Oregon Ducks Center N'Faly Dante Announces Return for 2022-23 Season
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Oregon center N'Faly Dante will return to Eugene for the 2022-2023 season. He announced his decision on social media on Monday.
Dante's return gives the Oregon Ducks some security in the frontcourt next season after the departure of Franck Kepnang and Isaac Johnson. Kepnang remained in the Pac-12, transfering to Washington, while Johnson will return to his home state to play for Utah State.
Dante enjoyed his healthiest season as a Duck after playing in just 18 of 59 possible games in his first two seasons due to injury. The 6-foot-11 center from Bamako, Mali appeared in 32 games (27 starts) for the Ducks in 2021-22, putting up 8.1 points and a team-high 6.3 boards per contest.
He also led the Ducks in blocked shots (1.03 per game) and field goal percentage (67.5%). Dante logged four double-doubles as a junior, including a 13-point, 15-rebound (career-high) performance against Arizona. He dropped a career-high 20 points in a win over Portland to go along with nine rebounds on an impressive 9-of-11 shooting from the field.
N'Faly Dante
© Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports
Despite Kepnang and Johnson moving on from the program, Oregon will still have some talent in the frontcourt, with Dante being by far the most experienced. Nathan Bittle, a former 5-star signee in 2021, played in 20 games as a true freshman while 2022 5-star signee Kel'el Ware comes in with lofty expectations.
With the lack of experience behind him and his NBA draft stock on the line, Dante, a former 5-star prospect from Sunrise Christian Academy in Bel Aire, Kan., will certainly have plenty of expectations on him in his senior season.
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