Bol Bol era for Ducks is finished

Published 12:00 am Friday, January 4, 2019

The top-ranked recruit in Oregon men’s basketball history played just nine games for the Ducks.

Freshman center Bol Bol confirmed Thursday afternoon that he will not play again for the school because of a foot injury. The news was first reported earlier in the day by 247Sports.com, which said the injury was a stress fracture in his left foot.

“Playing for my dream school under my favorite Coach Altman has been the Best part of my life and sadly it has come to end sooner than I would have Like but thank you for all those who rocking with me and all Oregon fans,” Bol posted on Twitter.

Oregon has not confirmed Bol’s status in the program although coach Dana Altman is scheduled to speak with the media Friday in advance of opening Pac-12 play on Saturday at 5 p.m. against Oregon State at Matthew Knight Arena.

Bol last played for the Ducks on Dec. 12 when he had 20 points, nine rebounds and four blocked shots in a 65-55 win over San Diego. Bol showed no signs of injury and spoke with local media for the first time following the game.

“I’m just working with my team and coaches in practice, working on a lot of stuff,” Bol said during a postgame interview

Three days later, he was ruled out of Oregon’s home game against Boise State with what Altman said was a foot injury, but the coach declined to say how or when it occurred.

Last week, Altman said Bol was still being evaluated before he missed his fourth straight game at Boise State on Saturday.

The 7-foot-2 Bol was a five-star recruit ranked as a consensus top-five player in his class out of Findlay Prep in Nevada.

Bol leads the Ducks with 21.0 points, 9.6 rebounds and 2.7 blocked shots per game. He shot 56.1 percent from the field, including 13-for-25 on three-pointers.

From the moment he signed with Oregon, Bol was expected to play just one college season before declaring for the NBA draft where he is projected to be an early first-round pick. It is unclear if Bol will enroll in classes for winter term beginning Monday and stay with the team or leave the program to turn pro immediately and prepare for the draft.

“Appreciate the time we had on & off the court,” UO sophomore Kenny Wooten tweeted at Bol. “Good luck on the rest of your journey.”

Bol and five-star forward Louis King were part of Oregon’s top recruiting class in school history, but played just two games together after King missed the start of the season while recovering from knee surgery.

The Ducks will be shorthanded for the start of conference play without Bol and sophomore forward Abu Kigab, who announced Wednesday he was transferring. Wooten is out for at least a month with a fractured jaw suffered in a Dec. 21 road loss to Baylor.

Oregon will have eight scholarship players available until Wooten returns with senior Paul White and freshmen Miles Norris and Francis Okoro taking on larger roles in the frontcourt. King is getting back to full strength by increasing his minutes in each game, culminating with 33 minutes in the win Saturday at Boise State.