Beavers Announce 2016-17 Recruiting Class
November 11, 2015 | Men's Basketball
CORVALLIS, Ore. – Oregon State men's basketball head coach Wayne Tinkle and his staff announced the addition of three student-athletes who signed National Letters of Intent on Wednesday.
The 2016-17 class includes Keondre Dew, a 6-foot-8, 215-pound small forward from San Bernardino, Calif.; Ben Koné, a 6-foot-9, 235-pound power forward from San Jose, Calif.; and JaQuori McLaughlin, a 6-foot-4, 180-pound point guard from Gig Harbor, Wash.
“We are very excited about this class,” Tinkle said. “We knew as a staff that we were going to be able to recruit and follow the momentum from the 2015 class. We couldn't be more thrilled than the three initial signees here and looking forward to following them and their seasons this year, but then getting them on campus next season.
“We looked at what we are losing. If you look at the five seniors that we have, it's pretty much somebody at each position. We knew that we were going to need another point guard to replace Gary Payton II, as hard as that's going to be. We lose some wings so we knew we needed a wing with some size. We lose a couple of post players.
“We felt like those were our three top priorities, and we got the top kid at each position that we were recruiting. So we are very excited about the group.”
Keondre Dew (pronounced kee-on-dray)
Dew is currently attending City College of San Francisco after playing at the University of Tulsa in 2014-15. He was a three-star recruit and was ranked as the No. 12 player in Florida after averaging 17 points, nine rebounds and 2.5 assists for the Elev8 Sports Institute in Delray Beach as a senior.
The small forward played two years at Impact Basketball Academy in Las Vegas, Nev., before averaging 20.3 points and 11 rebounds as a junior at Elev8.
Dew will be a junior in 2016-17. His uncle, Bryon Russell, played 12 years in the NBA; his cousin, O.J. Mayo, currently plays for the Milwaukie Bucks. He chose Oregon State because of the “great coaching staff, great teammates, great people and it's a great place to be.”
Coming out of high school, ESPN.com said this about Dew:
“Dew has an ideal frame with long arms, solid shoulder width, and enough muscle mass to play college basketball right now. He is innate scorer inside and out and his 3-point stroke is smooth. In addition, he can post up and convert buckets over his left shoulder. If a team zones, coaches can put him at the high post where he can facilitate or face-up and attack the defense with the drive.”
Wayne Tinkle on Keondre Dew: “He's a legit 6-foot-8 and the neat thing is that I think he can play multiple positions offensively. He can guard multiple positions defensively. He's very long and an above-average athlete. He really handles the ball well for his size. I mean he gets down lower than most point guards.
“He's a good shot maker from 15 feet and in. He can pass and is a willing passer. We feel like he's a guy who can push the ball on a defensive rebound knowing that he'll handle it just fine and make the right decision. With his size, we can post him up whether he's a wing or a post.
“His versatility is going to be a real strength. We bring in an experienced, veteran college player with great maturity that we know is a good teammate and will help lead these guys.”
Ben Koné (pronounced koe-nay)
Koné attends Archbishop Mitty High School in San Jose, Calif., where he is rated as a three-star forward by ESPN and Scout. He was named the San Jose Mercury News Player of the Year after averaging 20.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.2 blocks as a junior. Koné played his best in the final three games of the season, when he averaged 25 points and 18.7 rebounds.
He chose Oregon State because of the “coaches and it just felt right to me. It feels nothing like home but instead feels like a place that's going to develop me into the basketball player I want to be in the future.”
ESPN.com describes Koné as:
“A physical specimen for someone so young. He has good length (long arms) and he is deceptively bouncy. He can drop step and finish at rim level and he has solid hands.”
Wayne Tinkle on Ben Koné: “What we saw with Ben is a kid that plays with an incredible amount of intensity and focus on both ends. A lot of emotion, but harnessed not wild, and then we saw what we thought were the things that could be strengths of his like his back to the basket play and the fact that he could step away. He's a leader, he's very vocal and talented, and we knew he's a great kid by the way his mother raised him.
“We think that he's going to come in and address some issues and some needs in the post and even on the perimeter a little bit and bring a different dynamic. He's very secure in who he is. He's going to come in right away and give us everything we are asking and not try to hide himself until he feels like he's earned it.”
JaQuori McLaughlin (pronounced juh-korey muc-loflin)
McLaughlin attends Peninsula High School in Gig Harbor, Wash., where he is a consensus four-star point guard and ranked the 69th best player in the nation by Rivals, 79th best by Scout and 93rd best by 247 Sports. Heading into his senior season, he already holds nine school records, including career points, single-season points, career 3-pointers made and single-season free throw percentage.
He was named Associated Press first-team All-State 3A; Tacoma News Tribune first-team All-Area; 3A SPSL League Most Valuable Player, and the two-time Tacoma Athletic Commission Boys Basketball Athlete of the Year. He has also been named SPSL 3A first-team All-League every season since his freshman year.
ESPN.com describes McLaughlin as:
“A fast-rising point guard from the Pacific Northwest. The willowy lead guard keeps his handle low and tight when he attacks defenders and his burst is deceptive. He can knock in jump shots as well and create plays for his teammates. He has the ability to create space with the dribble and the allusiveness to maneuver his way to the rim for the finish. Defensively, due to his length and savvy, he could be a lock down defender going forward.”
Wayne Tinkle on JaQuori McLaughlin: “He's a guy that can really handle the ball. He has great length at 6-foot-3, 6-foot-4. He's athletic. He was measured with a 40-inch vertical at the Under Armour deal. He can shoot it but he's a pass first point guard.
“The last couple of summers and springs, being out there on the road, he was the one guy that we identified as our kind of point guard. Looking to distribute, setting up his teammates and then it's really neat that he can make plays for himself and shots when the time calls for it. He's a willing passer. A lot of point guards you see these days are just trying to get theirs. He's a guy that we feel like brings the total package.”
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