Whatever happened on the court was always going to be secondary for Oregon basketball this season. After one of the most nauseating scandals to hit college basketball in recent years, coach Dana Altman’s biggest challenge was simply moving the program forward.
The JaQuan Lyle saga is the latest bizarre turn for Oregon basketball
The prized recruit is no longer on the roster at Oregon.
USA TODAY Sports
Ricky O'Donnell has covered basketball at all levels for more than a decade at SB Nation. He’s currently the Associate Director of Programming.
Altman knew his team was starting the season with only four returning scholarship players after sexual assault allegations in May led to the dismissal of Damyean Dotson, Dominic Artis and Brandon Austin. The plan to get Oregon back to the business of basketball started with one of the most promising incoming recruiting classes in the country, but for the second time in the span of two months it looks like that group of freshmen might be in for a big hit.
Oregon announced on Tuesday that guard JaQuan Lyle, the No. 24 recruit in the country according to Rivals, is no longer on the roster. While it’s possible Lyle could be ready to go by the time the season starts, an administration hangup is now putting his freshman season in jeopardy.
The Lyle news comes shortly after another Oregon recruit, 6’9 forward Ray Kasongo, was denied admission and decided to transfer to Southern Idaho. Kasongo and Lyle were expected to be contributors within a freshman class that also includes wing Dillon Brooks and junior college center Michael Chandler. For an already thin Oregon roster, losing Lyle would be a major blow, but it isn’t totally unexpected.
Lyle has had one of the more tumultuous recruiting processes in the country over the last few years. He was offered a scholarship by Indiana before he ever played a game at Bosse High School in Evansville, Ind., but the early publicity might have ultimately been detrimental. Lyle earned a reputation as a poor student and difficult personality. He gave a verbal to Louisville before re-opening his commitment and finally deciding on Oregon in the spring.
There would be no uproar over Lyle if he wasn’t talented, but that certainly isn’t the case. He has the ability to man either guard spot and thrives off setting up teammates. At 6’5, he has good size in the backcourt and isn’t shy about wanting the ball in his hands.
Lyle had offers from Kansas, Memphis and others, but Oregon gave him the best shot to play his way into a starring role early. At this point, it’s a question of whether he’ll play basketball this season at all.
The additional roster uncertainty was the last thing Altman needed. The coach had already come under fire for accepting Austin to school even with full knowledge of another sexual assault incident that led to the forward transferring from Providence. Many universities would have cut ties with their head coach after enduring allegations as ugly the ones Dotson, Artis and Austin brought the school, but the administration backed Altman through a tough time.
After a Sweet 16 appearance in 2013 and another tournament win last season, Altman's program would be trending upward if not for so much garbage off the court. The Ducks will have Joseph Young back as a senior, and the 6'2 guard will be in contention for Pac-12 Player of the Year honors. Young is a dynamic scorer, but he'll be surrounded by an inexperience supporting cast and plenty of questions surrounding the viability of his coach's program.
The stain of the sexual assault scandal won’t be leaving Oregon basketball any time soon. Even a winning season won’t magically remove it. Altman is tasked with essentially building the program from the ground up again, and he took another chance on a talented player in Lyle to do just that. If some of these chances don’t start paying dividends soon, the only publicity Oregon will be receiving will be centered on the stability of the program.
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