First impressions of Beaver wrestling and men’s hoops, with quotes, notes and observations …

Senior point guard Demarco “Polo” Minor shows great promise for the Beavers (courtesy OSU sports communications)

CORVALLIS — Oregon State basketball is in a better place than it has been for four years. I know. That’s not saying a lot.

The Beavers have been on a slow upward trend since 2021-22, the season after their trip to the Elite Eight, when they went an abysmal 3-28. They were 11-21 in 2022-23 and 13-21 in 2023-24.

Early returns show they could make a significant jump this season in Wayne Tinkle’s 11th season at the OSU helm. After watching the Beavers in their 80-57 romp past Utah Tech in the regular-season opener Monday night at Gill Coliseum, I can promise they are going to be more fun to watch than they have been the past three years. My guess is they finish in the upper half of their league for the next two years, the West Coast Conference. But that’s just at first glimpse.

Let’s start by answering the questions many have asked over the past 24 hours: Where is Utah Tech? Who is Utah Tech? What is Utah Tech?

Utah Tech is located in St. George, a southwestern Utah city of 105,000 (so there Corvallis, population 61,000). The Trailblazers (Go Blazers!) are a member of Western Athletic Conference along with the likes of Grand Canyon, Seattle U., Utah Valley and others. They were 7-13 in conference play and 11-20 overall last season; in the 2024-25 preseason poll, they were picked to finish eighth out of nine teams.

So this was not Gonzaga or Saint Mary’s the Beavers were going against. Still, it wasn’t an easy road much of the way. Utah Tech fought back from an 11-point first-half deficit to take a 45-42 lead with 14 minutes left. That’s when Oregon State hit the gas pedal, dominating at both ends while outscoring the visitors 38-12 the rest of the way.

“Our depth played a part in that,” Tinkle told me Tuesday. “(The Trailblazers) were running out of gas. Our intensity picked up. Defensively, we clamped down, and that let us get out in transition.”

In an 83-63 exhibition victory over Montana State Billings, Oregon State led by only six points at halftime before scoring the first 16 points of the second half to break the game open. Monday’s outcome was similar.

Depth? Transition basketball? Those weren’t words used in description of the Beavers in recent years.

Tinkle doesn’t have the top-end talent he had in 2020-21, but “I think we’re deeper than that team was,” he says. The Beavers showed energy, moved the ball and bodies with purpose on offense and displayed discipline on defense against Utah Tech. They outscored the visitors 20-4 in fast-break points, something that has been lacking for some time.

“We feel like we have a team that can get out and run,” Tinkle says. “There were some first-game jitters, but all in all, we shared the ball and played with pretty good pace. We have added talent; we have added maturity; we have added depth.”

Tinkle lost stars Jordan Pope (Texas) and Tyler Bilodeau (UCLA) and others who could be easily replaced. He brought in eight new players, and some of them will be a big part of the nucleus of the ’24-25 Beavers.

Senior point guard Demarco Minor, junior center Parsa Fallah and sophomore forward Isaac Sy are transfers who joined with returnees Michael Rataj and Nate Kingz in the starting lineup against Utah Tech. The players who formed what seems to be a nine-man rotation included newcomers Liutauras Lelevicius and Matt Marsh along with holdover sophomore guards Josiah Lake II and DaJohn Craig.

Minor was a pistol Monday, scoring a game-high 23 points on 8-for-16 shooting — 3 for 6 from 3-point range — with five rebounds and four steals in 33 minutes. Rataj added 15 points and seven rebounds and the 6-9, 260-pound Fallah contributed 13 points, seven boards and three blocked shots, sinking 6 of 7 shots from the field.

The 6-foot, 190-pound Minor, who led Division I Southern Illinois-Edwardsville in scoring, rebounds and assists last year, has a motor and the quicks to go with it. He seems to have the moves to get shots whenever he wants, and Tinkle believes he has the potential to be the best defensive guard in an Oregon State uniform since Gary Payton II. Minor’s nickname is “Polo,” as in “Demarco Polo” — get it? Already, he is a leader.

“He is quick and he is strong,” Tinkle says. “He uses his shoulders to create a little separation. We were looking for a hard-nosed point guard who would run the show offensively and set the tone defensively. We needed a team-minded guy who could be inspirational in huddles or when times get tough.

“His leadership is great. He’s a drive-first guy but he has a good (outside) stroke, too. He’s going to become an even more confident shooter. He has been shooting the ball really flat, and I’ve been telling him to get more arc on the ball. He joked with me after the game: ‘I hit three 3’s, Coach. Was my arc all right?’ He’s a delightful kid and a warrior out there.”

Fallah is a transfer from Southern Utah and a native of Iran. He is strong and quick of feet, with good instincts around the basket. Tinkle discovered him last season while watching game video prior to Oregon State’s game against Utah Valley. Utah Valley’s opponent in the game was Southern Utah.

“I saw this kid putting on a clinic with his up-and-under,” Tinkle says. “I wrote his name on my whiteboard. I told (former assistant Eric Reveno), ‘If this guy goes into the portal, we need to look at him.’ He did. I told him that story when he came on his (recruiting) visit and showed him his name on the whiteboard.

