Chasing Payton: 6 Points To Go For Tres Tinkle

Just six points stand between Oregon State forward Tres Tinkle and Gary Payton’s all-time scoring mark at the school and finally, it seems like the star forward will end his chase for the long-elusive mark on Thursday night against Stanford.

After a 14-point outing against rival Oregon brought him close, it’s only fitting that Tinkle will be able to take the program’s top honor on Ralph Miller Court at Gill Coliseum, the site of just some of the endlessly prolific outings he’s had over his time in Corvallis. He’ll be able to achieve the feat in front of Beaver Nation and rightfully and surely, given his stoppage in the game to honor the monumental accolade. He’ll also be able to share the moment with his family, including the most noticeable member in his father and head coach Wayne Tinkle, who will be standing just feet from all the action on the sidelines.

For Tres Tinkle, the amazing nature of taking this record caps off a career that can only be defined as unprecedented. Already holding records as the program’s all-time leader in made free-throws and consecutive games scoring in double-figures, there’s little more than the 6’ 8” forward could’ve done in his time in Corvallis to push the program forward. He’s been the consummate leader of some mix-and-match teams over the past handful of seasons and proved his value maybe even more when he battled through injuries, including in the 2016-2017 campaign, where the team posted a 3-23 record without him in the line-up.

He’s the type of talent that a program like Oregon State sees maybe once every few decades, if they’re lucky, and the kind that should be overwhelming celebrated when his moment comes.

As noted in our previous “Chasing Payton” post, the man he’s tracking down in obviously Gary Payton, a Hall of Fame point guard who would go on to be a nine-time NBA All-Star, who scored 2,172 points from 1987 to 1990 for the Beavers. Tinkle passing Payton’s historic mark would also move him into 7th place all-time on the Pac-12 career scoring list, trailing former Stanford legend Adam Keefe, who tallied 2,319 points for the Cardinal from 1989 to 1992.

And while Keefe’s mark is probably a sign-post a bit too far in the distance, I’m sure that Tinkle would be fine with his place atop the Beavers program and hopeful to see Oregon State end their season on a positive note.

Tinkle and his Beavers squad host Stanford at 6 PM PT on Thursday night. The game will be televised on the Pac-12 Network.