Christian Russell is a 6-foot-11, 235-pound center from South Salem high school. He decided to walk-on to the Oregon State basketball team after they showed interest and he knew that his game would improve working under Wayne Tinkle and his staff.
Russell had walk-on offers from Portland State and Western Oregon, but wants to prove he has the stuff to compete in the Pac-12. The coaching staff is planning to redshirt Christian Russell this season, so unless the Beavers suffer major injuries to their front-line fans probably won’t be seeing Russell on the floor this year, but by all accounts he is working his tail off and improving drastically.
Sophomore co-captain, Drew Eubanks was asked about Russell by the Statesman Journal and said “He’s come a long way. When he got here it was kind of like, ‘who is this guy?' … He’s turned into a real good player in the short amount of time he’s been here.”
Christian Russell has a long way to go though as he adjusts to the increased talent at the Division I level. He’s no longer the tallest player on the court at all times and must develop his skills as a basketball player, but by all accounts he is a hard-working player who has earned the respect of his teammates and the coaching staff.