophomore year, starting all 38 games and helping lead the

SPECIAL SECTION Ducks forward Satou Sabally (0) looks to pass.

(DL Young/Emerald)

G

EADY R T E !

It’s hard basketball with the best teams in the country playing against each other. It’s just a lot of fun.”

SATOU SABALLY UO Women’s Basketball Guard

GO DUCKS!!!

CONGRATULATIONS ON A PHENOMENAL CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON!

LLC

DON'T BE SHY FOLLOW US DURING THIS EXCITING SEASON 1301 FERRY STREET, EUGENE, OR. 97401

VONKLEINRENTALS.COM

EXCITING OUTDOOR SEASONAL JOB FIGHTING FOREST FIRES Do you enjoy travel, outdoors, camping, hiking, and hard work?

No experience needed - Sign up for our Spring Break Class!

APPLY ONLINE - WWW.PATRICKFIRE.COM

541-746-7528

Ducks forward Satou Sabally (0) hugs head coach Kelly Graves during the senior celebration.

(Maddie Knight/Emerald)

Ducks to a Final Four appearance.

“I had a really welcoming environment here,” Sabally said.

“Cultural things are different, you know like food or practice is different, but it was good.”

In her third and final season, Sabally came in with unfinished business.

Currently No. 2 in the nation, Oregon’s business will remain unfinished as the NCAA tournament was cancelled due to COVID-19.

Despite her collegiate career coming to an unexpected end, Sabally was a crucial member of the team. She finished the regular season averaging 23 points and seven rebounds per

game and ended the season with threestraight 20-point performances.

The guard is joined by Sabrina Ionescu, Ruthy Hebard and Minyon Moore in heading into the WNBA Draft.

“This is a group that left quite a legacy, and we have some iconic players that we are losing,” head coach Kelly Graves said.

Now Sabally is leaving Eugene after this year for the WNBA, destined to be a top-three pick in the 2020 Draft.

“We’re just having a lot of fun,” Sabally said. “Great people. I mean, they’re my sisters, and great coaches.

We do what we love. Everyone should have fun doing it.”

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

|

EMERALD

|

PA G E 1 3

SPECIAL SECTION

PAYTON PRITCHARD:

AN ALL-TIME CAREER LEFT UNFINISHED BY: Shane Hoffmann @shane_hoffmann Ducks guard Payton Pritchard (3) goes up for a layup. (DL Young/Emerald)

Over his four-year career, Payton Pritchard has had 37 different teammates and never entered a season with less than eight new faces.

The Oregon basketball program has lingered in a constant state of flux over the past four years. It has lost top players to the draft and the transfer portal alike, while others graduated, leaving head coach Dana Altman to pick up the pieces. But through it all, there’s been one constant. In a four-year timeframe with the most turnover the program has ever dealt with, Pritchard endured. He played a myriad of roles and gave his all to the program. With it, he became the face of men’s hoops in Eugene, making indelible marks on the program’s all-time charts.

He’ll leave Oregon as its career leader in wins, assists, games played and games started. He played in 444 consecutive games and scored a point in every one.

He scored at least 19 points against every Pac-12 opponent this year, leading Oregon to an outright conference championship along the way. But it’s not just the numbers or the accolades, it’s the manner in which he did it.

“We’ve really been dependent on him to score a lot, [and for] a lot of late-game heroics,” Altman said. “No doubt, he’s done his part. We’ve had guys looking for him. Our guys really have a lot of faith, and they’ve given up part of themselves, you know, to make sure he’s got the ball at the right time.”

Those late-game heroics were on full display all year. The Ducks played six overtime games, winning five of them in large part to his clutch shot-making.

PA G E 1 4

|

EMERALD

|

M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

When the Ducks needed a basket, all eyes turned to Pritchard.

He scored the last 13 points for the Ducks in a win in Ann Arbor, Michigan, against the Wolverines; he drained a 25-foot fall-away game-winner in Seattle, completing a 16-point comeback against the Huskies; he helped down Arizona in Eugene with a late midrange jumper and poured in a career-high 38 points in a, 73-72, overtime win.

“Everybody likes to win; I like those guys that hate to lose,” Altman said. “And he’s one of them.”

It’s something he hasn’t done much of in his career.

He led his West Linn High School team to fourstraight Oregon state championships. Then, he joined a Final Four-bound Ducks team in 2016-17. He carved out an immediate role for himself, playing 28 minutes per game.

“It is crazy looking back at my freshman year,” Pritchard said. “I think I had an understanding of what it takes to be a winner. To be a winner doesn’t mean you need to score points or do certain things, it’s whatever that team needs and every year I tried to do that.”

