Oregon St

Daily Poll: Who is the Worst BCS Team?

Shawn Siegel — Sun, 16 Dec 2007 09:33:52 -0800

Programs dealing with some injury/off-field issues

Raphielle Johnson — Tue, 14 Aug 2007 16:01:16 -0700

Mid-August is here, and that means that we're that much closer to the beginning of the 2007 college football season. One team that may not have the best outlook on the upcoming year is Pittsburgh. In the first two years of the Dave Wannstedt era, the Panthers have failed to qualify for a bowl game, going 5-6 and 6-6 respectively. This despite Wannstedt bringing in some highly-regarded recruiting classes, and the new certainly hasn't gotten any better the past week or so. First, it was highly touted freshman QB Pat Bostick heading home to deal with personal issues, which were later reported as having something to do with anxiety. Of course, when he returns, leading receiver Derrick Kinder goes down with a torn ACL. Pitt lost quite a bit due to graduation, and whether it was junior Bill Stull or Bostick calling the shots on offense, there were concerns as to who would make plays on offense. College Football News had the Panthers tabbed for fourth in the Big East, but I'm thinking this was all done before the recent issues. Even so, the voters at Big East Media Day had them sixth, which seems much more realistic to me. Staying in the Big East, UConn head coach Randy Edsall has decided to go with junior college transfer Tyler Lorenzen at quarterback, ahead of Dennis Brown and Cody Endres. Hopefully there won't be the "musical chairs" situation that went on last season for the Huskies, but we'll see how it all turns out in the season opener at Duke. As for once-starter D.J. Hernandez, look for him to be a contributor at wide receiver. Hernandez is an exceptional athlete, and the Huskies are in need of playmakers on the outside. In a bit of bad news, linebacker Jarrell Miller will have to sit out this season as a transfer, but will have four years of eligibility beginning in 2008. Miller, who originally committed to North Carolina, took a summer school course at UNC before changing his mind and going to Fork Union Military Academy last year. Adding Miller to the ranks would have given some more depth to a defensive unit that struggled mightily at times last year. There's no quarterback controversy at Clemson...yet. Cullen Harper is firmly in control of the race there, but of course you have your legions of fans clamoring for freshman Willy Korn. Sorry, but with the opener being a divisional game against Florida State, unless Harper is injured I see no way in which Korn takes the first snap. Could he see action? Maybe, but there's a better chance of that happening in the Tigers' next two games: Louisiana-Monroe and Furman. Speaking of quarterback issues, can anyone explain what's happening at Ole Miss these days? Brent Schaeffer, the incumbent, struggled so much last year that the competition was opened up in spring and fall camp, with Seth Adams looking to be the guy at this point. Then the funny stuff began. Schaeffer switched to receiver for a couple of days, then returned to QB. He's a very good athlete, so of course the Rebels want to find some way to get him onto the field. It just doesn't look like they want him throwing the ball much anymore. This is why you don't promise a guy the starting nod in order to get him to sign (in the Rebels' defense, they really needed a QB at the time, and I don't think they expected him to not be ready to enroll until the beginning of August). It was looking like a tough year for Ole Miss in 2007, but now they may be hoping that Mississippi State doesn't pass them this year. Lastly, Oregon State, a darkhorse to compete for the Pac-10 crown this year, took a heavy hit when star wideout Sammy Stroughter left the team to deal with personal issues. None of the coaches know when, or if, to expect the All-Pac 10 performer back this season. Hopefully he finds a solution to his issues at some point, and not worry about football at this time.

Top of the World Classic Field Announced

Press Release — Tue, 15 May 2007 09:15:15 -0700

Fairbanks, AK - Hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks, seven Division I teams from the “lower 48” will be joining UA’s Nanooks in the spectacle held at the Carlson Center which has become a popular D-I event.

Akron, the Mid-American East regular-season champion and an NCAA tournament team except for a last-second desperation shot, won 26 of 33 games last season and will be considered an early favorite in the TOWC with three of its first five scorers returning.

Nevertheless, it’s the overall balance of the eight-team field and its balance which is the most notable aspect of next season’s tournament.

