Pac-10 Basketball Preview – Oregon State Beavers
Comments (1) State of the Program
Only one team in the history of Pac-10 Men’s Basketball has gone winless in conference play: the 2007-08 Oregon State Beavers (6-25, 0-18 in Pac-10). That’s right, just two years ago the folks in Corvallis watched in horror as their team wound up in the wrong section of the record book.
The season was so dreadful, that former head coach Jay John became the first coach in the history of OSU athletics to be fired mid-season (John was let go after 6-12, 0-6 record). Interim head coach Kevin Mouton could fare no better, and athletic director Bob De Carolis knew he needed to hit a home run with his next hire or the program might not recover. A handful of big name coaches immediately tuned the job down, likely due to the enormous rebuilding project that was necessary.
While Oregon State may have missed out on the “name” coaches, De Carolis hit a monstrous home run nonetheless. Forget that Craig Robinson is Barack Obama’s brother-in-law (though recruiting has certainly been affected in a positive way), as more importantly, he is one heck of a basketball coach. Needless to say, what Robinson did last season with OSU was nothing short of remarkable. The Beavers finished the season 18-18 (7-11 in Pac-10) and won the CBI championship.
So the question is, can Robinson’s Beavers take the next step this season? Many prognosticators believe a top-3 conference finish is a realistic possibility, as virtually every major contributor from last season returns (G Ricky Claitt being the exception). If the gifted freshman class is as good as advertised, this OSU team will have a real chance to meet those high expectations.
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