Following the 2016-17 season, the team fell apart as its top three scorers elected to pursue NBA dreams.

Now, Pritchard would be relied on as the team’s go-to option. He was ready, doubling his scoring numbers and improving his shooting percentages across the board. But the Ducks failed to make the dance and instead landed in the National Invitational Tournament.

Pritchard vowed to take his game up a level. He

would do anything in his will to get Oregon to the NCAA Tournament.

Fast forward 12 months and Pritchard had the Ducks in position to break into the Elite Eight.

But Oregon had overachieved, only making the tournament due to a Pac-12 Tournament title — winning four games in four days. Then, they took down two teams, and almost a third — the eventual National Champion Virginia Cavaliers — as a No. 12 seed in March Madness.

Injuries crippled the 2018-19 Ducks, but Pritchard’s inconsistencies plagued the team all year. So it wasn’t a surprise when he spent a good chunk of his senior day speech praising his coach’s patience.

“Coach always stuck with me even when I was down,” he said.

Then again, Altman had to. Pritchard was the constant. They had built a relationship, one that wouldn’t falter.

Sure, Pritchard had dominated the postseason, but if he played to that level the whole year, the Ducks might have found themselves with a much more favorable seed in March. Pritchard knew he was capable and set out to transform his game and his body for his final year.

Ducks fans had begun to malign the guard in the midst of his down year in 2018. This year, they were introduced to a new player altogether.

Only two players remained from the previous year’s roster alongside Pritchard. They noticed an undeniable difference in his play.

“He has a lot more confidence in his game,”

SPECIAL SECTION

G N I R I H OW TIVES

NCCOUNT EXECU A • • • • • • •

Professional training and networking Invaluable work experience Work directly with local businesses Unlimited commission potential Networking experience Flexible work schedule Collaborative team work environment

APPLY NOW

Visit dailyemerald.com/engage for full job description

Send cover letter and resume to srondestvedt@dailyemerald.com

Ducks guard Payton Pritchard (3) is all smiles after the win. (DL Young/Emerald)

sophomore guard Will Richardson said.

“He takes shots he probably wouldn’t have taken last year. [His confidence] is rubbing off on everybody else on the team.”

Confidence is a good word for it. It has shown up in his shot-selection all year. He shot from deep, extending his range seemingly by the week. His conditioning was top-notch — leading the nation in minutes played at 36.6 a game — and his finishing at the rim had taken a leap, too.

Pritchard has worked hard enough that confidence doesn’t matter. He bought into an established culture when he arrived, then he reset the culture and thrived in it.

He’s the third major-conference player since 1995 to average 20 points, five assists, and four rebounds per game, all while shooting 40% from three.

“I don’t fear failure,” he said. “I work too hard to fear it. Been through too many ups and downs — nothing affects me in that regard.”

Teammates took notice of Pritchard’s work ethic and buy-in. He acted like a professional on and off the court, day in and day out, and it started to rub off on them, even the newcomers.

“I’ve been really appreciative of the

tone he has set,” Altman said. “I think the word culture is so overused but he’s just done a good job of setting an example. … He’s the first one to practice and a lot of times he’s the last one to leave. Days off, he’s taking care of himself, he’s doing his recovery, he’s getting shots up.”

It’s been Pritchard’s year. He regained the once-lost trust and love of fans and put the Ducks back into the national scene. It was never about him. It was never about the stats, or the awards. He came back for a reason.

“I came back to win championships,” he said.

It’s unfortunate. He worked tirelessly towards one goal and now won’t get a chance to play for it.

But his impressive season won’t go unnoticed. After disappointing in the regular season, he caught the eye of NBA scouts last March with his aggressive play and efficient shot creation. That alone wouldn’t have been enough, but he’s been that player all season. Now, he should have a chance to play at the next level.

Pritchard’s story isn’t over.

Most importantly, he went out on top, as a winner. And in the eyes of Ducks fans, that’s how he’ll be remembered.

Just Blocks From Campus!

GOLF COURSE + DRIVING RANGE

Discount Student Rates!

Visit your special student website...

GODUCKS.GOLF Use Promo Code: STUDENT

2700 Columbia Street 541-484-4653 M O N D AY, M A R C H 1 6 , 2 0 2 0

|

EMERALD

|

PA G E 1 5

A CHAMPIONSHIP SEASON PAYTON PRITCHARD’S LAST RIDE HIGHLIGHTED ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL SEASON IN EUGENE