Quick Links: Men’s Basketball To Return Tuesday, Gary Payton II Gets Drafted & More

• According to a tweet from CBS Sports’ Jon Rothstein, the Oregon State men’s basketball program will return from it’s COVID-19 hiatus on Tuesday. The team’s next game is scheduled for this Thursday (January 14th) at home against Arizona.

• Raptors 905, the affiliate team of the Toronto Raptors, used their #15 overall pick in the 1st Round of the 2020-2021 NBA G League Draft to select former Oregon State star Gary Payton II on Monday. Payton II will join the squad for the start of the NBA G League season, which is scheduled for February. At 27 years old, Payton II has spent time playing in the G League for the Rio Grande Valley Vipers, Wisconsin Herd, South Bay Lakers, and Capital City Go-Go in his career and has spent time on NBA rosters with the Milwaukee Bucks, Los Angeles Lakers and Washington Wizards.

• Oregon State running back Jermar Jefferson, who terrorized the Pac-12 over the course of a pandemic-shortened 2020 college football season, was named a fourth-team All-American by Phil Steele’s college football publication. Jefferson tallied 858 yards on 133 touches out of the backfield for a 6.5 yards per carry average and 7 scores. Steele also listed him as a 1st team All-Pac-12 selection, along with linebacker Avery Roberts. Four other Beavers also were selected for All-Pac-12 teams, including OL Nathan Eldridge (2nd Team), OL Omar Speights (2nd Team), OL Joshua Gray (3rd Team) and KR Champ Flemings (3rd Team).

• In the midst of all the NFL playoff drama, you may have missed former Beavers wide receiver and NFL (somehow) vagabond Brandin Cooks finally put his foot down last week, telling Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle that he’s simply “not going to accept any more trades.” The talented pass-catcher tallied 984 yards on 70 receptions for 4 touchdowns and is under contract with the Texans through 2023, however with quarterback Deshaun Watson’s future as the franchise cornerstone in limbo, Cooks always could once again be on the move.

• And finally, the men’s basketball program has updated some of their schedule’s tip-off times for later in the season, specifically for road tilts at Oregon, UCLA and USC.

ICYMI

• Sunday Poll: Which Pac-12 Basketball Program Has The All-Name Team? (Round 1)
• Utah State OL, Heneli Bloomfield, Transfers to Oregon State
• Oregon State Baseball: Perfect Game Names Kevin Abel 2021 Preseason All-American
• Kansas DB, Elijah Jones, Transfers to Oregon State
• South Carolina RB, Deshaun Fenwick, Transfers to Oregon State