All in a day (plus): A look at men’s and women’s hoops and the gridiron in Beaver country

Senior guard Dexter Akanno predicts improved offensive production for the Beavers this season (courtesy OSU sports communications)

Updated 10/25/2023 4:20 PM, 10/26/2023 4:20 PM

CORVALLIS — Monday was a busy day for sports on the Oregon State campus. I was there to sniff out information of interest to readers of kerryeggers.com.

The day started at 10:45 a.m. with a men’s basketball media day availability at the Beavers’ practice facility. Coach Wayne Tinkle’s 10th season at the OSU helm starts (unofficially) Sunday with a 5 p.m. exhibition game against Southern Oregon at Gill Coliseum. Admission is free to the public. The regular-season opener is at home against Linfield on Nov. 6.

The Beavers were 11-21 overall in 2022-23 after going 3-28 the previous season, worst ever in the program’s 120-plus-year history. A team stocked with freshmen went 5-15 in conference games, finishing 11th in the Pac-12.

This year’s team features a dozen underclassmen — five freshmen and seven sophomores — one junior and two seniors.

“We are still pretty young, but we shouldn’t use that as a crutch,” said senior swing man Dexter Akanno, one of four returning starters from the OSU team of a year ago. “Going into it, we know what is expected of us. We are going to be better.”

The pundits don’t think so. Oregon State graded 12th and last in the preseason Pac-12 media poll.

“That was good for us,” sophomore center KC Ibekwe said. “It motivates us. After we heard about that, our next practice was a great practice. We’ll be ready to prove people wrong about that.”

Center KC Ibekwe, a 6-11 sophomore, has dropped 15 pounds to 270 and hopes to be a force in the middle at both ends for the Beavers (courtesy OSU sports communications)

Said Akanno: “There are a lot of unknowns to the team coming off the year we had. I can’t blame (the media); we have to use that to give us fire going into games this season.”

Tinkle is open about his expectations.

“Our goal is to get to the postseason,” he said. “Last year was a reboot to get our culture back. This isn’t going to be a year where we just want to be competitive. We feel like we can win.

“Closing out games will be huge, but we feel like (the goal is to finish in the) top half of the league and getting to the postseason. We don’t feel those are insurmountable goals at all.”

The Beavers were dealt a blow during the summer when 6-5 junior transfer guard Nate Meithof — a McNary High grad who averaged 16.5 points and 5.5 rebounds at College of Southern Idaho last season — suffered an ACL knee injury that required surgery. Meithof, whom Tinkle considers one of his two best exterior defenders, would have been a starter.

Another probable starter, 6-8 sophomore Michael Rataj, underwent surgery to a shin, an injury he sustained while playing for the German junior national team this summer. Rataj was captain and a starter for Germany, which lost to eventual champion France in the FIBA U-20 European Championships.

Rataj, who started 16 games as a freshman, has not yet returned to practice. He hopes to be back in action for Oregon State’s Thanksgiving weekend trip to Brooklyn, N.Y., in the NIT Season Tip-off. The Beavers play Baylor on Nov. 22. Other teams in the four-team event are Florida and Pittsburgh.

Oregon State’s defense was solid but its offense ineffective a year ago. The Beavers shot .410 from the field, only .317 from 3-point range and averaged 61.2 points, better than only California (58.3) in the Pac-12.

Tinkle hopes the inside play of Ibekwe, 7-2 senior Chol Marial and 7-foot freshman Gavin Marrs will help provide impetus for offensive improvement.

“We were horrible scoring at the rim last season,” Tinkle said. “As a result, we didn’t get great looks from 3 and our percentage was poor. With the big guys stepping up, along with some things we’re doing to get better looks at the basket, it will help in both of those areas.”

“We have such a better flow offensively this year,” Akanno said. “We are playing much faster in practice and the first couple of scrimmages. It’s going to be way better.”

A likely starting five on Sunday includes 6-3 junior Christian Wright and 6-2 sophomore Jordan Pope at guard, the 6-5 senior Akanno and 6-9 sophomore Tyler Bilodeau at forward and Marial at center. First off the bench will likely be Ibekwe, 6-5 sophomore Justin Rochelin and 6-10, 230-pound freshman Thomas Ndong.

