Derrick Bruce Leaves Oregon State

Derrick Bruce has left Oregon State, and plans to transfer. Bruce, one of the 5 freshmen who comprised Wayne Tinkle's first "full" recruiting class for the Beavers, was one of 5 who all made a difference in Oregon State's surge to a tied for 6th place finish, and their return to the NCAA Tournament this past season.

Bruce, most noted for his press-breaking ability, got off to a good start, but an injury slowed him mid-season, before re-emerging as a key bench player for the Beavers late in the season.

Bruce, a 6'3" guard, averaged 4.4 points and 1.4 assists in 12.2 minutes per game, but upped that to 14.8 points in the last 4 games of the season, shooting 50% on 20 shots from 3 point range, after the Beavers lost fellow freshman Tres Tinkle for the season to a broken foot, Bruce also had 5 assists in the Tournament game against Virginia Commonwealth.

Bruce apparently found the transition to university academics challenging though.

"When I first got here, school was overwhelming," Bruce said in a January media interview. "It made me not want to go to the gym as much because I had so much stuff to do in class and then coach was on me about getting it done. Sometimes I would miss going to the gym to do some work."

Bruce hasn't commented since deciding to not re-enroll for spring term.

"We thank Derrick for his contributions, and wish him nothing but the best," Tinkle said in an announcement today.

The Corona, CA, native came to Oregon State via West Oaks Academy in Orlando, FL, joining T. Tinkle (who will have surgery on his foot in the next week or two), Stephen Thompson Jr., Drew Eubanks, and Gligorije Rakocevic as impact newcomers.

Andy_Wooldridge@yahoo.com