Oregon men’s basketball is staring at a messy stretch, and Tony Stubblefield is the one tasked with keeping it steady.
The Ducks were already in a difficult spot after going 12-20 overall and 5-15 in Big Ten play in Dana Altman’s final season before his sudden retirement this week. Then came the roster turnover: nearly everyone on the team moved on through the transfer portal.
Altman addressed the program’s financial reality at his farewell press conference Wednesday, saying Oregon is not near the top of the Big Ten in roster spending, but also not at the bottom. At a school where football commands so much of the attention - $50+ million worth by some estimates - there’s little reason to think that balance is changing soon. Men’s basketball is one of several non-football programs competing for resources at Oregon.
That leaves the next full-time coach, along with athletic director Rob Mullens, to handle the larger question. Mullens said the search for Altman’s successor will begin after this season. For now, the immediate job is simpler and more urgent: keep the current group together.
“This next 24 to (48) hours will be very important,” Stubblefield, Oregon’s interim coach and a longtime Altman assistant, said in a video press conference Wednesday night from Big Ten media days in Chicago. “But we’ve been getting very good feedback from the players’ families, their agents, and from the players themselves.”
Boise State transfer forward Andrew Meadow said in Chicago that he is “very confident” the roster will stay intact. Even so, the clock is ticking. A two-week transfer portal window opens Nov. 7 for Oregon, five days after the Ducks open the season against Montana.
So far, no players have publicly said they intend to leave since Altman’s retirement was announced in the first 24 hours. But that doesn’t mean Oregon is out of danger. Programs with money to spend are always looking for a late addition, and a coaching change only makes the door easier to push open.
Stubblefield said the staff is relying on the relationships it has already built with the players over the last several months.
“We’re bonding with them, building these relationships, and even more so now than ever because you’re getting the majority of these guys out of the portal,” Stubblefield said. “So, you’re trying to build these relationships over the course of the summer and going into the fall into practice.”
Meadow said the players entered Wednesday morning’s meeting with Altman unaware that he planned to retire. The news hit hard, and the faces in the room reflected that. Some of those who later attended Altman’s farewell press conference were emotional, even if they smiled and laughed at his usual jokes.
This isn’t a normal setup, though college basketball has seen more coaching exits like this in recent years. Oregon’s players, at least, have already been living through a season of uncertainty.
Returning walk-on guard Drew Carter and Arkansas transfer forward Malique Ewin are practicing with the Ducks and have been around the program for weeks, but both remain in limbo while their eligibility waits on NCAA and court decisions.
“I wish I had the right answer to give you right now, but we’re kind of in a holding pattern and that’s out of our hands right now,” Stubblefield said. “The NCAA will get back with us, but they have the information that they need, and we’ve had some dialogue going back and forth with them.
They just haven’t given us a final ruling on it yet. But my fingers are crossed every day that we get some positive news.”
Even with all of that hanging over the program, Oregon believes it has pieces worth working with. Freshman forward Tajh Ariza is part of the group, along with veteran guard Andrew Meadow, returning big man Sean Stewart and Boston College transfer guard Fred Payne.
Still, the bigger picture remains cloudy, especially with the 2026-27 season looming. Mullens said he believes the program has a strong base to build on, even after Altman’s departure.
“In the end, (Altman has) given an incredible 16-plus years to this institution. He left us with a fantastic foundation on top of all the memories,” Mullens said. “We’re gonna explore any and every opportunity to give this program the opportunity to compete at the highest level and attract and retain outstanding young men who can help us win Big Ten championships.”
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