Colorado State and the Nanooks, both with 17-13 marks, are top teams in the tournament’s upper bracket based on final 2007 records.

The Rams will be facing a dangerous Oregon State (11-21) club in the meet’s opening game Thursday (Nov. 15) while the Nanooks have been pitted against Tennessee State (12-20).

Akron will likely be a strong favorite in its first outing against South Carolina Upstate which will be competing for the first season at the D-I level after collecting a 17-11 record in its final year of D-II play.

In the final game of the TOWC’s first-round, a powerful Portland State club which won 19 while losing 13 a year ago, will open against IUPUI (Indiana University-Purdue University at Indianapolis).

Overall the 2007 tournament teams posted a composite 134-113 won-lost record compared to an overall 130-122 mark compiled by teams from last year’s TOWC field.

The complete pairings follow:

Thursday (Nov. 15)—
Game 1, 6:00 p.m. Colorado State vs. Oregon State
Game 2, 8:30 p.m. Alaska vs. Tennessee State

Friday (Nov. 16)—
Game 3, 6:00 p.m. Akron vs. South Carolina Upstate
Game 4, 8:30 p.m. Portland State vs. IUPUI

Saturday (Nov. 17)—
Game 5*, 12:00 p.m. Losers of games 1 and 2
Game 6, 2:30 p.m. Losers of games 3 and 4
Game 7*, 5:30 p.m. Winners of games 1 and 2
Game 8, 8:00 p.m. Winners of games 3 and 4

Sunday (Nov. 18)—
Game 9*, 10:00 a.m. Losers of games 5 and 6 (7th and 8th place)
Game 10*, 12:30 p.m. Losers of games 7 and 8 (3rd and 5th place)
Game 11*, 3:30 p.m. Winners of games 5 and 6 (4th and 6th place)
Game 12, 6:00 p.m. Winners of games 7 and 8 (1st and 2nd place)

The championship game between winners of games 7 and 8 will follow three earlier games determining the other six-place finishers in the tournament.

*As in previous years, there will be a provision granted the host Nanooks allowing their games to always be played in an evening session.

– www.alaskananooks.com –

Oregon State Signs Chicago Star Stovall

Press Release — Thu, 12 Apr 2007 03:21:36 -0700

CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State men’s basketball coach Jay John announced the signing of shooting guard Michael Stovall today. The 6-foot-5, 200-pound Stovall was one of the top seniors in the state of Illinois at Marshall High School in Chicago.

“Michael is one of the best athletes that we’ve ever recruited,” John said. “He’s one of those rare guys that can glide down the floor and easily swoop in and dunk the basketball. He’s got an all-around game as a player. He shoots the ball well, he penetrates well, he can pull up and hit a jumper, he’s good around the rim. Anybody that understands basketball in Chicago knows that the Chicago Public Red-West League is always among the best.

“When people see us play next year, they’re going to be impressed by our combination of ability and speed. We’re in the midst of a makeover. I’ve said all along to anybody that listens, when we first arrived here the caliber of freshman we could recruit was not good enough. The guys we’re getting now, we could not have successfully recruited them back then. With what we’ve been able to do over the past five years, we’ve been able to open some doors. There is continued interest in our program, and Michael’s addition is more evidence of that. We are in the midst of our best recruiting class.”

As a senior, Stovall led Marshall High in scoring with 20 points per game while also averaging eight rebounds and four assists. Several Illinois-based recruiting websites ranked Stovall as one of the top 10 seniors in the state.

In his final two years, he led Marshall to consecutive third-place finishes in the Illinois Class AA Tournament. Both times, the Commandos lost to eventual state champion Simeon High in the semifinals. Stovall was named to the all-state tournament second team in 2007, and among his highlights there were 16 points and 13 rebounds in a quarterfinal win over Lincoln High School and 16 points in the third-place game against Stevenson High School.

“I liked the coaching staff and the players at Oregon State and I felt like I fit right in with everybody,” Stovall said. “I had a lot of choices but I didn’t want to stay home. I wanted to try someplace new and far away. I had never been to Oregon before my visit and it’s beautiful out there.

