By Rob Moseley
Editor, GoDucks.com

Incoming men's basketball freshmen Kendall Small and Trevor Manuel were on campus for an afternoon tutoring session one day last week, though in this case the tutor was assistant coach Kevin McKenna, and the classroom was Matthew Knight Arena.

Small and Manuel are the first wave of an anticipated five or six newcomers to the Ducks this summer, in time to be eligible for the team's overseas trip to Spain in August. Small, a guard from southern California, and Manuel, a forward from Michigan, are taking classes and adjusting to their new home in Eugene, and also beginning their indoctrination into Dana Altman's basketball program.

“We try to give them a little bit of everything – a little introduction to why we do certain things,” McKenna said. “We'll gradually throw more on their plate as the summer goes along. But right now they're in class for five hours a day, their heads are swimming from being away from home and we don't want to throw too much at them.”

Rules allow for workouts in small groups at this point in the year, and so Small and Manuel were joined by sophomore Casey Benson for a session one day last week. It focused largely on shooting drills, an area of emphasis for both newcomers.

Small averaged more than 20 points per game from his sophomore year on in high school, primarily by attacking the rim. Manuel, like Small a top-100 recruit nationally and four-star prospect according to ESPN, averaged nearly 22 points per game as a prep senior, and strives to be an inside-outside threat at 6-foot-9.

“Right now for me is about working on my jumper, getting it consistent,” Small said. “There's flaws in it, but I think it's going to get better as the summer goes along.”

At one point during last week's workout, Small missed a jumper and McKenna offered encouragement: “That's all right, Kendall. Just get on balance. Every shot's on balance.”

Manuel was working on a catch-and-shoot move near the top of the key, and McKenna made an adjustment to his footwork. The next jumper, from about 17 feet out, found the bottom of the net.

As much as the result, McKenna was pleased to see Manuel make the adjustment; both newcomers were coached as youth by their dads, and they're proving adept at employing coaching tips, McKenna said. “There you go,” he said after Manuel's made shot. “I like that so much better, it's not even close.”

Moments later Small was shooting on the wing, and McKenna made the same point about catch-and-shoot footwork. Again, the next shot was good. There's work to be done for both incoming freshmen, to be sure, but there's also a lot of ability to work with, too.

“Some of those things need to be cleaned up and addressed early, so they can work on them and get better as the summer goes along,” McKenna said after the workout. “We do want to start teaching them how we do things, the basics.”

Benson is being coached up too, and his jump shot is noticeably more consistent. The Ducks run a shooting drill in which the goal is seven makes within 10 attempts; Benson needed just eight attempts to get through it.

Small and Manuel both arrived at Oregon in mid-June, and began summer classes at the university on June 22. Basketball workouts began the next day, and Small could barely wait to get going.

“I've been waiting a long time for this,” he said, before pausing to consider the actual timeline, which he then acknowledged with a chuckle. “Well, even though I just graduated (earlier in June) I've been eager to get going.”

Small in considering two markedly different courses of story, business or kinesiology, majors he'll explore over his first few terms at the university. Manuel already has a preference: theater arts. He was in a drama program in high school, though he's yet to appear on stage as an actor. “I've been pretty focused on basketball,” he acknowledged with a smile.

This summer, Manuel is also focused on gaining strength – or rather, regaining. He fell ill with mononucleosis in the spring, and dropped from over 200 pounds to about 180. “I've just been trying to eat my way back – a little at a time,” he said. “Not trying to overdo it.”

That's just one more responsibility on Manuel's plate, as he and Small make the adjustment to college life. He seems prepared for the challenge.

“It's a lot of stuff to do, but we're taking it to the next step,” Manuel said. “We're not in high school anymore, so they're expecting more out of us.”

A year ago, Benson was in their shoes. He was asked what advice he'd offer to himself, if he had to chance to go back.

“Slow down,” Benson said. “At the end of the day, you have to remain calm. There's a lot thrown at you, and for me, sometimes I put a little too much pressure on myself. Basically, take a step back and let the process happen. You'll go through some learning curves, but you'll come out ahead.”