Beavers’ Michael Rataj: ‘He is a fabulous kid to be around’

Junior forward Michael Rataj is Oregon State’s team leader and one of the best players in the West Coast Conference this season (courtesy OSU sports communications)

Updated 1/8/2025 8:18 PM

There is little question that Oregon State basketball is better than it was a year ago.

There is even less question that a big reason for that is the improved performance of Michael Rataj.

The 6-8, 220-pound junior forward from Augsburg, Germany has been one of the West Coast Conference’s premier players this season, ranking second in the league in steals (2.2 per game), third in rebounds (8.5) and fifth in scoring (16.8). Rataj is shooting .484 from the field, .367 from 3-point range and .797 from the free throw line — all career bests — for the Beavers (12-4 overall, 2-1 in WCC play) heading into Thursday’s game at Santa Clara. He was named WCC Player of the Week for his play the week before Christmas.

“Michael is one of the best players in the conference, no doubt,” Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle says. “I am glad he stayed around.”

Tinkle lost the top two players from his 2023-24 team — Jordan Pope and Tyler Bilodeau — to the transfer portal. Pope is the No. 3 scorer (11.6) and a starting guard at Texas (11-4) while the 6-9 Bilodeau leads UCLA (11-3) in scoring (14.5) and is second in rebounds (5.2).

In their absence, the 21-year-old Rataj is thriving. He is on a short list of the most improved players on the West Coast.

“Seeing Michael blossom and take that next step from the summer to now is a testament to his work ethic, his desire to improve and his mental toughness,” first-year assistant coach Chris Haslam says.

Rataj was a part-time starter as a freshman, averaging 6.1 points and 4.1 rebounds. He had shin surgery in October 2023 and missed the first three games of last season, finishing with averages of 8.3 points and a team-high 5.8 rebounds. He was second on the team in assists (47) and steals (27).

Michael was invited to join the German National team for a tournament in Spain last summer but declined.

“I wanted to take some time off and rest, especially coming off surgery,” he says. “(The shin) was an issue for me most of the (2023-24 season). Some games, I could help the team, but I wouldn’t say I was 100 percent at all. I was just trying to push forward and do what I could do.”

Rataj visited his family in Germany for about a month in June, then returned to Corvallis in July for the rest of the summer.

“I got 100 percent healthy and started working out again,” he says. And he spent a lot of time in the weight room.

“Michael did a great job with his body over the summer,” Haslam says. “He is super skilled for his size. He can play on the perimeter; he can play down low. He is just a tough cover because of his all-around skill set.”

The most noticeable improvement in Rataj’s game this season is his ballhandling. He can take defenders off the dribble and score with either hand. Michael spent much time working with former Beaver great Roberto Nelson — now the team’s player development coach — on those skills.

“Coach Roberto spent a lot of time with me on that,” Rataj says. “If you watch me play now, I try to sit low in my stance and be quick off the dribble, make a lot of counter moves and stuff like that.”

Tinkle has always considered Rataj a quality perimeter defender. He has been better than ever this season.

“He has great basketball instincts,” Haslam says. “He has quick hands. He gets his steals, but he also gets his hands on a lot of balls, (making) tips and deflections.”

Experience helps, Rataj says.

“That’s part of getting older and more familiar with the college game, and also our coaches emphasizing  getting into the gaps and being able to help each other on plays,” he says. “It seems like I have the instincts to make the right play and go get the ball.”

Rataj has shown remarkable consistency. He has scored 13 or more points in every game but one, tallying only six in a 78-66 loss to Nebraska. He has been in double figures for rebounds seven times.

“I am trying to be consistent in every area of my life,” he says. “I want to be consistent not just in games but in practice. I try to show up early, be a good leader, be a good role model, always put the work in.”

Haslam says there is no doubt Rataj has accomplished that.

“He is definitely the main leader of our program,” Haslam says. “He has been vocal. He leads with his voice, but he leads with his actions as well. He has done a tremendous job in the weight room. He is always getting extra work in.”

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Michael is the youngest of two children, and the only son, of Lawrence Awodu and Beate Rataj. His father works for a security company. His mother is a dental assistant. Neither are tall. Lawrence is 6-1, Beate 5-5.

His sister, Nancy, is 5-9.

“My African grandparents were really tall,” Michael says, “and my grandpapa on my mom’s side is 6-5.”

Michael was a sprinter and distance runner in track and field as a youth but quit to focus on basketball at age 12 or 13. His interest in the sport “came pretty early,” he says. “Mom was a big Chicago Bulls fan back in the day. I watched a lot of college basketball with Dad. He was into a lot of American sports.”

Michael remembers watching the Ball Brothers (“Ball in the Family”) on YouTube.

“I started to dream of playing college basketball in the States,” he says.

Europeans can play for “professional” teams and still retain college eligibility. Rataj played for Ratiopharm Elm and liked it.

“I was interested in college, but I was also thinking that I would maybe just stay home,” he says.

After he played well in a big tournament, college scouts began reaching out to him. Among them was Oregon State coach Marlon Stewart, who visited him in Germany.

“They had just gone to the Elite Eight (in 2021),” Rataj says. “I came out to Corvallis on a recruiting trip. It didn’t take me long to decide on Oregon State.”

Rataj says he made the right choice.

“My parents wanted to make sure I went to a place where I was welcome and in a good environment,” he says. “I have been welcomed with open arms here. Corvallis is a nice city to be in. I don’t like big cities — all the loud noise. I like having my own little place.

