Elite JUCO Prospect Rivaldo Soares Commits to Oregon

Dana Altman continues to reload ahead of the next hoops season.

Author:
Max Torres
Publish date:
May 10, 2021 3:08 PM EDT

Dana Altman has added a huge piece to his 2021 class late in the recruiting cycle.

JUCO guard Rivaldo Soares has committed to Oregon. He announced his decision on Instagram.

Soares played his last two seasons at South Plains College Levelland, Texas and is originally from Boston, Massachusetts. He chose the Ducks over fellow finalists DePaul, Florida, Oklahoma State, San Diego State and St. John's.

The 6'6" guard, was named a an NJCAA first-team All-American and the Western Junior College Athletic Conference player of the year as a sophomore during the 2020-2021 season.

He becomes the second commit in the 2021 class alongside McDonald's All-American Nathan Bittle after Jonathan Lawson was granted a release from his national letter of intent before heading to Memphis.

Oregon Head Coach Dana Altman was fired up about the new addition.

"We are excited to add Rivaldo to our program," Altman said in a press release. "He's a young talent who we feel can develop and continue to get better. He's a versatile player who will be able to play multiple positions and do a lot for us on both ends of the court."

Soares averaged 15.2 points and 6.8 rebounds per game while shooting 45.5% overall and 34.5% from 3-point range in his sophomore season.

The addition of Soares is significant for Altman after losing a bulk of the production from his 2020 Sweet 16 team. Chris Duarte and Eugene Omoruyi are likely off to the NBA and LJ Figueroa is playing professionally overseas.

Jalen Terry transferred to DePaul to follow former Oregon assistant Tony Stubblefield and Aaron Estrada transferred to Hofstra. The Ducks will have Will Richardson and De'Vion Harmon in the back court after landing the Oklahoma transfer earlier this offeseason.

Dana Altman has prioritized the back court since the Ducks figure to deploy an elite front court with names like N'Faly Dante, Franck Kepnang and Isaac Johnson.

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