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Earlier today, the Oregon men's basketball team landed a big-time transfer in 4-star power forward Kavell Bigby-Williams from Gillette College in Wyoming. The news was announced by Bigby-Williams via Twitter earlier this afternoon.
Been a lot of hard work and a tough decision but doing my research on every school I feel Oregon is the best fit https://t.co/mJKrTrZfji
— Kavell Bigby (@Kavell6ft10) April 10, 2016
Dana Altman is a wizard when it comes to bringing transfers to Oregon, and this is just the latest example. At Gillette College, Bigby-Williams averaged an astonishing 5.86 blocks per game, the best mark in the nation. As a team, the Ducks averaged 5.81 blocks per game this past season.
Bigby-Williams will join Chris Boucher in the front court, and that's a scary thought for opposing teams. Boucher accounted for nearly 50 percent of the team's blocks this year, swatting away 110 shots on the year. Now, he has a fellow big man to reek havoc with this next season. The two will be together for one year only, as this next season will be Boucher's last with the Ducks.
Bigby-Williams is entering his junior year, so we'll see him in Eugene for the next two seasons. I see him becoming one of the most important transfers Dana Altman has landed during his time here so far because of his ability to not only block shots and defend, but score as well. Last year, Bigby-Williams averaged 16.8 points per game.
Oregon was always a talented athletic team, but now that they have a guy like Bigby-Williams to join Boucher down in the paint, the Ducks just got way more dangerous for the 2016-17 season. If Bigby-Williams is able to continue to play at the level he has recently, there's no telling how far the Ducks could go next year.