Dana Altman sees improvement in his Oregon men's basketball team

It’s been a return to normal this summer for the Oregon men’s basketball team.

After two years of offseason COVID-19 restrictions, the Ducks have been able to get on the court together for practices, workouts and team bonding — invaluable time spent for a program needing to blend three returning starters with a handful of potentially impact transfers and one five-star freshman.

“I use it as an excuse or a complaint, or whatever … but we haven’t gotten anything done the last two summers and I think it’s affected our team,” coach Dana Altman said. “This is back to pre-COVID. We’re back having a great summer.”

And now they’re hitting the road.

The Ducks begin a five-game exhibition tour of Canadian at 1 p.m. Sunday against McGill University in Montreal, followed by games later this week in Ottawa and Toronto.

Before the team left for Canada on Friday, Altman offered an assessment into how the Ducks have looked this summer.

For starters, Altman said, Nate Bittle is better.

The former McDonald’s All-American from Central Point struggled as a freshman last season as the 7-0, 215-pound center played in just 20 games, averaged 1.7 points and 1.9 rebounds and often looked overmatched and out of position.

But it’s been a productive summer for Bittle, said Altman, who raved about the sophomore's improvements.

“I was after Nate all last year,” Altman said. “He and I had more conversations about playing harder, working harder, but I’m really pleased with his efforts. He’s bringing it to practice, trying to play through some bumps and bruises, working on his body a little bit, so he’s made a big jump.”

Bittle, who is expected to get pushed by freshman Kel’el Ware, a 7-0, 210-pound McDonald’s All-American center from Arkansas, isn’t the only player spending his offseason in the weight room.

The Ducks got a boost this spring when starting point guard Will Richardson pulled his name out of the NBA Draft and returned to Oregon for his fifth year.

Richardson, who has played in 115 games in his Oregon career with 71 starts, averaged a career-best 14.1 points last season and was named second-team all-Pac-12 despite missing the final five games of the season with mononucleosis.

At 6-5, 180 pounds, Richardson has been devoted to adding weight and getting stronger to improve his pro potential.

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“He’s gotta get bigger,” Altman said. “That’s what the NBA people want and I think it would help tremendously with us. And he’s done a good job.”

Altman said Oregon’s other returning starters — center N’Faly Dante and forward Quincy Guerrier — are experiencing a healthy summer for the first time in their respective Oregon careers.

That’s especially important for Guerrier, who could undergo a position change this season, Altman said.

The 6-8, 220-pound senior was the only player to start every game last season when he averaged 10.1 points and 5.3 rebounds and was arguably the team’s best player in the final weeks of the season.

“He’s gifted,” said Altman, who is pondering the idea of moving Guerrier from power forward to small forward/wing. “With the size we’ve got it gives us some versatility. … (But) he’s gotta get more comfortable guarding on the perimeter.”

Among Oregon’s trio of transfer guards, former Colorado standout Keeshawn Barthelemy has impressed with his quickness, with Altman saying, “he gives us a gear and an explosiveness that our team was lacking.”

Newcomers Jermaine Cousinard (South Carolina) and Brennan Rigsby (Northwest Florida State College) also are on campus, though the Ducks are still waiting for the arrival of guard Tyrone Williams, who was the nation’s leading junior college scorer last season.

“He just finished his summer school work and so we’re going through the process of trying to get everything put together,” Altman said.

Follow Chris Hansen on Twitter @chansen_RG or email at chansen@registerguard.com.

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This article originally appeared on Register-Guard: Oregon Ducks men's basketball having a summer of improvement