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State Of The Program: Oregon State Basketball

An in-depth look at the upcoming season for the Beavers.

By The_Coach
NCAA Basketball: NCAA Tournament-Oklahoma Practice
Does Oregon State have enough to make a return run to the NCAA Tournament?
Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports

In honor of the Oregon State basketball season kicking off tonight against NAIA opponent, Corban University, we issue you a full, in-depth look at the upcoming Beavers basketball season. From every storyline surrounding Oregon State’s off-season to updates on the recruiting front, Building The Dam has you covered for everything you need to know heading into the 2016-2017 Oregon State basketball season.

Pre-Season Preview

  • 2015-2016 Results: 19-13 (9-9) | NCAA Tournament First Round
  • Returning Leader in Scoring: Tres Tinkle (13.1 PPG)
  • Returning Leader in Rebounds: Tres Tinkle (5.4 RPG)
  • Returning Leader in Assists: Tres Tinkle (1.1 APG)
  • BTD Pac-12 Pre-Season Poll: 6th in Pac-12 (42 Points)
  • Pac-12 Pre-Season Media Poll: 9th in Pac-12 (122 Points)
  • CBS College Basketball Rankings: 77th in Country (9th in Pac-12)
  • KenPom College Basketball Ratings: 81st in Country (11th in Pac-12)

Off-Season Headlines

Gary Payton II left Corvallis ranked right alongside his father as one of the most impressive talents in the history of the Oregon State program. The back-to-back Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year went undrafted on draft night, before being signed by the Houston Rockets. A hernia injury stalled out Payton II’s summer plans and on October 24th, the combo-guard was waived by the Rockets, leaving his professional plans now up in the air going forward.

Forward Olaf Schaftenaar was a integral role player for Oregon State last season, averaging 5.1 points and 2.2 rebounds per game, while contributing his impact on the defensive end. Despite his lack of stardom, his talents did not go unnoticed. This summer, Schaftenaar signed a one-year contract to play for CB Peñas Huesca, a Spanish team who compete in the LEB Oro.

A talented backcourt piece expected to figure nicely in Oregon State’s future, Beaver Nation was rocked by the news of Bruce transferring out of program after making some serious strides, late last season. Bruce tallied 25 points off the bench in a Pac-12 Tournament semi-final defeat to Cal, while also chipping in 15 points and 5 assists in the team’s 75-67 loss to VCU in the First Round of the NCAA Tournament.

The senior guard chose to step away from the program for the season due to “personal reasons”, leaving a void to be filled in the back-court by his absence. Duvivier averaged 6.1 points, 2.4 rebounds and 2.2 assists per contest in 32 games of action last season for the Beavers and was expected to provide some much-needed veteran leadership for a youthful roster this season.

A talented forward and the son of head coach Wayne Tinkle, forward Tres Tinkle has surgery in late April to repair the fifth metatarsal in his right foot and all summer long, the prognosis of the blooming star has been closely monitored. Tinkle has recently be cleared to return to on-court action, hopeful to build off of his Pac-12 All-Freshman Honorable Mention freshman campaign.

Trajectory

Recruiting

2017 Commits

Ethan Thompson (Torrance, CA/Bishop Montgomery HS) ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪

A 6’ 5”, 175 pound guard, Ethan Thompson is the son of Oregon State assistant coach Stephen Thompson and the brother of sophomore guard, Stephen Thompson Jr., but the process of luring Ethan to Corvallis was never a sure thing. Thompson strongly considered Syracuse (his father’s alma mater) as well as a host of other schools before finally deciding to keep it in the family at Oregon State. Thompson has great size and athleticism for a guard and his do-it-all capabilities should help him to make him an instant impact player for the Beavers from day one of next season.

Zach Reichle (Wilsonville, OR/Wilsonville HS) ✪ ✪ ✪

Our own Mitch Heath posted a solid piece about how Oregon State was a frontrunner to land Zach Reichle and just a few days later, the in-state product committed to the Beavers over UC-Irvine. Reichle, a 6’4” sharpshooter, is one of the top prospects out of the state of Oregon, who should be a strong addition to a roster that continues to pursue depth in the backcourt positions.

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2017 Targets

Kenneth Wooten (Manteca, CA/Trinity International - NV) ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪

A rising four-star prospect, Wooten was committed to join Nevada in their 2016 class but after a breakout senior season, the Manteca, California native decided to transfer to the Trinity International School in Nevada and re-open his recruitment for his senior season. Since then, the offers have come piling in. The Beavers are still firmly in the mix for Wooten, along with a host of other schools, such as Arizona, Arizona State, California, DePaul, Illinois, Kansas, Oklahoma State, Oregon, Nevada, San Diego State, San Jose State, USC, UNLV, Utah, UTEP and Washington State.

