Dana Altman is a dang magician.
The Oregon basketball coach is working some offseason magic yet again, landing three key transfers for the 2021-22 season which could help the Ducks get back to their Pac-12 title-winning ways for a third straight season.
Altman is also making an impression on some of the top recruits in the 2022 class as he continues to build for the future. No one truly gives him enough credit for being an elite recruiter.
On Friday afternoon, Oregon made the top five options list for five-star point guard Dior Johnson who is ranked the No. 5 overall player in the 2022 class. He’s also the No. 1 point guard in the class and he just received an offer from the Ducks last week.
Earlier on Friday, the Ducks made the cut for another top-30 recruit in the 2022 class. Four-star point guard Arterio Morris listed Oregon among five other programs in his trimmed list.
Texas, Georgia, Kansas, and Florida also made the cut.
2022 Top-30 Prospect Arterio Morris is down to five schools: Texas, Georgia, Oregon, Kansas, Florida. pic.twitter.com/IiQJq4NH0P
— Joe Tipton (@TiptonEdits) May 20, 2021
Out of those five finalists, only one is out west and not in the SEC/Big 12 and that’s Oregon. The Ducks are there for a reason as the Texas-native believes that he could fit in nicely with that high-octane Oregon style of play.
Oregon basketball battling it out with the big boys
Morris has some heavy hitters in that final list with Kansas, Texas, and Florida headlining it. Georgia isn’t exactly college basketball royalty, but the Bulldogs are led by veteran coach Tom Crean who has been known to recruit at a high level.
It’s going to be tough to reel him away from Big 12 country as the Longhorns might be the favorites here. Kansas, too, always seems to have luck with elite recruits and Morris could fit right in with the Jayhawks in Lawrence. Bill Self is one of the toughest coaches to beat on the recruiting trail and Chris Beard at Texas is going to make a killing.
Florida always has a decent pull with top recruits because of the program’s prestige and potential to contend in the SEC yearly, but the Ducks are there because Altman continues to prove he’s a great coach and Oregon is a few lucky breaks away from a national title run.
Morris would be a nice pull for Altman and the Ducks.