Oregon State Beavers
2015-2016 Overall Rank: #56
Conference Rank: #7 Pac-12
| Oregon State Team Page |  | Buy Oregon State Basketball Tickets |
Oregon State was one of the feel good stories in college basketball last season. The Beavers were pegged to be the worst team in the Pac-12 during Coach Wayne Tinkle’s first season in Corvallis. But there was a point when Oregon State was 16-7 overall and 7-4 in Pac-12 play. That got OSU and Coach Tinkle plenty of attention. However, the Beavers lost seven of their last eight games and finished the year with an 8-10 record in Pac-12 play. Still, it was a great start to the Coach Tinkle era and there is every reason to be optimistic heading into the 2015-2016 campaign. Most of the optimism stems from the return of Gary Payton II. The 6-3 senior guard averaged 13.4 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.2 assists, 3.1 steals and 1.2 blocks per game. Payton is a tenacious defender, a solid all-around scorer and an absolute workhorse on both ends of the floor.
2014-15 Record: 17-14, 8-10
2014-15 Postseason: none
Coach: Wayne Tinkle
Coach Record: 17-14 at Oregon State, 175-103 overall
Who’s Out:
Victor Robbins, a 6-7 forward, was a regular in the rotation before being dismissed from the program in mid-January. In his 15 contests, Robbins averaged 10.3 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. Tanner Sanders and Dylan Livesay did not see much action last year. Thus, Oregon State returns everybody who was in the regular rotation to finish last season.
Who’s In:
Despite returning a lot of players, Coach Tinkle has a big, talented recruiting class that will make an impact right away. Most notable is guard Stephen Thompson and forward Tres Tinkle. Thompson will need to add some strength in order to attack the basket more effectively, but he is a solid combo guard who has the length to play the type of defense Coach Tinkle is looking for. Tres Tinkle, the son of the coach, is a versatile 6-8 forward who can knock down shots and battle in the paint. The frontcourt also adds Gligorije Rakocevic, a 6-11, 250 pound center and Drew Eubanks, a 6-10, 240 pound forward. The backcourt adds Derrick Bruce and Kendal Manuel. Bruce, a quick point guard, is one to watch out for. He may not see too many minutes as a freshman, but he will be an interesting player to watch develop.
Who to Watch:
The frontcourt has returning options, most notably Daniel Gomis and Olaf Schaftenaar. Gomis only averaged 4.3 points and 3.9 rebounds, but his tough presence in the paint cannot be overlooked. Gomis is also the top shot blocking threat on the team. Schaftenaar, a 6-10 senior, benefits from Gomis’ toughness in the paint. He averaged 7.8 points per game and brought in 3.3 rebounds. Schaftenaar is mostly a shooter though and led the team with 47 three-pointers made. The true strength of the frontcourt now lies with its depth. With Tinkle and Eubanks expected to battle for minutes, Jarmal Reid and Cheikh N’diaye could see less playing time this year. Reid has had his ups and downs during his three seasons with the Beavers, but he is a tough 6-7 forward who boosted his scoring to 8.3 points per game last year. N’diaye, a seven-footer, averaged just 7.6 minutes per game, but he can make an impact on the defensive end when he is on the floor.
Final Projection:
The frontcourt still has something to prove, but the backcourt is pretty set with Malcolm Duvivier and Langston Morris-Walker joining Payton in the starting lineup. Duvivier had a breakout sophomore season, averaging 10.7 points, 3.5 assists and 3.0 rebounds. He is turning into a leader and a player who can get to the basket and finish. As a senior, Morris-Walker can be a leader too. He could be the team’s most prolific backcourt shooter, but did struggle at times last year in that department. If he knocks down more shots, this will be a pretty tough Oregon State team to defend. With so much returning and more than enough talent coming in to fill in the gaps, this should be a team knocking on the door of the NCAA Tournament.
Projected Postseason Tournament: NIT
Projected Starting Five:
Malcolm Duvivier, Junior, Guard, 10.7 points per game
Gary Payton II, Senior, Guard, 13.4 points per game
Langston Morris-Walker, Senior, Guard, 9.3 points per game
Daniel Gomis, Senior, Forward, 4.3 points per game
Olaf Schaftenaar, Senior, Forward, 7.8 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 60.9 (312th in nation, 12th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 59.2 (14, 2)
Field-Goal Percentage: 42.2 (238, 12)
Field-Goal Defense: 38.6 (9, 2)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 5.2 (284, 11)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 32.3 (258, 12)
Free-Throw Percentage: 69.3 (168, 7)
Rebound Margin: -2.3 (273, 11)
Assists Per Game: 12.0 (213, 10)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.8 (98, 7)
Madness 2016 NBA Draft Rankings:
#41 Gary Payton II
Madness 2015 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#59 Stephen Thompson
#82 Tres Tinkle
#144 Drew Eubanks
See All Top 144 Basketball Previews
