Pair of Oregon Ducks Cleared to Return to Basketball

The Oregon Ducks’ basketball program has received a significant boost. Both Mookie Cook and Nate Bittle have been fully cleared to return to the court. Cook, a highly touted recruit, and Bittle, a key interior presence, missed the majority of the 2023-24 season due to injury and illness.

An injured Nate Bittle watches the game against Michigan Saturday, Dec. 2, 2023. / Chris Pietsch/The Register Guard / USA

Staying healthy has been a significant factor in the University of Oregon men’s basketball team’s struggles over the past two seasons.

Last season, several of the Ducks’ top performers were in and out of practice and games due to injury, including rising star Mookie Cook and established center Nate Bittle. After last season, it was unclear if either player would make a healthy return to the court.

However, on Thursday, both Cook and Bittle were fully cleared for all basketball-related activities, according to CBS’s Jon Rothstein. 

Cook, a former four-star prospect, was expected to make a substantial offensive impact for the Ducks in his debut season. The Portland native transferred from Jefferson High School to Compass Prep in Chander, Arizona for his final two seasons of high school basketball. 

AZ Compass's Mookie Cook plays #1 during the GEICO High School Nationals quarterfinal at Suncoast Credit Union Arena on Thursday. Mookie2410 / Andrew West/The News-Press / USA TODAY

Cook’s high school success was recognized with a plethora of awards, including being named a 2023 McDonald’s All-American, the 21st-ranked prospect in the ESPN top 100, and the 40th-ranked prospect by 247Sports. He was also named to the 2023 Jordan Brand National Team and invited to participate in the Team USA U19 training camp that same year. 

Expectations were high for the Portland native when he returned to his home state to play basketball for the University of Oregon. However, the highly touted small forward suffered an ankle injury the summer before his first season as a Duck during the Allen Iverson Roundball Classic. 

Mar 28, 2023; Houston, TX, USA; West forward Mookie Cook (3) during the McDonald's All American Boy's high school basketball game at Toyota Center. / Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

“In April, I rolled it and chipped a bone fleck and tore a little bit of my inner tendon in my ankle,” Cook said. “Then I had surgery in October, and everything was fine. But in the fifth game against Utah, I stepped hard to run, felt a little pop under my feet, and ended up retearing a little bit under my foot, but nothing crazy.” 

Cook said he received platelet-rich plasma (PRP) therapy and worked closely with Oregon’s training staff to make a return to the court. It appears that hard work has paid off, as Cook has been fully cleared to practice. 

One of Oregon’s key players, Nate Bittle, was in and out of basketball last season, seeing action in just five games and missing 31 due to injury and illness. Bittle missed the first half of the 2023-24 season with a wrist injury. He injured his left wrist during the first half of Oregon’s win over Tennessee State on November 17 and had surgery shortly after. 

Nov 6, 2023; Las Vegas, Nevada, USA; Georgia Bulldogs forward Jalen DeLoach (23) shoots against Oregon Ducks center Nate Bittle (32) during the second half at T-Mobile Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports / Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

“The bone he broke is going to take a long time to heal,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said about Bittle’s injury. “From what the doctors tell me, it’s kind of a slow process.” 

The seven-foot center would not return to the court until January 25, nearly two months after the injury. However, shortly after his return, Bittle contracted an illness. 

Oregon center Nate Bittle blocks a shot by Tennessee State forward Jason Jitoboh as the Oregon Ducks host Tennessee State Friday, Nov. 17, 2023, at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene, Ore. / Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA

“I lost 15 pounds. I was about 230-232. Then I dropped all the way down to 214.6. I think that was the lowest.”

- Nate Bittle

The illness that sidelined Bittle for the remainder of the 2023-24 season is still unknown to the public, but it appears he is in good shape and will rejoin the team for the coming season.