Ducks’ Dana Altman Named Coach of the Year in Midst of Rape Lawsuit

Monday, March 09, 2015

Annie Ellison, GoLocalPDX Reporter

Oregon Ducks basketball head coach Dana Altman was named Pac-12’s John R. Wooden Coach of the Year, Commissioner Larry Scott announced Monday.

University of Oregon basketball head coach Dana Altman. Photo: University of Oregon

Altman, who led the Ducks to a second-place finish in the division with a record of 13-5, is named in a suit against the University and the basketball program, filed by a student who alleges she was gang raped by three UO basketball players in 2014.

“He won coach of the year by forgetting to be a person first,” said Ana Rodriguez, Public Relations Coordinator for the UO Women’s Center. “He put the team ahead of a survivor’s pain.”

In the suit, the student, named only as Jane Doe, claims the school prioritized winning basketball games over student safety by delaying disciplinary action on Ducks basketball players Damyean Dotson, Dominic Artis, and Brandon Austin following allegations of gang rape. All three players were kicked off the team, though no criminal charges were laid.

“It took him until the season was over to officially kick them off the team,” Rodriguez said. Dotson and Artis continued to play in the March Madness tournament after the allegations surfaced, and a week after Doe filed a police report with the Eugene Police Department.

The suit alleges Altman recruited Austin -- previously suspended from Providence College over allegations of gang rape -- without placing any restrictions on his conduct.

Doe filed the police report March 13, and Altman reportedly found out about the allegations March 17. The coach contended he didn’t pursue an investigation into the incident, or suspend the players on the advice of the Eugene PD.

Pac-12 spokesman Dave Hirsch said the league’s awards are handed out based on performance.

“The Pac-12 basketball awards are voted on by the coaches and based on the team’s on-court performance,” Hirsch said.

In February, UO dropped a countersuit against the student, which called her complaint “frivolous, unreasonable, and without foundation,” after campus outrage highlighted by a student-led rally.

Related Slideshow: Graduation rates at Northwest Universities

School stats on graduation rates don't normally include students who transfer out to finish their degrees. When factored, in the results can be profound.

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University of Oregon

First-time, full-time students in 2007: 3,335
Percent that graduate from this school in six years: 66.0
Total percent that graduates including transfer students: 76.0

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Portland State University

First-time, full-time students in 2007: 1,326
Percent that graduate from this school in six years: 40.0
Total percent that graduates including transfer students: 51.0

Photo Credit: Parker Knight via Compfight cc;

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Southern Oregon U.

First-time, full-time students in 2007: 697
Percent that graduate from this school in six years: 32.0
Total percent that graduates including transfer students: 48.1

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Oregon State University

First-time, full-time students in 2007: 2,974
Percent that graduate from this school in six years: 59.2
Total percent that graduates including transfer students: 70.2

Photo Credit: Parker Knight via Compfight cc;

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Eastern Washington U.

First-time, full-time students in 2007: 1,279
Percent that graduate from this school in six years: 45.0
Total percent that graduates including transfer students: 55.0

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Western Washington U.

First-time, full-time students in 2007: 2,572
Percent that graduate from this school in six years: 69.0
Total percent that graduates including transfer students: 80.0

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Idaho State University

First-time, full-time students in 2007: 775
Percent that graduate from this school in six years: 31.0
Total percent that graduates including transfer students: 44.0

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Boise State University

First-time, full-time students in 2007: 1,931
Percent that graduate from this school in six years: 40.0
Total percent that graduates including transfer students: 49.0

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University of Idaho

First-time, full-time students in 2007: 1,619
Percent that graduate from this school in six years: 53.9
Total percent that graduates including transfer students: 63.8