Oregon State Beavers
2016-2017 Overall Rank: #94
Conference Rank: #10 Pac-12
Oregon State finally broke through and went back to the NCAA Tournament in 2016. It was a short trip for the Beavers and Coach Wayne Tinkle, losing 75-67 to VCU in the First Round, but it was a huge boost to the program. With a couple key losses, OSU should take a step back this year, but Coach Wayne Tinkle has the Beavers moving in the right direction. For now, getting coach’s son Tres Tinkle healthy will help. The younger Tinkle, a 6-8 forward, averaged 13.1 points and 5.4 rebounds per game last season. He is the big guy who can stretch the defense with his shooting ability.
2015-16 Record: 19-13, 9-9
2015-16 Postseason: NCAA
Coach: Wayne Tinkle
Coach Record: 36-17 at Oregon State, 194-115 overall
Who’s Out:
The loss of Gary Payton II is huge. At times it was Payton who carried the entire team. He averaged 16.0 points, 5.0 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 2.5 steals during his senior season. Not often will a player lead a team in scoring, assists, steals and rebounds. That just goes to show how important Payton was to this team. Without him this will be a very, very different team. Also gone is fellow starter Olaf Schaftenaar. He was a big 6-10 forward who could shoot the ball effectively. Langston Morris-Walker was a part-time starter during his final season in Corvallis and saw his numbers dip as the talent around him got better. Derrick Bruce was one of those players who started taking minutes away from Morris-Walker, but he opted to transfer after his freshman campaign. For a while, mostly at the beginning and the end of the season with an injury in the middle, Bruce played an important role off of the bench. Jarmal Reid was yet another player who averaged double digit minutes. The tough 6-7 forward was not a big scoring threat, but he was effective on the glass and the defensive end. Daniel Gomis and Matt Dahlen are not returning after seeing limited action last season.
Who’s In:
Coach Tinkle will need to at least find some quality depth out of this group. With three players with some collegiate experience, it should not be a problem. The frontcourt adds junior college transfer Keondre Dew. He is a big 6-8 small forward who can attack the basket effectively. After signing with Tulsa and then spending a couple years at the City College of San Francisco, Dew has the experience to be a key part of the rotation right away. The backcourt adds junior college transfer Ronnie Stacy and Montana transfer, and former walk-on, Daine Muller. Stacy did not put up big numbers at Tyler Junior College in Texas, but he is a capable scorer who has the toughness to help out on the glass. Redshirt freshman Kendal Manuel and top incoming freshman JaQuori McLaughlin are the other newcomers to the backcourt. McLaughlin may not be the next Payton, but he can run the point from day one and he may have to do just that. McLaughlin is a huge pickup for the program and the hope is he can start living up to the hype early. In the frontcourt, freshmen Ben Kone and walk-on Christian Russell will add depth. Kone is a bruising power forward who should team up well with the taller centers on Oregon State’s roster.
Who to Watch:
Kone’s role could expand depending on how Oregon State plans to utilize Tinkle. Ideally, Tinkle is a big wing who would play at the small forward spot. With Schaftenaar gone, it remains to be seen if the Beavers have the big bodies they need in order to keep Tinkle at the small forward spot. Drew Eubanks, a 6-10 sophomore, will go back to his starting center spot after averaging 7.6 points and 4.6 rebounds, but somebody has to play beside him. If it is not one of the newcomers, it has to be Tinkle. Gligorije Rakocevic is back too, but like Eubanks, he is a true post player and should spend all of his minutes backing up Eubanks. Senior Cheikh N’diaye is in a similar situation. While the newcomers are getting accustomed to live in the Pac-12, do not be surprised to see a smaller lineup on the floor, but by the time conference play begins, OSU needs Tinkle at the small forward spot to best utilize their best players talents.
Final Projection:
With Tinkle at small forward, that would likely put Stephen Thompson and Malcolm Duviivier in the starting lineup. Thompson, another talented sophomore, averaged 10.6 points and knocked down a team high 48 three-pointers last season. He came off of the bench most of the season, but he is a great talent who will team up with Tinkle for the next three years to form one of the best scoring duos in the conference. Duvivier was a regular starter last season, averaging 6.1 points and 2.2 assists per game. His senior leadership is very important, but McLaughlin will be pushing him for minutes. Duvivier is a good enough shooter to play off of the ball too, which is certainly a possibility at times this year if Oregon State ends up playing a smaller lineup more often than not.
Projected Postseason Tournament: CBI / CIT / V16
Projected Starting Five:
JaQuori McLaughlin, Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Malcom Duvivier, Senior, Guard, 6.1 points per game
Stephen Thompson, Sophomore, Guard, 10.6 points per game
Tres Tinkle, Sophomore, Forward, 13.1 points per game
Drew Eubanks, Sophomore, Forward, 7.6 points per game
By the Numbers:
Scoring Offense: 71.9 (204th in nation, 10th in conference)
Scoring Defense: 70.1 (128, 5)
Field-Goal Percentage: 44.0 (180, 8)
Field-Goal Defense: 42.8 (136, 7)
Three-Point Field Goals Per Game: 6.8 (192, 8)
Three-Point Field-Goal Percentage: 37.1 (57, 4)
Free-Throw Percentage: 67.1 (275, 11)
Rebound Margin: -2.5 (265, 12)
Assists Per Game: 13.5 (156, 9)
Turnovers Per Game: 11.3 (53, 1)
Madness 2016 Men’s Basketball Recruit Rankings:
#88 JaQuori McLaughlin
