Dana Altman has built a well-deserved reputation for crafting a decent team that gets better at the close of the season. He's won 10 conference tournaments and has a 75-31 record in March.
His 2025 team looks promising, ranked No. 20 in the preseason rankings from FanDuel by NCAA basketball expert Jon Rothstein. The Ducks' prospects got an enormous boost when their big three of Jackson Shelstad, Kwame Evans and Nate Bittle all decided to return to school this season, bypassing pro basketball for now..
Transfers TK Simpkins and Devon Pryor join them in the projected starting lineup.
Simpkins is a 6-4 guard from Elon who averaged 16.4 points a game in 2024, a 37 percent shooter from beyond the arc who hit 76 percent at the free throw line. His identical twin TK transferred to Seton Hall.
Simpkins is a versatile player who can score from all three levels, handle the ball and play defense. He pulled down 3.1 rebounds a game for the Phoenix and dished out 2.6 assists, scoring 20 or more points eight times last season.
He started 24 games in 2024, named second-team all-conference in the CAA.
Devon Pryor is a 6-7 forward from the University of Texas who averaged 12 minutes a game for the Longhorns, scoring 3.2 points and two rebounds a game. A junior next season, Pryor had a three-game stretch last season where he flashed potential scoring 21 points on 9-13 shooting with 12 rebounds as well as being an athletic defender.
Oregon transfer portal commit, Devon Pryor, will test the 2025 NBA Draft waters, I’m told.
— Jon Chepkevich (@JonChep) April 26, 2025
The wiry, athletic 6’7” wing showed enticing flashes in a limited role as a young sophomore at Texas.
Intends to gain NBA feedback ahead of a potential breakout junior campaign in Eugene. pic.twitter.com/w5XCTnpjwW
Pryor withdrew from the draft in May and decided to come to Eugene. He shot 52 percent from the field in his limited role at UT.
On the bench the Ducks will have 2025 recruit JJ Frakes, a 6-5 shooting guard from Berrien Springs, Michigan, a leaper who scored 24 points a game as a junior.
My goodness. JJ Frakes of Berrien Springs (@22Frakes) just threw down one of the toughest in game dunks I've ever seen. See this electric dunk and more tonight on @WSBT at 10 and 11! pic.twitter.com/fBmaXtoGIi
— Leo Goldman (@leogoldmantv) February 29, 2024
Frakes turned out for the high jump as a senior and cleared 6-7 in his first high school attempt at the Shamrock Invitational. That's how much athletic ability he has, nationally the No. 311 prospect at On3 Sports in the 2025 class.
The Ducks cut ties with Penn State transfer Miles Goodman after legal trouble in Happy Valley, charged with multiple misdemeanors involving sexual misconduct.
Dream City Christian guard Jamari Phillips returns after appearing in 14 games for the Ducks last season, a 6-3 shooter who was the No. 47 prospect in the class of 2024. He played limited minutes last season but got some playing time in early-season wins over Troy and Montana, scoring 11 points and hitting 2-3 from three-point range.
Ohio State transfer Sean Stewart promises to be a valuable role player for the Ducks, a 6-9 power forward who put up 5.7 points a game and 5.8 rebounds for the Buckeyes. Against Oregon in January he contributed 14 points and nine rebounds in a 73-71 loss.
He's a former McDonald's All-American who started his career at Duke.
Sean Stewart throws it down with AUTHORITY for @OhioStateHoops. pic.twitter.com/kkCFELfiKA
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) December 21, 2024
After the Ducks' 87-83 loss to Arizona in the second round of the NCAA Tournament, Altman told the press, " I’ve been so fortunate at Oregon, at Creighton, I had teams that I loved working with. So I got a great staff that gets really good players for me and, you know, I love doing my job."