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Posted: Monday November 04, 2002 9:09 PM Updated: Wednesday November 06, 2002 1:01 PM Oregon State Beavers
The following preview is provided by Blue Ribbon. For the most thorough preview available of the upcoming season, order the 2002-03 Blue Ribbon College Basketball Yearbook, on sale now at 1-800-775-2518. Team Preview | Blue Ribbon Analysis
With three coaches in four years, you might think the Oregon State basketball players would be stumbling over each other in the transfer line. Au contraire. "This is as positive as I have been for a season since I’ve been at Oregon State," senior forward Brian Jackson said. "It’s been mentally tough around this program for a few years, but the new coaching staff has created a fresh attitude and the guys are excited again to be playing basketball." That new staff is headed by Jay John, who on April 9, 2002, became the 19th head coach in the history of the 12th-winningest program in the nation. He succeeds Ritchie McKay, who took the University of New Mexico job. John is only the seventh OSU coach since 1928. This is his first Division I head coaching position after 15 years as an assistant at San Francisco, Butler, Oregon and most recently Arizona. "Coach John has been a successful recruiter at every level of college basketball, and he understands how to teach the game," Arizona coach Lute Olson said. "He was instrumental in building programs at other schools, and now he’s ready to build his own program." The cupboard is hardly bare, with four starters and 10 lettermen returning. The senior duo of Jackson (11.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg) and 6-foot-7 senior forward Philip Ricci (16.2 ppg, 7.1 rpg) form one of the best inside tandems in the Pac-10. Ricci led the Beavers in scoring and rebounding last year while being double-teamed a majority of the time. He was selected team MVP. "Philip has a great feel for where the defense is," John said, "and, combining that with his strength, it makes him very difficult to defend."
John says he hopes Ricci can improve his perimeter shooting, "but overall I certainly expect him to have a better year than he did last season -- which was pretty good." Barring injury, Jackson will become the 29th OSU player to score 1,000 points. "Brian has worked extremely hard during the offseason and is in the best shape of his life," John said of the 6-foot-9, 240-pound forward. "He’s going to have his best season by far this year." Playing behind Ricci and Jackson in the paint are 6-foot-7 junior Jarman Sample (1.2 ppg, 1.4 rpg), sophomores Derek Potter (0.3 ppg, 1.1 rpg) and David Lucas (0.3 ppg, 0.3 rpg) and freshman Kevin Field, a 6-foot-10, 250-pound center from Wilson (Wash.) High School. Field averaged 18.3 points, 13.8 rebounds and 3.7 blocks his senior year. "I want Kevin to get a taste of playing at this level this year," John said of Field, who turned 18 last May. "I’m not anticipating red-shirting anybody on the team." In the backcourt, three-year letterman Jimmie Haywood returns after leaving the program -- then coached by McKay -- on Feb. 18 with five games remaining. "Words can’t describe how excited I am to be a part of this program again," Haywood said after John was hired as head coach. The 6-foot-2 senior guard averaged nine points and 2.9 rebounds last year, and has long been considered one of the top athletes in the nation. He is eighth all-time at OSU with 93 3-pointers. "Jimmie needs to shoot the ball more," John said. "He always played very well against Arizona when I was on the staff, and I see no reason why he’s not going to have the best season of his career. His ability to hit jumpers from the outside will open up some spacing around the court for other players, which will make our offense much improved." The other returning starter is J.S. Nash, a 6-foot-1 sophomore guard who averaged 5.7 points and 2.1 assists. He is expected to see more action at shooting guard than point guard this season. "I want him to develop his shot," John said. Also back is 6-foot-4 sophomore small forward Floyd North III (4.7 ppg, 2.8 rpg) and 5-foot-8 senior guard Mike Cokley (0.8 ppg, 0.2 apg). "Floyd has improved a great deal," John said. "As his outside jumper improves, he will become more of a threat." The Beavers’ freshmen on the perimeter include point guard Lamar Hurd and swingman Justin Holt. The 6-foot-4 Hurd is a highly touted recruit from New Caney, Texas, and could see immediate action. He averaged 9.8 points, 9.7 assists and eight rebounds last season while playing for Heritage Christian. He was ranked the No. 2 point guard in the Houston area by one recruiting service and the 90th best player in the nation by another. He also was the first player to sign with John. "He has the opportunity to be the point guard of this team this season," John said. "I don’t expect Lamar to average more than 25 minutes per game, but if we are to have a good season, we need him to be able to shoulder a good percentage of the point-guard load." Jay compares the 6-foot-6 Holt to Floyd a year ago. "He’s more of an inside/outside slasher-type player," the coach said. "Justin needs to develop a more consistent outside jumper, and when he does he’ll be a more complete player. He’ll play considerably this season." Vic Remmers, a 6-foot-4 sophomore guard, also returns. He saw limited action last year and averaged only 0.6 points per game. The Beavers lose four players from last season -- 6-foot-5 guard Adam Masten averaged 7.6 points and 3.5 rebounds, and 6-foot guard Brandon Payton averaged 5.3 points and 1.6 rebounds. Another player, 5-foot-11 guard Joe See, left the program in June after a freshman season in which he averaged 6.1 points and led the Beavers with 43 3-pointers. Ian Elseth, a 6-foot-7 forward who averaged one point, has embarked on a two-year mission and will rejoin the program for the 2004-05 season. Jay expects a more up-tempo game in Corvallis this season, but one that is under control. "We’re not going to play with an attitude that we are inferior," he said. "The programs that are thriving possess a certain level of talent, and they are playing a style that maximizes their talent. "We want to run, but I'm not saying we’re going to throw the ball down the court and let everybody break loose." The players seem to like their new coach, and that’s essential to forming cohesiveness throughout the program. "I already get a sense that there is better unity and togetherness than there was the day I was hired," said John, whose team played five exhibition games in Australia in August. "We have things in place in this program that will allow this team to improve and be successful." Jay has received praise throughout the basketball world for his hard work as an assistant. OSU hasn't posted a winning season since 1990, but nobody would be surprised if John turned the Beavers around quickly. "Jay John is a player’s coach in every sense of the word," Nebraska head coach Barry Collier said. "I’m positive he will be successful at Oregon State. The people surrounding the program will soon come to know him as an excellent coach, recruiter and person."
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