“We feel pretty good about our top eight guys,” Tinkle said. “We’ll see about who else emerges from there.”

Pope and Bilodeau should be the Beavers’ best offensive weapons. Pope, an All-Pac-12 second-team preseason pick, led OSU in scoring at 12.6 points per game a year ago. The Oakley, Calif., native spent a month in the L.A. area this summer working out with close friend Jalen Green. Green, 21, was the No. 2 pick by Houston in the 2021 NBA draft. He made the All-Rookie first team in 2021-22 and last season averaged a team-high 22.1 points for the Rockets.

“We were able to get workouts with Kevin Durant, Devin Booker, Fred VanVleet and NBA guys like that,” Pope said. “The summer was huge for me, mentally and physically, getting ready for my sophomore year. It was fun.”

Bilodeau, a starter as a freshman, has gained strength and is now up to 220 pounds. He won’t get bounced around as much on the inside, but he is also capable of making baseline shots and extending beyond the arc.

The Beavers need better offensive play from Akanno and Wright this season. Akanno averaged 7.9 points while shooting .355 from the field and .254 from the 3-point line. After transferring from Georgia, Wright started the season with an injury, played sparingly, was 2 for 29 on 3-point attempts and seemed to have little interest in getting to the rim on offense last season.

Marial and Ibekwe will likely share the center spot. The 6-11 Ibekwe has dropped 15 pounds to get to 270 and should have better stamina this season. He has good footwork around the basket and can block shots.

“I absolutely feel better,” he said. “I feel great. It doesn’t matter if I start or come off the bench; I want to be a guy who is in there at the end of games. My goal is to be a presence in the paint at both ends. I’m looking forward to testing all the Pac-12 bigs.”

Tinkle will need to get on-court leadership not only from Akanno and Wright, but also from sophomores such as Pope and Bilodeau.

“We have a lot of guys who were new last year,” Tinkle said. “Hopefully they help the new guys this year in their growth and acclimating to the college game. We have progressed this offseason. Now it’s time to put it on display come game time.”

My guess is the Beavers will be better this season but will still struggle to shoot from long distance and to score. They will have to use strong defense — they’ll probably use a good amount of zone — to win games. I’m not convinced Wright and Akanno can contribute enough offensively to get it done. The Beavers will miss forward Glenn Taylor, their best creator at the offensive end last season. The burden will be on Pope and Bilodeau and perhaps some of the freshmen to make enough shots to keep them competitive against the good teams.

I see a 14-17 record overall, 8-12 in the Pac-12, through the regular season. Then it will be a matter of how much progression and momentum they take into the Pac-12 Tournament to see if they can make their postseason dream a reality.

NOTES: Oregon State lost senior bigs Dzmitry Ryuny and Rodrique Andela and Taylor, who transferred to St. John’s, where he is a junior this season. In the Johnnies’ first exhibition game, an 89-78 double-overtime win over Rutgers, Taylor scored seven of the team’s first nine points in the second extra session. The 6-6 forward finished with 13 points, nine rebounds, four assists and three steals. … The Beavers beat Idaho in a scrimmage in Corvallis last weekend … Oregon State’s Pac-12 opener is Dec. 28 at home against UCLA. Before then, the Beavers have a Nov. 18 game against Nebraska in Sioux Falls, S.D., the two games at the NIT Tip-off in Brooklyn and eight non-conference games in Corvallis. “We wanted to get a lot of home games early to build some confidence before conference play,” Tinkle said. At first glance, the home schedule hardly seems like murderer’s row. The opponents after Division III Linfield are Troy, Appalachian State, Cal Davis, Cal Poly, Utah Valley, Texas-San Antonio and Idaho State. A closer look, however, shows it may not be as easy as it would seem for the Beavers. Last season, Oregon State’s RPI ranking was 288th out of 363 Division I programs. Among the opponents’ rankings: Utah Valley No. 48, Troy 113, Cal Davis 175, Appalachian State 197 and Texas-San Antonio 264. Only Idaho State (321) and Cal Poly (340) were ranked below the Beavers. … Two years ago, Cal Davis came into Corvallis and beat the Beavers 71-64.

