Photo by: GoDucks.com
Ducks Enter Offseason Of Transition
04/24/17 | Men's Basketball, @GoDucksMoseley
Most of the core from Oregon's Final Four team has moved on, with the blessings of head coach Dana Altman and his staff.
Between the Oregon men's basketball team's run to the Final Four, and the sudden availability of open scholarships due to veterans leaving the program, UO coach Dana Altman is finding recruits even more willing than usual to hear his pitch.
The Ducks have at least four and perhaps five scholarships open for the 2017-18 season, and Altman wants to fill at least a couple of them before next fall.
"You make the Final Four, everybody at least picks up the phone, so it's a little different in that regard," Altman said Monday, three weeks and two days removed from the Ducks' loss to eventual champion North Carolina in an NCAA Tournament semifinal. "But it's still about trying to find that right group of guys, who will play together and work together."
With nearly a month of time passed since the Final Four defeat, the sting of Oregon's season finale has dissipated slightly. Altman and his program have been able to better appreciate the scope of a season that included a school-record 33 wins, an unprecedented 17-game win streak and the protection of a home win streak that stands at a national-best 42 games entering next season.
But the coaching staff's time has been occupied, too, by the departure of six of the seven core rotation players who helped amass all those wins. Seniors Dylan Ennis and Chris Boucher saw their eligibility end; Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell and Tyler Dorsey declared for the NBA draft and hired agents to finalize their decisions; and Casey Benson announced his intention to transfer, a route reserve big man Kavell Bigby-Williams also is exploring.
"It's been a crazy two weeks," Altman conceded. "But those guys, I really feel good for all of them. … It's what we encourage them to do — what's best for them. I sure hope it works out for all of them."
Altman said he went into the 2016-17 season knowing in all likelihood Brooks and Dorsey were playing their final season as Ducks. They along with Bell declared for the draft to get an evaluation before returning to school a year ago; once Bell dominated the postseason, with double-digit rebounds in Oregon's final seven games, Altman figured he'd turn pro as well.
"You play that well for that many games, late, I can't blame him," Altman said.
It was early last winter that Altman began to believe Benson might depart this offseason. The junior guard, who started 38 games in 2015-16, was the starter for the first four games in 2016-17. After the Ducks opened the season 2-2 — while Brooks was still recovering from a foot injury — freshman Payton Pritchard replaced Benson.
Publicly, Benson maintained a team-first attitude. But Altman knew he was "down" about the decision, and might look elsewhere for more playing time as a senior. Bigby-Williams also has expressed a desire to investigate a transfer, though Altman has yet to meet with him in person since the big man announced that intention.
Along with Pritchard, the Ducks return Roman Sorkin, Keith Smith and 2016-17 redshirts Paul White — a transfer from Georgetown — and M.J. Cage. The Ducks also have three signed recruits, Victor Bailey, Troy Brown and Abu Kigab.
Altman said the Ducks remained in the hunt for a couple more 2017 signees, and are considering graduate transfers who could provide a veteran presence.
After talent, he said, "the second most important thing is usually experience. We're going to be a little short there."
But that doesn't mean the Ducks will accept lower expectations come fall.
"We definitely don't want to take a step back," Altman said. "Which means, to keep moving forward, we're going to have to have a hell of a team. … Winning becomes a habit. Right now we have that habit. So it would be hard to not keep moving forward. Now, we're going to have to do that with a really young team, which presents some challenges. But our expectations don't change."
The Ducks have at least four and perhaps five scholarships open for the 2017-18 season, and Altman wants to fill at least a couple of them before next fall.
"You make the Final Four, everybody at least picks up the phone, so it's a little different in that regard," Altman said Monday, three weeks and two days removed from the Ducks' loss to eventual champion North Carolina in an NCAA Tournament semifinal. "But it's still about trying to find that right group of guys, who will play together and work together."
With nearly a month of time passed since the Final Four defeat, the sting of Oregon's season finale has dissipated slightly. Altman and his program have been able to better appreciate the scope of a season that included a school-record 33 wins, an unprecedented 17-game win streak and the protection of a home win streak that stands at a national-best 42 games entering next season.
But the coaching staff's time has been occupied, too, by the departure of six of the seven core rotation players who helped amass all those wins. Seniors Dylan Ennis and Chris Boucher saw their eligibility end; Pac-12 player of the year Dillon Brooks, Jordan Bell and Tyler Dorsey declared for the NBA draft and hired agents to finalize their decisions; and Casey Benson announced his intention to transfer, a route reserve big man Kavell Bigby-Williams also is exploring.
"It's been a crazy two weeks," Altman conceded. "But those guys, I really feel good for all of them. … It's what we encourage them to do — what's best for them. I sure hope it works out for all of them."
Altman said he went into the 2016-17 season knowing in all likelihood Brooks and Dorsey were playing their final season as Ducks. They along with Bell declared for the draft to get an evaluation before returning to school a year ago; once Bell dominated the postseason, with double-digit rebounds in Oregon's final seven games, Altman figured he'd turn pro as well.
"You play that well for that many games, late, I can't blame him," Altman said.
It was early last winter that Altman began to believe Benson might depart this offseason. The junior guard, who started 38 games in 2015-16, was the starter for the first four games in 2016-17. After the Ducks opened the season 2-2 — while Brooks was still recovering from a foot injury — freshman Payton Pritchard replaced Benson.
Publicly, Benson maintained a team-first attitude. But Altman knew he was "down" about the decision, and might look elsewhere for more playing time as a senior. Bigby-Williams also has expressed a desire to investigate a transfer, though Altman has yet to meet with him in person since the big man announced that intention.
Along with Pritchard, the Ducks return Roman Sorkin, Keith Smith and 2016-17 redshirts Paul White — a transfer from Georgetown — and M.J. Cage. The Ducks also have three signed recruits, Victor Bailey, Troy Brown and Abu Kigab.
Altman said the Ducks remained in the hunt for a couple more 2017 signees, and are considering graduate transfers who could provide a veteran presence.
After talent, he said, "the second most important thing is usually experience. We're going to be a little short there."
But that doesn't mean the Ducks will accept lower expectations come fall.
"We definitely don't want to take a step back," Altman said. "Which means, to keep moving forward, we're going to have to have a hell of a team. … Winning becomes a habit. Right now we have that habit. So it would be hard to not keep moving forward. Now, we're going to have to do that with a really young team, which presents some challenges. But our expectations don't change."
