Charles Fischer Administrator No. 1 Share Posted January 26, 2023 I had to take a quick break from my morning workload to share this, as when I read it a few hours ago--I was blown away on many levels for the team, and for Ware and his future. The morning paper in Eugene has an article by Chris Hansen who wrote of how Kel'el Ware has just 10 points, one rebound and two blocks (total) for his last three games. His time on court has been reduced, and in the last six games--hasn't played more than 15 minutes in any of those contests--whether the Ducks needed him or not. From Dana Altman in the article: "We've had a lot of conversations and they haven't gone as well as we want them to be. So, he going to have to make some adjustments or I've got to make some decisions. His time has been reduced, and that doesn't help us because he is talented. But he hasn't blocked any shots lately, he hasn't got his hands on any balls, and he's not using that length." "You know, we still gotta try to put the best team out there that gives us the best chance. If he's playing hard, that would help us. If not, that hurts us." 1 1 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
JDuck No. 2 Share Posted January 26, 2023 5 Stars don't always pan out, we see that a lot in Football... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 3 Share Posted January 26, 2023 It's like he's been told he is a first-rounder...and he is waiting now for it to happen. With his skills--he could be dominating if he had the fire within him. This could impact his NBA selection, I would think. 2 Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tandaian No. 4 Share Posted January 26, 2023 The Ducks luck with 5* basketball recruits have not been good. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Waddler Moderator No. 5 Share Posted January 26, 2023 That fairly persistent look in his eyes of a young man feeling cornered by the demands being placed upon him unfortunately appears to play out in that all too familiar adolescent drama of feeling threatened, and refusing to comply. I feel for Dana. Not easy being coach and mentor and dad. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles Fischer Author Administrator No. 6 Share Posted January 26, 2023 From 247.... Following Oregon’s home win over Oregon State on Dec. 31, Altman paid a backhanded compliment to the freshman, noting that Ware had played with energy in that game and “at least acted like he wanted to be here tonight.” Yikes. Mr. FishDuck Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
SmithRiverDuck No. 7 Share Posted January 26, 2023 On 1/26/2023 at 11:48 AM, Charles Fischer said: It's like he's been told he is a first-rounder...and he is waiting now for it to happen. With his skills--he could be dominating if he had the fire within him. This could impact his NBA selection, I would think. This is the way I always felt about Arik Armstead. He played like he was just biding his time not to get hurt before he went pro. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuck No. 8 Share Posted January 26, 2023 "Sometimes you, sometimes me, always us" was the epitome of an Altman coached team. I'm not sure he even enjoys coaching the player who is making the obligatory stop before the NBA. He can't be happy with the product on the floor the past couple years. I know next years class glitters with all the five star rankings. It will be interesting to see how they perform. Jackson Shelstad may be exactly what Oregon and Dana need, a player in the Pritchard/Brooks mold who is a gym rat who demands excellence from others. Let's hope so. 5 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woundedknees No. 9 Share Posted January 26, 2023 One would think the example of gym rats like Pritchard set would rub off on younger players... Celtics’ Payton Pritchard on being 6-foot-1 white American guard: ‘A lot of us aren’t there’ WWW.MASSLIVE.COM Payton Pritchard hit all four of his 3-pointers in the fourth quarter in their win over the Raptors. “We’re a bunch of tough dudes and, for me, I wouldn’t be in the position I am today without having a tough mindset,” Pritchard said after the win. “ "It’s not quite the flashiest role coming off the bench. But the third-year pro hasn’t complained this season when he only gets into games late during garbage time." “I’m happy for Payton,” Mazzulla said. “This league can be unforgiving at times. You have to be strong-minded, you got to work hard, you got to be patient. Payton’s all of those things. I’ve always told him: Whenever it’s his time, I trust him completely. He was great tonight.” Contrast that to many of the highly ranked, one and done types. ATTITUDE! 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 10 Share Posted January 27, 2023 It's why I'm worried about next year as well, I don't get why we have all of a sudden Dana is focused on 5 stars who come here and then disappoint, we have not had a single one actually play like a 5 star, Bol Bol (admittedly injured, but played for himself when he did), King, Bittle, Ware, all busts. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
