The I-5 Thoughts: Emptying the notebook after the Round of 64 in Seattle
The Ducks made sure everyone got in on the fun.
Back in Portland for the day before heading back up the I-5 tomorrow for Oregon’s Round of 32 game against Arizona. Here’s five thoughts from my day in the Emerald City.
SEATTLE — Dana Altman didn’t start with a smile.
The Oregon Ducks were already up 5-2 and coming downcourt in transition when Jackson Shelstad pulled up for a three-pointer by the logo. As the ball swished through the hoop, the Oregon coach angrily barked a few things at his sophomore point guard.
Maybe he thought it was a bad look. Maybe he wanted the Ducks to settle into their offense.
Whatever. The ball went in.
“I thought I had space,” Shelstad said. “Just tried to get my feet set. I work on those shots a lot, so I just trust it.”
Thanks to Shelstad’s hot hand and an Oregon team that continued to shoot the lights out of Climate Pledge Arena, Altman didn’t have much else to object to in Oregon’s 81-52 win over Liberty. And with the game in hand in its final minutes, Altman was able to empty his bench.
In came Mookie Cook, Jamari Phillips, Drew Carter and Jayson Williams-Johnson. And by the time Cook hit a pair of threes and Williams-Johnson got a tough bucket driving to the hoop, that initial scowl of the longtime coach was pinned the other way.
“One of the hardest things is, Mookie is really talented. Jamari is talented. Our walk-ons, Drew and Coop, have been tremendous,” Altman said. “I can’t play 12, 13 guys and it’s hard when you’re talented not to get the opportunity.
“(Mookie and Jamari) are the two least experienced guys we got. Never questioned their talent, it’s just that we don’t have injuries this year. We sure could have used Mookie last year when he was out all year. It’s amazing how different seasons are. But those guys, to hang with it, to be great team members, it says a lot about their character. It’s difficult when you’re talented and you feel like you can play. It’s really hard to show that character.”