Tag: Dana Altman

Oregon will be hosting the defending champion Baylor

Baylor, the men’s basketball defending champions, will be making a return trip to Eugene on Dec. 18.

The last time Oregon played Baylor, it was in 2018 and it was a defensive slugfest with the Bears coming out on top 57-47.

Don’t expect a similar contest this time around.

Baylor, coming off its first-ever national championship, announced its non-conference portion of its schedule and Oregon sits there with a Dec. 18 date at Matthew Knight Arena.

In that first game with the Bears, Oregon had a hard time scoring in the first before managing to rally after halftime only to run out of gas late as Baylor preserved the 10-point victory.

Baylor won’t quite be the same as they were in 2020-21, but they still possess a lot of firepower and should still be one of the top teams in the country.

Baylor guards Davion Mitchell and Jared Butler were both selected in the 2021 NBA Draft as Mitchell was chosen No. 9 overall in the first round by the Sacramento Kings, while Butler was selected No. 40 overall in the second round by the New Orleans Pelicans, later traded to the Utah Jazz.

The Ducks shouldn’t have any problems with scoring this season as Dana Altman has been able to load his roster with transfer guards such as De’Vion Harmon via Oklahoma and Quincy Guerrier via Syracuse to go with returning starting point guard Will Richardson.

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Emoni Bates, nation’s No. 3 player in Class of 2021, chooses Memphis over Ducks

Emoni Bates, a 6-foot-8 small forward and the nation’s No. 3 player according to ESPN, chooses Memphis over Oregon.

With all of Dana Altman’s recruiting successes, when he doesn’t get the recruit, it’s somewhat of a surprise.

That’s a nice problem to have, but you can’t win them all as the nation’s No. 3 player in the Class of 2021, according to ESPN, Emoni Bates, has chosen Memphis over Oregon.

Sure, it would have been nice to add one more blue-chip recruit to the 2021-22 roster, but the Ducks are still stacked as they look to win another Pac-12 men’s basketball title.

Bates, from Ypsilanti, Mich., is a 6-foot-8 small forward that is a shot-maker and Brandon Jenkins from 247 Sports calls him the best scorer on the high school level. He was originally in the Class of ’22, but decided to reclassify to 2021 instead.

It’s very possible Oregon’s talented roster was the reason why Bates chose to go elsewhere. Young kids, like one as talented as Bates, want to step onto campus and play right away. And while he would have had a good chance to crack the Ducks’ starting five, it was far from a sure thing.

Despite losing out on Bates, Oregon has five-star recruits Nathan Bittle and Dior Johnson as well as transfers De’Vion Harmon, Quincy Guerrier, and Jacob Young all on this year’s roster.

Five star center Kel’el Ware commits to Oregon

Five-star center Kel’el Ware becomes the latest commitment for Dana Altman, who is building a formidable front line.

As if Dana Altman’s Oregon Ducks basketball team wasn’t scary enough entering the 2022-23 season, he goes ahead and adds a member of the House of El.

Maybe five-star center Kel’el Ware isn’t Superman, but he is the No. 3 center in the Class of 2022 according to 247sports.com, will be joining what is already a big and talented squad.

The Little Rock, Ark. native, had scholarship offers from nearly everyone down south including Arkansas, Texas, and Memphis. Not only is he one of the best centers in the country, but he’s the No. 15 overall recruit in the nation.

Ware becomes the second recruit of the ’22 class to commit to Oregon. The country’s No. 1 point guard, Dior Johnson, had given Altman his verbal commitment in June.

This is what Rivals.com Jamie Shaw said of the Ducks’ newest commit.

Ware walks on the floor with legit size and with great length. He moves well and has natural timing while blocking shots and around the rim. He has recently started showing touch, extending out the three. As Ware continues to get his motor running and figures out his offensive game there is a lot of upside as the frame is just too good to overlook.

With Johnson and Ware, the 2022-23 Ducks are looking to be a formidable power not only in the Pac-12 but in the country. Oregon will have a huge front line consisting of five different 6-foot-11centers to choose from in N’Faly Dante, Franck Kepnang, Isaac Johnson, and Nathan Bittle.

Just add Ware to that mix and no team is going to even dare to drive to the hoop.

 

Ducks will open with Oklahoma in the first Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis

Oregon will open up the inaugural Women’s Battle 4 Atlantis with Oklahoma down in the Bahamas this November.

The Bahamas is always a sweet destination place for men’s basketball for their version of the Battle 4 Atlantis. Dana Altman’s team played down there in 2019.

Now it’s the women’s turn.

Kelly Graves will take his Oregon Ducks team down to the Bahamas to compete in the first annual Battle 4 Atlantis women’s tournament this November. The Ducks will open up with Oklahoma on Nov. 20 with the winner playing either South Carolina or Buffalo.