“I feel like I can do a lot of things for Oregon State. My type of game is up-and-down, push the ball up the floor, get my teammates the ball. I feel like I can make other players better, and I’ll get a lot better at OSU.”

He averaged 15 points per game as a junior and made the 2005-06 all-city team.

Pac-10 Weekly Notebook

Bruno Chu — Tue, 05 Dec 2006 08:51:55 -0800

Player of the week

Player of the Week honors goes to yet another UCLA Bruin, Josh Shipp. The sophomore combo-guard averaged 17 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 assists to help lead the Bruins to 2 wins this week. Shipp scored a career-high 24 points on 6-of-9 shooting from three-point range in the win over Long Beach St.

Power Rankings

#1 UCLA BRUINS
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (6-0)

After a highly successful and busy past week, the tired Bruins found themselves in a tough game against Long Beach St. with both teams virtually deadlocked heading into the half. A Ben Howland thrashing seemed to wake the team up as the Bruins steam-rolled the 49ers in the second half. There was no hangover in their second game this week as the Bruins out-gunned UC Riverside to an easy win. Guard Arron Afflallo scored in double-digits in both games while Josh Shipp had a career game netting 24 points against Long Beach St.

The number one-ranked Bruins host CSU Fullerton before playing the highest ranked team they’ve faced this season against sixth-ranked Texas A&M.

Game results this week:
Tue, Nov 28 Long Beach St. W 88-58
Sun, Dec 3 UC Riverside W 61-38

#2 WASHINGTON HUSKIES
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (6-0)

There was nothing quiet about Quincy Pondexter’s 25 point performance in the win over Idaho earlier this week as the freshman tries to climb out of the shadow of star freshman Spencer Hawes. Ryan Appleby was moved out of the starting lineup but came off the bench to score 11 points. The Huskies learned later in the week that redshirt freshman Harvey Perry will be transferring out of Washington next semester. Perry was buried in head coach Lorenzo Romar’s bench playing sparingly in four games this season.

The schedule this week has the Huskies facing Southern Utah then they head on the road to play twenty-two ranked Gonzaga.

Game results this week:
Wed, Nov 29 Idaho W 87-66

#3 ARIZONA WILDCATS
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (5-1)

Team defense continues to struggle this season but the sixteenth-ranked Wildcats still managed to beat UNLV, and then came back from 16 down to beat Illinois later in the week. Freshman Chase Budinger continues his torrid start leading the team in scoring and rebounding in both games. Mustafa Shakur started the season slowly but has steadily increased his production week-to-week.

Another tough road trip ahead as the Wildcats play Rick Pitino’s Louisville team, then to face 8-1 San Diego St.

Game results this week:
Tue, Nov 28 UNLV W 89-75
Sat, Dec 2 Illinois W 84-72

#4 OREGON DUCKS
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (6-0)

In a mild upset win, the Ducks slowed the twin-post threats of Georgetown while overcoming a stretch of poor shooting to take the game. Junior guard Malik Hairston saw his first game action of the young season following injury finishing with respectable eight points. Aaron Brooks was the high scorer finishing with 15 points. On the injury front, Chamberlain Oguchi suffered a sprained ankle and left the game in the second half.

The Ducks host 5-1 Nebraska of the Big 12 this coming Saturday.

Game results this week:
Wed, Nov 29 at (18) Georgetown W 57-50

#5 WASHINGTON ST COUGARS
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (7-1)

The Cougars started the week unbeaten and extended that streak to seven before suffering their first loss of the season to Utah. The Cougars could not contain seven-foot center Luke Neville of the Utes who was dominant in the post all night long. Daven Harmeling had his best outing of the season against Portland continuing his success from last week.

The Cougars host 22nd ranked Gonzaga, then travel to Moscow to face Idaho.

Game results this week:
Wed, Nov 29 Portland W 62-50
Sat, Dec 2 at Utah L 55-69

#6 STANFORD CARDINAL
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (5-1)

An exciting week at Stanford ended with two victories for the Cardinal. Earlier in the week, the Cardinal survived a sloppy game to outlast UC Davis. Then a big-time matchup against legendary coach Bobby Knight and his Texas Tech Red Raiders on Sunday brought out the best of the freshman Lopez twins. Brook Lopez playing for only the second time this season following injury finished with a lofty 18 points while twin brother Robin Lopez finished with seven points. Lawrence Hill was the top point getter with 19.

