Report: Former Villanova guard TJ Bamba commits to Oregon

Former Villanova guard TJ Bamba committed to Oregon, according to Jeff Goodman of the Field of 68. He started his career at Washington State.

Bamba chose between Kentucky, Louisville, Stanford, Florida, Memphis and Oregon, according to On3’s Joe Tipton. He averaged 10.1 points per game this past season as a senior for the Wildcats.

Bamba appeared in 23 games and made four starts during his first season of college basketball at Washington State in 2020-21. He averaged 5.5 points and 1.6 rebounds in 13.7 minutes per game.

As a sophomore in 2021-22, Bamba averaged 7.7 points and 3.4 rebounds per game.

He had his best year statistically as a junior in 2022-23, starting all 31 games while averaging 15.8 points and 3.7 rebounds. He originally entered his name into the NBA draft before withdrawing and transferring to Villanova.

As a member of the Class of 2020, Bamba was not ranked, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He played his high school basketball in Denver (Colo.) Abraham Lincoln.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

Bamba is a big get for head coach Dana Altman and the Ducks. Altman followed through on his promise to keep Oregon cooking after he said he had no plans to retire.

“I have NO intention of retiring, and I never had any plans to retire,” Altman said in an interview with Jeff Goodman back in March. The Oregon legend is currently 65 years old and has four years on his contract.

In November of 2019, he became the all-time wins leader for the Oregon Ducks, winning his 236th game in Eugene.

He’s unquestionably one of the most successful college basketball coaches of all-time. As of March 1st, 2024, the Ducks basketball coach ranked third among active major conference basketball coaches, with a very impressive record in the month of March in the past eight seasons. 

According to Danny Neckel, Altman boasted a record of 42-14 in March (.750), ranking him just behind Tony Bennett of Virginia and Bill Self of Kansas.

He’s been named the Pac-12 Coach of the Year three times in his career (2013, 2015, and 2016). Altman is also one of only three active head coaches in Division I with 26 consecutive winning seasons. That list includes Hall-of-Famers Tom Izzo and Bill Self.