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Heading into this week, Oregon State basketball’s 2017 recruiting group, comprised of four-star prospect Ethan Thompson and three-star guard Zach Reichle, was viewed as a strong duo of talents who would come in and affect the Corvallis program from day one. However, after a big announcement on Tuesday, the newest batch of incoming Beavers may be hearladed down the road as the three-man class that changed the scope of Oregon State basketball as a whole.
Just hours ago, via a post on his Twitter account, four-star prospect Alfred Hollins (as rated by Scout.com and ESPN) announced his intention to continue his basketball career at Oregon State, choosing the Beavers over the likes of Florida State, Oregon and Virginia Tech. Hollins is widely regarded as a top-100 prospect, who will be an instant, high-impact type of performer for Oregon State, as soon as he arrives on campus.
I would like to thank everyone for supporting me throughout this process and finally deciding to attend Oregon St next year #GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/UZJl6IWlcO
— A boogie (@_AlfredHollins) March 21, 2017
Hollins’ commitment will immediately add a signature missing piece into next season’s roster, as Oregon State should now have the physical, lock-down defender with solid size and strong athleticism, that they’ve been missing. While many questions are still left to be answered in regard to next seasons’ rotation, the 6’ 6”, 190 pound swing-man gives the Beavers a versatile option who can both handle the basketball with bigger line-ups and play on the interior with guard-heavy units.
The insertion of Hollins into the basketball program has also immediately changed Oregon State’s prospectus for next season, as the Beavers will welcome their three-man recruiting haul into a program returning a great deal of talent, headlined by star forward Tres Tinkle. Tinkle, who missed most of this past season with a wrist injury, is expected to combine with the high-scoring duo of Stephen Thompson Jr. and Drew Eubanks, to create as formidable of trio as there is in all of the Pac-12. That three-headed monster, mixed with the likes of Jaquori McLaughlin, Ethan Thompson, Zach Reichle and now Alfred Hollins, could transform the Beavers into one of the surprise teams in the country next season.