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July 2nd,
2006
By Joel
Welser
Broadcast Basketball
Oregon
State Beavers
Overall Rank:
#130
Conference
Rank: #9 Pac-10
2005-06:
13-18, 5-13, 8th (t)
2005-06
postseason: none
 Oregon
State's
frontcourt is solid, but the backcourt loses three big players.
That will force some newcomers into action early and often.
Coming off of a disappointing season, things aren’t looking too
great for this season either. The good news is that those young
newcomers are decent and the future doesn’t look as grim as the
present…or the past.
Who’s Out:
Chris Stephens, Jason Fontenet and Lamar Hurd are big loses.
Stephens started 29 games, averaging 11.5 points per game.
Fontenet added on 5.7 points and 2.7 assists, while Hurd had
similar numbers with 5.7 points and 2.6 assists per contest.
While the backcourt takes the majority of the losses, the
frontcourt might take the biggest of them all. Nick Dewitz
averaged 11.6 points and 4.8 rebounds during his senior campaign
and the 6-8 forward’s versatility will be missed.
Who’s In:
Obviously
the depleted backcourt needs some help, and the hope is the
Tarver brothers will provide it. Josh Tarver, a redshirt
freshman coming off of a broken foot, is the answer at point
guard. Josh Tarver might be a little over his head running a
Pac-10 team as a freshman, but his passing and ball handling
skills are sufficient to run the Beavers offense. Josh Tarver
is a decent shooter, but like his brother, the outside shot
could use some work. Seth Tarver is a wing and will find
himself battling for minutes at the two. That lack of outside
shooting might relegate him to the bench, but the 6-5 Portland
product is coming off a great spring and garnering high
expectations. The backcourt gets some shooting help with the
addition of Calvin Haynes and Lathen Wallace. Both players
possess a nice stroke and will provide a much needed shooting
spark off of the bench. Roeland Schaftenaar brings another
protypical European flair to the Beavers. The 6-11 Dutchman
could stand to put on some weight, but he has a nice outside
shot for a man of his stature. Calvin Hampton redshirted after
appearing in five games last year as a freshman and suffering a
shoulder injury. Hampton can steal a few minutes when the other
bigs run into foul trouble or fatigue problems.
Who to Watch:
If
you want to watch the proven talent on the Beavers, watch Sasa
Cuic, Marcel Jones and Kyle Jeffers in the frontcourt. Cuic led
the squad in scoring with 13.5 points per game and tacked on 4.5
rebounds per game. Jones made huge strides heading into his
sophomore campaign, and the junior season should be more of the
same. Jones is a monster on the glass, leading the team with
6.7 boards per game and can score a little bit too, averaging
9.2 points. Jeffers managed to salvage a decent season despite
battling a plethora of small injuries. The 6-9 center averaged
6.3 points, 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 blocks. If he can stay
healthy, those numbers will improve.
Final
Projection:
There is too
much youth in the backcourt to compete with the favorites in the
Pac-10. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t anything but freshmen
on the perimeter. Wesley Washington, Angelo Tsagarakis, Jack
McGillis and Brett Casey all started at least one game last
year. Those four will battle with the Tarver brothers for the
starting spots. If nobody steps up at the shooting guard spot,
look for Coach Jay John to have a steady rotation of shooting
guards coming in and out.
Projected
Post-season Tournament:
none
Projected
Starting Five:
Josh Tarver,
Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Seth Tarver,
Freshman, Guard, DNP last season
Sasa Cuic,
Junior, Forward, 13.5 points per game
Marcel Jones,
Junior, Forward, 9.2 points per game
Kyle Jeffers,
Senior, Center, 6.3 points per game
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