Quincy Guerrier announced on Thursday that he plans to transfer to Oregon.
The “Candyman” still has his name in the NBA draft waters, but unless he signs with an agent, can withdraw at any time and head to Eugene.
Guerrier had a host of schools contacting him early on after he decided to leave SU. The 6-foot-8 forward averaged 13.7 points and 8.4 rebounds as a sophomore and drew interest from NBA scouts early on in the season before somewhat falling off in ACC play. Guerrier eventually cut his choices down to four.
We discussed these four schools on last week’s Fizz Radio, and both hosts agreed that Oregon would be a smart destination for Guerrier. The Ducks lose the aforementioned four graduating seniors, and head coach Dana Altman has done especially well with uber-athletic guys such as.
Offensively, Guerrier, just like all players at Oregon, should be given a lot of freedom, and the ability to pick his spots. Hopefully Quincy spends the summer honing where those spots are on the floor, and fine-tuning that outside shot. He’ll be able to run the floor a ton and get out in transition for open spot-up threes, when he seems to be the most consistent. Guerrier will fit well in the Oregon offense.
Defensively, however, the choice is a little confusing. Guerrier projects to be a small forward or tweener four in the NBA, and Altman is known for position-less basketball and a lot of zone and pressure looks. This choice must mean scouts weren’t too worried about Guerrier’s lack of man-to-man experience on defense. The Ducks have also had issues finding a consistent big man, due to injuries, foul trouble, and some recruiting misses (sound familiar?). Last year, Oregon’s starting five against Iowa in the NCAA were all 6-foot-6 or smaller. It would stink to see Guerrier shoehorned into a role as a small-ball center.
But as long as Oregon finds a competent true big man, the Ducks make a whole lot of sense for Quincy Guerrier. We here at the Fizz wish him the best of luck going forward.
