The first loss to the transfer portal was concerning, but this one should be setting off alarms.
This year, it was no secret that the University of Oregon Basketball team was just not good. They finished the season 12-20, which was less wins than the football team amassed in fewer than half the total games played, joining an undesirable list of some of the poorest programs in the nation.
In the Big 10, Oregon finished in the bottom four of nearly every statistical category. There are some very talented schools in the Big Ten, so you can't get away with being average, let alone bad.
This was a failure at nearly every level, which is so surprising given the team's leadership. Under Dana Altman, the team has never finished under 20 wins until this season.
They'll need to regroup this offseason. They can sit down, see what to improve, and formulate an offseason game plan to get the program back on its feet. Essentially, right as the offseason began, however, the Ducks were hit with some news that has instantly gotten the offseason off to a poor start.
It was announced that forward Kwame Evans Jr would be entering the transfer portal. It's a hit to lose one of your top players, but today's news just compounded that.
Oregon Guard Jackson Shelstad to Enter Transfer Portal
Oregon’s Jackson Shelstad, left, moves the ball against Portland’s Joel Foxwell at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene Dec. 17, 2025. © Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn ImagesIt was announced today that Ducks guard Jackson Shelstad would be entering the transfer portal prior to the 2026-27 season. Another massive loss for the Ducks to kick off the offseason.
Last season for the Ducks, Shelstad averaged 15.6 PPG (2nd on team) and 4.9 APG (lead team), while also recording 1.4 SPG (lead team). He was one of the best players Oregon had to offer in the midst of a poor season.
The 6'1 junior guard from West Linn was a former 4-star recruit to Eugene and was the 6th-ranked PG in his class. Now, as a transfer, he's currently the number one-ranked guard and player overall in the transfer portal.
One player is not a good sign, but you can recover. Losing two players in as many days? This feels like Oregon basketball is about to go through a massive rebuilding process, and frankly, not one that it seems Dana Altman is going to survive.
During the season, it came out that Oregon was committed to him, but when you see two of his top players show that they aren't, it's tough to bring him back without question. The Ducks now have even more questions to answer than they began the offseason with.
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