Men’s Hoop Recruits
by Jerry Thompson
Men Sign 3
“Blue Chippers”
In the last 40 years in which I have been
watching Oregon basketball, the Ducks have
had some great recruiting classes. In the late
‘60s, the class of Stan Love, Bill Drodziak,
Larry Holliday, Carlton Slater, Johnny Green,
and Lenny Jackson were very impressive.
In the early ‘70s what many consider the
Oregon basketball recruiting class ever
made their way to Eugene led by Prep All-
Americans Stu Jackson, Ernie Kent, Steve
Manker along with the great Greg Ballard
worker” in the classroom and on the court.
“He is a very exciting player to watch who
can play like a guard, is a great team player
with great passing skills and has an excellent
feel for rebounding,” Bokn stated. Bokn said
Maarty’s shot has greatly improved even
from last year and that he is a great team
defender who will need to get a little stronger
to be a great 1 on 1 defender. “From 22 feet
he is developing a very proficient 3-point
shot,” added Bokn. At 6-9, Leunen, who
is of Scandinavian descent, bears a striking
resemblance to Luke Ridnour. Bokn said
he could easily grown an inch or two and
will definitely put on some weight as me
matures out of his “peach fuzz” stage.
Chamberlain Oguchi
Bryce Taylor
coach Kent. Taylor chose Oregon over
Indiana. Taylor shoots over 40% from
beyond the arc but as his coach pointed
out, with his driving and leaping ability
the 6-4 super star can create a shot from
anywhere on the floor. Hilliard said Bryce
compares very favorably with other highly
sought after recruits Aaron Affalo (UCLA)
and Gabriel Pruitt (USC).
Chamberlain Oguchi
One of the big recruiting surprises
came with the decision by 6-5 Chamberlain
Oguchi to go West to Oregon instead of stay
closer to home at Oklahoma or Kansas State.
Oguchi, from George W. Bush H.S. in the
Houston, Texas area averaged 25 points per
game last year in a school district with very
tough competition. Oguchi’s coach, Bobby
Knotts described Chamberlain as “a really
nice kid from a great background with
really great parents.” Knotts said Oguchi
is “a shooting guard who is extremely
quick with tremendous hops.” “He has
really expanded his game and not only
shoots 35-40% from the arc, he can put
it on the floor and take it to the basket,”
Knotts said.
Knotts said that Chamberlain and his
parents were very impressed by the academ-
ic emphasis that Ernie Kent brought to the
table. Their two daughters attend Notre
Dame and Penn State on academic scholar-
ships and the academics and total program
at Oregon really sold them. It has been
reported that between Leunen, Taylor, and
Oguchi Oregon may have wanted Oguchi
the most. That may not be accurate, but the
point is, with these three exciting additions
who should be able to enjoy the new bas-
ketball arena, Oregon basketball looks like
it will be able to compete with teams at
the highest levels in the nation.
Maarty Leunen
and Greg Graham. Ernie Kent has signed
some very good classes with his first
class composed of Freddie Jones, Chris
Christoffersen and complimented by J.C.
players Alex Scales and Darius Wright laying
a good foundation. Kent’s best to date has
to be the Ridnour, Jackson, Davis, and
Anderson class although Brooks, Platt, and
Schafer may yet have something to say
about that. The good news is that Kent has
done it again and maybe even improved
with the addition of 6’ 9” Maarty
Leunen from Redmond, Oregon; 6’ 4”
Bryce Taylor from North Hollywood,
California, and 6’ 5” Chamberlain
Oguchi from Richmond, Texas. These
three players are among the top 100 players
in the nation and can now concentrate
on school and basketball with their big
decision having been made.
Maarty Leunen
Leunen is a great addition for the Ducks
for a number of reasons. First, he is the
best in-state player in Oregon and it is very
important that Oregon “holds serve” here
against Oregon State and other suitors.
Second, Leunen, who led his team to the
state championship last year and averaged
20 points and 10 rebounds, will be a natural
replacement for Luke Jackson as a big 3 or
small 4 position player. Third, he is just
another of many quality young men with
character which coach Kent molds into the
program. Leunen is a 3.5 plus student whom
his coach Kelly Bokn describes as a “real hard
Leunen’s decision came down to
Oregon, UCLA, Gonzaga, and Oregon
State. Leunen felt very comfortable with
Oregon’s scheme and style of play as well
as the current players and his fellow new
recruits. Playing close to home and for
Oregon fans was an added bonus.
Bryce Taylor
The Ducks broke some other recruiting
hearts with the commitment of the sensa-
tional Bryce Taylor who is in the top 50 (and
by the end of this season probably much
higher) on every list of great U.S. high school
players. Taylor’s dad Brian played in the ABA
and NBA and the genes are evident. Taylor
is one of the elite scorers in the nation and
his coach Greg Hilliard at Harvard-Westlake
said he poured in an amazing 28 points per
game. “Bryce wants to score that many at
the next level and if he doesn’t it won’t be
for a lack of hard work. He has an insatiable
desire to get better,” Hilliard said. His coach
described Bryce as “guy who wants to have
the ball for the last shot.” Taylor can score
from a variety of places on the court as he
is a rare combination of shooter and leaper
who loves to “throw it down”. Taylor has
an incredible 39” vertical and helped lead his
summer AAU team from Southern California
to the national championship against a team
from Georgia which sported two players
who will probably jump from high school
to the NBA. Hilliard said Taylor’s stock went
way up in the summer, but fortunately for
Oregon he had become “enamored” with
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NOVEMBER 13, 2003 9