8 notable quotes from Dana Altman as Oregon basketball dives into fall practice
Many fans may recognize the month of October as the middle of football season, but across the bridge from Autzen Stadium, inside Matthew Knight Arena, Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks are getting the basketball season underway.
It looks like a promising one, as well.
With veteran leaders like Will Richardson, N’Faly Dante, Quincy Guerrier, and Rivaldo Soares all back for one more go-around in Eugene, the Ducks also have an incredibly talented group of young players like 5-star center Kel’el Ware, plus JUCO transfers Tyrone Williams and Brennan Rigsby. On top of that, Oregon also got Colorado transfer Keeshawn Barthelemy in the mix, along with South Carolina transfer Jermaine Couisnard.
The Rubicks’ Cube is set for Altman, now he’s getting to work assembling it.
After practice on Monday, Altman spoke with media members to preview the start of the season. Here are some of the most notable quotes:
Early Focus
Question: What are some of the early tendencies you are trying to set with this team?
Altman: “We need to get our defensive principles. We were a very inconsistent ball team last year. Part of that was our rebounding and our defense. Our defensive numbers weren’t good last year. Our rebounding numbers weren’t good last year. And on the nights we didn’t shoot it well, it really cost us. One of the consistencies we have had is we’ve usually been a little better rebounding team. We’ve usually been a little better defensively. So we need to establish that early. Got a lot of new guys we’re trying to work in. Got some nagging things that we’re trying to get through help guys, but we’re just trying to get what our expectations are and what we believe is important. There are lots of different ways to play the game. But we feel that certain things have been successful for us in the past. And hopefully, we’re trying to establish those.”
Veterans
Question: Does having a veteran team help you guys set those tendencies early?
Altman: “Well, I hope so. Leadership is so important. But Will, Quincy, and Dante are really trying to do a good job. A year ago at this time, Dante was nursing ACL recovery and wasn’t even practicing. Quincy wasn’t practicing with the knee problem, and Will wasn’t practicing. We didn’t have any one of the three practicing in October last year. So you know, having those three guys, the leadership there, and then the transfers that we have, have a lot of experience. Keeshawn, Jermaine, so we do have those five that have played a lot of basketball. And Rivaldo was with us last year, Lök was with us last year, so we’re hoping that that helps us out.”
Canada Practice
Question: How much did taking the exhibition trip to Canada help you guys get in a groove early on?
Altman: “Yeah, I mean, it helped us with just getting some guys together, the extra 10 days that we had. So yeah, those things help. Especially, with our late start of school, the NCAA doesn’t let us start till September 15. Guys that are in school in August get to start a lot quicker. Sometimes it takes us a while to do some catching up, but the foreign trips definitely do help.”
2019-20 Comparison
Question: Does this team remind you at all of the 2019-20 team with the veteran presence?
Altman: “Every year is different, but there are probably some similarities. I never thought of it in that regard. But we do have a veteran point in Will, and we had a veteran point there with Payton. Bringing in a couple of vets so we’re just hoping to stay healthy. Dante, since he’s been here, you know, really hadn’t been able to show what he’s capable of because he hadn’t been healthy. He’s healthy now. He’s bouncing around. He’s been our most productive player in practice. Really hasn’t been close. So we’d like to keep him healthy. Quincy’s looking good. He’s bouncing around a lot better than he was a year ago. So keeping everybody healthy is always a big factor in any team sport, and hopefully, we can keep them healthy and keep making progress.”
Work Ethic
Question: Last year you remarked that you rarely had to “kick players out of the gym” and cited a lack of work ethic as an issue. Have you seen that change this year?
Altman: “Yeah, I mean, our guys are getting in more on their own. This isn’t rocket science. If you’re not putting time in it’s hard to be really good. The 20 hours we’re allowed to work with them isn’t good enough. The guys that have been successful here that I’ve had an opportunity to work with here and at Creighton and at Kansas State, the guys that were successful were the guys that put in a lot of time. And putting in a lot of time doesn’t guarantee success but not putting the time in does guarantee that you’re probably not going to be your best. So I’m hoping our guys understand that, we’ve tried to make it really clear to them. I have noticed a lot more guys putting in time but it’s not a part-time thing. You can’t do it for a few weeks or a month and say well, this is good enough. For the guys that make a commitment to it, Kyle Korver staying in the league for 17 years. He never changed his work ethic. Never. Dillon Brooks works harder today than he did. That’s hard to do because he worked his ass off here. The guys, like I said, that I’ve been fortunate enough to coach who made it, that’s one thing: they love the game, and they love to be in the gym.”
Will Richardson
Question: Where do you think Will Richardson can improve?
Altman: “He needs to take leadership. He knows what we’re trying to do. He knows what got us conference championships and sweet sixteen teams and he’s also seen the other side of it; what hasn’t worked. So I’m depending on that leadership. And he’s been great to work with over the course of his career. I’m glad he’s back. I think he can have a tremendous year for us. But it’s a team game. Now he’s got to bring his teammates along with him. He’s got to pay attention to the details of the game. But I want him to have an outstanding year. I’d sure like to see him continue to get better, stay healthy, and have an opportunity to keep playing.”
Nate Bittle
Question: Did Nate Bittle’s injury happen in Canada?
Altman: “Yeah. The MRIs are good and everything he just has some tenderness there. He’s got to be an off-and-on. So we’ve decided to rest in here for a while to see if we can get him more on than off.”
Michigan Home-and-Home
Question: Is the other half of that Michigan home-and-home going to ever happen?
Altman: “There’s no buyout, they’re coming. I don’t know, they have a hard time answering the phone, I guess. But no, they owe us a game, and we fully expect them to repay the game. I’m sure if the shoe was on the other foot, they would expect us to return it, and we sure as hell expect them to return it.”
