Oregon State Basketball: Beavers Sign Santa Margarita’s Shengzhe Li for 2019

Weeks after news that Warren Washington was set to put his name after the transfer portal, it seemed that the Beavs were lacking at the big man position. Look no further than Shengzhe Li from Santa Margarita High School. Li originally signed with BYU, but was granted his release from the program in April.

The 6’10” big man hails from Shanghai, China but made the move to Southern California in hopes of achieving his basketball dream. Li has previously played for the Euroleague U18 CBA Las Palmas and is no stranger to high level basketball.

His Santa Margarita Eagles team was filled with talent, including Jake Kyman (UCLA commit) and Max Agbonkpolo (USC commit), thus being the third Pac-12 commit on his team alone. Earlier this season, his team played Oak Hill in the Nike Extravaganza, where they were outmatched but played tough the entire game. Li played his AAU basketball with adidas Gauntlet SoCal team Pump N Run alongside Beavs commit Julien Franklin.

Li has a big build, uses his body well going to the basket, has a nice touch from 15 feet out, and has a nice agileness for a big man. His game is not too far off from fan favorite Gligorije Rakocevic. His high school team won the CIF Southern Section Division 1 city title, defeating Chino Hills and USC commit Onyeka Okongwu in the process before losing in the state tournament. Li is the fourth recruit to round out OSU’s 2019 recruiting class, which is entirely composed of players from the CIF Southern Section.