Akanno, on OSU’s team identity: “We have to pride ourselves in being tougher than the opponent, being more connected and unified. With those goals in mind, we should be able to be in every game we play.” … Ndong, a native of Montreal, played for Canada in the 2022 FIBA U18 Americas Championships. “Thomas will probably be able to make the impact Michael and Tyler did in the post a year ago,” Tinkle said. “He is big and physical and has more size than those two did when they came in.” … Tinkle would like to redshirt the 7-foot, 200-pound Marrs, from Ellensburg, Wash. It depends on the health and play of veteran centers Marial and Ibekwe. “Gavin is so athletic. In the (Idaho) scrimmage, he had a couple of big blocks,” Tinkle said.    “We’d like to put 20 pounds on him before next season.” … another player who has caught the attention of OSU coaches is 6-1 freshman DaJohn Craig of Indianapolis. “He is somebody who, as the year goes on, will spark us,” Tinkle said. “He is very athletic, intense, can score, and can make plays. He could take a little pressure off Jordan as far as making plays off the dribble and in transition to get us some easy baskets.” … Josiah Lake, the 6-2 walk-on guard from Tualatin, may redshirt, “but he is going to make his mark here before he is through,” Tinkle said. “He has good skills.” … attendance for 17 home games was an average of 3,626. That’s OK for preseason games, but it should be double that for conference contests.

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Pro Football Focus ranks 6-6, 335-pound junior tackle Taliese Fuaga as the nation’s No. 1 offensive lineman (courtesy OSU sports communications)

Next up was Coach Jonathan Smith’s regular noon meeting with the media at Valley Football Center. His 11th-ranked Beavers (6-1) hit the road for a 7:30 p.m. Saturday visit to Arizona (4-3).

Both teams are coming off a bye week. Oregon State beat UCLA 36-24 and Arizona smoked Washington State 44-6 in Pullman in their last outings more than a week ago.

I think Jedd Fisch has something going at Arizona. The third-year Wildcat coach, 44, has packed a lot of experience into 23 years in the business. He has had stints with seven NFL clubs as well as UCLA, Michigan, Miami and Minnesota, most as offensive coordinator working with quarterbacks.

“Look at the job Coach Fisch has done,” Smith said Monday. “You can see a team that continues to improve. They are one of the hotter teams in this league. It’s going to be a big-time atmosphere down there Saturday. We’ll have to play really well against this team.”

Fisch seems to have worked some magic with Noah Fifita, the redshirt freshman quarterback from Huntington Beach, Calif., who is listed at 5-11 but appears closer to 5-8. Fifita took over for injured starter Jayden de Laura late in a 21-20 win over Stanford on Sept. 23. In the three-plus games since then, he has been something like Russell Wilson, Eddie LeBaron and Doug Flutie rolled into one. In that time, Fifita has completed 94 of 125 passes (75 percent) for 946 yards and eight touchdowns with two interceptions. Fifita, who has won back-to-back Pac-12 Freshman Player of the Week awards, can run, makes good decisions and has left a now-healthy de Laura on the bench.

“They have a couple of quarterbacks they can win games with,” Smith said. But unless Fifita gets hurt, he will likely go the distance against the Beavers.

I’m sure OSU defensive coordinator Trent Bray is concerned about a front that has allowed big rushing numbers to California (240 yards) and UCLA (287) the past two games. I think Bray’s bigger concern Saturday might be slowing down the aerial attack led by Fifita, especially if injured DB Ryan Cooper — the reigning Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week — misses Saturday’s game. Smith made it sound as if he might on Monday. “He’s dealing with something that has not gone totally right,” Smith said vaguely of what seems to be a foot injury. “We’ll see how he looks at the end of the week.”

Running back Jonah Coleman, a 5-9, 225-pound sophomore, rushed 22 times for 143 yards in the 43-41 triple-overtime loss to Southern Cal on Oct. 7, then came back to carry 10 times for 70 yards and three TDs in the rout of the Cougars. Jacob Cowing a 5-11, 175-pound senior, has 54 receptions for 416 yards and eight TDs and 6-5, 210-pound sophomore Tetairoa McMillan has hauled in 40 passes for 592 yards and five TDs.

