Recruiting: Men’s Basketball is on another hot streak

While Oregon Men’s basketball is looking strong with a 2-0 start heading into their matchup with BYU, head coach Dana Altman and his staff have kept the fire burning as hot as ever on the recruiting trail.

On Friday, the Ducks signed two five-star commits in point guard Dior Johnson and center Kel’el Ware, and also inked one of junior college’s highest scorers in guard Tyrone Williams.

Johnson is rated the nation’s No. 1 point guard and No. 13 overall prospect, making him the fifth highest-rated prospect in Oregon history. He is described as a very instinctual point guard who can shoot and rebound well, and provides versatile defense.

Ware is rated the nation’s No. 5 center and No. 14 overall prospect. At 7 feet and 210 pounds, Ware is an imposing physical presence who is described as loaded with natural talent. He has shot up the rankings recently with improved performance, and is still thought of as having the potential to be an elite player despite not having come close to his ceiling yet.

Williams has been an absolute stud on the junior college level, averaging 27.6 points, 6.5 rebounds, and 2.5 assists while shooting 55.1 percent from the floor and 43.5 percent from the three-point line. He is expected to be an immediate contributor across the board.

To put the cherry on the sundae, the Ducks received a verbal commitment from consensus four-star point guard and West Linn junior Jackson Shelstad.

Shelstad hails from the same high school as former Duck star Peyton Pritchard and describes Pritchard as a mentor and player he aspired to be like.

Shelstad has also soared up the rankings recently and generated offers from multiple high-level programs. He chose Oregon over fellow finalists Gonzaga and UCLA, citing that he was “staying home”.

Shelstad is currently rated the nation’s No. 68 overall prospect but has recently climbed as high as No. 57 on ESPN. He is described as a high IQ guard who distributes the basketball particularly well. He projects to be a multi-year starter who could develop into one of the best floor-generals in the conference.

Johnson, Ware, and Williams are part of Oregon’s 2022 recruiting class while Shelstad became the first pledge of the 2023 class.