“He made three great skip passes to guys for 3-point shots. He has good footwork and awareness and is strong as an ox.”

The 6-9 Rataj was initially down in the mouth about losing so many of his teammates from the past two seasons. But Tinkle says he has now embraced the newcomers around him.

“He is our heart and soul right now,” Tinkle says of the German native, who was never at full strength last season after shin surgery. “He had more pop in his legs last night than he had all last season. It’s great to have him healthy and have a good mindset to help lead this group.”

Kingz (who has changed his surname from Meithof) is also rebounding from surgery, his to an ACL knee operation that kept him out of action all last season. The 6-5 junior left-hander and former McNary High star had 11 points on 5-for-8 shooting in his first outing in a year and a half, when he was at College of Southern Idaho.

“Nate didn’t shoot lights out, but he will,” Tinkle predicts. “We’ve only seen the confidence in his knee over the last couple of weeks. He’s a shooter, but not just a one-dimensional player. He can put it on the deck and make a move. We are going to be able to post him up with some of our actions. He is so excited to be in his home state representing the Beavers.”

Sy was 0 for 5 from the field — 0 for 4 from the 3-point line — but seems a willing passer and a good defender.

“We keep stats at every practice from the summer til now,” Tinkle says. “Four of our guys — Isaiah, Nate, Josiah and (Lelevicius) — are all shooting in the high 40 percent from 3. We didn’t hit them last night (6 for 24) but that will work itself out. And Isaiah is more than just a gunner. He has some intangibles that will help us win.”

If Tinkle’s hunch is correct, Lelevicius will be a, well, delicious addition to the Beavers. In his first game in the United States, the 6-7 sophomore wing from Lithuania nailed a 3-pointer. It was his only basket of the night and he fouled out in 10 minutes, but he looks the part of a well-rounded player who sees the floor and can do a bit of everything.

“Our fan base loves heady players who play the right way,” Tinkle says. “LT epitomizes that. He can shoot, he can put it on the floor, he can find open teammates. He is going to be a big piece for us.”

Lake will be a big piece off the bench, too. The 6-2 Tualatin High grad, whose father Josiah played for the Beavers from 1998-2000, had seven points, four rebounds and four assists in 26 minutes against Utah Tech.

"Josiah is a hell of a player and a hell of a kid,” Tinkle says. “He’s a team guy. We have to get him to be more vocal. If he is going to be a leader for us and have the ball in his hands, he has to be a little more commanding out there.

“It’s important to have that connection of what it means to wear the Orange and Black, to have knowledge of the history of the program. Zach Reichle had that for us. Josiah understands what it’s about, too. He brings that with him every day.”

The 7-1, 250-pound Marsh, who recently returned after suffering a badly sprained ankle in practice, played only six minutes against the Trailblazers but will be Fallah’s backup and will get ample playing time. Sophomore centers Gavin Marrs, who got two minutes of action, and Thomas Ndong, who didn’t play, are on the outside looking in with a post group that also includes 6-11 freshman Johan Munch.

“I think we can go as deep as 11 (players in the rotation) at some point, but you want to have your best guys on the floor as long as you can,” Tinkle says. “In years past, if somebody’s in foul trouble, you look down the bench and think, ‘Who the heck can we put in?’ That’s not going to be a problem this year.”

Oregon State’s next opponent is Weber State, a Big Sky team that went 20-12 a year ago. The Wildcats pulverized Northwest Indian College 118-35 in their regular-season opener.

“They’re going to come in here running and gunning,” Tinkle says. “It’s going to be a challenging game, for sure.”

Tinkle isn’t getting carried away after the first two looks at his team, but there is reason for optimism.

“This team has a chance to do some things,” he says. “We’re excited about our potential but understand it’s still early. There are going to be some moments where we have to dig ourselves out and fight through, but we love the guys we have. We’re poised to do some good things if we can stay grounded and keep getting better week to week.”

► ◄

One other note about the 2024-25 Beavers: Tinkle now has eight international players, including six newcomers. It used to be that foreign athletes couldn’t receive NIL money. That’s not true anymore. Since they are in the U.S. on student visas, they simply can’t get compensated for work while on American soil.

“But while they’re at home, you can do NIL activities with them, such as posts on social media, videos, autograph signings,” says Kyle Bjornstad, president of Dam Nation, Oregon State’s collective. “And a business can use their name, image and likeness for advertising, as long as the athletes aren’t posting it themselves.”

On the list of “student-athletes” representing Dam Nation on its website are the names of Rataj, Fallah, Lelevicius, Marsh, Munch and Maxim Logue. So yes, the lads are being taken care of by NIL money while in Corvallis.

► ◄

Beaver senior Trey Munoz led through two periods before falling to the nation’s top-ranked wrestler at 197, Stephen Buchanan (courtesy Dominic Cusimano)

Beaver Nation got its first taste of the 2024-25 Oregon State wrestling team in last Saturday’s intersectional dual meet against No. 2-ranked Iowa. The powerful Hawkeyes prevailed 30-7 as a crowd of 4,273 looked on.