“They have a couple of big-time playmakers on the outside, and they use two (running) backs, similar to us,” Smith said. “They have weapons, and it’s a balanced offense.”

Arizona’s defense played its best game against Washington State, holding the Cougars to 12 first downs, 35 yards rushing and 234 yards total offense.

The Wildcats are fifth, the Beavers sixth in the Pac-12 in total defense. The Beavers are fifth, the Wildcats sixth in scoring defense. Both teams have offenses that can move the ball and score in various ways.

This game is a serious challenge for the Beavers, who are nails at home but vulnerable on the road. They’ll need to put together a complete game to win. If not, they might leave Arizona Stadium with an “L.”

Prediction: Arizona 27, Oregon State 24.

NOTES: Oregon State has won 14 of its last 19 games against Arizona. This is the first meeting since 2019, when OSU won 56-38 in Tucson — and is likely to be the last for awhile … the late kickoff time may benefit the Beavers: High daytime temperature is expected to be 86 degrees … the Beavers can go 7-1, and could move into the top 10, for the first time since they were ranked seventh after starting 6-0 in 2012 … Smith coached with Arizona defensive coordinator Johnny Nansen for five seasons at Idaho (2004-8). Assessed Smith: “Really good coach. Energy. Motivator. Competitive. That defense echoes his personality out there.” … if the Beavers win, Smith will have a winning record at Oregon State — 33-32. It has been a long time coming for Smith, who is 16-4 in his last 20 games … Asked about Oregon State’s run defense, Smith said, “We have to improve there. We understand week in and week out, these opponents are good. We’re playing against some good backs. We have to tackle better and stay in gaps. … we have to do better going in lower on a ballcarrier. We want to be in a better posture to make a tackle.” … center Jake Levengood, who missed the UCLA game with an undisclosed injury, told me last week he is healthy and ready to play Saturday.

Pro Football Focus has Oregon State’s offensive line ranked second nationally in run blocking. They rate 6-6, 335-pound junior tackle Taliese Fuaga as the nation’s No. 1 offensive lineman overall and for run blocking. “He has been really solid,” Smith said. “Not just on the field, but his leadership, the influence he has on the team. … he is a voice in that locker room. (I like) his work ethic, and he is athletic for how big he is.” In the Pac-12, the website ranks Fuaga as the No. 1 O-lineman, and ranks Tanner Miller fifth, Levengood seventh, Josh Gray 15th and Heneli Bloomfield 20th. … Oregon State’s average gain of 5.5 yards per rush is on pace for the highest by an OSU team since Jerry Pettibone’s last season as coach in 1996 … The Beavers are 25 for 25 in the Red Zone, one of three FBS schools (also South Alabama and Western Kentucky) to score on every visit inside the 20-yard line. Twenty of the scores have been touchdowns. Said Smith: “The field shrinks down there. You have to make it physical. We have a run game attack that helps. You gotta be able to score in this league. That’s been a great stat.” … Smith said he plans to continue using true freshman Aiden Chiles for a series at quarterback. “We like the rhythm and pace to this thing,” Smith said. “He has played well when he has gotten in. We appreciate the way DJ (Uiagalelei) has continued to help him, and they prepare together through the week.” Smith claims he’s not using Chiles to influence him not to enter the transfer portal after the season. “The portal is out there,” Smith said, “but at least from my end, I’m going to play whoever gives us the best chance to win. It just turns out to be the younger guy.”

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Junior guard Talia von Oelhoffen is healthy after offseason knee surgery and will be a leader with the Oregon State women this season (Courtesy OSU sports communications)

Oregon State women’s basketball had a Monday that was chock full of business. Coach Scott Rueck was kind enough to give me some time Tuesday morning to convey his thoughts about the upcoming season.