Daniel Mading (Perth, AUS/The Rock School - FL) ✪ ✪ ✪ ✪

A recent de-commit from Arizona State, the Beavers are probably on “the outside looking in” in terms of landing Mading at the end of the day but with his recruitment reopened, who knows what may happen. The concensus around Mading is that he’s one of the top fifteen power forwards in the country, which properly aligns with the big programs in pursuit of his services. California, Florida, Georgetown, Kansas, LSU, Memphis, Providence, Texas Tech, TCU, UCONN and Virginia Tech, are all among his potential suitors at the moment.

Najja Hunter (Montclair, NJ/Westtown School - PA) ✪ ✪ ✪

With similar size and a comparable game to Thompson, Najja Hunter is another one of those do-it-all players who could fit the Beavers system nicely at the wing spot. A three-star recruit, Hunter is currently being pursued by Columbia, Drexel, Fordham, Iona, Minnesota, Penn, Penn State, Princeton, Rutgers, Seton Hall and Temple, among others. The early concensus on Hunter’s eventual decision is that at the moment, he is leaning towards an Ivy League school but the recent announcement that he is potentially leaving the Westtown School may be the first tip of his hand in his recruiting.

Alexis Yetna (Balimore, FRA/Putnam Science Academy - CT) ✪ ✪ ✪

A 6’8” forward, originally from France, Yetna transferred to Putnam Science Academy (CT) in early October, where he will finish out his high school career at one of the better prep academies in the land. Yetna’s recruiting is all over the map at the moment, with offers from teams in the A-10, ACC, American Athletic, Big East, C-USA, MAAC, Mountain West and SEC.

Roster

Schedule

The Beavers kick the 2016-2017 campaign off at home against NAIA Corban University. The Warriors are coming off a 16-13 season and were picked to finish eighth in Cascade Collegiate Conference Preseason Poll.

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Prairie View A&M (Nov. 11, 6:00 PM) HOME ^

Oregon State will have a week to regroup after Corban, as they host Prairie View A&M a full seven days later after their exhibition opener. The Panthers were 7-24 a season ago and lost in the first round of the SWAC Tournament to Jackson State.

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UT-San Antonio (Nov. 13, 2:00 PM) HOME ^

Under first year head coach and former Oklahoma assistant Steve Henson, the Roadrunners hope to improve on their five-win total from last season. They’ll need returning leading scorer Christian Wilson to be eligible to make that happen.

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Lamar (Nov. 16, 6:00 PM) HOME ^

The Cardinals finished at the bottom of the Southland Conference in 2015-2016 season and won just four times away from home, all year long. In Tic Price’s third full season at the helm, expect the trajectory of this program to sway one way or another.

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Nevada (Nov. 18, 7:00 PM) AWAY #

The reigning CBI Champions and a serious contender to San Diego State in the Mountain West Conference, expect the Wolfpack to be the Beavers’ first tough test of the season. Playing in Reno could be a daunting task for this inexperienced team.

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Tulsa (Nov. 22, 6:00 PM) AWAY #

One of the two teams in Oregon State’s non-conference slate that made the NCAA Tournament last season, Tulsa was bounced in the First Four by Michigan in a tightly-played game. The Golden Hurricane believe they have the pieces to go dancing once again this season.

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Fresno State (Nov. 25, 6:00 PM) HOME ^

The Bulldogs flipped the script on San Diego State in the Mountain West Tournament back in March and became the conference’s lone representative in the big dance. Rodney Terry loses some key pieces but also adds some exciting new faces to the mix.

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Southern Oregon (Nov. 28, 6:00 PM) HOME ^

Southern Oregon tallied 24 wins and made the NAIA National Tournament last season but as the story usually goes, they’ll say goodbye to some talented upperclassmen and usher in a new wave of talent. Keep an eye on junior guard Ben DeSaulnier in this one for the Raiders.

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Mississippi State (Dec. 1, 6:00 PM) AWAY &

The second year of the Ben Howland era will be a major transition season for the Aggies, as one of the key pieces that was expected to change Mississippi State’s fortunes in guard Malik Newman, has transferred to Kansas. The Aggies will be a more well-rounded but possibly less talented group going forward.

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Charlotte (Dec. 3, TBD) AWAY

In a similar situation to Ben Howland at Mississippi State, Mark Price’s second season at Charlotte will be one of both growth and development for the program. The 49ers won 14 games in his debut season and they return a stellar backcourt led by Braxton Ogbueze and Jon Davis.