The Cardinal do not play until December 16 when they host Santa Clara.

Game results this week:
Tue, Nov 28 UC Davis W 84-72
Sun, Dec 3 Texas Tech W 70-59

#7 CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (6-1)

The youthful Bears continued to make strides this week beating an equally young Kansas St. squad coached by Bob Huggins before wrapping up the week with a close loss to twenty-fourth ranked Nevada. DeVon Hardin was solid in both games including an outstanding defensive performance on Nevada’s heralded center Nick Fazekas. Freshman Ryan Anderson continues his great play scoring in double-digits in both games.

The Bears host Chicago St. of the Independents on Friday night.

Game results this week:
Wed, Nov 29 Kansas St. W 78-48
Sun, Dec 3 (24) Nevada L 71-77

#8 USC TROJANS
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (5-0)

Their Rating Percentage Index won’t wow anyone even when the Trojans started the season a hot 5-0. Another non-conference win over Miss. Valley St. early in the week did little to increase their RPI, but an impressive win over Loyola Marymount certainly should. The dynamic duo of Lodrick Stewart and Nick Young combined for 39 of the Trojans’ 67 points in the win over Loyola Marymount.

The Trojans get their biggest test of the season traveling to play number five-ranked Kansas before returning home to face 5-1 George Washington on Saturday.

Games this week:
Tue, Nov 28 Miss. Valley St. W 63-39
Sat, Dec 2 Loyola Marymount W 67-50

#9 ARIZONA ST SUN DEVILS
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (4-3)

Freshman Christian Polk led the way with 22 points in the win over Northern Colorado early in the week. Then the Sun Devils headed to Minnesota but were unable to deny interim Gophers head coach Jim Molinari his first win. Molinari replaced Dan Monson who resigned as head coach of the Gophers just days before following a difficult five-game losing streak. Jeff Pendergraph led the Sun Devils on a furious rally but came just short in the dying seconds. Pendergraph finished with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

The Sun Devils are idle next week with their next game on December 16 at Xavier of the Atlantic 10.

Game results this week:
Tue, Nov 28 Northern Colorado W 66-51
Sat, Dec 2 at Minnesota L 63-66

#10 OREGON ST BEAVERS
Record: Conference (0-0) Overall (4-4)

The Beavers sit at the bottom of the PAC-10 with an even 4-4 record losing their only game of the past week to Fresno St. Sasa Cuic scored 17 points in his return to the lineup after a team suspension while Marcel Jones chipped in with 16 points of his own. The Beavers held a lead heading into the final five minutes of the game but simply collapsed committing four turnovers while going 1-for-11 from the field.

The Beavers play lowly Bethune-Cookman this Saturday for their lone game of the week.

Game results this week:
Sat, Dec 2 Fresno St. L 69-74

Big Games next week

Sat, Dec 9 - (6) Texas A&M at (1) UCLA, 2:30 pm

Super Saturday for PAC-10 teams starts off with a couple of top-ten teams doing battle in Los Angeles as UCLA hosts the upstart Texas A&M Aggies who are off to a blistering 7-0 start to the season. The Acie Law IV versus Arron Afflalo matchup will be a juicy one to watch.

Sat, Dec 9 - (14) Arizona at San Diego St., 9:30 pm

A tough week just got tougher for Arizona. Following a game against Louisville, the Wildcats face 8-1 San Diego St. on the road. The Aztecs are favored to win the Mountain West conference led by senior guard Brandon Heath who is averaging 20 points per game. The Wildcats have struggled defensively so far ranking at the bottom in points allowed in the PAC-10.

Sat, Dec 9 - (13) Washington at (18) Gonzaga, 11:00 pm

The battle of the two best teams in Washington goes down Saturday night as the Zags host state rival Washington. Many had thought the Zags would not nearly be as strong this season with the loss of Adam Morrison and J.P Bautista but Josh Heytvelt and Derek Raivio have Zags fans thinking final four or more this season. With wins over North Carolina and Texas, the Zags could be considered a mild favorite here. The Huskies probably have more pure talent but the Zags have the edge in big-game experience so far this season.