The OSU women begin play Sunday with a 1:30 p.m. exhibition against Western Washington at Gill as the opener of a double-header with the men’s team. Admission is free, though donations to Hope Chapel of Kihei for the Maui wildfire relief fund are encouraged. The Beavers have partnered with Hope Chapel in playing host to an annual four-team pre-Christmas tournament in Kihei for seven years. Oregon State will face Southeastern Louisiana and Texas Tech in games there Dec. 19 and 20.

Last season was an anomaly for the Beaver women, who have thrived under the leadership of Rueck, now beginning his 14th season at the OSU helm. The Beavers finished 13-18 overall and 4-14 and tied for 10th in Pac-12 play. Their end-of-game experience was excruciating in conference games. Of the 14 losses, half were by five points or fewer, and they led into the final moments in several of them.

That doesn’t set well with the seven returnees from last year’s squad.

“They were frustrated, coming up short so many times last year,” Rueck told me. “Everyone here has won big in their past. Last year wasn’t acceptable.

“In practice this season, we have gone to work on winning-time situations — how do we close down the stretch of games? It has been a major point of emphasis. Our returnees felt the pain a year ago. My hope for them is we can turn that pain into wins and finish on the right side of it this season.”

In August, the seven returnees and six newcomers, along with Rueck and assistant coaches Jonas Chatterton, Deven Hunter and Aleah Goodman and other team personnel, traveled to Italy for the summer trip allowed once every four years by the NCAA.

“Italy was amazing,” Rueck said. “You’re together for practically a whole month. It was really cool to watch the team have a lot of fun together. It was as if (the players) had been together longer, the way they interacted and took care of each other. I’ve been pleased with the new players. They bring dynamic skill sets. We have a little bit of everything.

“I like us. This team plays extremely hard. We have talent inside and out. Our test is, how quickly can we grow together? That will be our challenge, but I like what I’m seeing.”

Gone from last year’s team are four starters: Bendu Yeany, Jelena Mitrovic, Shalexxus Aaron and Noelle Mannen. Back are the team’s three best players, however — junior guard Talia von Oelhoffen and sophomore front-liners Raegan Beers and Timea Gardiner. Von Oelhoffen has recovered from offseason knee surgery and Gardiner is fully healthy after missing three months with a leg injury that limited her to 15 games a year ago.

Sophomore forward Timea Gardiner is healthy and ready to take a bigger role with the Beavers this season (Karl Maasdam/OSU athletics)

Those three should be starters, though Rueck declines to say what his opening lineup against Western Washington will look like. They will probably be joined by 6-1 junior AJ Marotte, who started 10 games in 2022-23. The fifth starter could be 6-foot South Medford High grad Donyvan Hunter, one of four incoming freshmen who might handle point guard duties.

“She is so rangy defensively and loves that end of the floor,” Rueck said. “I’d say the same thing about fellow freshman Kennedie Shuler — they both love defense. They provide instant pressure and disruption, Donovyn in particular. She is so disruptive and fast, with quick feet.”

Rueck compares Hunter defensively to former Beaver guard Gabby Hanson, the Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year in 2018.

“I see some Gabby in her, and that’s saying something,” he said. “(Hunter) is also a floor leader and does a good job running the show.”

The 6-4 Beers — Pac-12 Freshman of the Year and Sixth Player of the Year in 2022-23 — will likely start at the post, though she could play alongside transfers Sela Heide (6-7 junior, California) or Kelsey Rees (6-5 junior, Utah) in a bigger lineup.

The 6-3 Gardiner will likely man the small forward spot.

“She is looking great,” Rueck said. “She can really shoot the ball. It’s fun to watch. The biggest hurdle for her having to sit out three months last year is all the defensive reps she missed. I see her taking strides there. Having a full offseason has helped prepare her better for this year.”

Funny that Rueck mentioned defense, because the Beavers posted their usual excellent numbers on that side of the ball last season, holding opponents to .372 shooting from the field and .321 from the 3-point line.

But strong defense at the end of games too often was missing.

“We need to be better defensively overall,” Rueck said. “We have some gritty tough defenders. It seems as though the (players are) beginning to understand how important that is. We didn’t get the stops we needed as often as we needed to win those close games. That needs to be different this year. I’m seeing a concerted effort toward that.”

