Are the Oregon Ducks in Danger of Losing Dana Altman?

[FishDuck Article]

Hell hath no fury like an underappreciated future Hall of Fame coach. The recent venting from Oregon men’s basketball coach Dana Altman following the Ducks’ 61-58 loss to Wisconsin in the quarterfinals of the National Invitation Tournament. Altman was not happy. But his frustration was targeted at a lackluster Oregon crowd, not his team’s performance. Sure, Ducks fans were likely ..

 

Are the Oregon Ducks in danger of losing Dana Altman?

FISHDUCK.COM

---

Hell hath no fury like an underappreciated future Hall of Fame coach. The recent venting from Oregon men's basketball coach Dana Altman...

 

[Duckdude]

I doubt there’s any danger of losing Altman…..except to retirement.  Due to Altman….and Dillon Brooks, Payton Pritchard, Chris Duarte, Chris Boucher, Bol Bol, etc……..expectations have been raised.  When expectations are not met…..interest wanes.   That’s the syndrome….for any subject.  
If we’d had Barthelemy and Couisnard all year…..who knows?  Mighta been a different story.

All that can be done: “wash and rinse”, and…….onto next year!  Let’s go, Ducks!  Let’s go, Dana!

[Smith72]

Wasn't the Wisconsin game played during Finals week?  Students take passing their classes seriously.  

[Jon Joseph]

I want Altman to stay and Mullens to leave. The post-game comments were as much of a shot at Mullens as it was at the students. (And the next 6 OOC football games Mullens has scheduled? No 4M eyeball games in the mix,)

[Annie]

On 4/3/2023 at 7:36 AM, Smith72 said:

Wasn't the Wisconsin game played during Finals week?  Students take passing their classes seriously.  

And if their exams are over early in the week, they go home, and probably watch the game on TV from there.

[Thomallister1291]

On 4/3/2023 at 8:51 AM, Jon Joseph said:

I want Altman to stay and Mullens to leave. The post-game comments were as much of a shot at Mullens as it was at the students. (And the next 6 OOC football games Mullens has scheduled? No 4M eyeball games in the mix,)

I have said this over and over, but I hate the fact that we haven't scheduled any sort of SEC home-and-home series ever since we destroyed Tennessee, yes I know we played Auburn and Georgia but I want to see an actual home and home series being scheduled against the Southeastern Conference, those home and home series against the Big 12 won't do anything good, the biggest opponent is probably Oklahoma State but that's not anything compared to potential home and home series against Alabama or Florida.

 

Also if Mullens does leave (which I sadly doubt) who would replace him? I wish Alabama's AD would do it to increase the chances of my dream matchup coming true.

 

Altman shouldn't leave imo.

[Jon Joseph]

On 4/3/2023 at 11:03 AM, Annie said:

And if their exams are over early in the week, they go home, and probably watch the game on TV from there.

Annie, do you and other Ducks CBB fans think that the program is being adequately funded and marketed? The attendance vs Wisconsin was telling but so were Altman's comments in regard to Wisconsin spending the money to bring its band and cheerleaders west for an NIT game.

 

Per Wilner, based on results vs money invested the Oregon Athletic Department finished 8th in the Pac-12 last season in ROI.

 

I watch the way SDSU plays and Arizona and the last 2 teams under Altman do not come close when it comes to grit and desire. This season especially it looked like Altman's players simply tuned him out.

[Jon Joseph]

On 4/3/2023 at 11:34 AM, Thomallister1291 said:

I have said this over and over, but I hate the fact that we haven't scheduled any sort of SEC home-and-home series ever since we destroyed Tennessee, yes I know we played Auburn and Georgia but I want to see an actual home and home series being scheduled against the Southeastern Conference, those home and home series against the Big 12 won't do anything good, the biggest opponent is probably Oklahoma State but that's not anything compared to potential home and home series against Alabama or Florida.

 

Also if Mullens does leave (which I sadly doubt) who would replace him? I wish Alabama's AD would do it to increase the chances of my dream matchup coming true.

 

Altman shouldn't leave imo.

And it's doable. Florida plays at Utah this season. Arizona has a return game at Miss St. Down the road Arizona has a home-and-home scheduled with Alabama. CAL plays Auburn in Berkeley this season. And Wisconsin comes to Pullman for a return game. Pullman!

 

I agree that Altman should not leave. Sorry to go a bit OT. This was a great take by Jordan. 

[Tandaian]

Altman has always been hot and cold with me.  He is a "grinder" in my opinion with his coaching style.  When he first got here, he would get 1 or 2 grad transfers and would slowly build his team to peak in March.  I haven't ever been a huge fan of his offense.  When it runs cold, it is frigid.  Then we had Brooks, Dorsey, Boucher and Bell and expectations changed.

 

I think Altman is a very good to almost great coach, but the last two seasons have me wondering if his coaching style will work with the new landscape.  His success with 5-star players is terrible.  I'm not sure how it compares to other coaches, but maybe not go for the 5-star guys.

