Oregon’s summer story is running on two tracks: a former Duck trying to punch his way back into the NBA picture, and a highly regarded 2028 prospect already hearing from Dana Altman’s staff.
TJ Bamba is getting another crack at an NBA training camp roster, and he’ll do it through a pair of summer stops with the Denver Nuggets. He’s set for the Salt Lake City Summer League in Utah from July 4-7, then will move on to the Las Vegas Summer League in Nevada from July 9-19.
Bamba’s one season in Eugene gave Oregon plenty to work with. The 6-5 wing posted 10.0 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 steals, and 1.6 assists per game for Altman, while also landing on the Big Ten Conference All-Defensive Team and finishing as a finalist for the Lefty Driesell Award, which goes to the best defender in college basketball.
His college path was a long one before that lone year with the Ducks. Bamba spent three seasons at Washington State from 2020 to 2023, then played the 2024-25 season at Villanova.
After his Oregon career wrapped in 2025, he was with the Brooklyn Nets for the Las Vegas Summer League last July. From there, he moved overseas and spent his first professional season with Rasta Vechta in Germany’s Basketball Bundesliga.
Oregon will have more representation in Las Vegas, too. The other reported Ducks alums taking part are Toronto Raptors center Nate Bittle and forward Brandon Angel.
On the recruiting side, Oregon is still pushing forward in the 2028 class, even with assistant coach Mike Mennenga no longer on the bench after recently taking a job with Creighton in the Big East Conference.
One name to know is Isaiah Hamilton, a 6-6, 190-pound wing ranked by Rivals as the No. 7 overall player in the 2028 cycle. He’s headed to Montverde Academy in Florida for his junior season and is spending the summer with the Canada Elite program on Under Armour’s U-16 Next Circuit.
Hamilton also just finished with the Canadian U-17 National Team at the 2026 FIBA World Cup in Istanbul, Turkey. Canada fell to Australia in the quarterfinals, 100-86.
The four-star prospect finished second on his team in scoring at 14.2 points per game, while also averaging 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 steals across a 3-2 run in Turkey. His shooting numbers there were 35.8 percent from the field, 30.6 percent from three, and 63.2 percent at the line.
Hamilton spoke with Rivals’ Jaime Shaw at the NBPA Top 100 Camp earlier this summer and had positive things to say about Altman’s program. No Oregon visit has been scheduled.
“They are a great program. I talk a lot with the coaches; we always have a good conversation," Hamilton stated.
"Obviously, they have great facilities and stuff. I haven’t been out there yet.
I want to go, but they’ve shown me stuff, and I’ve seen pictures and researched them some. But yeah, they have great facilities out there.”
Alabama and Arizona State are also said to be heavily involved early in his recruitment.
In Other News...
Oregon Just Missed On A Massive 2028 Receiver Recruit
Oregon was in the mix for one of the most coveted wide receiver prospects in the country, but the Ducks came up just short in the race for Jett Harrison, the five-star standout at the top of the 2028 class. The son of NFL Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison and younger brother of Marvin Harrison Jr., Harrison brings a name that already carries real weight in recruiting circles, and his decision adds another chapter to a family line that has long been tied to elite receiver play.
For Oregon, the miss is notable, but it is not a sign that the Ducks are backing off at the position. The staff remains active with several other high-end receivers in the 2027 and 2028 classes, keeping the focus on a group that could still shape the future of the offense. Harrison may be off the board, but the broader chase for blue-chip pass catchers is very much still on. [Read more 🡒]
Former Duck Payton Pritchard Suddenly Faces A Career Defining NBA Chance
Payton Pritchard has already shown he can do more when the Celtics need him to. The former Oregon guard just put together his best season yet, and his numbers jumped when key players were out of the lineup, giving Boston a useful reminder that he is more than a steady reserve. With the roster now shifting after the Jaylen Brown trade, Pritchard suddenly looks like one of the players most likely to inherit a larger slice of the offense.
For Boston, the question is no longer whether Pritchard can handle a bigger role in spurts, but whether he can turn that into something more lasting over the course of a season. He has been productive enough to make the conversation real, and the Celtics will be counting on him to carry that form into next year. If he does, this could become the kind of opportunity that changes how the team views him going forward. [Read more 🡒]
Six Ducks Are Fueling Oregon's Biggest 2026 Hype Test
Oregons 2026 outlook is getting a lot of its early shine from a small group of returners and rising names, with Dante Moore back for his third season and expected to be the centerpiece of the offense. Around him, the Ducks have a mix of proven production and upside: AMauri Washington, Teitum Tuioti, Matayo Uiagalelei, Brandon Finney Jr. and Jamari Johnson all showed enough last season to make this group one of the more intriguing parts of the roster heading into the fall.
Moores standing has already drawn national attention, and the rest of the list helps explain why Oregon keeps showing up in preseason conversations. Washingtons honors, Finneys postseason recognition and Johnsons expanded opportunity all point to a roster that is not just replacing names, but trying to stack more impact players around a quarterback who has become one of the most watched in the sport. The bigger question now is how quickly that talent turns into the kind of on-field edge Oregon will need once the season starts. [Read more 🡒]