“We are getting better at putting on a good show,” OSU assistant coach Josh Rhoden says. “We have to keep giving the fans something to cheer about.”

The Beavers won two matches — junior Maximo Renteria at 125 pounds and redshirt freshman Ethan Stiles at 157 — and were extremely competitive in four others. Two of the three Iowa wipeouts were against freshmen wrestling their first match as a Beaver.

Junior Maximo Renteria handled Iowa’s Joey Cruz at 125 (courtesy Dominic Cusimano)

“We had eight new faces in the lineup,” OSU assistant coach Nate Engel says. “We competed well at most weights. That’s a great team we were going against. There is going to be a learning curve with this group, but we were mostly pleased with our performances.”

Renteria beat Iowa’s Joey Cruz 6-3 in a matchup between two kids from Clovis, Calif.

“Both of those guys were three-time state high school champs,” Rhoden says. “They’ve seen each other a lot. Maximo wrestled hard. I love the vibe he brings when he wrestles.”

“Max has the ability to score a lot of points,” Engel says. “He’s a fireplug who can scramble with anybody. Moving forward, you’re going to see a lot of good wrestling from him.”

Stiles, a transfer from Nebraska, jumped to a 10-0 lead en route to a 12-3 majority decision over Iowa junior Caleb Rathjen, who was 20-7 and qualified for the NCAA Tournament a year ago.

Redshirt freshman Ethan Stiles was a big winner over Caleb Rathjen at 157 (courtesy Dominic Cusimano)

“Rathjen is no slouch, but Ethan is not afraid of anything,” Rhoden says. “He is a very talented wrestler. If we can close a couple of his gaps, he can be really good.”

“Ethan went out there and did what he does,” Engel says. “He is just scratching the surface with his ability. I expect a lot more out of Ethan in the coming months. He is going to be a fan favorite.”

The biggest match of the night was at 197, where Iowa’s No. 1-ranked Stephen Buchanan defeated Oregon State senior Trey Munoz, ranked No. 3, by a 9-5 count. In his first match at 197 after moving up to 184, Munoz led 4-1 after two periods, but Buchanan turned the tables with a takedown to go ahead 5-4 and got another one before the end of the match.

“We could have watched an NCAA finals matchup on November 2,” Rhoden says. “For two periods, Trey wrestled him exactly how he wanted to. He had two other attacks on the edge he could have finished. Then he let his foot off the gas.”

“If Trey finishes one of the last two shots that he got scored on, he wins the match,” Engel says. “After a loss, he always figures out how to get better. I feel bad for the next guy he wrestles. Trey is very capable of being a national champion.”

Oregon State sophomore Nash Singleton led 4-2 before giving up a takedown with 50 seconds left in a 5-4 loss to Ryder Block.

“Nash wrestled great for six minutes and 10 seconds,” Engel says. “Then he took his foot off the pedal. But you love to coach people like Nash. I wish I had 10 more of him. If he loses a match, he knows exactly what he did wrong. He is going to learn from it.”

Nelson Brands’ 2-1 decision over Missouri transfer Sean Harman was the most heartbreaking loss of the night for Oregon State. Brands, who finished fifth in the NCAA Championships last season, won it with 1:01 in riding time against the senior from West Linn High.

“If Sean rides him for two more seconds, we get to keep wrestling (in overtime),” Rhoden says. “He’s a high IQ wrestler, and we’re going to build on that one. We have great belief in that kid.”

In his first match as a Beaver, Clackamas CC transfer Victor Jacinto gave Kyle Parco all he could handle in a 5-1 loss. Parco, a four-time All-American ranked No. 2 in the country, managed only one takedown against Jacinto, who placed third at the NJCAA Championships a year ago.

“Victor’s not afraid of the big stage,” Rhoden says. “He nearly took Parco down in that last 30-to-40-second scramble. He competed. He brings it.”

The Beavers, ranked No. 25 nationally by Intermat, head to Fargo for a match against North Dakota State on Friday. Then they return home for a Nov. 17 dual with Oklahoma State, now ranked a spot ahead of Iowa at No. 2. Nine of the Cowboys’ 10 wrestlers are ranked among the nation’s top 20 — six of them in the top 10.

“I think Oklahoma State is better than Iowa,” Rhoden says. “They pose a gigantic test. But we can’t look past North Dakota State.”

Rhoden says the most frustrating thing is the close losses the Beavers have suffered in meets with Iowa, Oklahoma State and Penn State the past two seasons.

“It’s like, when we are going to break through?” he says. “Those are questions the guys have to start answering for themselves.”

The future, Rhoden says, looks brighter.

“We have some blue-collar wrestlers now who work hard to get to where they’re at,” he says. “With our next two recruiting classes, though, we have some blue-chip guys who can go to the next level.”

► ◄

Readers: what are your thoughts? I would love to hear them in the comments below. On the comments entry screen, only your name is required, your email address and website are optional, and may be left blank.

Follow me on X (formerly Twitter).

Like me on Facebook.

Find me on Instagram.

Be sure to sign up for my emails.