Dana Altman’s message to his team this season has remained simple and straight to the point: Get better, and do it as a team.
Despite holding an 11-3 record heading into one of its biggest matchups of the year with No. 7 ranked Arizona, Altman — who is now in his fifth season with Oregon — has continued to emphasize the areas of the improvement for his new look team, often choosing to stray away from anything that may trigger the slightest bit of arrogance for his inexperienced team.
The Ducks, who were projected to finish eighth in the Pac-12 by the media heading into the season, have certainly exceeded expectations early on. There is little doubt that Altman has a legitimate reason for his concerns.
Altman’s newly structured team doesn’t have a shortage of talent – look no further than its performances against Michigan and VCU earlier in the season – but it’s apparent that it’s going to take time and a lot more effort for the team to mold into a consistent competitor in the Pac-12.
“We’re learning as a team and we have to come together as a whole,” redshirt senior guard Joseph Young said.
Attempting to replace 10 players, including standout guard Damyean Dotson, has been a gradual process, to say the least. Altman has minimized the backlash of the alleged sexual assault case by bringing in contributing players like freshman forward Dillon Brooks and junior forward Dwayne Benjamin, but the growing pains have been avoidable.
“We got to get more focused, mentally tougher, physically tougher,” Altman said.
There is one simple reason for Altman’s even kill demeanor regarding this team and it has to do with its inconsistency on both ends of the floor. Whether it’s turning the ball over 18 times against UC Irvine or getting complacent on defense, Altman has encountered what countless other coaches have with young and inexperienced teams: self-centered mentalities and spotty concentration.
Altman believes his team can improve on some of these problems by learning from the Oregon football team.
“We can learn from our football team,” Altman said. “Their emphasis on the team, their execution, pace of play, making plays for each other, it’s really special to watch.”
This team has seen its fair share of good stretches against quality opponents, but it’s going to be a matter of extending those to a full 40 minutes.
“Pac-12 play, teams are going to be real good, so we can’t just keep letting teams stick around,” freshman guard Ahmaad Rorie said. “Got to play hard the whole game and play smart, I think that’s the biggest thing.”
The biggest indicator that this Oregon team has a long way to go has been the number of different starting lineups Altman has already tried out. While Young, freshman guard Casey Benson and redshirt junior forward Elgin Cook have been regulars, players like Benjamin, Jordan Bell and senior guard Jalil Abdul-Bassit have all been tested out in varying starting roles.
Even as the Ducks get ready for their second conference game against the Wildcats today Altman still says he doesn’t have a set lineup.
“We have nobody who separates themself and until we do, we’ll keep changing it,” Altman said.
At the halfway point in the season, it’s understandable that the Ducks are still figuring things out in regards to their rotation and schemes. Even last season, the Ducks had to hit the ground running with the additions of transfers like Jason Calliste and Mike Moser.
It’s going to be no different this season.
Sure, the talent level differs from year to year, but there is one common denominator: Altman. With over 30 years of coaching experience, Altman has made a habit of successfully mixing and matching players that haven’t all played together before. If it all works out this season, it will be just be yet another year Altman managed to figure things out on the fly.
The ceiling is not yet determined for this team and that is OK. But if one were to project the Duck’s outlook for the rest of the season, they might be looking at a potential sleeper in the Pac-12.
Believe it or not, in the NCAA, the Ducks rank 25th in scoring (78.8 ppg), fifth in rebounds (42.4 rrpg) and 12th in assists (17.4 apg), all with an undersized roster that – excluding Young, Abdul-Bassit and Cook – weren’t on this team last season. In more ways than one, this Oregon team has showed its versatility with unexpected depth.
Altman may not allude to it, but his team is headed in the right direction. With the Wildcats set for their next game though, his team is going to have to be ready to take strides in the right direction.
“If we can clean these up (bad possessions/inconsistent play) and cut them down, then I think we have the chance to have a ball club,” Altman said. “I told these guys ‘I think we’re on our way, but we got to clean it up pretty quick.’ Those bad possessions will get embarrassed against them (Arizona).”
Follow Hayden Kim on Twitter @HayDayKim