It's a new era in Eugene for Oregon Ducks men's basketball, as Dana Altman stunningly announced his retirement just before the 2026-27 season is set to begin. The Ducks overhauled the roster in Eugene this offseason, largely thanks to Altman's efforts, but now someone else will lead the group into the season.
That someone happens to be assistant coach Tony Stubblefield, who will serve as the interim coach for the year, according to ESPN's Pete Thamel. Stubblefield has been a big part of Oregon's recruiting success over the years and is a longtime assistant alongside Altman.
Stubblefield spent four seasons as a recruiting coordinator at Cincinnati and six seasons as an assistant coach at New Mexico State before joining Oregon's staff in 2010. He
helped reel in some of the top national recruiting classes at Oregon, which included players such as Payton Pritchard, Troy Brown Jr. and Bol Bol.
Stubblefield left Eugene to become the head coach at DePaul in 2021 before he was let go in 2024. He finished with a 28-54 record over three seasons with the Blue Demons. He rejoined Altman's staff with the Ducks before the 2024 season and returned to his role on the bench. The Ducks reached eight NCAA Tournaments, including five Sweet 16s, two Elite Eights, and a Final Four with Stubblefield on staff.
Oregon is experiencing a change just before the season that very few saw coming. Stubblefield is held in high regard both inside and outside of the program, but he is facing a massive task to take over the reins from Altman and hopefully keep members of the Ducks' new roster from transferring before the season begins.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Oregon MBB tabs Tony Stubblefield as interim coach after Dana Altman's retirement
