Ducks Digest

Will Richardson to Return to Oregon, Withdraw Name from 2022 NBA Draft

The second-team All-Pac-12 guard is back for year five.

Graham Metzker

In this story:

The stars are aligning for Dana Altman and the 2022-23 Oregon Ducks.

Veteran Guard Will Richardson will withdraw his name from the 2022 NBA Draft and return to Oregon for his fifth and final season, as first reported by Stadium's Jeff Goodman.

Richardson took his time with his decision to postpone his professional career, waiting all the way until the deadline of June 1 to remove his name from the draft pool. The decision also comes one day after Richardson was Southern California working out for the Los Angeles Lakers with a number of other prospective pro's.

Richardson's last season in Eugene was a rollercoaster. At his best, Richardson was dropping 28 points on the road against USC to lead Oregon to back-to-back top-five wins on the road. 

At his worst, Richardson was a no-show. After a few poor games to end the season, Richardson was absent from Oregon's Pac-12 Tournament and N.I.T. run. Altman has since said that Richardson was suffering from mononucleosis. 

But Oregon's late-season collapse still left a poor taste in the mouths of Duck fans, and many pointed criticism towards team leader Richardson. 

Oregon Guard Will Richardson

Will Richardson
Scott Boldt/Ducks Digest

Will Richardson scans the floor at Matthew Knight Arena during the 2021-2022 season.

Regardless of how the last season ended, Richardson returning is huge for Oregon next season. He led the team in scoring (14 points per game) and three-point percentage (38.8%) while also taking a majority of the ball-handler duties.

Altman has been working his offseason magic again, even outside of Richardson returning to school. A few days earlier, forward Quincy Guerrier removed his name from the NBA Draft and announced his own return to Eugene.

Joining Richardson in the back court are guards Jermaine Couisnard and Keeshawn Barthelemy, who transferred to Oregon from South Carolina and Colorado respectively. Both players have prior Division 1 experience and have the talent to slide right into the starting unit.

The Ducks have also secured transfers from JUCO stars Tyrone Williams, who led all Division 1 JUCO players in scoring last season, and Brennan Rigsby from Northwest Florida State, a school that's emerged as Oregon recruiting hotspot in recent years.

Altman will also be welcoming two of the most exciting commits in Oregon basketball history this summer in ESPN 100 recruits Kel'el Ware and Dior Johnson. Ware should fit in perfectly with Richardson as an ideal pick-and-roll partner; Johnson may not.

Johnson is used to having the ball in his hands a lot. With Richardson back in the fold, it will be interesting to see how Altman aligns this year's Rubik's Cube.

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Graham Metzker
GRAHAM METZKER

Graham Metzker is a junior at the University of Oregon’s School of Journalism and Communication. Hailing from Long Beach, California, Graham is also a reporter for DuckTV covering news and sports.

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