Dana Altman had to sleep on it.
He didn’t yet know his opening-day lineup, the 35th-year head coach said at Oregon’s 2024 Media Day. The Ducks lost their two most prolific starters, guard Jermaine Couisnard and center N’Faly Dante, to the NBA. Their only two returning starters were rising sophomores.
By the second Oregon (1-0) possession, Altman was on the court gesturing for TJ Bamba and Brandon Angel to switch spots on an inbound play. The two dashed across the court, and Bamba eventually drained a corner three.
The individual power was immediately obvious. Second-year guard Jackson Shelstad drove to the lane for a nifty reverse layup — University of California-Riverside (0-1) had no answer. Bamba shook off a defender and laid down a nothing-but-net 3-pointer — easy money.
For a team who preached how connected it is off the court, though, the growing pains were noticeable. There were flashes — Shelstad tossed it up for Nate Bittle to slam home in the first half and drew a roar from Matthew Knight Arena — but missed connections were just as prevalent early in the contest.
Three of the Ducks’ notable transfers debuted: Angel, the forward, and guards Bamba and Ra’Heim Moss combined for 33 points. Angel’s physicality, which punished Oregon in the senior’s four years at Pac-12 rival Stanford, was evident on Monday night. Bamba and Moss found a connection with Bittle on the pick-and-roll, and they began to look like Ducks.
“I thought Brandon definitely made better decisions than TJ,” Altman said afterwards. “But both of those guys, with their experience, can make big jumps.”
It started to click midway through the first half. Oregon went through a stretch shooting 10-for-12 from the field where five players had points. The assists began to flow, too: by the end of the first half, the Ducks led that category 9-4. With one minute left in the half, Bittle, Moss and Angel barely touched the ball as it flew through their hands and into the basket. That’s the fast-paced ball that Altman wants to get back to.
“I think that we can play even faster,” Shelstad said. “We have a lot of athleticism on this team. Everybody can get out and run, and me and Keyshawn (Barthelemy) are pretty fast with the ball. We want to push it.”
Evans, the sophomore forward who will be the focus of Oregon’s non-Bittle low-block offense, had a strong night. After averaging 7.3 points and 4.3 rebounds per game in his first season in Eugene, a bulked-up Evans posted a game-high 23 points to go with six rebounds.
“He’s working harder (than last year),” Altman said. “He’s bringing more effort to practice, and when he plays hard he really counts. He has a tendency to coast — we talked about it.”
Seven players had at least three rebounds, including Bittle (11 to complete a double-double), as the Ducks dominated the boards 45-29. Altman and many of the players talked during Media Day about how the Ducks struggled to rebound in a closed-doors exhibition against Nevada, but the group was far more satisfied with Monday night’s numbers.
“A plus-16 (rebounding margin) obviously is really good,” Altman said. “We have to be, especially when we’re starting a big lineup. Second chance points — (we had) 14 and that’s basically the difference in the game.”
Angel mentioned how clear Altman has been in the Ducks’ emphasis on the press.
“Coach has shown us,” he said, “when Oregon wins the rebounding margin, how many more games we win…Coach is pretty clear, and if you’re not executing the way he wants you, he’ll definitely let you know about it.”
The building emptied as “Shout” played for the first time this season. There would be no opening-day worries. On Monday night, the Ducks’ so-so was good enough, and their best won’t be needed for a while.
“That’s what first games are for,” Altman said. “It’s November 4th, and we’ve got to be better on the 6th, 7th and 8th.”
They’ll sleep on it.
Oregon faces Montana next at Matthew Knight Arena on Friday night. Tip is set for 7:00 PM.
