Update: Wednesday - 12:30pm: According to various reports, Malcom Armstead has decided to remain at Oregon.

"Malcolm wanted to make sure the University of Oregon is the best situation for him, but after studying it, he really likes his teammates and likes the university," head coach Dana Altman said.

"After going through all that with his parents, they analyzed everything and decided the University of Oregon was still the best."

(original story)

 Oregon Ducks head basketball coach Dana Altman was brought in to steer the program into a different direction.

It may be a winning one down the road. But he is going to have a tough task on his hands as he enters his first season, especially if his roster continues to thin. Since he took over on April 26th, four Ducks leftover from the Ernie Kent era have decided to transfer in hopes of either being closer to home or getting more playing time.

It is being reported there soon may be a fifth: point guard Malcolm Armstead.

At a stout 5-foot-10, 185 pounds, the 20-year old who transferred from Florida’s Chipola College successfully ran the show for Oregon during his freshman season. The Florence, Alabama native averaged 10 points, four assists, three rebounds, and two steals per game.

A solid all-around player, Armstead impressed Kent with his passion for the game and quickness on both ends of the floor. His speed kept defenses backpedalling and allowed him to successfully defend similarly quick Pac-10 and out-of-conference guards.

But he doesn’t seem to be in Altman’s plans. Preference varies from coach to coach, and talent is evaluated differently, as the slew of transfer applications suggest.

Players decide to transfer. It is part of college athletics. Four Ducks decided to take their talents elsewhere. Whatever their reasons are, Oregon is lacking depth as a result.

Losing the sophomore quartet of Drew Wiley, Jamil Wilson, Josh Crittle, Matt Humphrey, and possibly Armstead, the Ducks are left with either unproven or seasoned question marks.

Only two players managed to score in double figures last year. One was Tajuan Porter, who graduated. The other was Armstead, meaning Oregon could field a roster packed with streaky, inexperienced shooters, and frontcourt players that will have their toughness tested by physical opponents.

Altman runs an offense that is built around ball movement and three-point shooting.

Oregon has seven guards on their roster: Armstead (for now), Lekendric Longmire, walk-ons Nicholas Fearn and John Elorriaga, Sunset High School and Portland-native Garret Sim, Teondre Williams, and recruit Jonathan Loyd. Their skill-set should suit Altman’s style just fine. Whether these six can consistently produce for him is far from a sure thing.

Altman has already lost four players to transfer, depleting a roster that wasn’t very good to begin with. It appears on paper he doesn’t have enough good players to win. He will instill a system that worked for Kent when he had extraordinary talents such as Aaron Brooks, Luke Jackson, and Luke Ridnour. The current Ducks have guards with some experience. They should have already shown more than glimpses of their potential. As it stands, none besides Armstead have the ability to be the next Brooks or Ridnour.

Altman has a tough task ahead of him. Losing Armstead makes it even tougher.

Photo: oregonducks.com

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