Men's Basketball Heading Overseas In August For European Tour
May 16, 2012
CORVALLIS, Ore. - The Oregon State men's basketball team will embark on a trip to Europe Aug. 18-28, giving the Beavers 10 additional days of practice time and competition against quality opponents that will benefit the mixture of veterans and newcomers heading into the 2012-13 season.
College basketball teams are allowed to participate in preseason international trips every four years and head coach Craig Robinson said the timing couldn't be better for Oregon State with six newcomers eligible to compete for playing time next season.
"As far as our European trip goes, we wanted to do it in a year when we have a lot of incoming players," Robinson said. "With our four freshmen coming in, plus Daniel Gomis, who didn't play last year, and Mike Moyer, who was a transfer last year and didn't play, the timing works out perfectly. That's six guys who are going to get some game experience from this trip, first and foremost. Secondly, with this trip in preparing for these games, you get 10 days of practice. So that's going to be real helpful for this group of newcomers."
The newest addition to the roster is Victor Robbins, a 6-foot-6, 185-pound small forward from Compton, Calif., who was a three-star recruit and brings athleticism and versatility to a team that is already known as one of the most athletic in the Pac-12 Conference.
"Victor Robbins is a good late addition; about as good as you can get," Robinson said. "He's athletic. He can play multiple positions. He's a really good ball handler for his size. He is also good at getting to the basket. If you look at his stats in games, he's more of a triple-double type threat than he is to get 40 points in a game. But he's got the ability to make shots as well as the ability to defend bigger guards. So he has a lot of tools that will help us right away."
The other three incoming freshmen include Langston Morris-Walker, a 6-5, 200-pound small forward from Berkeley, Calif., Maika Ostling, a 6-10, 230-pound center from Dayton, Ore., and Jarmal Reid, a 6-7, 225-pound small forward from Decatur, Ga.
Two other players, who were able to practice with the Beavers last season but didn't see any playing time, are Daniel Gomis, a 6-10, 225-pound forward from Theis, Senegal, and Michael Moyer, a 6-2, 205-pound guard from Turner, Ore. Gomis redshirted last season after suffering a broken leg the summer before his freshman season and Moyer had to sit out the year after transferring from St. John Fisher College in Rochester, N.Y.
"I think what we have been lacking in the past is wing players," Robinson said. "We've had a good group of guards and a good group of big guys. We haven't really had a true sort of small forward slashing type. Between Jarmal Reid and Victor Robbins, I think we are going to really shore up that position. And then we'll add some depth at guard with Langston Morris-Walker, who is going to be more of a guard than a forward. Jarmal and Victor are more forwards than guards, but all of them kind of morph into each other's positions."
The biggest topic of the offseason has been how the Beavers will replace Jared Cunningham, who declared early for the NBA Draft after averaging 17.9 points and 2.5 steals per game his junior season to earn All-Pac-12 First Team and All-Defensive Team honors.
"Our focus is not going to be on replacing Jared. It's going to be about everybody getting better," Robinson said. "If everyone gets better I think what we want to do is absorb his stats rather than replace them. So they'll be taken up by other guys. And then when you add a layer of depth that we are going to get with Daniel Gomis and the four freshmen, I think we might be in an even better position than we were last year, even though we've lost a great player like Jared."
Oregon State will return four starters next season with Ahmad Starks at guard, Devon Collier and Eric Moreland at forward and Angus Brandt at center. Forward/center Joe Burton also started 21 games last season, while guards Roberto Nelson and Challe Barton each saw plenty of playing time, giving the Beavers several experienced players to assist the newcomers.
"I think that we are going to be looking for a lot out of Roberto Nelson," Robinson said. "He should move from sixth man to a regular starter, even though he was playing starter's minutes last year. So he is going to be a big key. I think Eric Moreland has to get into more of a leadership role on the court and be playing more minutes. I think those two are going to be really important. I also think Challe Barton is going to surprise a lot of people. He's putting in a lot of good work here in the spring. He's going to be pushing those upperclassmen for playing time."
The game schedule for the European trip is still being worked on, but Robinson said the Beavers will face some very good teams and give the student-athletes time to enjoy the cultural experience of the trip.
"We are planning on playing a couple of games in Spain and would love to play a game in the south of France," he said. "We are hoping that we can get a nice sort of team-bonding experience out of it, as well as some cultural nuances that the guys can look back on as great memories. I think from a cultural standpoint and a team-bonding standpoint this trip is going to be something that is going to be enjoyable for everyone."
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