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Oregon State Basketball Alumni Update

There’s a handful of former Beavers keeping their basketball careers alive around the globe.

NBL Rd 15 - Cairns v Perth Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images

Angus Brandt ‘14 (Current Team: Perth Wildcats - AUS)

Brandt helped the Perth Wildcats to their second-straight Grand Final Series Championship, pitching in 6 points, 7 rebounds and 4 assists in the decisive third game of the series. The Wildcats were paced in the contest by former Providence star Bryce Cotton, who put on a record-breaking 45-point display, connecting on seven three-point attempts in the process.


Joe Burton ‘13 (Current Team: Chorale Roanne Basket - FRA)

Burton is one of the Beavers most consistent overseas alumni, as he’s averaged a double-double in each of his professional seasons overseas, except for his 2016 French Pro B “MVP” season, in which he missed the mark by the smallest of margins (16.2 PPG, 9.9 RPG). After his MVP campaign, he was hoping to move up to the French Pro A league but instead, he signed with another Pro B team in Chorale Roanne Basket before the 2016-2017 season.


Jared Cunningham ‘12 (Current Team: Jiangsu Tongxi - CHN)

The former NBA player has emerged as a prime-time star over in China, where back in December, he dropped 74 points in a 148-129 loss. Clearly, defense is of the highest priority over in China. For his current professional team, Jiangsu Monkey King, Cunningham plays alongside former Arizona State star Ike Diogu, in a league that’s seen a bevy of NBA-level talents come through in the past few seasons.


C.J. Giles ‘08 (Current Team: Al-Ahli - BAH)

Giles has been all-around the world and back since his graduation from Oregon State in 2008, spending time in the NBA D-League, the Philippines, Lebananon, Saundi Arabia, Iran, Iraq, China and Bahrain. This past season, he suited up for Al-Ahli, a team in the Bahrain Pro League but there’s potential for him to return to the D-League. His last stint in the NBA’s minor league was in 2015 with the Westchester Knicks.


Omari Johnson ‘11 (Current Team: Neptūnas Klaipėda - LTU)

Johnson and Neptunas parted ways in February over “disciplinary issues” and the future of his professional career is now up in the air going forward. Johnson has played in Canada, Spain and the NBA D-League during his six year professional career, including a short stint in 2015 with the NBA D-League’s Maine Red Claws.


Marcel Jones ‘08 (Current Team: Canterbury Rams - NZL)

Like Giles, Jones has been a non-stop mover in his professional career overseas, as he’s played for more than one team (in many different countries) in every single season, since his rookie campaign with the Iowa Energy. In 2016, Jones was named the NBL Kiwi MVP and for this past campaign, he re-joined the Canterbury Rams, after a quick stint with a team in the Kosovo Superleague. On April 25th, Jones has one of his more impressive professional outings, posting 41 points and 12 rebounds in a 106-89 win.


Eric Moreland ‘14 (Current Team: Canton Charge - USA)

Moreland still probably has a shot at returning to the NBA, after a few years of impressive performances in the NBA D-League, most recently being named an Eastern Conference All-Star this past season. It’s expected that Moreland will take part in the NBA Summer League once again in 2017, which will give Beaver nation another chance to check out the former Oregon State star. Until then, check out his highlights from this past NBA D-League season.


Gary Payton II ‘16 (Current Team: Milwaukee Bucks - USA)

Payton II signed a multi-year deal to join the Bucks in early April and saw action in six regular season games for the team down the stretch before failing to log a minute of action in Milwaukee’s play-off series against Toronto. Payton II is viewed as a defensive-oriented, depth guard for the team, who has a chance to make-or-break his spot with the team this summer. Before signing with Milwaukee, he averaged 14.1 PPG and 6.5 RPG in the NBA D-League last season.


Olaf Schaftenaar ‘16 (Current Team: Landstede Basketbal - NED)

Schaftenaar got his career off on the right foot in the Netherlands, winning the league Rookie of the Year Award in his debut season for championship contender Landstede (season still ongoing), alongside a pair of former Division I talents in Missouri’s J.T. Tiller and Wright State’s J.T. Yoho. Due to his break-out season, Schaftenaar may be a coveted player this off-season on the European basketball landscape.


Roeland Schaftenaar ‘10 (Current Team: Rethymno Cretan Kings - GRE)

At 28 years old, Roeland may not be as marketable of a free agent as his younger brother but make no doubt about it, the eldest Schaftenaar has found his niche overseas. Schaftenaar began the first four seasons of his professional career in Spain, playing for both UB La Palma and CB Breogan in the LEB Oro, the Spanish second division.


Seth Tarver ‘10 (Current Team: Passlab Yamagata Wyverns - JPN)

Coming out of Oregon State in 2010, Tarver tried his hand in the NBA D-League for a few seasons before moving over to Japan, where Tarver hasn’t left ever since. He’s played for Rizing Zephyr Fukuoka (3rd Division), Osaka Evessa (1st Division) and Saitama Broncos (2nd Division) during his stay, in addition to his current club in Passlab Yamagata Wyverns (2nd Division). Tarver is a current teammate of former UCLA stand-out, Billy Knight.