Tag: Dana Altman

Oregon named as top school for Villanova transfer guard TJ Bamba

TJ Bamba, a fifth-year senior guard in the transfer portal, has named the Oregon Ducks as one of his top six schools.

After losing several key rotation players to the transfer portal, Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team now have a chance to bring in a key piece from the portal. According to a report from 24/7 High School Hoops, TJ Bamba, a fifth-year senior guard, has narrowed his search to six schools, one of which is Oregon.

Since the end of the 2023-24 season, the Ducks have lost guards Kario Oquendo and Brennan Risgby to the transfer portal, and Vyctorious Miller, an incoming recruit, was released from his letter of intent. Oregon is also losing star guard Jermaine Couisnard this offseason since he is out of eligibility, leaving the Ducks without much guard depth.

Bamba has experience playing on the West Coast. Before transferring to Villanova last season, Bamba played three seasons with the Washington State Cougars. With the Wildcats last year, Bamba was second in scoring, averaging 10.1 points, 3.6 rebounds, and 1.8 assists per game. All four years of Bamba’s college career have been full seasons, leaving him with just his Covid-year of eligibility.

At 6’5″ and 208 lbs., Bamba has good size for a guard, which helps him get downhill and finish through contact at the rim. Bamba also shoots the ball efficiently from the perimeter, especially when moving off the ball, looking for catch-and-shoot attempts.

One of the guards who is returning for Oregon in the fall is Jackson Shelstad, who already seems like the Ducks’ next star. As a freshman, Shelstad averaged 12.8 points per game and scored 20+ points five times. If Bamba chooses Oregon, he and Shelstad could be a dangerous duo in the backcourt, especially with Bamba’s affinity for moving off the ball to get open for threes.

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Dana Altman announces the return of assistant Tony Stubblefield

Oregon’s level of success wasn’t the same without assistant Tony Stubblefield and now he has returned to Eugene.

To those paying attention, you could see this from a mile away.

From the moment DePaul let head coach Tony Stubblefield go mid-season, the speculation of him returning to Oregon began.

Now it’s official.

Oregon men’s basketball Head Coach Dana Altman has announced the hiring of Stubblefield as an assistant coach.

“We are excited to have Tony back in Eugene,” said Altman. “He’s an excellent coach and will make an immediate impact on our team.”

Stubblefield spent 11 seasons on Altman’s Oregon staff before taking over the Blue Demon program. The Ducks reached seven NCAA Tournaments, including five Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, and a Final Four with Stubblefield on staff.

During his tenure, Stubblefield helped Oregon assemble four recruiting classes that were ranked among the top 12 nationally (2016, 2017, 2018, 2019). Included in those classes were future NBA players Troy Brown Jr., Louis King, Bol Bol, and Payton Pritchard.

His absence was noticeable as Oregon missed the last three NCAA tournaments before making a run this season. Stubblefield still followed the Ducks during and after he was the coach at DePaul and was seen at the NCAA tourney in Pittsburgh.

Ducks named among top landing spots for USC’s Bronny James

A transfer to Oregon seems like a realistic possibility for Bronny James.

The college basketball world got a jolt of energy on Friday morning when it was officially announced that USC Trojans freshman Bronny James was entering his name in the 2024 NBA Draft while also keeping his NCAA eligibility and entering the transfer portal.

The initial belief is that James, the son of NBA legend LeBron James, will go through some draft workouts and make a decision on returning to school or trying to go professional after receiving some feedback. While the NBA is a possibility, there is a feeling that he will likely end up back in school for the 2024-25 season.

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But what school will that be?

On Friday, I made my case for why I think the Oregon Ducks are a legitimate option, especially after James seriously considered them the first time around. Our good friend Andy Patton at College Sports Wire agrees, listing Oregon as one of his top landing spots for James:

Oregon, like Ohio State, was heavily involved in Bronny’s recruitment out of high school, and the James family is deeply connected with Phil Knight and the Nike brand.

Coach Dana Altman has thrived when navigating the transfer portal, coming off a surprise run in the NCAA Tournament, and adding Bronny to a backcourt with fellow rising sophomore Jackson Shelstad would make must-see basketball in Eugene next season.

