With the news that Joshua Smith was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA earlier this week, many wondered who else would be in line to benefit from such a measure before the start of the 2013-14 season.
Friday morning the Oregon Ducks received the good news regarding junior guard Joseph Young, adding a prolific scorer to an already solid perimeter rotation.
We are thrilled to hear the news about Joseph Young. Fully cleared to compete this year, and compete he will!! #unitedweball
— Oregon Men's Basketball (@OregonMBB) October 25, 2013
As a sophomore Young averaged 18.0 points, 3.5 rebounds and 2.5 assists per game at Houston, earning third team All-Conference USA honors. He’ll join a rotation that already included the trio of Dominic Artis, Damyean Dotson and Johnathan Loyd, with Detroit transfer Jason Calliste being the other transfer to join the program this summer.
Young left Houston after his father, former Cougar great Michael Young, was reassigned by the school after serving as the director of basketball operations. Michael would in turn sue the school, and that issue may have helped Joseph receive this waiver in the end.
Already a contender in the Pac-12, Oregon’s perimeter rotation will be tough to match. If front court players such as UNLV transfer Mike Moser, Waverly Austin, Ben Carter and Richard Amardi can hold their own in the paint, the Ducks have a shot at winning their first regular season conference title since 2002.