Dana Altman garnered endless national attention as he coached the Ducks to an improbable Pac-12 Tournament win and a run to the NCAA Tournament Round of 32.
Altman has long been heralded as a great coach but the most recent postseason brought a new level of appreciation for his coaching prowess.
Throughout the NCAA Tournament, Altman received the nods from national talents for just how good of a coach he is.
One of the greatest college basketball coaches of all time John Calipari recently announced that he would be leaving Kentucky to accept the head coaching position at Arkansas, which leaves a gaping hole at the Wildcats’ head coaching spot.
In 2022, Altman signed a six-year contract extension with the Ducks but would his buyout be enough to stop the Wildcats from poaching a great coach for their own program?
Currently, Altman’s buyout hovers around $3 million. Before Calpari parted ways with Kentucky, many were calling for him to be fired, which would have cost the Wildcats’ athletic department upwards of $33 million.
So, the dollar count is an issue for the perennial program.
The question remaining is if Altman would leave Eugene for Lexington.
Altman has been the Ducks’ head coach since 2010 and has had some truly incredible seasons with his Oregon squads.
In 2017, Oregon and Altman made their way to the Final Four and in 2020 the Ducks were primed for a deep postseason run before the COVID-19 pandemic ended the season.
This year, fans coined the phrase ‘Dana Altman aligns Rubik’s Cubes’ as he pieced together an incredible winning season with a roster riddled by injuries.
Altman loves the Ducks, that much is apparent. But, he also loved the Creighton Bluejays who he coached for 15 years.
Altman left Creighton when he was offered the head coaching position at Oregon, so could the same happen if he was offered the job at Kentucky?
Duck fans found a newfound respect for their men’s basketball coach this season and now they need to hope he decides to stick around in Eugene.