lownslowav8r No. 11 Share Posted January 27, 2023 0ne ‘n Done, marking time until the NBA. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utki No. 12 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Dana is also massively underperforming in terms of getting his guys to play with effort. I might have to sit him for awhile until he can coach with intention again. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Utki No. 13 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Also I think Lok Wur has the size, speed and agility to be an amazing 3 and D guy even at the next level. Having worked for years in South Sudan I cheer for him extra. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2002duck No. 14 Share Posted January 27, 2023 On 1/26/2023 at 4:57 PM, spartan2785 said: Bol Bol (admittedly injured, but played for himself when he did), King, Bittle, Ware, all busts. I thought King was extremely solid. So was Troy Brown Jr. The issue is Oregon (or Altman's coaching talents) is not a school for centers. We need to stop chasing centers, and go after 5-star small forwards that have NBA bodies out of high school. Also, we need tall shooting guards that have NBA bodies out of high school as well, or can at least shoot lights out. No more skinny centers no matter how high they are ranked. This should be easy to do, right? King: " Named to the Pac-12 all-tournament team … Selected as an all-Pac-12 honorable mention … Member of the Pac-12 all-freshman team … Was the No. 2 freshman scorer in Pac-12 games at 14.5 points per game … Overall, led Ducks in scoring (13.5 points per game) and rebounding (5.5 rebounds per game) ... Scored in double figures in all but two Pac-12 games … Appeared in 31 games with 28 starts ... Led Oregon with 16 points in the Sweet 16 game against Virginia … Netted 16 points in the NCAA Second Round versus UC Irvine … Dropped in 17 points (3-of-3 3FG) in the NCAA Tournament versus Wisconsin … Had a great Pac-12 Tournament where he reached double digits in all four games" 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Haywarduck Moderator No. 15 Share Posted January 27, 2023 I think it is time to realize the youth basketball development programs are good at advancing and identifying talent, but aren't serving college basketball well. Much like going to the bar to find your next wife, plenty of talent, but the players are there for the wrong reasons. If you're really trying to build something meaningful find out who is working on their game in pickup games, and at their local gym. Who still loves the game and wants to be part of a team, and who just looks good, but will end up just causing you a headache, while providing little meaningful outcomes. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 16 Share Posted January 27, 2023 On 1/27/2023 at 12:34 AM, 2002duck said: I thought King was extremely solid. So was Troy Brown Jr. The issue is Oregon (or Altman's coaching talents) is not a school for centers. We need to stop chasing centers, and go after 5-star small forwards that have NBA bodies out of high school. Also, we need tall shooting guards that have NBA bodies out of high school as well, or can at least shoot lights out. No more skinny centers no matter how high they are ranked. This should be easy to do, right? King: " Named to the Pac-12 all-tournament team … Selected as an all-Pac-12 honorable mention … Member of the Pac-12 all-freshman team … Was the No. 2 freshman scorer in Pac-12 games at 14.5 points per game … Overall, led Ducks in scoring (13.5 points per game) and rebounding (5.5 rebounds per game) ... Scored in double figures in all but two Pac-12 games … Appeared in 31 games with 28 starts ... Led Oregon with 16 points in the Sweet 16 game against Virginia … Netted 16 points in the NCAA Second Round versus UC Irvine … Dropped in 17 points (3-of-3 3FG) in the NCAA Tournament versus Wisconsin … Had a great Pac-12 Tournament where he reached double digits in all four games" I'll stand corrected, King was decent, I remember him being a good shooter, I totally admit that I'm surprised that he averaged that many rebounds, he was very hot or cold, but you would expect that from a freshmen. I might be misremembering that season but did we win the Pac-12 tourney, and then almost beat Virginia in the Sweet Sixteen? I might just be remembering him more as a guy who needed to come back for another year. Brown has had a better pro career than King, he never seemed to turn the gear into becoming a star while at Oregon. Both of them seemed to want to get out of college as soon as possible. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Kamikaze Kid Moderator No. 17 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Altman was at his best coaching up 3 and 4 star players. This era of five star one and dones has been a step backwards for the program. I'd way rather watch a team build chemistry and players develop skills over time than watch a bunch of guys just biding their time for a year before they can run off to the pros where most have failed to have much of an impact at. 1 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Just Ducky No. 18 Share Posted January 27, 2023 I’ve always thought that Dana was more suited to coaching players up rather than trying to get these 5 stars to play to their ability. I just wonder if all these injuries to our bigs through the years is more depression related than actual pain. The desire to play comes from the heart and some of these kids just don’t have it. To be honest most of us don’t like to play defense in basketball. It’s way easier to play offense and is much less work. Dana is a defensive minded coach and if a player can’t get that through his head then he shouldn’t come here in the first place. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Washington Waddler Moderator No. 19 Share Posted January 27, 2023 On 1/27/2023 at 10:33 AM, Just Ducky said: I’ve always thought that Dana was more suited to coaching players up rather than trying to get these 5 stars to play to their ability. Tend to agree. He seems to get flummoxed and a bit lost whenever his players are not playing with the same level of energy and commitment to the game that he has. