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Dana Altman is Working Another Miracle

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After a mid-December loss to Stanford, the Oregon men’s basketball team stood at 5-5 (0-2 in Pac-12) and appeared lifeless, out-of-sync, incoherent and listless. I could go on. Even the most adamant of Dana Altman backers, such as myself, were resigned to this season being a rebuild. Altman, who seemingly every year starts with a motley crew of a roster ...

 

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As crazy as it seems, I expect nothing less, or more than an Altman miracle every year.  We are truly fortunate to have Dana Altman as our head coach!

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For as bad as this team was playing in December, the Ducks are playing so well on the opposite end of the spectrum.  I cannot believe the transformation in just a month, and the Mens Basketball is fun to watch again!  I was skeptical that the veteran transfers that were "the man" at their prior teams would meld into team-ball, but they are doing it.

 

Shooting lights-out helps too!

 

Image

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Mr. FishDuck

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Shooting and improved defense. Also, he's done something with Richardson where WR is not bringing the ball down every time and running 

 

the offense as a true PG.  The first month Richardson played PG like Anthony Brown plays QB.

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I recall seeing a quote that the team stopped worrying about playing time and looking at their stats and started playing hard.  
 

Could have been a typical Coach quote, but it seemed to ring true as the team was out hustled in early season blowouts, but now looks much more aggressive.

Edited by Duck1984
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It's more than "Move!" but basically the Ducks are just playing better now. The game against BYU the Ducks couldn't have got the ball in the ocean, against UW, they almost couldn't miss. It wasn't a big change in what the Ducks were doing' during the 6 game winning streak they're just doing it better.

 

Along with Williams and Young playing lights out in the backcourt, Williams nailing 3's, Dante and Kepnang are dominating the paint at both ends of the court. Guerrier and Harmon, along with Soares are filling their roles in the rotation.  It's great when Altman's teams get their D going. A swarm disrupting the passing lanes, blocks leading to fast breaks. 

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On 1/25/2022 at 6:25 AM, Haywarduck said:

As crazy as it seems, I expect nothing less, or more than an Altman miracle every year.  We are truly fortunate to have Dana Altman as our head coach!

 

I went through their past several seasons on Wikipedia and looking over the schedules it is amazing how awesome their record is at the end of the season. 

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On 1/25/2022 at 6:31 AM, Charles Fischer said:

For as bad as this team was playing in December, the Ducks are playing so well on the opposite end of the spectrum.  I cannot believe the transformation in just a month, and the Mens Basketball is fun to watch again!  I was skeptical that the veteran transfers that were "the man" at their prior teams would meld into team-ball, but they are doing it.

 

Shooting lights-out helps too!

 

Image

 

Yeah, the talent is there (much of it raw with the bigs) but there seemed to be a big hole on the team for "goto" guy like Duarte or Pritchard, but Richardson seems to be stepping up.  

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On 1/25/2022 at 8:39 AM, SmithRiverDuck said:

Shooting and improved defense. Also, he's done something with Richardson where WR is not bringing the ball down every time and running 

 

the offense as a true PG.  The first month Richardson played PG like Anthony Brown plays QB.

 Yeah, Richardson has never seemd to be a true point guard to me, more of a combo guard who can play the point when needed, but certainly not the true pg like a Pritchard. So, good move by Altman. 

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On 1/25/2022 at 8:47 AM, Duck1984 said:

I recall seeing a quote that the team stopped worrying about playing time and looking at their stats and started playing hard.  
 

Could have been a typical Coach quote, but it seemed to ring true as the team was out hustled in early season blowouts, but now looks much more aggressive.

 

Well, with transfers coming in who were "the guy," or at least used to getting more shots and points at their previous schools, there could be something to that. 

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On 1/25/2022 at 8:56 AM, 30Duck said:

It's more than "Move!" but basically the Ducks are just playing better now. The game against BYU the Ducks couldn't have got the ball in the ocean, against UW, they almost couldn't miss. It wasn't a big change in what the Ducks were doing' during the 6 game winning streak they're just doing it better.

 

Along with Williams and Young playing lights out in the backcourt, Williams nailing 3's, Dante and Kepnang are dominating the paint at both ends of the court. Guerrier and Harmon, along with Soares are filling their roles in the rotation.  It's great when Altman's teams get their D going. A swarm disrupting the passing lanes, blocks leading to fast breaks. 

Yeah, there is something to be said about coming together as team with good rhythm and flow that creates shooting the ball with much more confidence. Gelling. 

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     Don’t think DA ever doubted Will’s ability or PG IQ — it was just the time it took to adjust and tweak his game in that direction in relation to the other moving parts, as others have suggested.  What’s funny is we looked just like the leg humpers prior to the Beaver game — a one pass offense that turned the ball over on either a missed three or failed drive in the paint. 
 

     Accepting your team role simplifies the game. It gets one to really look and  to focus. It’s amazing what happens when a coach of Dana’s caliber gets his players to do that.

 

     IMO, I’m kinda excited to see the emergence of Quincy Guerrier. Think he’s had a tougher time finding his fit, but when he does find his rhythm, look out! Maybe that missing part that puts us up.

     

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While I recognize he is the first player off the bench and is playing quite well...I am still surprised that Eric Williams is not a starter.  I thought he was better than Guerrier early on....but in Dana I trust!

 

Alman FP GB.jpg

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Mr. FishDuck

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What's the difference between this year and the previous when DAs teams got it going. The bigs. If Dante and Kepnang stay healthy and keep getting better the sky's the limit.

Edited by Duck 1972
Didn't finish accidentally posted.
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On 1/25/2022 at 11:18 AM, Duck 1972 said:

What's the difference between this year and the previous when DAs teams got it going. The bigs. If Dante and Kepnang stay healthy and keep getting better the sky's the limit.

That's really what excites me about next year with point guard recruit Drior Johnson (and the other two top recruits), a potential one and done getting comparisions to Jalen Suggs from Gonzaga last year, getting on the floor with the two bigs (assuming they are back) who will finally have some serious experience under their belts.

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On 1/25/2022 at 11:18 AM, Duck 1972 said:

What's the difference between this year and the previous when DAs teams got it going. The bigs. If Dante and Kepnang stay healthy and keep getting better the sky's the limit.

Yeah, two guys with NBA bodies but with very raw talent starting to really get some seasoning, will be fun to see how they continue to progress. 

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Thanks Darren. Great take. 

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On 1/25/2022 at 12:33 PM, Darren Perkins said:

Yeah, two guys with NBA bodies but with very raw talent starting to really get some seasoning, will be fun to see how they continue to progress. 

...and Franck reclassified. He would be a freshman right now if he hadn't. We have two more freshmen bigs now, getting some real experience. I trust they are hitting the weight room to beef up a bit like the other guys. 

 

Having true bigs is a new thing for Altman's Oregon teams. They will make a real difference.

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To me, the big difference in the team from earlier in the season is that the 3 guards and Guerrier are all driving to the hoop frequently--WITH PURPOSE--instead of just standing around the 3-point line looking for the next chance to jack it up. So many good things happen when a team aggressively attacks the rim. (Of course, one of them is that you get fouled, necessitating the need to sink your free throws.) This team looked so passive in getting their a$$e$ handed to them by an aggressive Houston team. They've really turned it around and are doing to their opponents what Houston did to them. Very fun to watch.

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Sorry, guess my article jinxed them against the Buffs. 😐

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Past tense.

 

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On 1/26/2022 at 6:49 AM, Darren Perkins said:

Sorry, guess my article jinxed them against the Buffs.

Yeah, start writing for our opponents please.

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