Oregon center N’Faly Dante (left knee) ‘really good’ in practice, could return vs. Cal
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- January 10, 2024
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Oregon’s all Pac 12 center could return to game action this weekend. N’Faly Dante, who has been out for two months after having left knee surgery seven weeks ago, practiced with the Ducks on Monday and Tuesday. How the next few days go will determine whether the fifth year senior returns to the lineup against Cal on Saturday (5 p.m., Pac 12 Network).
“The big key is how he does tomorrow,” Oregon coach Dana Altman said following Tuesday’s practice. “He worked a little bit yesterday, he did a lot more today. Tomorrow is our day off; we’ll just have to see how it feels. We wanted to give it a trial run. Tomorrow and Thursday will be big days to see how it responds.” Dante, who had 16 points and 21 rebounds in the season opening win over Georgia, wore a sleeve on his left knee during Tuesday’s practice.
He did not appear to have any limitations in mobility and received passes in the post, rebounded and jumped to attempt an ally oop dunk. Should Dante return against Cal, Altman wasn’t sure if there would be a minute restriction in what would be his second game of the season. “We played 11 minutes (of five on five), he played about seven of it,” Altman said.
“We’ll see how he feels tomorrow. ... He’s kept himself in good shape. We have underwater treadmills; we have things where we can keep pressure off — fortunate for those facilities. He’s not in great shape by any means but he’s not totally out of shape. The seven minutes he played today were really good.” Whether it’s Saturday or the following week at Colorado and Utah, the return of Dante will add a massive inside presence for Oregon (12 3, 4 0 Pac 12), which is 10th in the Pac 12 in rebounding (35.33 per game) and seventh in rebounding margin (2.0).
He averaged 13.4 points and 8.4 rebounds last season. “Having one of the best players in the country on your team, that always helps you defensively, offensively,” guard Brennan Rigsby said. “He’s only played one game but he’s averaging 21 rebounds.”.