From my perspective, offense is where the Beavers really need to get better. Last year’s club was probably the worst offensive team Rueck has had since his first season, shooting .420 from the field and an anemic .311 on 3-point attempts. Will they be better on offense this season?

“We have a chance to be,” he said. “We do have shooters. We have players with the ability to knock ‘em down from the outside game, and the inside game to command a double-team, which opens things up.

“A good-shooting team has been my M.O. forever. I’ve had great post players and surrounded them with shooters. I’m hoping it will be that way this year. I like the way this team is playing unselfishly. The ball is moving quickly to create more open looks.”

There’s no question 6-foot sophomore Adlee Blacklock can shoot from range. She shot .465 on 71 3-point attempts last season, by far best of any of the Beavers. I see her contending for a starting role. And with more playing time, 6-2 sophomore Lily Hansford (.352 on 54 tries from beyond the arc last season) can be a major offensive contributor.

Donovyn Hunter, Shuler (from Barlow) and sophomore Martha Pietsch are all traditional point guards who will vie for time at the position. Von Oelhoffen will play there at times, too.

I’m not sure how much 6-foot freshman Susana Yepes of Colombia will play this season, but I get the feeling the team’s other freshman, 6-1 Dominika Paurova of the Czech Republic, will at least be in the rotation. Paurova played big minutes for her country’s senior national team this past summer.

“She has had some incredible experience for an 18-year-old,” Rueck said. “She is an aggressive, athletic player who can impact the game on both ends of the floor. She produces. She is fighting for every rebound. She attacks the rim incredibly well — it’s a gift she has. And she can catch and shoot. Dom is a complete player finding her way in a new system.”

The media predicts Oregon State to finish 10th in the Pac-12 this season, the lowest projection for the Beavers in that poll in some time. I asked Rueck what he thinks of that.

“I don’t think much of it,” he said. “If I were to think of it, I’d say, ‘I get it.’ We had a hard time winning last year and closing out close games. We have some new pieces, so there is some unknown about our program going forward. I know people respect Rae, Talia, Timea and so on. This league is really good. But us finishing 10th? I don’t put much into that.”

When I asked Rueck his goal for this team, he chuckled.

“I think I’ve told you 14 times, to reach our potential,” he said.

The implication: At the start of every season Rueck has coached at OSU.

“This team has a chance to compete with anyone,” he said. “I like who we are. I like the way we compete and how coachable the players are. We have evolved quickly. We have to. We have a chance to build some momentum and really grow. When conference hits, we should be a tough out every night.”

I have little doubt that, given good health, the Beavers will be improved from a year ago. I predict an overall record of 19-12, with an 11-9 mark in Pac-12 play. A strong performance in the Pac-12 Tournament will get them into the postseason — somehow, somewhere.

NOTES: The Beavers lost to Nevada at home in their only non-counting scrimmage last week. “We had great moments, and had times where it’s evident we need to develop,” Rueck said. “It was a day where we learned a lot, and that helps us know where we have to get better.” … Oregon State’s regular season begins at home on Nov. 6 against Arkansas-Pine Bluff. The Beavers play their first nine games at home, including a Nov. 12 date with Villanova, which was 30-7 a year ago — 17-3 in Big East play — and reached the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. “We love to play in front of Beaver Nation,” Rueck said. Strength of schedule, Rueck said, no longer seems to impact a team’s standing in “Net Rating,” which is now employed in women’s basketball, as it did when RPI was used to determine qualification for the NCAA Tournament … OSU’s Pac-12 opener is at Gill on New Year’s Eve. … An area in which the Beavers need to improve upon: Turnovers. They averaged 14.7 a game a year ago as opposed to only 11.1 by opponents … Rueck’s 2016 team, which reached the Final Four, will be honored with induction into the Oregon State Athletics Hall of Fame on Nov. 10. “I didn’t think we would get in so quick,” Rueck said. “I figured there would be a 10-year wait at least. I think it’s great. Most of the players will be here. I’m excited to have our current players get a chance to meet them. That will be a great experience for everybody.” … home attendance average last season: 4,297. Rueck would love to see that hit the 5,000 mark this season.

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