Oregon Ducks News: Portal prize, Diamond eyes, track teams collide, Corso good-byes

The most intriguing name in the basketball portal, son of an NBA superstar

He's exactly what the Ducks need, a 6-7 wing who can attack the basket, handle the ball, rebound and defend but Andrej Stojakovic, the son of NBA legend Peja Stokakovic has entered the transfer portal with a do not contact tag.

That typically means the player and his representation have a destination in mind. In this case, it's likely to be a high-profile showcase like Duke or Kentucky.

It's Stojakovic's second entry into the portal. He played at Stanford as a freshman and Cal as a sophomore, averaging 17.9 points and 4.7 rebounds for the Bears. In the ACC Tournament he scored 37 against the Cardinal and 29 against Virginia Tech, shooting over 50% from three in both games.

His father was an NBA champion and three-time All-Star. The son is a former McDonald's All-American and five-star recruit, with better skills at this stage of his development.

Diamond Ducks mount up

No. 5 UCLA comes to Jane Sanders Stadium Friday at 7 p.m. PDT for the first game of a three-game series with the No. 6 Ducks. The teams are tied for the Big Ten lead at 12-1.

The series features three of the country's best pitchers in Oregon's Lyndsey Grein (23-1, 1.25 ERA) and Elise Sokolsky (11-1, 1.94 ERA) and the Bruins' Kaitlyn Terry (15-3, 2.08 ERA.)

In baseball, the Oregon men begin a three-game set Friday at 5:05 p.m. PDT against UCLA at PK Park.

UCLA holds first place in the Big Ten at 12-3, 28-8 overall. The Ducks are in third at 12-6. Oregon outfielder Mason Neville is second in the nation in home runs with 17.

Track: Ducks host Oregon Team Invitational

At Hayward Field on Saturday the Webfoot thinclads host the annual Oregon Team Invitational, a single-day event featuring some of the top collegiate track and field athletes in the nation, including the Women's track team from UO, the NCAA Indoor Champions.

The event includes teams from Kansas State, Texas A&M, Wichita State, Oklahoma State, Oregon State and Utah at track and field's premier showcase.

Football builds toward Spring Game

With a massive visitor list planned for this weekend and next, Oregon football gears up with a closed scrimmage Saturday and workouts on Tuesday and Thursday.

The news out of the Hatfield-Dowling Center is dominated by talk of competition and brotherhood, an energy that appeals to some of the best prospects in the country. Big Ten sack leader Matayo Uiagalelei is looking to up his game as he enters his junior year.

“I think of pass rush like I'm a pitcher,” Uiagalelei said. “I feel like I was successful on my fastball. Something this year I wanted to work on is counter rushes, other types of rushes — powers. I didn't feel like I showed a lot of that last year.“

Lee Corso announces retirement

The legendary ESPN college football analyst announced he is retiring this year after making one final mascot head pick during the Week One episode of ESPN College GameDay on August 30th.

Corso had a special relationship with the Ducks and The Duck. Over his 40 years on the Home Depot Desk he made a pick in Oregon games 23 times and he put on the Duck mascot head 19 times with the Ducks winning 16 of those games. Both the panelist and the pushup artist had a rapport and an affection for each other.

At the Heritage Golf Classic in Hilton Head, South Carolina, Oregon golfer Wyndham Clark is fourth place at -6, four shots behind leader Justin Thomas. The tournament continues today on the Golf Channel, Saturday and Sunday on CBS.

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