 

If we lose Altman, I have no idea who I would want as a replacement.

[Beef]

What I see as the problem is that Duck fans seem to be notoriously band wagon fans.  Maybe Altman's rant might change that.  It reminds me of a joke I was told by a WSU alum.  " What do Huskies, Beaver, and Coug fans have in common with Duck fans?  They didn't attend the U of O." When your fan base is so dependent on non-alumni, they can be very fickle and lose interest quickly.  They are more into being fans because it is fashionable rather than because they bleed green and yellow.

[Annie]

On 4/3/2023 at 8:34 AM, Jon Joseph said:

Annie, do you and other Ducks CBB fans think that the program is being adequately funded and marketed? The attendance vs Wisconsin was telling but so were Altman's comments in regard to Wisconsin spending the money to bring its band and cheerleaders west for an NIT game.

 

Per Wilner, based on results vs money invested the Oregon Athletic Department finished 8th in the Pac-12 last season in ROI.

 

...

This will make me sound like a relic, but I think the lack of a local paper that at one time would have had pages devoted to the UO NIT is one factor. Even pre-game coverage on TV didn't seem to be particularly prevalent. Yes, it was the NIT, not the NCAA, but it was still post-season play. So a lack of marketing, be it from lack of funding or changing times, was most likely a factor.

[12Duck72]

Good article Jordan but I don't agree with the point the finger at fans strategy. To me it's a bad look. Want people to spend their hard earned money and time on your program? Put out a product that is going to make people want to come. Questioning someone's loyalty or support because your team doesn't play defense, can't shoot and looks like they don't care at times is not the way to bring fans back.

 

This reminds of a certain coach in South Florida who whined to the media about fans booing his bad play calling.

 

I remember when the men's and women's programs were rolling they didn't have any problem filling that building. Altman needs to look in the mirror and figure out what needs to change.

 

Also, and I'm going to sound like an old guy, but when are they going to change that court? I get the history and the art part but man that's hard to watch on TV

 

[Drake]

For Oregon, going to the NIT is like the football team going to El Paso for a bowl game. There is a huge base of alums and fans in Portland. I know a lot of them were watching from home. 
 

Filling the seats for the NIT home game matchup perhaps is directly due to a lack of promotion in both Eugene, and Portland areas. If that is the case, then I fully understand why Altman is fired up. 
 

Love the team, but not the drive down and back. I also am not flying to EL Paso for a bowl game anymore. 

[Jon Joseph]

On 4/3/2023 at 12:04 PM, Tandaian said:

Altman has always been hot and cold with me.  He is a "grinder" in my opinion with his coaching style.  When he first got here, he would get 1 or 2 grad transfers and would slowly build his team to peak in March.  I haven't ever been a huge fan of his offense.  When it runs cold, it is frigid.  Then we had Brooks, Dorsey, Boucher and Bell and expectations changed.

 

I think Altman is a very good to almost great coach, but the last two seasons have me wondering if his coaching style will work with the new landscape.  His success with 5-star players is terrible.  I'm not sure how it compares to other coaches, but maybe not go for the 5-star guys.

 

If we lose Altman, I have no idea who I would want as a replacement.

The SDSU coach? The Aztecs have been in tourney 4 of the last 5 seasons.

[Mudslide]

On 4/3/2023 at 9:04 AM, Tandaian said:

Altman has always been hot and cold with me.  He is a "grinder" in my opinion with his coaching style.  When he first got here, he would get 1 or 2 grad transfers and would slowly build his team to peak in March.  I haven't ever been a huge fan of his offense.  When it runs cold, it is frigid.  Then we had Brooks, Dorsey, Boucher and Bell and expectations changed.

 

I think Altman is a very good to almost great coach, but the last two seasons have me wondering if his coaching style will work with the new landscape.  His success with 5-star players is terrible.  I'm not sure how it compares to other coaches, but maybe not go for the 5-star guys.

 

If we lose Altman, I have no idea who I would want as a replacement.

I agree with you regarding Alman's offensive approach ... at least getting his players to space correctly in that weave offense would help.  But for certain the injuries really hurt this year's team ... but so did a lack of good shooters.  The team shot UNDER 70% FTs.  My 72 year old wife can almost hit that mark.  And the 3 pt. shots at 32% for the year is no bueno.

 

On the plus side of things, the guys were really hustling in the NIT.  And they missed Couis and Dante for sure.

 

But if I have one major grumble about Altman's coaching it was playing Richardson for as much and as long as he did.  Hurt or not, he was a liability to the team.  Berthelemy was a much better player...shooting, driving, dribbling, turnovers, defense and general hustle. 

 

Of course, I'm also not paid millions of bucks to know more than the coach, either.  And then, I'm just feeling crabby today....doctor app'ts.   