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Savannah State (Dec. 11, 3:00 PM) HOME ^

The Tigers were a tale of two teams during the 2015-2016 season, finishing an impressive 12-3 at home but an alarming 2-12 on the road. Savannah State will have to figure out their travel problems this time around in Horace Broadnax’s 12th season at the helm.

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Dam City Classic: Long Beach St. (Dec. 16, 8:00 PM) NEUTRAL ^

The Beavers will be another big-name to add to Long Beach State’s ambitious schedule which also includes the likes of Louisville, Kansas, North Carolina, Texas, UCLA, Washington and Wichita State. The 49ers are always a dangerous outfit as they’ve solidified themselves as a yearly contender in Big West.

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Dam City Classic: Portland (Dec. 18, 3:00 PM) NEUTRAL ^

The beginning of the Terry Porter era gets going in Portland, as the Pilots could turn themselves into an intriguing customer in the WCC. Porter has one of the most underrated point guards in the land in Alec Wintering, flanked by one of the country’s rising junior talents in D’Marques Tyson.

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Kent State (Dec. 21, 8:00 PM) HOME &

After navigating their 2015-2016 non-league slate to a 9-4 record, the Golden Flashes started MAC play with a 6-1 record before dropping seven of their last eleven games. Kent State has a solid mix of youth and experience under sixth year head coach Rob Senderoff.

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USC (Dec. 28, 8:00 PM) HOME ^

Oregon State kicks off their Pac-12 slate at home against USC, beginning the two-plus month stretch of conference action leading up to the NCAA Tournament. If the Beavers want to return to the big dance, they’ll need to get off to a good start against the Trojans.

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UCLA (Dec. 30, 8:00 PM) HOME ^

Back-to-back home meetings against two talented programs from the City of Angels is a strong opportunity waiting in the wings for the Beavers. Head coach Steve Alford’s team is a huge swing season that could determine how long he remains in Westwood.

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Washington State (Jan. 4, 8:00 PM) AWAY ^

A game that will be played in Spokane, Washington, a trip to meet up with the Cougars in the third year of the Ernie Kent era might be a nice way for a youthful Beavers group to get their feet wet. Washington State won just one game in Pac-12 play a season ago.

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Washington (Jan. 7, 12:00 PM) AWAY ^

The Huskies are an excitable pick in the conference, despite saying goodbye to some standout NBA talent in Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray. Enter freshman Markelle Fultz for UW, who is already being projected as a top-five pick in next year’s NBA Draft.

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Oregon (Jan. 14, 7:30 PM) AWAY ^

The first installment of the 2016 series of Civil War meetings takes place in Eugene, where head coach Dana Altman returns a ton of talent, trying to build off on last season’s 31-7 campaign that ended in the Elite Eight. The Ducks will be gifted, seasoned and tough.

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Stanford (Jan. 19, 8:00 PM) HOME ^

After a three game road trip spanning the course of ten days, the Beavers return home to square off with Stanford. The Cardinal finished 15-15 a season ago and will be entering the first year of Jerod Haase’s tenure in Palo Alto.

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California (Jan. 21, 7:30 PM) HOME ^

Cal found it’s way to the NCAA Tournament behind a star-studded recruiting class but this off-season was anything but calm for the Golden Bears. The voids left by Ty Wallace (graduation), Jaylen Brown (NBA) and Jordan Matthews (transfer) will need to be filled with new faces.

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Colorado (Jan. 26, 5:30 PM) AWAY +

Head coach Tad Boyle has quietly been molding Colorado into one of the better programs in the Pac-12 and the 2016-2017 campaign could be a huge “culture year” for the Buffs. Guards George King and Derrick White will be major pieces for Colorado.

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Utah (Jan. 28, 4:00 PM) AWAY ^

In Larry Krystkowiak’s first season at the helm in Salt Lake City, Utah won just six games. Over the course of the next four seasons, they’ve averaged 22-plus wins per year. Do the Utes have enough left in the tank to make a third straight NCAA Tournament appearance?

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Arizona (Feb. 2, 6:00 PM) HOME !

The Wildcats have always relied on superbly talented recruiting hauls but maybe no roster that Sean Miller’s had in Tucson will depend more on their new talent than this one. Freshmen Lauri Markkanen, Kobi Simmons and Rawle Alkins will all have to carry heavy workloads.

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Arizona State (Feb. 4, 3:00 PM) HOME ^

Head coach Bobby Hurley managed just five conference wins in his debut season in Tempe and the climb from the Pac-12 cellar may be long and plodding. Arizona State will be bigger, stronger, and more talented but also very reliant on more inexperienced pieces.

