Australian basketballer Staci Richardson has spoken of his brush with tragedy after the mass shooting at an Oregon college.

On Thursday morning, the 20-year-old from Echuca was getting ready to go to his 11am class at the Umpqua Community College in Roseburg, where he is on a sports scholarship.

Then a friend, Joe Baldi, called asking Richardson to give him a lift to college so he could make his 10am class.

Richardson drove about 15 minutes to Joe's house, which was in the opposition direction to the college, and dropped him off a little after 10am.

He then turned back so he could give a lift to his Australian teammate Cody Davison.

It was a decision that would save his life.

Just 20 minutes later, 26-year-old gunmen Chris Harper-Mercer went on a shooting rampage at the campus.

He killed 10 people and injured seven.

Richardson said he felt "just grateful" at having narrowly escaped the unfolding tragedy. His friend Joe Baldi also survived.

"I got a text from a friend saying, 'Stay away from the campus. There has been some shootings!'

"I am really grateful. I feel really blessed. This could have definitely happened to me.

"I just feel for those who were [hurt]."

Richardson said teammates then texted each other to check on their welfare.

"We turned on the TV and kept texting to make sure the whole team was OK. Asked them to get back to us as soon as possible and get to our house."

All his teammates survived but Richardson said the town of Roseburg was in mourning.

"It is a small town, only 20,000 people," he said.

"They are really friendly ... a lot of them are retired, elderly people.

"I have always felt safe."

He said a candlelight vigil was held at Stewart Park in Roseburg on Thursday at 8pm local time, to honour those who were killed.

"We are all praying," Richardson said.

His father, Robin Richardson, said the family first heard about the massacre when a friend called at 6am.

"I was still in bed," Mr Richardson said from Echuca.

"A friend of ours in Melbourne was up early at 4am and saw the news. He contacted Staci straightaway.

"Staci didn't want to wake us up so my friend …rang me at 6am …and said, 'Staci is fine but you need to ring him'."

Mr Richardson said his wife, April, and daughter, Jayda, 11, were away camping in Wagga Wagga so didn't hear about the shooting until later.

"I feel incredibly relieved … ecstatic at one hand and feel terribly sad for the families that have lost someone," he said.

"My wife wants him to come home [or] she wants to be there with him.

"But he loves what he is doing and he loves being in America.

"I don't think he would come home."

Mr Richardson said his son was remarkably calm, despite coming so close to the tragedy.

"It hadn't sunk in …it has really hit him now," he said.

"One of his teammates from last year was one of the victims.

"He is starting to realise the horror of it."

Mr Richardson said his son had helped other students who were trying to leave the town.

"The school will be closed probably for a week or so," he said.

"Staci has been driving some of them to the bus stop.

"Staci … [and] a few of them are going to stay in town and go to the funeral, try and do the right thing."

Both Cody Davison and Staci were classmates at the Andrew Bogut Basketball training school in 2014.