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[UPDATE: 2:23PM] Well, now things are getting interesting...
From an Oregon basketball team spokesman: Artis, Dotson, and Austin not participating in team activities is "not by [the players] choice."
— Jake Zivin (@JakeZivin) May 5, 2014
[UPDATE] Andrew Greif is now reporting that Dameyan Dotson's status is up in the air as well. Per Greif:
Oregon basketball junior point guard Dominic Artis, junior guard Damyean Dotson and sophomore forward Brandon Austin are not currently participating in team activities, the school announced Monday morning, leaving each player's status with the Ducks in limbo.
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Remember when we were worried about having too many basketball players and not enough scholarships? Oops.
News has come out this morning that two players are leaving the basketball team. The most notable is Dominic Artis. ESPN broke the story earlier and Andrew Greif confirmed that Artis is no longer part of the team.
An Oregon spokesman just texted that Dominic Artis "is no longer participating in any team activities."
— Andrew Greif (@AndrewGreif) May 5, 2014
The news probably isn't a huge shock. Artis and Ben Carter missed nearly the entire preseason for the last basketball season, and both struggled after returning. Artis never looked comfortable this season and played less than 17 minutes per game, netting just over 4 points and 2 assists per game. While Artis has a lot of potential, his development took a huge hit with his suspension.
Also breaking this morning, Brandon Austin, a transfer from Providence, is no longer with the basketball team. Austin transferred out of Providence after reportedly being under investigation in a sexual assault case. Austin was a top-50 talent out of high school, and was expected to contribute next season after sitting out a year due to transfer.
Dana Altman has a unique style, that some players seem to like. But he has also had a large amount of transfers over the last few season. While Altman has overcome this attrition in the past, it doesn't seem like losing potential contributors every offseason is a way to building Oregon to an elite level.