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USC (Feb. 9, 8:00 PM) AWAY ^

USC committed themselves to sticking with head coach Andy Enfield through many of the rebuilding struggles and it paid off with last year’s NCAA Tournament trip. Enfield’s program was depleted by transfers this off-season but point guard Jordan McLaughlin could be an all Pac-12 performer.

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UCLA (Feb. 12, 2:00 PM) AWAY +

By this point in the season, highly touted incoming freshman Lonzo Ball will be a known commodity in college basketball. Can Ball combine with fellow freshmen T.J. Leaf and Ike Anigbogu to revive excitement into a struggling Bruins program?

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Colorado (Feb. 16, 6:00 PM) HOME ^

Life after Josh Scott has begun in Boulder, as a new era of Colorado basketball merges in. Forward Xavier Johnson, who missed all of last season with an Achilles injury, will be asked to carry the load in what could be a thin Buffs front-court.

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Utah (Feb. 19, 5:30 PM) HOME &

The Utes have twelve players on their roster who have never worn a Utah jersey in a game before, meaning growing pains are on the horizon for this group. Look for forward Kyle Kuzma and guard Lorenzo Bonam to emerge as leaders.

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Stanford (Feb. 22, 8:00 PM) AWAY &

Getting forward Reid Travis and guard Robert Cartwright back from injury is much needed for a Cardinal roster that was hampered by forward Rosco Allen’s perplexing decision to enter the NBA Draft this off-season.

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California (Feb. 24, 7:00 PM) AWAY +

The heart of this Golden Bears team will be athletic big man Ivan Rabb, who averaged 12.5 points and 8.6 rebounds per game last season and is slated to be one of the best sophomore talents in the country. How the rest of the group will fill in around him is now the question?

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Oregon (Mar. 4, 3:00 PM) HOME !

The regular season wraps up with the second installation of the Civil War in Corvallis, where seeds for the Pac-12 Tournament will be on the line. The Beavers and Ducks split their two regular season meetings a season ago.

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^ = PAC-12 NETWORK
# = ESPN3/ESPNEWS
& = ESPNU
! = ESPN/ESPN2
+ = FS1

Outlook

The_Coach: Fresh off the heels of last season’s NCAA Tournament campaign, Oregon State will have it’s sights set on a return to the big dance, despite the road ahead looking a bit daunting. The Beavers return two starters in forwards Tres Tinkle and Drew Eubanks, who along with Stephen Thompson Jr., will have to provide some strong leadership to a roster that features nine underclassmen. Guard JaQuori McLaughlin, a consensus Top 100 recruit, will likely have to carry a solid workload from day one, as other new pieces, like JUCO transfer wingman Keondre Dew. If Oregon State can find their footing through a less-than-impressive non-conference slate, the chance for Wayne Tinkle and company to enter Pac-12 play confident and firing on all cylinders is there. However, the Beavers will have to pick up the marquee wins to boost their tournament resume in conference play, which could be one of the reasons they’re straddling the bubble come Selection Sunday.

DavidMays: I believe the season will be another trip back to the big dance. Hearing the boys saying they want to work on rebounding is a plus. I believe the team will improve with the departure of Gary Payton II. They will play more like a team, in my opinion. The easy non-conference schedule I believe will help. The Beavers may even contend for the North, in my opinion. Look for a tough team, who wants improve on rebounding. That to me, with the addtion of the freshman, -- that means post-season to me.

Mitch Heath: The Beavs have approximately 1,000 question marks at the end of the sentence, "Will they be good?" Size and youth were our two biggest weaknesses at almost every position last year, and we remain one of the youngest teams in the nation. Pending the Beavers are able to expedite their learning curve-induced growing pains early in the season, I expect them to once again be a 19 or 20 win team on the bubble in March. Rebounding and winning close games will be the difference maker.

Brian J. Moore: The Beavers enter the 2016-17 season as a young team with just one senior. During each of his first two seasons, Wayne Tinkle has exceeded my expectations. Although, losing Gary Payton II was tough, I expect big things from Tres Tinkle and Stephen Thompson Jr. I think JaQuori McLaughlin will be a special player for the Beavs, and I belive Ronnie Stacy, Keondre Dew and Ben Kone will be solid additions to the Beavs. Tinkle's teams seem to have strong chemistry and an excellent work ethic. I expect this team to finish 5th place in the PAC 12 and sneak into the NCAA Tournament as a 12 seed. (I think their Non-Conference SOS may slight the Beavs in the seeding).

Pac-12 Prospectus

Pac-12 Conference
Pac-12 Conference