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuck No. 20 Share Posted January 27, 2023 On 1/27/2023 at 9:34 AM, The Kamikaze Kid said: I'd way rather watch a team build chemistry and players develop skills over time than watch a bunch of guys just biding their time for a year before they can run off to the pros where most have failed to have much of an impact at. Nailed it! I've gone from attending the games live and then heading home to stay up late and watch a replay during the Kamikaze Kids era to not even turning on a televised game in the 5* era. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikethehiker No. 21 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Pritchard was the perfect player for Oregon. Developed over four years to become NBA ready vs. arriving NBA ready in their own heads. Altman's goal is similar to the military trying to break down individuals to do something greater as a cohesive unit on the floor. 1 unit will always beat 5 players and it's beautiful to watch. It's very easy to observe on the defensive side of the floor. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
woundedknees No. 22 Share Posted January 27, 2023 Pritch is still working hard to build his resume, even though he's already got what many think is his peak position. He just gets that it's a JOB, which denotes HARD WORK! 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
kirklandduck Moderator No. 23 Share Posted January 27, 2023 He must be cheesing off Altman awful bad for the coach to call him out like that publicly. Yeesh! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeotechDuck No. 24 Share Posted January 27, 2023 On 1/27/2023 at 12:25 PM, mikethehiker said: 1 unit will always beat 5 players and it's beautiful to watch. It's very easy to observe on the defensive side of the floor. Agree. This is why Villanova is consistently excellent (outside of this year, which is an anomaly). They sign a bunch of 4* kids that need multiple years in college and can work together to build success. Compare that to Kentucky which consistently signs a Top 3 recruiting class with a bunch of "1 and dones" and they usually get bounced in the tourney by a team with lesser talent. I believe there is a story in The Athletic right now about the current 34 five-star freshman in college basketball this year and how only about 5% of them have had a major impact on their team's success. I don't think this is about Oregon or Altman missing on the 5* recruits they get. I think it is more likely that 95% of them take time to adjust to college ball just like everyone else. It is so rare that you actually get a guy like Carmelo Anthony that puts an entire college basketball team on their back and blasts through the post season. I wish Oregon would move back more towards the Villanova model and away from the Kentucky model. 1 1 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
2002duck No. 25 Share Posted January 28, 2023 On 1/27/2023 at 8:43 AM, spartan2785 said: Both of them seemed to want to get out of college as soon as possible. If you are a 5-star and you do not get drafted in the first round of the NBA draft after your freshman year, something went seriously wrong. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennsylvania Duck Moderator No. 26 Share Posted January 28, 2023 Dana Altman explains reason for star freshman Kel'el Ware's reduced role Dana Altman has been candid this season when discussing the struggles of Oregon’s 5-star freshman, Kel’el Ware. This week, Ducks’ head coach delivered the clearest indicator yet that things aren’t exactly clicking for his blue-chip center during his first season with the program. Dana Altman explains reason for star freshman Kel'el Ware's reduced role - On3 WWW.ON3.COM Dana Altman delivered the clearest indicator yet that things aren't exactly clicking for Oregon's blue-chip freshman. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
WiseKwacker No. 27 Share Posted January 28, 2023 On 1/26/2023 at 4:57 PM, spartan2785 said: It's why I'm worried about next year as well, I don't get why we have all of a sudden Dana is focused on 5 stars who come here and then disappoint, we have not had a single one actually play like a 5 star, Bol Bol (admittedly injured, but played for himself when he did), King, Bittle, Ware, all busts. Whoa! Not sure why you'd include Bittle in a list of "busts." Did he ever say he thought he'd be a one-and-done player headed to the NBA after his first year? The kid only played during garbage time during his freshman year. Did we hear him Jerk or moan about it? I sure didn't. This year, he began playing more from the get-go, and was making slow but steady progress when he injured his foot. Now, he's come back and has been getting more and more playing time with a last-minute starting assignment against Colorado. To my eyes, I can see the God-given long arms and legs and gracefulness this skinny kid possesses when he runs the court. He has a nice-looking jumper. Dana has said he needs to continue working in the weight room. Yes, that's apparent. But, can he develop into an excellent inside/outside big man over the next two seasons? I certainly think so. If he does, I'm not sure how his U of O career will be that much different than players like Pritchard and Richardson. 3 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
