Key matchup: Former Gonzaga target Jackson Shelstad growing into new role with Oregon

PORTLAND – It’s been six years since Gonzaga and Oregon last played, but Mark Few and Dana Altman have been involved in many of the same battles since a 2019 meeting at the Battle 4 Atlantis.

In 2020, the Zags and Ducks were listed as two of the four finalists for coveted California center Nate Bittle, who’d eventually choose Oregon.

Months later, the Pacific Northwest programs were both in the mix for another class of 2021 player, guard Hunter Sallis. From a list of eight schools, the five-star prospect ultimately went with Few’s program, making him the highest-rated recruit in school history at the time.

Given their shared desire to compete at the highest level sport, and access to many of the top prospects on the West Coast, it shouldn’t be a surprise Few, Altman and their coaching staffs have had regular run-ins on the recruiting trail.

Forward Ben Gregg briefly looked at Oregon before committing to Gonzaga; wing Mookie Cook took an official visit to Spokane before signing up to play in Eugene and then transferring to San Francisco.

Our key matchup focuses on someone else who was strongly considering both of the schools participating in Sunday’s Northwest Elite Showdown at the Moda Center in Portland (3 p.m., Peacock).

Oregon guard Jackson Shelstad was squarely on Gonzaga’s radar and relatively high on the Zags’ wish list during the final seasons of his prep career in West Linn, Oregon. Shelstad narrowed his finalists down to three of the most prominent programs out west – Gonzaga, Oregon and UCLA – before pledging to Altman’s program on March 31, 2022.

In his third season, the returning All-Big Ten First Team selection is Oregon’s primary ball-handler for the first time in his career – a transition that’s come with ups and downs for Shelstad and the Ducks (6-5).

Playing an off-ball role the last two seasons, Shelstad averaged roughly 13 points and 2.8 assists while shooting 45% from the field and around 36% from the 3-point line. He had 42 points over two games in the NCAA Tournament, putting up 25 in a second-round loss to Tommy Lloyd and fourth-seeded Arizona at Seattle’s Climate Pledge Arena.

With more on his shoulders this season, Shelstad’s scoring average has improved to 16.2 ppg, but his efficiency numbers have taken a hit. The guard is making just 39% from the field and 32% from distance, both career lows.

The tradeoff? Shelstad’s averaging a career-best 5.1 assists, with many of those passes going to Bittle, the other ex-Gonzaga recruit that will appear near the top of Few’s scouting report on Sunday.

“Obviously Jackson just had a great year last year and was just so clutch with so many big plays down the stretch,” Few said during a Zoom call in early November. “And Nate’s just really hung with it. He’s had a lot of injuries over his career, I think he’s now kind of rounding into that guy we thought he was going to be when we were all recruiting him. Happy for both those guys, they come from great families and I think they’re obviously primed for huge years, once Jackson gets back healthy.”

Health and availability have been an issue for both players. Shelstad broke his right hand in early October, but only missed one game. Bittle sat out two games, against Creighton and USC, with an ankle injury the 7-foot center suffered at the Players Era Festival.

Sunday will be the second time in eight days the Zags match up with a point guard that appeared on the All-Big Ten Preseason Team. UCLA’s Donovan Dent scored 12 points with 10 assists, but also had four turnovers, in Gonzaga’s 82-72 win over the Bruins.

Shelstad’s more capable than Dent as a perimeter shooter, but he’s less inclined to create foul pressure. Unlike Gonzaga, which can toggle between starting point guard Mario Saint-Supery and reserve Braeden Smith, the Ducks don’t have another primary ball-handler in the rotation they can lean on.

Shelstad averages 34.8 minutes and hasn’t played fewer than 36 against a high-major opponent this season. On paper, the 6-foot-4 Saint-Supery and 6-foot Smith, match up relatively well with Oregon’s point guard, who’s unlikely to get many breaks against Gonzaga’s improved perimeter defense on Sunday.