When JaQuori McLaughlin left Oregon State six games into last season, the Beavers suddenly needed a point guard.
Stephen Thompson Jr. got most of the work running OSU’s offense while Tres Tinkle and Ethan Thompson also played the point at times. That meant that Oregon State’s top three perimeter players who planned to spend most of their time finding shots off the ball had to alter their roles after McLaughlin quit in the first month and transferred to UC Santa Barbara.
Coach Wayne Tinkle plans to limit the crowd by having Ethan Thompson take over as the point guard during his sophomore season.
“He’s really blossomed since we told him that over the summer,” Tinkle said. “With Ethan’s size, strength, court vision, and the fact that he’s vocal, I think that is important when you’re talking about a point guard. You have someone that’s out there who will put the ball under their arms and lead and direct in huddles. That’s going to free Stephen up to come off some of those screens and be more of a guy that really looks to score and compliment on one side of the floor with Tres on the other. I think that’s going to be a pretty good trio.”
Thompson Jr., whose 1,269 career points makes him the active leader in the Pac-12, welcomes a return to his regular role on the perimeter.
“I can come off screens and be more aggressive offensively,” he said. “I think what is going to be special is that we have multiple people who can dribble the ball and make plays for each other.”
OSU’s highly-ranked recruiting class of 2015 was broken up when Drew Eubanks turned pro after his junior season when he averaged 13.2 points. The 6-foot-10 Eubanks signed a two-way contract as a free agent with the San Antonio Spurs.
Thompson Jr. and 6-11 Gligorije Rakocevic are the lone seniors on the roster with Tinkle entering his redshirt junior season.
“Time has gone by real fast,” Thompson Jr. said. “The other day we were looking up to others for guidance and now we are the ones that have to give that guidance and provide experience for the team.”
Eubanks is the only player gone who averaged more than three points per game last season. Tinkle, the Thompson brothers, and forward Alfred Hollins combined to score 49.1 of OSU’s 73.1 points per game.
“Obviously we have so much of our scoring coming back, but what I’m really looking forward to is this freshman and sophomore group,” said Tinkle, who led OSU with 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds per game. “Now they have a year under their belt and more confidence so people will be able to see the players they are. We have a good group of young bigs and young guards who are learning. I think our chemistry is going to be better than it has ever been.”
OSU’s roster is split between six returnees, including sophomore guard Zach Reichle, and six newcomers. The wild card is 6-10 forward Payton Dastrup, a transfer from BYU with two years remaining who is appealing to be declared eligible for this season.
Even if Dastrup has to sit out, OSU has plenty of size with Rakocevic joined by 7-0 Kylor Kelly, a junior transfer from Lane Community College, and freshmen Jack Wilson at 7-0 and Warren Washington at 6-11.
Kelly and Washington bring the athletic style of Eubanks without the experience while Wilson is more of a banger like Rakocevic.
“It’s going to take a while for these young bigs to get some things figured out,
but we talk about depth being the great creator of discipline and character,” Wayne Tinkle said. “If this guy is not getting it done, we have Option B and Option C and that’s what holds them accountable every day in practice. We haven’t had that luxury so I think we’re going to see the best of what our guys have to offer this year because of the numbers we have.”
OSU adds freshmen Jordan Campbell and Antoine Vernon in the backcourt.
“This is our deepest team we’ve had,” Wayne Tinkle said. “It’s also the biggest team on the interior and we’re led by some pretty incredible players. We feel like we’ve got a great combination of maturity, youth, depth, and strength.”
Oregon State opens the season at home on Nov. 6 against UC Riverside before Wyoming arrives four days later. The Beavers will play at the Paradise Jam in the Virgin Islands before traveling to Long Beach State and St. Louis while facing Texas A&M in Portland.
“We felt like this was a group we could challenge,” Wayne Tinkle said. “I feel like when we’ve got things in order is when to play challenging preseason games, starting off the year playing against teams you’re hoping to face in March. We’re getting a lot closer to that now at Oregon State.”
