Former Oregon Ducks with varying levels of success after transferring
Like it or not, college sports have officially entered the transfer portal era. Student-athletes now have the freedom to explore other universities during the offseason, and for the men’s basketball program it has meant a lot of turnover in the past few years.
Additionally, an extra year of eligibility due to the COVID-19 season created a situation where some players have been in college since 2017 and are still suiting up and hooping, hoping to make it into the big dance.
Here at Ducks Wire we took a look at how Oregon’s transfer departures over the last half decade have performed elsewhere – pulling numbers on 11 former Ducks playing around the country after departing Eugene.
Some have found success at the mid-major level, like Victor Bailey and Eric Williams, one stayed in conference with a team up north, and some are – unfortunately – battling injuries or ineffectiveness in other programs.
Without further ado, here is a look at each Oregon transfer playing D-1 ball this season:
Victor Bailey, Guard, George Mason
Syndication: The Montgomery Advertiser
After two solid seasons as a sharpshooting role player for the Ducks, Victor Bailey transferred to Tennessee in 2019.
He sat out 2019-20, averaged 10.9 points in 27 games for the Volunteers in 2020-21, and then saw his playing time dip all the way to just 9.6 minutes per game in 2021-22.
That lead to him entering the transfer portal for his final year of eligibility, and he ended up in the A-10 at George Mason where he is currently averaging 13.1 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while playing nearly 34 minutes per game for the Patriots.
Aaron Estrada, Guard, Hofstra
Mandatory Credit: Nelson Chenault-USA TODAY Sports
Estrada began his college career at Saint Peter’s, long before they were America’s darling NCAA Tournament team. He relocated to Eugene for the 2020-21 season, averaging 3.1 points in just nine games before hitting the portal again.
This time he ended up across the country at Hofstra in the Colonial, where he’s been a dominant scoring force for the past two seasons.
This year for the Pride, Estrada is averaging 21.1 points, 5.1 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.4 steals – cementing himself as an All-CAA performer for the second year in a row.
De'Vion Harmon, Guard, Texas Tech
Syndication: Lubbock Avalanche-Journal
Harmon, like Bailey and Estrada, is also on his third college basketball team.
He began his career at Oklahoma, spending two years with the Sooners before joining the Ducks for the 2021-22 season where he averaged 10.8 points while shooting 36.7% from deep.
He left after one year and headed to Lubbock to join the Texas Tech Red Raiders. It’s been a tumultuous season for Mark Adams’ team, although Harmon has had a nice season averaging 12.5 points and a career-high 3.7 assists in his first year back in the Big 12.
Isaac Johnson, Center, Utah State
(Photo by David Becker/Getty Images)
Isaac Johnson was a highly rated recruit when he came to Oregon as a freshman in 2021-22, but after averaging 2.4 points in 14 games he entered the transfer portal and returned to his home state, joining the Utah State Aggies.
Surprisingly the Aggies decided to redshirt Johnson, so his impact in the Mountain West won’t be felt until the 2023-24 season.
Franck Kepnang, Center, Washington
Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports
Kepnang surprised Oregon fans by leaving after two seasons, not wanting to stick around a backcourt loaded with N’Faly Dante and freshman Kel’el Ware.
He headed to Washington and appeared in eight games, starting one and averaging nine points and 6.3 rebounds before going down with a season-ending knee injury.
Chandler Lawson, Forward, Memphis
Syndication: The Commercial Appeal
Lawson spent two years in a reserve role for the Ducks, averaging 4.5 points in 59 games from 2019-2021 before entering the transfer portal and committing to Memphis.
Lawson played sparingly in 2021-22, averaging 1.6 points in 17 games. He has stepped into a bigger role this season, averaging 5.6 points and 4.7 rebounds in 17 games and 15 starts for Penny Hardaway’s squad.
Miles Norris, Forward, Santa Barbara
Mandatory Credit: Andrew Nelles-USA TODAY Sports
Norris started at Oregon way back in the 2018-19 season, appearing in 27 games and averaging 3.3 points and 1.9 rebounds.
He resurfaced in the Big West at UC-Santa Barbara in 2020 and has spent the past three seasons with the Gauchos. Currently he’s having the best year of his career, averaging 13 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 1.5 assists while shooting 39.6% from deep as a 6’10 big man.
Francis Okoro, Forward, Saint Louis
Mandatory Credit: John Reed-USA TODAY Sports
Nigerian forward Francis Okoro came to Oregon in 2018 and stayed for two years, starting 40 out of 56 games and averaging 3.2 points and 3.7 rebounds.
He has spent the past two seasons at Saint Louis with the Billikens, starting all 17 games this year and averaging 6.6 points and 8.6 rebounds while shooting a solid 53.8% from the field.
Jalen Terry, Guard, DePaul
Mandatory Credit: Wendell Cruz-USA TODAY Sports
Terry began his college career at Oregon in the 2020-21 season, appearing in 20 games and averaging 2.9 points and 1.1 assists.
He ended up transferring closer to his home in Michigan, hopping into the Big East to join DePaul.
In his second season with the Blue Demons, Terry is averaging 5.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, and 1.7 assists while shooting a career-low 29.5% from three.
C.J. Walker, Forward, Central Florida
Mandatory Credit: Petre Thomas-USA TODAY Sports
Walker started seven out of 28 games as a freshman at Oregon in 2019-20, averaging four points and 2.5 rebounds per game.
He then transferred to Central Florida and played a key role in each of the next two seasons, averaging 7.6 points in about 25 minutes a night.
Unfortunately, this season was cut short after just four games, with Walker suffering a season-ending injury back on November 27.
Eric Williams, Guard, San Diego
Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Williams spent two years at Duquesne before transferring to Oregon and sitting out the 2019-20 season.
He then spent two years as a sharpshooting wing for the Ducks, averaging a little over nine points per game while shooting 35% from deep.
He left after this past season and joined new head coach Steve Lavin at San Diego, where he dropped a program record 42 points in a game earlier this season.
All told, Williams is averaging 15.2 points, 9.9 rebounds, and 2.5 assists for the Toreros while looking like a potential All-WCC performer.