Patton also listed Ohio State, Duquesne, UCLA, SMU, and Jackson State as potential options, as well as a return to USC under new coach Eric Musselman.

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Oregon named as a potential landing spot for Stanford transfer Andrej Stojakovic

Andrej Stojakovic in Eugene? It could be a great landing spot for the Stanford transfer.

The Oregon Ducks are losing N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard. Their leading scorers and their leaders. And while strong talent exists within the Ducks program, Dana Altman and his staff will likely have to bring in some pieces through the transfer portal, especially with a weak high school recruiting class in 2024.

Altman has long been known for his ability to bring in high-quality transfers and mold them into great role players.

In the words of CBS Sports’s Jon Rothstein, “he aligns Rubik’s Cubes.”

One player Altman will surely evaluate this offseason is Andrej Stojakovic, a Stanford Cardinal shooting guard who entered the transfer portal last month. Along with Texas and UCLA, Oregon was a finalist for Stojakovic during his initial recruitment, and for that reason, College Sports Wire named the Ducks as one of the top candidates to land Stojakovic.

Oregon was in the mix for Stojakovic alongside UCLA and Texas out of high school, and after a strong finish to the season and a NCAA Tournament win Dana Altman’s team has a little juice heading into the offseason.

The team will lose star big man N’Faly Dante to graduation, and likely second leading scorer Jermaine Couisnard as well unless he returns for a sixth year, and Stojakovic could fill a valuable role as a floor spacer while developing on a young team that could use more shooting and length on the perimeter.

Andrej is the son of former All-NBA forward Peja Stojakovic, who in a 13-year NBA career shot 40.1% from three-point range. Andrej is also renowned for his shooting ability, although he struggled a bit in his freshman year, shooting 32.7%.

Like Stojakovic, the Ducks struggled with three-point shooting this season, despite having talented shooters. If Oregon brings in Stojakovic, he could become a dangerous three-point weapon for the Ducks coming off the bench, since a season of college experience will likely have given him more consistency shooting the basketball.

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Keeshawn Barthelemy to return to Oregon for one more season

Big news for the Ducks. Keeshawn Barthelemy is expected to return for next season.

The Oregon Ducks are getting a great boost to their roster for the 2204-25 season, with one of their veteran guards expected to come back for one more season.

According to CBS Sports’ reporter Jon Rothstein, Keeshawn Barthelemy will come back to Eugene for one more year with the Ducks, which will be his third with the team.

After transferring from Colorado a year ago, Barthelemy saw his senior year cut short after suffering a gruesome ankle injury late in the year. Barthelemy has been able to recover nicely, and he will now come back for one more year. He projects to be one of the top scorers for the Ducks, having averaged 7.9 points per game in 18 games this past season.

In his 2022 season with the Ducks, Barthelemy averaged 9 points and 2 assists for the Ducks. The return is great news for Oregon, who saw 2024 recruit Vyctorius Miller announce his decommitment on Friday night.

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Former Duck center Kel’el Ware declares for the NBA draft

The former 5-star Oregon recruit and Indiana transfer is heading to the NBA.

He wasn’t a one-and-done, but he was close.

Former Oregon basketball center Kel’el Ware, who transferred to Indiana after one season in Eugene, has declared for the NBA draft in June.

Ware, a 7-footer from North Little Rock, Ark. played 30 games as a Hoosier this past season after playing 35 games as a Duck in his freshman season. He was hampered with an ankle injury towards the end of this year in Bloomington.

But before the injury, Ware was productive as he averaged 15.9 points a game and 9.9 rebounds for the Hoosiers. Those numbers were significantly better than his only season under Dana Altman. Ware scored just 6.6 points a game and 4.1 rebounds.

Seeing him transfer out of the Oregon program was a disappointment as Ware clearly possesses the talent to have a season like he had at Indiana. But the center was playing behind N’Faly Dante and wouldn’t have received the minutes like he did at Indiana.

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Washington transfer Koren Johnson strongly considering Oregon Ducks

An incoming transfer guard could be coming south from Washington in the coming weeks.

The Oregon Ducks have reportedly been reaching out to one of their rivals who entered the transfer portal earlier this offseason.

