Wednesday Whispers

Basketball Whispers

It’s always interesting to see how two people connected to different people can come to opposing conclusions about a single player. Such is the case with Kavell Bigby Williams. It is no secret that he has requested permission to seek a potential transfer opportunity. The request was granted by Oregon allowing him to pursue other opportunities.

Now conflicting reports come out that he is either definitely not gone, or flip-flopping. I imagine it is mostly the latter and is wholly dependent on what the plan for him is at this point. There are a lot of voices in his ears and he is probably getting conflicting advice as well as promises.  

Being honest, it is extremely unlikely he gets drafted next year; while the odds would go up if he redshirted the 2017-18 season, then played the 2018-19 season, if anyone is prompting him to leave because they think his draft stock will improve, they are crazy. Jordan Bell went from an extremely raw athletic freak into a potential first round pick. That came about because Dana Altman and staff know what they are doing.

Should he stay or should he go? I think he should stay, and I think he should redshirt.

Big news broke this week that a couple of five stars were visiting. First, of course, was Brian Bowen, a versatile 6-7 small forward with plenty of hair and even more talent. While I still think it an extremely long shot that he picks the Ducks, it says something that he and his mother came to Eugene on their own dime.

Coaching Whispers

On the non-premium side, there is nothing crazy to report here; no firings, no crazy reports. What I will say is that this group of coaches is so unique that it is a strange blend.

While everyone focuses on the recruiting of Willie Taggart and Mario Cristobal, or the California prowess of Keith Heyward, I think the absolute best recruiter on this staff is really starting to show just how good he is. Ray Woodie was the lead recruiter on Florida State flip Isaiah Bolden, he is the lead recruiter on Kalon Gervin and will likely be recognized as one of the top recruiters in the nation once again.

A lot of people looked past this hire, especially given the performance of the South Florida defense last season, but the reality is that Woodie has been one of the finest recruiters at all of his stops; that won’t change anytime soon.

Football Whispers

Not going to give away bombshells in this space, but watch Ray Woodie III’s recruiting closely. He recently picked up and offer from Penn State and is going to be a very special athlete in the class of 2019. While his dad is a coach at Oregon, Ray III has no logical ties to the university other than his dad coaching here. So, don’t be entirely surprised if he ends up being a national recruit with his pick-of-the-litter offer wise. The last time I spoke with Ray III, the plan was to wait until after the Spring game and near the end of the school year to decide whether he was moving to Eugene or staying in Florida. It really won’t hurt his recruiting stock to move, nor will it help. So this really will be a family decision. Maybe he gets to Eugene this summer and absolutely falls in love with the place, or maybe he decides to stay in the area where most of his life has been spent. My money at this point is on the former, but I would not be surprised by the latter either, especially with IMG being close enough to have him play there for a couple of seasons.

That’s all of the ‘freebie’ stuff for now. For other content, check out the Wednesday War Room at Duck Sports Authority!