Tres Tinkle & Stephen Thompson: Chasing History

The Beavers are already in the midst of a record-breaking season thanks to Kylor Kelley (blocks in a game and blocks in a season). But as the Beavers look to finish the season strong and work their way into the postseason, senior guard Stephen Thompson Jr. and junior forward Tres Tinkle, are also working on etching their names into the OSU history books. The duo’s consistency and longevity put them in some rare company.

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Currently Stephen Thompson Jr. is 6th in career scoring for Oregon State. He’s averaging 16 points a game as a senior and with roughly 10 games left (counting the postseason) he should surpass Roberto Nelson for 4th in career scoring.

Tres Tinkle is currently 9th on that list. He’s averaging 20.5 points per game and if he keeps up his production should finish the season near A.C. Green’s 5th place spot on the all-time scoring list.

The big wild card is if Tres Tinkle decides to return to Corvallis for his senior season. Assuming he does and he matches his junior year production he could surpass Gary Payton’s record of 2,172 career points. In fact, he could finish his collegiate-career with a ridiculous Oregon State record of around 2,400 career points!

The most impressive thing I’ve seen from Tres Tinkle is his consistency. His career-high is just 32 points, but every game he shoulders the scoring load and consistently leads the team in points. He’s reached double-figures in 55 straight games! That’s unheard of and is an OSU record in it’s own right.

Also we’re only talking about points scored, but Tres Tinkle does a bunch of other stuff well. Like hitting free throws, grabbing rebounds, dishing assists and nabbing steals. If Tres Tinkle returns for his senior season he would likely find himself in the top ten for career rebounds, assists, steals and free throws made (and attempted).

Take a look at the current OSU record holders for the following categories:

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Here’s where Tres Tinkle is currently and a projection based on where he would stand following his senior season.

Oregon State basketball is gearing up for a huge showdown against the Ducks in Gill Coliseum this Saturday. The game tips-off at 7:30 pm and I have a good feeling Beaver Nation will be pumped up as the Beavers try to sweep the Civil War in basketball for the first time since 2010. OregonLive’s Nick Daschel broke down how the once vaunted Beaver defense has struggled the past three weeks and what they need to do to get back on track.

Regardless of what happens this weekend and the rest of the season, Oregon State fans will be witnessing a couple of all-timers take the court. Stephen Thompson Jr. and Tres Tinkle have been a spectacular duo during their time in Corvallis. After this season, Stephen Thompson Jr. will say goodbye and we’ll have to wait-and-see what Tres’ decides to do with his final season of eligibility.