According to On3’s Joe Tipton, former Washington Huskies guard Koren Johnson is considering five schools after his move to enter the transfer portal a couple of weeks ago, and the Ducks are among the finalists for his commitment. Tipton reports that Johnson is looking at Oregon, Indiana, Florida, UCLA, and a potential return to Washington.

In 2023, Johnson played in 31 games, averaging 11.1 points, 2.2 rebounds, and 2.1 assists. He played for two full seasons at Washington, where he was an elite scorer with four games of 20-plus points this past year.

Koren Johnson Info

Size: 6-foot-2, 175-pounds

Recruiting Profile: 4-star, No. 128 player in 2022 class

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Report: Ducks targeting Belmont SF Cade Tyson in transfer portal

The Oregon Ducks have reportedly reached out to former Belmont small forward Cade Tyson in the transfer portal.

Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks are turning toward the offseason now that their magical March Madness run came to an end on Saturday night, and there are a few players who they are starting to look at in the transfer portal.

One of those players, according to Relentless Hoops’ Trent Markwith, is former Belmont small forward Cade Tyson, a 6-foot-7 player who is rated by 247Sports as the 11th-best available player in the transfer portal this offseason.

Tyson is going to be a junior in 2024-25, having spent two years at Belmont where he started 59 of his 61 career games, averaging 30 minutes per game. On the floor, Tyson put up an average of 15 points, 5 rebounds, and 1 assist, while shooting 46.5% from beyond the arc.

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That last number is what makes Tyson such an intriguing player for the Ducks to go after, with their three-point shooting needing to improve going forward. We will see if Oregon is able to get him to Eugene on a visit this spring and potentially add him to the roster.

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Jackson Shelstad announces return to Oregon in the fall

Oregon Ducks freshman point guard Jackson Shelstad announces he’ll return to Oregon in the fall.

Jackson Shelstad, the Oregon Ducks star freshman point guard, has announced that he will return to Oregon in the fall for his sophomore season.

In his freshman season, Shelstad averaged 12.8 points per game, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.8 assists. There was some inconsistency from Shelstad this season, but that’s to be expected from freshmen. What’s important to focus on are the flashes of greatness.

Shelstad had plenty of flashes. His game-winner against Michigan way back in December — helping to heal Ducks fans less than 24 hours after Oregon football’s loss to Washington — stands out. The 18-year-old also scored 20+ points in a game five times this season, including his 21-point performance against Arizona in the Pac-12 tournament.

Shelstad isn’t the only Duck who intends to run it back in 2025. Brennan Rigsby and Jadrian Tracey have said they’d like to return next season, and KJ Evans is “undecided” according to reports from James Crepea in the Oregonian.

With N’Faly Dante and Jermaine Couisnard on their way out, Shelstad seems to be the next man up. Those two guys leave big shoes to fill, but Shelstad might be more talented than both of them. The key will be finding consistency and improving the weaker facets of his game.

Report: Brennan Rigsby, Jadrian Tracey open up about futures in Oregon

Guard Brennan Rigsby and small forward Jadrian Tracey are set to play in Eugene for the 2024-25 season.

The Oregon Ducks men’s basketball season ended with a second-round loss to Creighton in double overtime and the off-season has officially begun.

Players are going to start to announce their future plans and the first Ducks to announce their intentions is guard Brennan Rigsby and Jadrian Tracey. According to James Crepea of The Oregonian, both players plan to stick around for one more season.

“Oregon is definitely a place I want to be,” Rigsby said.

Tracey repeated Rigsby sentiment as he said he wants to return to Eugene for the 2024-25 season. Both players will be seniors.

Head coach Dana Altman has repeatedly said that he wants players who want to be at Oregon and earn their degrees. It looks like Rigsby and Tracey are two of those types of players.

For the 2023-24 season, Rigsby, a De Beque, Colo. native played in all 36 games, starting 13 and averaged six points per contest. Rigsby also shot 35 percent from the field.

Tracey came to Oregon via SouthWestern Community College in Florida. He played in all 36 games, started 22 contests where Tracey averaged 7.6 points a game, and shot 36 percent from the three-point line.