The Oregon Ducks and head coach Dana Altman welcomed one of the school's highest-ranked recruiting classes in recent memory, as M.J. Cage, Payton Pritchard, and Keith Smith signed National Letters of Intent with the Ducks.
Oregon’s 2016 class is ranked as high as 10th nationally by Scout.com, which noted that the class has gone somewhat unheralded.
247Sports.com rated the Ducks’ 2016 class as the 12th best nationally, while ESPN pegged the Ducks at No. 30.
“Oregon's 2016 recruiting haul has somehow flown under the radar,” said Scout on its website. “But this is a terrific three-man recruiting class that will boost their perimeter and post play.”
“We’re really excited to be able to bring M.J., Payton and Keith into our program,” said Altman. “As a group, they certainly have a lot of talent, and I know our fans will enjoy watching them play. But they also come from strong basketball programs and really good basketball families, which should help them fit into our program right away.”
Local Southern California fans already are quite familiar with Cage, a 6-9, 210-pound big man out of Mater Dei High School, whose father, a relentless rebounder in his day, played many seasons at power forward for the Los Angeles Clippers.
Cage is a three-star recruit with a grade of 77 according to ESPN.com and is the 60th-ranked player by Scout.com on their top 100 list for the 2016 season
“Cage has a solid looking frame with long arms, good hands, and decent feet. He has a very soft shooting touch that extends to 17-feet and his release is smooth,” stated ESPN.com.
Cage led Mater Dei to a state runner-up finish as a junior. As a sophomore in the 2013-14 season, he teamed with Stanley Johnson, the eighth overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, to lead Mater Dei to both the California state championship and a mythical national championship. Cage averaged 14.9 points, 10.6 rebounds and 3.6 blocks per game.
Pritchard, a 6-1, 175-pound point guard out of West Linn, Oregon is the top player out of the state of Oregon for 2016, and the eighth-ranked point guard in the nation according to ESPN.com.
“Pritchard is a tough, competitive lead guard that is more athletic and stronger than he appears. He finishes well on the break for his size with either hand and does a great job attacking through contact where he draws fouls,” stated ESPN.com.
A four-star recruit and the 42nd-ranked player overall on the ESPN top 100 for 2016, as a junior Pritchard averaged 22 points and 5.8 assists per game en route to earning the 2014-15 Gatorade Oregon Player of the Year award and leading West Linn High School to its third straight state title.
Smith, a 6-7, 190-pound forward out of Seattle's Rainier Beach High School, is a three-star recruit with a grade of 78 according to ESPN.com.
“Smith has an ideal Division I frame with very long arms. He is an even keel prospect that rarely gets rattled under pressure. He has a terrific pull-up game with a smooth shooting stroke. He can slash his way to the rim for the finish or nail the mid-range pull-up,” stated ESPN.com.
The 42nd-ranked player by Scout.com on their list of the top 100 players for 2016, Smith averaged 18.5 points per game during his junior season.
By Staff of TheDailySportsHerald.com and news services
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