Final Four 2017: Power ranking the coaches
Dana Altman
HC, Oregon
Why doesn’t Dana Altman get more credit for what he’s done for Oregon? Well, before the 2016-17 season, the Ducks haven’t made a Final Four in 78 years. Although Altman has only been the head coach for seven years, this is the fist time he’s led the Ducks to the Final Four, which is why he doesn’t exactly get the praise he deserves.
Looking at his overall coaching success, Altman has risen through the ranks and done well everywhere he’s gone.
In fact, he started his career at Marshall where he went just 15-13 in one season before taking the job at Kansas State. He posted a winning record in all but one of his four seasons with the Wildcats and even made the NCAA Tournament in 1992-93.
After the 1993-94 season, he accepted the job at Creighton where he coached until 2009-10. He went 327-176 with the Bluejays and coached guys like Kyle Korver and Anthony Tolliver in that span, which is an impressive feat for a smaller school.
Oregon hired him in 2010 and he’s been improving the program each season. He even led the Ducks to their first No. 1 seed in program history last year, making a run all the way to the Elite Eight. This year, they’ve gone one step further to the Final Four and Altman is to thank.