When assistant coach Brian Fish entered the gym at McArthur Court, shorts on and ready to work, he exchanged a brief but affectionate handshake with sophomore Teondre Williams.
To an outsider, it would have looked like they had known each other for years, rather than just a few weeks.
The greeting was a welcome sign that perhaps, after a long and tumultuous beginning to the offseason, the newly minted coaching staff and returning players are finally beginning to gel.
“The kids have been great,” Fish said. “It’s been one of the benefits of having the trimesters here, that we’re still in school and been able to get a month in here of evaluating what we have. It’s been fun to see the kids and how excited they are.”
At this point in the year, full team workouts are not permitted. What head coach Dana Altman and the rest of the coaching staff have been able to do is bring players in for individual workouts, consisting of both weight training and on-court drills. For the most part, Altman has been impressed with what he’s seen.
“The guys have worked awfully hard,” Altman said. “I’ve been really impressed with their willingness to work and to try to do some things that we want them to do … weight workouts have been good, individual sessions have been pretty good, so we’ve been pretty pleased with their effort.”
In moving from Creighton to Oregon, Altman brought with him a unique style that will take some adjusting to. Long-range shooting has been an emphasis over the last few weeks, even amongst big men like redshirt sophomore Jeremy Jacob.
“With coach Kent I was doing mostly big man stuff,” Jacob said. “But now with coach Altman I’m doing straight guard work.”
It may be strange to imagine the 6-foot-8-inch, 225-pound Jacob launching three-pointers, but Jacob is excited with the new direction his game is taking.
“The more versatile you are, the more minutes you can play,” Jacob said. “Me playing more
perimeter, we could have a bigger lineup out there.”
The news has not all been positive of late. Long-time assistant coach and expert recruiter Kenny Payne informed Altman on Wednesday that he would be moving on to the University of Kentucky to coach under John Calipari.
Payne had served as a mentor to many, and both players and coaches alike were sorry to see him go.
“He’s done a great job for us, and I really wanted him to stay,” Altman said. “He’s done a great job for the University, and now he and his family will have another opportunity.”
The players were not aware that Payne’s decision was final until the issue was brought up by reporters. Freshman E.J. Singler was surprised, while Jacob and sophomore Michael Dunigan seemed to see it coming.
“It’s Calipari,” Dunigan said. “You can’t just turn down Calipari, especially if he wants you.”
Fish is now the only assistant coach employed under Altman. The coaching voids shouldn’t last long, however, as Altman stated that the team will look to hire the other two coaches sometime within the next two weeks.
“This time period, there’s really no reason to hurry,” Altman said. “We just have to be in position to get on the road in July (for recruiting). So we’ll take a look at a number of candidates over the next couple weeks.”
Meanwhile, the Ducks are looking into the possibility of traveling to Europe over the summer to hone their skills. Italy is one possible destination, and the team is excited about
the opportunity.
“It’s not set in stone, but I heard Italy is one of the countries we might go to,” Singler said. “Go there for ten days, play five games, something like that. Should be fun.”
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