Spring break is just two weeks away, but there is a cold, rainy vibe surrounding Oregon athletics right now.
The NCAA vultures are circling the football program; the men’s and women’s basketball teams have lost a total of seven consecutive games; and the highly touted baseball team is struggling to stay above .500.
Perhaps this is all karma coming back to bite after that absurdly glorious football national championship run, but I’m not here to add to the misery. In the interest of everyone’s sanity, and in honor of spring vacations everywhere, let’s talk about a program that seems to have turned a corner toward a brighter future:
The men’s basketball team.
Wait. Stop. Don’t run away from me just yet.
Yes, I am perfectly aware that Dana Altman and Co. lost four straight games to end the regular season and that the Ducks will probably have a short-lived run in the Pacific-10 Conference tournament this week. Yes, I watched the twenty-point loss to woeful Arizona State. No, I have not been blinded by Joevan Catron’s neon green shoes.
When I talk about the high hopes of this team, I am entirely serious. The end may not have been what we all expected (OK, it was disastrous). But disappointing losses in March should not cloud the considerable steps this program took in January and February.
Between Jan. 22 and Feb. 19, the Ducks went on a torrid 6-2 run with impressive wins over Stanford, Washington State, Washington and USC. For the first time in more than two years, fans were abuzz about the team, and empty seats at Matthew Knight Arena began to find more and more takers.
More importantly, the players themselves appeared to be excited about the future, and their renewed confidence overflowed onto the floor. Passes were crisper, defense was stingier and shots were finally beginning to fall with consistency.
It was exciting, and I genuinely enjoyed watching these players achieve some form of success. No one can deny that they deserved a break.
Things came to a sputtering halt over the final stretch of the schedule, and yes, it was disappointing to see the team regress to its old struggles. Yet, for a fleeting moment at least, we saw the potential of the Dana Altman era.
The light is even brighter on the horizon. Altman’s first true recruiting class will arrive on campus next season, headlined by five-star shooting guard Jabari Brown. If there is one thing the Ducks have lacked over the past few seasons, it has been a bona fide, go-to scorer. If he is anything close to as good as advertised, Brown could fill that hole in a hurry.
And really, Brown is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the class of 2011. In Brett Kingma, the Ducks gain another proficient shooter from outside. Bruce Barron is a promising point guard to complement Johnathan Loyd in the coming years, and Austin Kuemper has the potential to fill Catron’s shoes in the middle.
To be sure, few things are more unpredictable than freshman recruiting classes in collegiate sports. The class of 2008 is living proof of that. Yet, something tells me this incoming batch will be different. Go watch Brown’s highlight tape if you don’t believe me.
Even more promising, and far more tangible, is the considerable potential of the players already on Oregon’s roster. Catron and guard Jay-R Strowbridge are the only seniors on this team, which means breakout contributors like Tyrone Nared and Loyd will be back along with mainstays Garrett Sim, E.J. Singler and Malcolm Armstead. Having watched them closely this year, this group appears to be perfectly suited for Altman’s frantic, balls-out style of play. Next year, they will likely be even more comfortable in the system.
Which, of course, brings us to the man at the center of it all. If nothing else, Altman has proven this season that he is the right man for the job at Oregon. Most fans would be lying if they said they expected anything more than three or four conference wins this year. Instead, the Ducks competed in every game and came away with seven impressive Pac-10 victories.
So be proud of what happened this season. If all goes according to plan, it was only the beginning.
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Malee: Underestimate Altman at your own risk
Daily Emerald
March 7, 2011
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