“I like the way we play and the way Coach Tinkle coaches the team. He judges my game pretty well. I am really happy here. All the people are like my second family. I love coming to practice. I like the coaches. I like all my professors, every staff member, and Abby (Crowell) is a great academic advisor.”

In the old days, they would have called Rataj an “egghead.” He holds a 3.98 grade-point average in biohealth sciences.

“I got an A-minus or B-plus in a class my freshman year,” he says.

Trevor Cramer, Oregon State’s basketball sports information director, considers Michael a prime candidate for Academic All-American. He is already a senior academically and is likely to graduate early next school year.

“I have a deal with my mom that, whatever happens, I have to make sure I have my degree,” he says.

Rataj lives by himself in a small apartment close to the OSU campus — “a five-minute bike ride from here,” he says during an interview at Gill Coliseum.

In filling out a questionnaire for the OSU basketball website, Rataj writes that his hobbies include “swimming, cinema, fashion and shoes.” I ask him to explain. He smiles and shakes his head.

“I used to swim a lot when I was younger,” he says. “I was in a swimming club. I was in the water all the time. We had a pool close to my house. I love watching movies, but I would switch that right now to watching anime (computer-generated animation) — that’s a big hobby of mine. I’m a big fan of Japanese culture. I read a lot of Japanese comic books called ‘Manga.’

“My parents always put me in nice clothes. I feel they dress pretty well, too. Growing up, they always put me in Jordans and Nike shoes. My sister is into fashion. She used to model a little bit. I feel it’s important that you represent yourself pretty good. I like wearing clothes — not really expensive clothes, but whatever looks good.”

Rataj has a special affinity for Air Jordans.

“Here, I have like six pair,” he says. “Back home, maybe 10 more.”

This is an engaging young man who has his act together. He is decidely low-maintenance.

“No issues off the court,” Haslam says. “He handles his business in the classroom. He is bright. You don’t have to worry about him at all. Guys respond to him. We as coaches respond to him. He is a fabulous kid to be around.”

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After last season, as rumors swirled about the departure of Bilodeau and Pope, Rataj had conversations with each.

“Tyler and Jordan were good friends of mine,” he says. “Tyler was probably my best friend here. I talked with them about it, but in the end, it is everybody’s own decision to make. I was trying to keep them here. I wanted to keep playing with them. But they chose their own path, and I respect that.”

Eight OSU players transferred. Did Rataj consider joining them?

“I was talking with Coach Tinkle about it when a lot of players started walking in (to leave), but I was pretty sure I was going to stay here,” he says. “Coach brought me here from Germany. He gave me the opportunity to play college ball, and I appreciate that.”

The rules have changed to allow foreign players to receive NIL funding.

“I’m getting NIL money here now,” Rataj says.

Just as important was the array of incoming transfers that Tinkle and his staff acquired soon after the 2023-24 campaign.

“It has been really good, especially down low with Parsa Fallah, Matt Marsh and Maxim Logue,” Rataj says. “They did a great job bringing in the size that we lacked a little bit the last couple of years.

“We got a great leader at point guard in (Demarco) Minor, who has a defensive mindset and can find the open man. He can score, too, but he’s a pass-first guy. He makes the right plays every time.”

Rataj was pleased to add swing man Liutauras Lelevicius, a 6-7 sophomore from Lithuania who is already the second-most versatile player on the team behind Michael.

“I played against him in Europe, and he gave us problems, scored like 25 points against us,” Rataj says. “I have known him for awhile. When Coach told me he was coming here, I was excited. He’s a great competitor and a good addition to the team.”

Rataj also mentions Nate Kingz, the 6-5 junior southpaw who missed last season while recovering from ACL knee surgery. Kingz is shooting .492 from 3-point territory; the Beavers lead the WCC in that category at .388.

“Nate is one of the best 3-point shooters in the country,” Rataj says. “With Nate at the 3-point line, we are dangerous. I am really high on Nate.”

The current season is at its midway point. Rataj rates the first half as “pretty good.”

“The Loyola Marymount game (an 82-61 loss on Jan. 2) was an important lesson for us,” he says. “We can’t have games like that. The North Texas and Oregon games, we let them slip away. We should have definitely beaten Oregon. I take a lot of blame for North Texas. I had seven turnovers, and the guy made the game-winning shot against me.

“But we are doing pretty well. I like the way we all get along together. We are getting better.”

The move to the WCC “is fine,” Rataj says. “It’s a competitive league. I’m not from the States, so I don’t have the whole history with the Pac-12. I played in it for two years, and I think it’s sad. But we want to win games, no matter what league we’re in.”

The Beavers are 0-2 on the road this season, which makes their upcoming contests at Saint Mary’s and Pacific (Saturday) especially important.

“It will definitely show us a lot about where we stand,” Rataj says. “I look forward to seeing how we have grown. I hope we can go down there and do some damage.”

When I ask about goals, Rataj points to team success.

“We always talk about winning a championship, somewhere, somehow,” he says. “Our goal is to stack wins in the conference and go from there. In the end, the NCAA Tournament is our biggest goal.”

And when it’s over, does Rataj expect to return to OSU for his senior season? 

“Yes, I think so,” he says with a smile. “I want to graduate, so I want to play my senior year of college.”

Beaver Nation is hoping that will be in Corvallis.

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