Oregon's Dana Altman Gets Honest About Transfer Portal, NIL

Oregon Ducks basketball coach Dana Altman will have a completely new look team when the 2026-27 season tips off in November. Oregon has dealt with numerous transfers and will have to build a brand new roster through the portal.

Dana Altman on Oregon Ducks' Transfer Portal Departures, NIL

Oregon Ducks Dana Altman Coach NIL transfer portal jackson shelstad kwame evans jr michigan wolverines big ten conference — Mar 7, 2026; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman yells instructions during the first half against the Washington Huskies at Matthew Knight Arena. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images | Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Dana Altman spoke to reporters about the losses his team has suffered in the transfer portal. Two of the eight players to enter the portal were guard Jackson Shelstad and forward Kwame Evans Jr. Shelstad and Evans were two of Oregon’s top three leading scorers and were with the team their entire three year collegiate careers to this point.

The only scholarship player that is returning to the Ducks next season is forward Sean Stewart.

“It wasn’t unexpected,” Altman said “There were three guys we really wanted back— Sean and KJ and Jackson, three starters. We did not pull anybody scholarship. Everybody had their scholarship and would have been renewed, but we are working with the budget, and some guys are going to lose their NIL. Most of them are taking reduction, big reduction.”

With the losses of some of their top players to the portal and the amount of the NIL collective that goes to football, fans do wonder about the funding of the basketball program. Altman addressed this, blaming himself and not NIL.

“We’re not underfunded. I’m not going to blame it on that. I didn’t do my job, all right. I could have done a better job and I’ve got to do a better job this year,” Altman said. “Our collective works really hard to give us a chance to compete…We’re not top of the league. We’re not at the bottom.”

Oregon’s 2025-26 season was a major disappointment. The Ducks finished with an overall record of 12-20 and 5-15 in Big Ten conference play. This was tied for 15th in the league.

The Big Ten Snaps Championship Drought

For the first time since 2000, a Big Ten team the national championship in men’s college basketball. The Michigan Wolverines ran through the 2026 NCAA Tournament, winning the title without ever being truly threatened. Michigan was a very deserving chant as they finished the season with an overall record of 37-3 and a Big Ten regular season title under their belt.

A total of nine Big Ten teams made the tournament and many had success once they got there. Four Big Ten teams made the elite eight and two of them made it to the Final Four (Michigan and Illinois.)

For a team like Oregon, the league they play in being this deep will make it even more difficult for them to turn around their fortunes in one season. If the Ducks want to get back to the top half of the league and make it to the 2027 NCAA Tournament, they’ll have to nail the portal this offseason.

A team like Michigan showed that this is possible last season as their entire starting five consisted of players that transferred in from other schools in that offseason.

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