Dana Altman offers hopeful update on injured star

Kwame Evans sparked the Ducks to a 50-36 lead before he fell to the floor in the second half, clutching his left knee.

The 6-10 former McDonald's All-American from Baltimore, Maryland had to be helped to the locker room. As he walked off he wasn't putting any weight on the leg.

Evans hasn't missed a game in two years. On Monday night against Hawaii he was a bright spot in a ragged game, shaking the Ducks loose with 3-6 shooting that included a powerful dunk and a sweet three, two blocks and three assists, just three of Oregon's disastrous 21 turnovers.

On radio after the game head coach Dana Altman said, "I'm not sure where he's at. I don't think it's too serious. I don't know that for a fact but he was walking around in the locker room."

The Ducks lost their focus without him. They went completely cold, allowing the Rainbow Warriors to tie the game 50-50 with a 14-0 run. They needed a driving layup with three seconds to play from Takai Simpkins to win 60-59.

A transfer from Elon, Simpkins paced the Ducks with 18 points on 7-12 shooting. The team hit just 2-16 from three on a rough night in shooting, passing and ball-handling.

As he's said so often in November, Altman said, "We're not very good right now." Even so, they're 1-0.

The outlook could improve if Evans survives the injury scare, coupled with Jackson Shelstad's expected return from a broken hand later this month. In center Nate Bittle, Shelstad and Evans, the Ducks looked to feature one of the best trios in college basketball.

Cut down on the turnovers, add Simpkins as a dynamic scorer and defender, get just a little more consistency from Devon Pryor and Sean Stewart, and suddenly Altman has another tournament team, fingers crossed.