Oregon and Oklahoma have only played twice in their history as the two teams have split their two all-time meetings. Oregon won a 2017 matchup in the PK80 Invitational, 92-74, in Matthew Knight Arena. Oregon dropped the only other meeting between the two schools in 2012 at a nonconference tournament in Hawaii.

The Sooners were 12-12 last season and went 9-8 in Big XII action. They lost in the first round of the conference tournament to rival Oklahoma State. As is widely reported, OU is in the beginning stages of leaving the Big XII and joining the SEC. While it won’t occur next season, the Sooners will most likely jump ship soon after.

Along with the Ducks, Sooners, South Carolina and Buffalo will be UConn, Minnesota, South Florida, and Syracuse, which will make up the top half of the bracket.

Dana Altman signs one-year contract extension with Oregon Ducks through 2026-27 season

Altman, who stands as the winningest basketball coach in Oregon Ducks history, has added a year to his contract, lasting through 2026-27.

Oregon Ducks basketball coach, Dana Altman, has been extended for an extra year on his contract, lasting through the 2026-27 season.

The extension for Altman is worth $4 million in the final year, which will be higher than his current rate of $3.525 million this season.

In Altman’s 11 seasons with the Ducks, the team is 280-109. Altman stands as the winningest coach in school history, and has a Final Four trip in 2017 under his belt, as well as a pair of trips to the Elite Eight, five to the Sweet 16, and five Pac-12 Championships.

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Oregon Ducks move up to No. 11 in pre-season Top-25 after addition of transfer Jacob Young

With Jacob Young putting a cap on Oregon’s incredibly successful transfer period, the Ducks have now moved up to No. 11 in the 2021-22 rankings.

Putting much weight on a pre-season top-25 poll is risky business. For starters, it is called a ‘Way-too-early’ poll, and there are a handful of iterations of them throughout the offseason. This isn’t the first version we have seen from ESPN this year, and it won’t be the last, either.

However, when the Oregon Ducks make as significant of a move as they’ve done, it’s worth taking note of. With the home runs that they keep hitting in the transfer portal, Dana Altman and the Ducks have risen in the polls once again, now sitting at No. 11 in the nation, according to ESPN.

It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but Dana Altman has reshaped the Ducks’ roster this offseason via the transfer portal. The most recent addition, Rutgers transfer Jacob Young, pushes Oregon up a few spots in the top 25. Young, the younger brother of former Oregon guard Joseph Young, is a very good scorer who can shoot it from the perimeter. He had the best offensive season of his career last season, averaging 14.1 points and 3.4 assists while shooting 36.9% from 3-point range as a senior. Oregon needed some more perimeter scoring after the departures of Chris Duarte and LJ Figueroa, and Young should be able to fill that role. He will join returnee Will Richardson and Oklahoma transfer De’Vion Harmon in a versatile backcourt group, while Eric Williams and Quincy Guerrier should shoulder most of the scoring load in the frontcourt. Altman could trot out a lineup with the aforementioned five players, but he can also use one as a sixth man and then start top-10 recruit Nate Bittle, N’Faly Dante or Franck Kepnang down low.

In the last version of the pre-season rankings, Oregon sat at No. 15 in the nation, so the addition of Young to the backcourt provides a significant boost. Despite that, the Ducks are still the second-highest ranked team in the Pac-12, with the UCLA Bruins sitting at No. 3 in the nation after their trip to the Final Four a few months back.

While the rest of the college basketball landscape continues to be settled, we will see if Oregon can continue to move up in the rankings at all. For now, though, it’s clear that they should be one of the perennial powers in the nation next year, with high hopes for March.

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Oregon Ducks predicted to be Pac-12’s second-best team in early 2021 basketball rankings

A flurry of offseason moves has Oregon basketball on the map, with many believing they can vie for a Pac-12 title and deep tournament run.

Five years ago, saying that your team was one of the best in the Pac-12 was a lot like bragging about your kid’s third-place finish in the elementary school talent show. Great job, but what are we really doing here?

The past decade for the conference has left a lot to be desired, with a lack of national champions and a select few deep tournament runs marring the Pac-12 as a whole and shedding doubt over the quality of teams. However, a resurgence in March of 2021 has things on the upswing. Impressive showings in the NCAA Tournament from Oregon, USC, UCLA, Oregon State have the conference registering a pulse for the first time in a while, and there seems to be light at the end of the tunnel.

For the first time in years, there is a belief that some teams out west can actually make noise on the national landscape, and a formidable opponent in March might be coming into form.

Among those teams to be a potential late-season darling is the Oregon Ducks, who are currently riding a high of landing numerous top-ranked transfers, and look to be as talented as any team that coach Dana Altman has ever had.

