Dana Altman officially announced his retirement as the Oregon basketball coach on Wednesday, and man, talk about a bombshell drop! This news hit just when college basketball season is less than a month away, and it’s leaving the Ducks in a super weird spot. Everyone knew Altman, at 68-years-old and with 16 seasons under his belt in Eugene, was probably gonna call it quits eventually, but the timing is just wild. He leaves behind a roster featuring nine transfers and two highly-touted freshmen, all guys he brought in. Now, they’ve gotta figure out how to rebound from their first season since Altman got there in 2010 where they didn’t even win 20 games, and they gotta do it without the legend.
Stubblefield Stepping Up Amidst Transfer Portal Panic
Assistant coach Tony Stubblefield got promoted to interim head coach, which is a massive task given the circumstances. He’s now on the clock, tasked with keeping this group of players together who are all eligible to hit the transfer portal in just 31 days. That’s a ticking time bomb! While Stubblefield is holding the fort, athletics director Rob Mullens has confirmed they’re launching a national search for the next head coach. Stubblefield has history with the program, having spent 11 seasons as an assistant with Altman before a three-year stint as DePaul’s head coach. His record at DePaul was 30-66, and the Blue Demons actually found success after he left, hiring Chris Holtmann. Still, Altman clearly trusted him, and now Stubblefield gets his shot to prove he’s the guy. We’ve seen this play out recently in the Big Ten, with Michigan promoting interim Mike Boynton Jr. and Ohio State doing the same with Jake Diebler after the 2023-24 season. Could it happen in Eugene?
The National Search is ON: Who’s the Right Fit for the Ducks?
So, with the national search underway, who are the big names buzzing around? One guy getting some serious attention is Schertz. This dude has absolutely proven he can win at the mid-major level. He rocked a 66-40 record over three seasons at Indiana State, and then went 48-21 in the last two years at Saint Louis. In his first NCAA Tournament appearance last season, his Billikens absolutely stomped Georgia 102-77! Schertz runs this super fast-paced, five-out offense that’s all about quick possessions and slinging a ton of threes. He’s considered one of the best Xs and Os coaches out there, consistently maximizing talent. Imagine what he could do at Oregon with more money for better players and that elite scheme? The big question mark is that he hasn’t had a high-major head coaching gig before, so he’d need to adapt to the completely different business world of the Big Ten compared to the Atlantic 10.
Then there’s Olen, who took New Mexico to a stellar 26-11 record in his very first season after a long 12-season run at UC San Diego. He’s shown he can step into a program and get results immediately. With his success in the Big West and Mountain West, he’s a super recognizable name out here on the West Coast. It would be a quick hop for him to jump to Oregon shortly after getting hired at New Mexico, but let’s be real, high-major jobs with money and a winning history don’t open up every day. Olen’s definitely capable of leading the Ducks. This whole situation is wild, and whoever steps in has massive shoes to fill with the season right around the corner. What a crazy time for Oregon basketball!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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