Ducks Digest

Oregon Ducks' Dana Altman Won't Hire General Manager For Basketball Program

College football and basketball teams are hiring general managers to help with recruiting and transfer portal moves, but coach Dana Altman and the Oregon Ducks program has five full-time assistant coaches and two support staff members. Altman says it's enough.

Arden Cravalho

Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts with guard Jackson Shelstad (3) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
Mar 21, 2025; Seattle, WA, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dana Altman reacts with guard Jackson Shelstad (3) during the second half in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Climate Pledge Arena. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images / Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images
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The title of 'general manager' is being used quite more frequently now for college athletic programs across the country. Stanford Cardinal football has former Indianapolis Colt quarterback Andrew Luck in the role. Saint Bonaventure Bonnies basketball hired former ESPN NBA Insider Adrian Wojnarowski. Even New Orleans Privateers basketball hired rapper Master P in a similar role of president of basketball operations.

According to James Crepea of The Oregonian, coach Dana Altman of the Oregon Ducks doesn't plan to hire someone as the program's general manager any time soon. He currently has five full-time assistant coaches (Tony Stubblefield, Mike Mennenga, Brian Fish, Louis Rowe, Josh Jamieson) and two support staff members at his disposal. Kevin McKenna is the director of player development and Scott McByrne is the assistant director of operations.

Oregon basketball coach Dana Altman reacts to the Ducks bracket in the NCAA Basketball Tournament
Oregon basketball coach Dana Altman reacts to the Ducks bracket in the NCAA Basketball Tournament placing during a watch party at Matthew Knight Arena Sunday, March 16, 2025. / Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

What does a college basketball general manager actually do? According to a press release by Saint Bonaventure on Wojnarowski, his role is similar to that of what a general manager in the NBA does.

"In his role as general manager, Adrian Wojnarowski will serve the coaching staff in managing a wide range of responsibilities including name, image and likeness (NIL) opportunities and as a liaison with collectives; transfer portal management; recruit, family and alumni player relationships; professional player programs; and program fundraising."

- Press release from GoBonnies.com
Brigham Young Cougars alumni and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith speaks with Adrian Wojnarowski
Sep 21, 2024; Provo, Utah, USA; Brigham Young Cougars alumni and Utah Jazz owner Ryan Smith speaks with Adrian Wojnarowski in the game against the Kansas State Wildcats at LaVell Edwards Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rob Gray-Imagn Images / Rob Gray-Imagn Images

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A general manager is not needed to handle the business side of the college basketball program in Eugene any time soon. The likes of Altman and the rest of coaches seem to believe they can navigate the unknown space that is name, image, or likeness or NIL while working with the Oregon NIL collective known as Division Street for the time being.

Recruiting hasn't been much of an issue for Altman. He has brought in an abundant amount of five-star prospects out of high school during his time in Eugene. The problem is that a lot of those players don't stay for too long. According to On3, here are all the five-stars that have played under Altman:

Jabari Brown, guard (2010-11)

Troy Brown Jr., guard (2017-18)

Louis King, forward (2018-19)

Bol Bol, forward/center (2018-19)

Nate Bittle, center (2021-present)

Kel'el Ware, center (2022-23)

"I want our guys to be happy. I hope they can be happy at the University of Oregon. You can't be your best in any relationship unless you're happy, you know, you want to be in that relationship. I hope and pray that the guys want to stay because I, like I said, I want 'em to stay. Everybody that can come back, I want 'em to come back. But they got to be wanting."

- Oregon Ducks coach Dana Altman

As for the transfer portal this season, the Ducks did just lose former four-star forward Mookie Cook. Oregon has reached out to West Virginia Mountaineers freshman guard Jonathan Powell and North Dakota State Bison senior guard Jacari White through the portal.

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Arden Cravalho
ARDEN CRAVALHO

Arden Cravalho has been covering Oregon football and basketball for Sports Illustrated's Oregon site since June 2024. Arden has been writing extensively about college athletics beginning in 2018. His other work can be seen on "The Slipper Still Fits" at SB Nation. Arden is a graduate of Gonzaga University and brings a deep understanding of college sports to his writing. Residing in San Francisco, CA, Arden continues to follow his passion for college sports with a focus on the Ducks. His experience and dedication to covering Oregon's athletic programs are evident in his insightful articles and analysis

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