| 14 March 2011
When the NCAA Tournament tips off at 12:30 on Tuesday afternoon, the Oregon State Beavers will again be watching from afar, having been bounced out of the Pac-10 Tournament on March 10 by Arizona, 78-69.
The Beavers entered the season with high expectations, with some analysts suggesting that OSU could finish in the top half of the conference, and players saying the team would be playing in The Big Dance. "That's where we're headed," Calvin Haynes told us last summer.
Not happening. The Beavers didn't even win enough games for an invitation to a small-beans tournament like the College Basketball Invitational, in which they've played the past two years.
Have coach Craig Robinson's Beavers regressed? Robinson took the Beavers from winless in the Pac-10 (6-25 overall) prior to his arrival to 7-11 in the conference (18-18 overall) in 2008-2009. Last season, OSU improved again in the Pac-10, going 8-10. This season, though, the Beavers went only 5-13 in the Pac-10, and it's not as if the conference competition has improved dramatically. As the win-loss record stands, yes, the team has regressed.
Nothing's ever as simple as numbers suggest, though.
Robinson has preached patience. He's repeatedly said that rebuilding a program takes more than 2-3 years. It's not as if the Beavers didn't make improvements in some ways this year: OSU won its first Pac-10 Tournament game in five years when the Beavers downed Stanford, 69-67, on March 9, they earned wins at home against top Pac-10 teams Washington and Arizona, and the Beavers now claim an All Pac-10 player who earned national attention multiple times this year.
We'll look at some of the high points in this entry to the Hardwood Notebook. The low points, and how they'll be addressed? Let's save that for another day.
Positive Notes
Big Wins: Despite OSU's poor conference record, 5-13, the Beavers defeated two top 25 teams at home this year, first taking down Arizona, 76-75, on Jan. 2, then beating the Washington Huskies, 68-56, on Feb. 3. It was clear all season that the Beavers could play with any team in the conference, particularly at home. Finally, OSU won a Pac-10 game away from Gill Coliseum in Corvallis when they defeated Stanford, 69-67, in the first game of the conference tournament on March 9. It was the Beavers' first Pac-10 tournament win under Craig Robinson. That's progress.
Freshmen Growth: A close look at the OSU roster suggests that the future remains bright for the Beavers, despite the team's disappointing 2010-2011 record. This team is young. Freshmen guards Ahmad Starks and Roberto Nelson finished the season averaging 7.8 and 7.5 points per game respectively, with only Jared Cunningham (14.2) and Calvin Haynes (9.3) averaging more points per game on the team. While their shooting percentages and shot selections will continue to improve, both players showed an ability to score from anywhere on the floor at times this year -- few shooters have the kind of range that Starks and Nelson possess. They're fast, they're smart, they play defense, and they have three more years of eligibility.
The most impressive freshman, though, was Devon Collier. Hands down. The 6-foot-7 forward set the OSU record for blocks by a freshman with 23, surpassing Gary Payton -- yes, point guard Gary Payton -- who had 20 blocks as a freshman in 1986-1987. Collier's numbers are somewhat misleading; he averaged 7 points and 4.4 rebounds, but only played an average of 20 minutes on the season. Collier's numbers improved by a point and a rebound per game in conference play, though, and he was the Beavers' only reliable scoring option on the block this season despite being repeatedly double-teamed and hacked. Collier went to the line the second most of any Beaver, shooting 108 foul shots, but he converted only 56% of his free throws, a percentage that is sure to improve. Collier's ceiling is high, and he could become an all-conference player before his time at OSU is up. He averaged 14 points, 7.5 boards, and 2 blocks per game in the Pac-10 Tournament.
Keep freshman center Chris Brown on your radar -- not that he's easy to miss. The big guy didn't play much, logging only a few minutes per game in 15 appearances, but late in the season his size, wingspan, and soft hands were all evident when Robinson put him in the game. Brown is 6-foot-11, 262 pounds, with a 7-foot-6 wingspan. If he can stay out of foul trouble, he might bring down a backboard or two around the Pac-10 in the next few years.
The Rise of Jared Cunningham: You've heard a lot about Cunningham from us this year. He told us, early on, that he was bound to have a big season, and he didn't disappoint. Cunningham was an All Pac-10 Second Team selection this year, an All Pac-10 Defensive Team selection, and, most recently, the sophomore guard was named to the Pac-10 All-Tournament Team. Cunningham averaged 14.2 points per game on 44% shooting, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, and he set the OSU sophomore record for steals in a season with 85; he was among the top 8 in the nation in steals throughout the season. In two Pac-10 Tournament games, Cunningham averaged 23.5 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 4 steals, tying his career-high with 24 points against Stanford.
Cunningham's individual accomplishments are impressive, no doubt, but what's good for Jared is good for the team. His putback slam against Arizona Jan. 2 is up for CBS Sports' Dunk of the Year, and that dunk -- along with a reverse ally-oop in OSU's second game against Arizona on March 3 -- made Sportscenter's Top 10 plays. When a program isn't playing in the NCAA Tournament, and in fact hasn't set foot in The Big Dance since 1990, it can use all the national attention it can get. Cunningham brought that attention to the program this year.
Final Thoughts: This was a tough season for the players, the coaches, and Beavers fans, but there's more than a silver lining around the 2010-2011 season -- there are undeniable reasons to be excited for the future of OSU basketball. As young players develop individually and become more comfortable together as a team -- and many players were not comfortable this year, particularly seniors -- wins will come. Postseason tournament games will come. NCAA Tournament games, even, will come in time.
photo: associated press
| Next > |
|---|
