What will Oregon's star-studded freshmen class bring to the table in 2023-24?

Dana Altman’s Oregon Ducks have been in a lull for the past two seasons. After missing out on back-to-back NCAA Tournaments, the excitement level surrounding the program has been at a low point.

As Altman and his staff look to get the Ducks back on track, they have added a star-studded freshmen class to help take the program back to where it belongs. Jackson Shelstad, Mookie Cook, and Kwame Evans Jr. are here and are ready to contribute. Let’s dive into who they are and what they will provide to this year’s team.

Jackson Shelstad

We can start with one of the homegrown products, Shelstad. The 6-foot true point guard grew up in West Linn, Ore. His resume speaks for itself: Shelstad is a two-time Gatorade Player Of The Year, was part of the 2023 Jordan Brand National Team, and was a member of Team USA for the 2023 Nike Hoops Summit. These achievements made Shelstad a four-star recruit coming out of West Linn High School, where he led his team to a 30-2 overall record his senior year. According to the On3 Industry ranking, he was the No. 26 overall prospect in the nation.

Shelstad was the first of the three freshmen to commit to Oregon in the 2023 class, as he made his announcement on Nov. 14, 2021.

“Oregon was always my dream school,” he said at Oregon’s media day in October. “I was always hoping for that offer, and it came.”

Shelstad grew up watching Ducks’ basketball and cited former Oregon standout and West Linn High School alumni Payton Prichard as someone he has always looked up to. Given his size, position, and skillset, he will likely draw many comparisons to Pritchard. Like Pritchard, Shelstad seems just as comfortable taking shots off the dribble as he is with spotting up. His range is definitely a strength of his game. Given his quickness, he can penetrate the paint often and use his passing ability to find open teammates.

When asked about what he believes he can provide to the team in his first year, Shelstad stated, “Anything I can do to help the team win. Offensively making plays for guys, using my speed, shooting ability.”

On the defensive end, Shelstad will be pretty limited given his 6-foot frame, but his goal is to just play hard and get into opposing guards. Shelstad is a candidate to see real minutes on the floor this season.

Mookie Cook

Staying in the state of Oregon, Cook also emerged as a blue-chip prospect from the Portland area — but took a slightly different route from Shelstad throughout his high school career. A former Jefferson High standout, he transferred to Compass Prep — a prep school in Chandler, Ariz. — ahead of his junior year. The 6-foot-6 wing was the No. 33 overall prospect in the nation, per On3’s industry ranking.

Like Shelstad, Cook played for the 2023 Jordan Brand National Team. Additionally, Cook was invited to play in Team USA’s U19 training camp. Coming out of Compass Prep, Cook earned recognition as a consensus four-star recruit, which led him to recommit to the University of Oregon on Aug. 12, 2022.

Cook provides the Ducks with length, size, and explosiveness. On the defensive side of the ball, his 6-foot-6, 210-pound frame enables him to guard up on opposing forwards, while also having the quickness and length to keep up with smaller guards. Offensively, he proves to be a lob threat in transition and has the quickness and explosiveness to get downhill often. Shestad, who has been friends with Cook since the third grade, had high praise for him while speaking with reporters during Oregon’s media day.

“He’s a do-it-all type of guy. He’s a really high IQ, smart player. He has a high motor, always playing hard,” Shelstad said. “He rebounds, blocks shots, can score the ball. We are excited to get him back.”

Unfortunately for Cook, he suffered an ankle injury back in April during the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic. Since opting for surgery, he has been sidelined for all of the Ducks practices, and will likely be out until late December.

Kwame Evans Jr.

The top-ranked player in Oregon’s 2023 signing class is Evans Jr., a forward from Baltimore, Md. Unlike Shelstad and Cook, Evans Jr. was a five-star recruit and the No. 16 overall prospect in the 2023 class coming out of Montverde Academy (Fla.), one of the premier prep schools in the nation. Evans Jr. played with some of the top recruits at Montverde, such as Cooper Flagg, the top prospect in the 2024 class and a recent Duke commit. His natural talent helped his team win the GEICO Nationals boys championship in the 2022 season.

Evans Jr. is the fourth highest-ranked recruit in Oregon program history. He announced his commitment on Aug. 2, 2022.

At 6-foot-9, 220 pounds, Evans Jr. is able to move up and down the court with ease. Don’t let his big frame fool you; he is more than capable of playing on the wing and guarding smaller opponents. His length allows him to cover ground quickly and disrupt passing lanes. Altman said that he feels comfortable playing Evans Jr. at the center position at times if N’Faly Dante and Nate Bittle find themselves off the floor.

“Like a lot of freshmen, he’s got to be more physical than what he is,” Altman said when asked how Evans Jr can earn minutes. “We’ll play him some at the wing but mostly he’s gonna be a forward for us.”

Evans Jr. was also asked if he views himself as more of a positionless player.

“Yeah, I do see myself like that. Playing every position, helping the team out as much as I can,” he said.

Offensively, he said his goal was to get stronger so that he can provide a more physical presence. Evans Jr. has all the potential to be a game-changer on both ends of the floor for the Ducks. There was a reason he was a five-star prospect, and he believes he is ready to help this team win games this season.

Freshman players in Altman’s system have historically struggled to find the floor for consistent minutes. However, Shelstad, Cook, and Evans all have their eyes set on contributing in this first season in Eugene. If they are able to find their footing in Altman’s system, their natural talent should allow them to not only see the floor but help the Ducks contend for a Pac-12 title for the first time since the 2020-2021 season.