[Tandaian]

@Jon Joseph The Aztec coach is good, but he is 63.  I'd prefer somebody younger.  I wouldn't mind Shaka Smart, the Marquette coach, but he has only been there for 2 seasons.   He was previously at Texas for 6 seasons.  I don't think he is a coach that will stay in some place for a long time.  I'd like some young guy that could be at Oregon for 10+ seasons.  I don't know college basketball coaching well enough to even throw a name out there.

[Dave23]

I think next year will be better as we will have a core group back that buys into his game plan. Love Richardson but he just didn't have "it" and couldn't be the on floor leader that the team desperately needed.

 

Hope one of the seniors steps up and leads the team with those crucial crunch time shots and energy this team lacked. Also having a guy that shoots closer to 40% from three would help tremendously.

[2002duck]

On 4/3/2023 at 7:36 AM, Smith72 said:

Finals week

The students were there. WE are the problem.

[2002duck]

I get emails for Football packages and extra tickets all the time. I didn't get any emails for the NIT tournament. Why didn't they offer a promo price? Buy a ticket get one free?

 

Why don't they rope former Duck stars to come have a night dedicated to them? Why aren't they buying ad time on local/Portland radio stations- again, offering promos?!

[Smith72]

On 4/3/2023 at 4:12 PM, 2002duck said:

The students were there. WE are the problem.

Pogo comic strip 1970, "We have met the enemy and he is us."

[2002duck]

Here is my hot take: older alumni that would be going to all of the home games don't because they won't let go of Mac Court.

 

Was the experience much, much better before? Absolutely. Was it sustainable for modern collegiate athletics? Of course not. I think UO alumni owe more to the program, and they should be showing up for the team. 

 

It also would not hurt if we got a new court, maybe a plain parquet pattern would be "cool" enough.  

[Jon Joseph]

On 4/3/2023 at 7:19 PM, 2002duck said:

I get emails for Football packages and extra tickets all the time. I didn't get any emails for the NIT tournament. Why didn't they offer a promo price? Buy a ticket get one free?

 

Why don't they rope former Duck stars to come have a night dedicated to them? Why aren't they buying ad time on local/Portland radio stations- again, offering promos?!

Does anyone know who the Oregon SID is? He or she IMO is MIA.

[Charles Fischer]

On 4/3/2023 at 4:33 PM, 2002duck said:

Here is my hot take: older alumni that would be going to all of the home games don't because they won't let go of Mac Court.

Nah, I don't agree.  Mac Court could not last with the way it was wearing down, and the seating was so cramped it just killed my knees.

 

If Altman was winning like in 2017...Matt Court would be filled.  We want winning basketball and know when we see it--not just in wins, but smarts and hustle.

 

I believe Dana is still figuring out how to navigate this new portal environment and that of one-and-dones.  I see Mark Campbell won 24 games at a Sac State team that was terrible when he took over and now is going to TCU.  I often wonder how dependent Graves was to him, and how dependent Dana was to assistants that have left?

[Dr Hilarius]

On 4/3/2023 at 9:51 AM, 12Duck72 said:

when are they going to change that court? I get the history and the art part but man that's hard to watch on TV

I am clearly a fellow “old guy” bc I loathe that court design. My hubbie won’t even watch home games bc of it. 

 

I agree w many of your other comments…

 

Altman’s teams are incredibly inconsistent. Inconsistency is a sign of a _bad_ coach.

 

But the biggest problem is that they don’t improve over the season. How many elite players have we seen flame out for Altman? A good coach actually coaches players up to make them better. 

 

Basketball is a game where a single player can make a coach _appear_ great. Think Brooks, Pritchard, Ionescu. If the players don’t want to give 100%, that’s a prob w the coach, not the team. 

 

Personally, I think we are several years overdue for new men’s and women’s basketball coaches. 

 

Combine that w the abuse delivered by the women’s track coach and the ineptitude and arrogance of the former football coach, and the obvious conclusion is that we need a new AD too.

 

Mullens is the Larry Scott of Oregon. 

[DUCKED]

On 4/3/2023 at 12:51 PM, 12Duck72 said:

Good article Jordan but I don't agree with the point the finger at fans strategy. To me it's a bad look. Want people to spend their hard earned money and time on your program? Put out a product that is going to make people want to come. Questioning someone's loyalty or support because your team doesn't play defense, can't shoot and looks like they don't care at times is not the way to bring fans back.

 

This reminds of a certain coach in South Florida who whined to the media about fans booing his bad play calling.

 

I remember when the men's and women's programs were rolling they didn't have any problem filling that building. Altman needs to look in the mirror and figure out what needs to change.

 

Also, and I'm going to sound like an old guy, but when are they going to change that court? I get the history and the art part but man that's hard to watch on TV

 

The court is atrocious. It looks bad in

person and just silly on TV. Some ideas seem good at the time, and turn out to be terrible. The mistake now is not doing anything about it.