In his most recent conference rankings, The Athletic‘s Eamonn Brennan picked the Ducks to finish second in the conference, ranked only behind Johnny Juzang and the UCLA Bruins. Here is what Brennan had to say about Oregon:

And, yes, this roster looks unfamiliar. Will Richardson is the most important returner, and he was typically Oregon’s fourth or fifth offensive option; the losses of Chris Duarte (who is going to be a really good pro, just you wait) and Eugene Omoruyi especially will give this group a completely different feel from last season’s. But there will be similarities: With perimeter transfers De’Vion Harmon (Oklahoma), Jacob Young (Rutgers) and Quincy Guerrier (Syracuse), it’s not hard to imagine Oregon’s outside-in offense and matchup zone looks functioning in more or less the same way. The Ducks at their best were a matchup nightmare, a team of four fast 6-foot-5-ish shooters who could smell blood in the water. (Just ask Iowa.) This group will look a bit different in the specifics, but Altman’s ability to trim his team’s weaknesses and accentuate its strengths is a fixture of the Pac-12 men’s game each and every year. He’ll get them humming eventually.

The projected starters of Will Richardson, De’Vion Harmon, Jacob Young, Quincy Guerrier, and Franck Kepnang are impressive, but what the Ducks are bringing off the bench could be even more enthralling.

Rivaldo Soares, a JUCO All-American in 2020, will be joining 5-star prospects N’Faly Dante and Nathan Bittle. Oregon will also have Eric Williams Jr. returning, as well as a potentially dangerous Lok Wur in the paint.

With an impressive mix of size in the middle and speedy shooters on the perimeter, this really is shaping up to be one of the most talented teams that have come through Oregon in quite some time. The pieces may need a little bit of time to fit together in a perfect fashion, but Altman is a master artist who fans should have complete confidence in.

Getting picked to finish second in the Pac-12 is surely encouraging this far ahead of the season, but a deep tournament run seems to be in the cards for Oregon once again.

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Big-time transfer from Syracuse lists Oregon Ducks in final four destinations

Quincy Guerrier was a huge piece for the Syracuse Orange last season, but he is looking for a new team in 2021 and has eyes set on Oregon.

Dana Altman certainly isn’t finished trying to add some of the top talent in the transfer portal to his roster.

Later this week, Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier is set to announce where he will play next season after entering the transfer portal and marking his intention to leave the Big Apple. Oregon has been listed as one of the four places where he might end up, with Illinois, Arizona State, and Memphis also being in contention.

Guerrier was a surprise addition to the transfer portal, seeing as he had what seemed like a good situation going with Cuse. The sophomore started all 28 games in 2020-21 and was the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 13.7 points and 8.4 rebounds on 49 percent shooting. Playing time wasn’t an issue, and production was good, so why did he want to transfer?

In essence, a lot can be contributed to the new talent being infused at Syracuse, which would force Guerrier to compete for playing time going forward. The sophomore must have felt that he had a clearer path to the next level if he were to continue his career elsewhere.

You can almost guarantee that Altman is working hard to convince Guerrier that Eugene will be a perfect trampoline for his hopeful jump into the NBA. Adding a solid forward to the frontcourt that already boasts elite talent at the center position could be electric for the Ducks.

Guerrier will announce his intentions on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.

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Big-time transfer from Syracuse lists Oregon Ducks in final four destinations

Quincy Guerrier was a huge piece for the Syracuse Orange last season, but he is looking for a new team in 2021 and has eyes set on Oregon.

Dana Altman certainly isn’t finished trying to add some of the top talent in the transfer portal to his roster.

Later this week, Syracuse forward Quincy Guerrier is set to announce where he will play next season after entering the transfer portal and marking his intention to leave the Big Apple. Oregon has been listed as one of the four places where he might end up, with Illinois, Arizona State, and Memphis also being in contention.

Guerrier was a surprise addition to the transfer portal, seeing as he had what seemed like a good situation going with Cuse. The sophomore started all 28 games in 2020-21 and was the team’s leading rebounder, averaging 13.7 points and 8.4 rebounds on 49 percent shooting. Playing time wasn’t an issue, and production was good, so why did he want to transfer?

In essence, a lot can be contributed to the new talent being infused at Syracuse, which would force Guerrier to compete for playing time going forward. The sophomore must have felt that he had a clearer path to the next level if he were to continue his career elsewhere.

You can almost guarantee that Altman is working hard to convince Guerrier that Eugene will be a perfect trampoline for his hopeful jump into the NBA. Adding a solid forward to the frontcourt that already boasts elite talent at the center position could be electric for the Ducks.

Guerrier will announce his intentions on Thursday at 4 p.m. ET.

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Potential candidates to replace Lon Kruger as Oklahoma men’s basketball coach

A look at potential candidates to replace the retiring Lon Kruger as Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball coach.

For the first time in a decade, the Oklahoma Sooners men’s basketball team will be led by a new head coach. Continue reading “Potential candidates to replace Lon Kruger as Oklahoma men’s basketball coach”