Oregon Basketball: 2017 Victor Bailey Jr. is Dana Altman's newest recruit

Oregon basketball received their first commit of 2017 in Victor Bailey Jr.

Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks did not add a recruit in their 2017 class until Tuesday evening when Austin, TX native Victor Bailey Jr. committed to the program.

This verbal commit gives the Ducks the eighth best recruiting class in 2017. Bailey chose Oregon over several high-major programs, including Nebraska and Missouri.

ESPN 100 wing Victor Bailey Jr. (No. 90) has committed to Oregon. https://t.co/U2e2hppdsm

— Jeff Borzello (@jeffborzello) October 12, 2016

The 6’3″, 175 pound guard has very high rankings. He is 90th in ESPN’s current top-100 board and 83rd on 247sports’. He is the 19th best point guard in his class and the sixth best player in the state of Texas.

Right now Coach Altman has a tremendous back court in line for next year. Stellar distributor Casey Benson and Oregon’s top 2016 prospect Payton Pritchard are already on scholarship, giving the Ducks a smart, efficient lead guard and a sharp shooter who can play both the one and the two positions.

As far as Bailey’s skills, he is rated as an athletic point who excels at running the floor and attacking the hoop. He also has a solid jump shot from mid-range, but needs to get better and more consistent from three point range.

Bailey is currently listed as a point guard, but he might have the skills that are geared more towards shooting guard. At worst, he is an electric lefty that can score in a variety of ways.

It’s interesting to see Altman reach down into Texas for a recruit such as Bailey. Looking at the Ducks’ roster, the only other player from the Southwest is Benson, who hails from Tempe, AZ. Clearly the coaching staff saw a talent they couldn’t ignore. One wonders if this will spur more Oregon recruiting efforts in the nation’s largest state.

The next biggest targets on their board are top-20 forward Brandon McCoy and top-50 guard Lindell Wigginton. Even if they miss on both prospects, Oregon has just two seniors, so future depth is only a problem if guys transfer out. Oregon will continue to press the Pac-12 with constant influxes of high level prospects such as Bailey.