| 18 February 2011
This past summer, Malcolm Armstead could have continued a trend.
Since Dana Altman’s hiring in late April, he witnessed four players leave the Oregon Ducks basketball team. The guard contemplated leaving, and three months into Altman’s tenure it was reported Armstead would indeed become the fifth Duck to depart Eugene.
Armstead had second thoughts and ultimately decided Oregon was still the best option for his game and future. As his play and the Ducks surprising record this season in the Pac-10 suggests, Armstead made the right choice.
The six-foot junior’s numbers are down, but compared to last season, his turnovers are up while his scoring average, field goal and free throw percentages, and assists have dipped. But statistics often don’t tell the entire story. These days for Oregon, Armstead has been one of the Ducks' most valuable players.
Armstead has been their defensive leader, frustrating his opponents with endless energy and aggressiveness. Often at a height disadvantage, the former junior college transfer has managed to rise to the challenge, using his quickness and intelligence to consistently take other teams out of their comfort zones.
“Defensively, his instincts are good,” said Altman, as reported by the Statesman Journal, “and with that he’s more aggressive offensively.”
It wasn’t mere coincidence that when Oregon lost six in a row earlier this season, Armstead's struggles complicated matters. In the five games he played during that stretch he was just 7-32 shooting. Then when he started to heat up, so did the Ducks. The team has won four of their past six games, and over that span Armstead has scored 11 points per game on 48 percent shooting while also dishing five assists and picking two pockets.
Altman’s offense fits with the strengths of so many Ducks, but perhaps Armstead has benefited the most from the coaching change he initially wasn’t thrilled about.
Aggressive offense and aggressive defense - that has been Altman’s philosophy this season with Oregon, and that’s Armstead’s game.
Deciding to stay at Oregon has been a win-win for both Armstead and the Ducks.
photo: espn
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