spartan2785 No. 28 Share Posted January 28, 2023 Maybe I get caught up in the hype machine, seemed like a lot of people were hyping him up as instant impact player, a stretch 5 who would block shots and shoot a high percentage from deep, he's had a few good games in a row, he could develop into something more. It's probably wrong to call him a bust, but I guess I'm just tired of seeing highly touted freshman come in and not really live up to the hype around them, that could be my fault, maybe I just expect too much out of them. I'm also probably really put off from the AAU ball that a lot of these guys are coming from which has just gotten worse and worse over time. I'll hold my hand up and say it's wrong to call these two busts when they haven't had the chance to have a full career, it's not right, they could develop into something great. Pritchard was highly regarded but he's more in the vane of Shelsted, I didn't expect either one to set the world on fire when they came in since they were touted as players who weren't expected to go one and done. In general I just enjoyed it more when you had guys coming in to work hard for a number of years and then develop into something great, now it just seems like we are always going after the next big thing without really thinking about how they fit in, I just haven't really enjoyed watching Bol, Brown, or King. Ware is just frustrating to watch since it's pretty obvious that Altman is pretty unhappy with his play, despite him being the most talented one on the team, Bittle just looked so overmatched it was hard to believe that he was 5 star last year, it's not his fault that he was ranked that high, and honestly I probably would be fine with him if he was just ranked as a promising 4 star for the future, admittedly that's a me problem not his fault. I really do enjoy the basketball season more than I enjoy the football season I like the idea that you can lose a game and not feel like the season is over. These last two years have been tough to watch, and it seemed like we've just been so up and down since the final four year, of course it doesn't help that our best year was probably the Covid year. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave23 No. 29 Share Posted January 28, 2023 On 1/27/2023 at 6:19 PM, WiseKwacker said: Not sure why you'd include Bittle in a list of "busts." I have to totally agree, he's developing into a sold player that's really starting to contribute. Payton, Brooks, Duarte, and Boucher got so much better over their years at Oregon. Had King, Brown, Bol and Wooten stayed another year or two they would have been more prepared for the NBA. I'm really hoping NIL money will help with this problem. A lot of these kids get caught up with the people around them telling them their NBA ready and they should get payed as soon as possible. Just maybe a little money will settle them down and they can see the long play. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennsylvania Duck Moderator No. 30 Share Posted January 28, 2023 See where Kel'el Ware falls in Hoops Hype's aggregate NBA mock draft The folks over at USA TODAY’s Hoops Hype aggregated nine different mock drafts to provide a consensus of how NBA draft hopefuls are being viewed by the industry at this point. For Oregon Ducks freshman center Kel’el Ware, the returns remain promising... See where Kel’el Ware falls in Hoops Hype’s aggregate NBA mock draft DUCKSWIRE.USATODAY.COM Oregon Ducks center Kel’el Ware is firmly in the first round conversation of the 2023 NBA draft, despite pedestrian numbers... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
McDuck No. 31 Share Posted January 28, 2023 Spending a full year simply going through the motions in college still gets a first round pick and millions of dollars? Maybe that explains why I haven't followed the NBA since the Clyde Drexler Blazer teams. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
chrisjenn99 No. 32 Share Posted January 28, 2023 On 1/26/2023 at 4:27 PM, woundedknees said: One would think the example of gym rats like Pritchard set would rub off on younger players... Sadly, Oregon hasn't had that mentality in their locker room since PP3 left. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave23 No. 33 Share Posted January 29, 2023 Ware played 0 minutes tonight. Hope he figures out out, he could really help this team down the stretch. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pennsylvania Duck Moderator No. 34 Share Posted January 29, 2023 Dana Altman opens up on decision to not play Kel'el Ware in Oregon's must-win game vs Utah In a make-or-break game for the Oregon Duck men's basketball program against the second-place Utah Utes, the program's second-highest-rated prospect to ever play for Oregon didn't see a single minute of action. Instead, the Ducks looked to junior forward Lok Wur, who produced one of the best games of his career despite not scoring a single point. "I think he's done a lot of good things," said Altman about Wur's impact. "For him to keep his head up - he was playing, and then guys came back, and his role got reduced. A lot of guys pout, quit, or whatever. He's stayed with it in practice, and I kept telling him to stay ready." "It's the one thing you still go to do; you have to earn your playing time," said Altman. This is a telling article about the perspective on Ware from Altman and players on the team... Dana Altman opens up on decision to not play Kel'el Ware in Oregon's must-win game vs Utah 247SPORTS.COM In a make-or-break game for the Oregon Duck men's basketball program against the second-place Utah Utes, the program's... 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