Oregon State Signs Three Recruits

Press Release — Wed, 08 Nov 2006 14:14:01 -0800

CORVALLIS, Ore. – The Oregon State men’s basketball team has signed three players to letters-of-intent for the 2007-08 season, head coach Jay John announced today. They are guard Calvin Haynes (Reseda, Calif.), forward Omari Johnson (Los Angeles, Calif.) and forward/center Ilija Milutinovic (Belgrade, Serbia).

Johnson is currently a senior at Dorsey High School, while Haynes (South Kent School) and Milutinovic (Worcester Academy) are attending prep schools back east. Haynes and Milutinovic will be competing in the same conference (New England Prep School Athletic Conference class A).

This is the second time Haynes has signed a letter-of-intent with the Beavers. He also signed last November when he was a senior in high school. However, a decision was made to send him to a prep school this season to improve his academic standing.

“This recruiting class plugs in a few holes and gaps that we may have been missing with the current group of freshmen,” John said. “We recruited two forwards, both capable of going inside and outside, and also a combo guard who is a scorer at the guard spot. Between this class and the last one, our talent and our skill level is going up another notch. They’re good enough to come in and challenge guys for minutes next year as freshmen. That will be healthy for the team.”

Following are capsule biographies and quotes about Oregon State’s three signees:

CALVIN HAYNES (6-foot-2, 185 pounds, Reseda, Calif.)
Currently attending South Kent School in South Kent, Conn. … Hoop Scoop has him rated at #31 in the country among fifth-year seniors … Graduated from Taft High School in Woodland Hills, Calif., in 2006 ... A two-time all-state third team, CIF All-Los Angeles City Section first team, Los Angeles Times All-San Fernando Valley first team and L.A. Daily News All-Area first team selection ... Averaged 21.7 points, 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a senior and was the West Valley League co-Player of the Year ... Taft (24-7) reached the L.A. City Section championship game before falling ... Scored 27 points in the championship contest against Westchester ... Named to the 2005-06 Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West second team ... Ranked among the nation’s top 200 seniors by Hoop Scoop ... Ranked #9 among West Coast shooting guards by The Insiders ... Averaged 22.1 points, 5.9 rebounds and 3.4 assists as a junior, helping Taft to a 22-5 record ... Named to the All-West Valley League first team and the all-state underclassman team ... As a sophomore, started in Taft’s backcourt with former UCLA star Jordan Farmar ... Averaged 14.9 points as a sophomore, second best on the team, and hit the game-winning shot in the city championship game ... Played at the 2005 adidas Superstar Camp and was named to the all-camp team.

OMARI JOHNSON (6-foot-7, 205 pounds, Los Angeles, Calif.)

Currently a senior at Dorsey High School in Los Angeles, Calif. … Has been selected to the 2006-07 Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Best in the West third team … Known for his outstanding shooting skills from the outside … Averaged 11 points and seven rebounds while coming off the bench as a junior … Helped Dorsey reach the 2006 CIF L.A. City Section quarterfinals … Was also on the varsity as a sophomore … Has played club basketball with the I-Can All Stars … Was born in Jamaica and also lived in New York.

ILIJA MILUTINOVIC (6-foot-10, 240 pounds, Belgrade, Serbia)

Pronounced ILL-ee-yah MILL-uh-TIN-oh-vitch … Currently attending a year of prep school at the Worcester Academy in Worcester, Mass. … He is a member of Serbia & Montenegro’s Under-18 National Team … Competed at the 2006 Albert Schweitzer Tournament in Mannheim, Germany (one of the top international tournaments for U-18 players), and the Serbia & Montenegro team came in third … Last played at the club level for the KK Hemofarm junior team in Vrsac, Serbia … He averaged 17 points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots last season … Took part in the 2006 ABCD Camp in Teaneck, N.J.

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2006-07 Preview: Team's #121-130

Joel Welser — Mon, 02 Oct 2006 13:53:09 -0700

Capsules of teams ranked 121st to 130th in CHN's 144 Teams in 144 Days Preview.