Michigan Basketball Coach Reportedly Emerging as Frontrunner for Oregon State Job

Michigan basketball assistant coach Justin Joyner has emerged as a candidate for the open head coaching position at Oregon State, according to a report from James Crepea from The Oregonian/Oregon Live.

Justin Joyner is emerging as the frontrunner for the Oregon State MBB job.

This would be interesting, as his wife Tracy is the Oregon women's soccer coach.https://t.co/Q9oigk0V6N
— Nick Daschel (@nickdaschel) March 7, 2026

Not only has Joyner emerged as a candidate, but he may very well be the frontrunner, a source told Oregon Live as relayed in Saturday's report.

The Beavers fired former head coach Wayne Tinkle late last month after posting a 16-14 record this season.

Tinkle's exit came after a 12-year run with the program, where he compiled a 175-204 overall record with an 82-141 mark in conference play.

While leading Oregon State to an improbable Elite 8 appearance in 2021 as a 12-seed, OSU never finished higher than fourth during Tinkle's 10 years in the PAC-12. The Beavers just concluded their first season in the WCC with a fifth-place finish.

"We are grateful to Wayne for his dedication to Oregon State and for the leadership he has provided our men's basketball program," Oregon State athletic director Scott Barnes said in a statement. "He has represented Beaver Nation with integrity and commitment. As we approach the dawn of the new Pac-12 era, we believe it is in the best interest of our men's basketball program to transition to its next chapter. These decisions are never easy, but we are focused on positioning our program for sustained success in a rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape."

Wayne Tinkle yells — Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle calls to his team during the second half of their game against Oregon at Matthew Knight Arena in Eugene Nov. 17, 2025. | Chris Pietsch/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The PAC-12 is set to relaunch this summer with Oregon State included, but the basketball program will be looking to get a fresh start before that takes place.

Justin Joyner's coaching history

Joyner is in his second season in Ann Arbor, following head coach Dusty May to Michigan last season after a seven-year coaching stint at Saint Mary's College in California.

He has helped the Wolverines to both a Big Ten Tournament and regular season title so far, along with a Sweet 16 appearance last season.

Joyner got started in coaching working as an individual skill development coach after completing his schooling at UC Santa Barbara along with coaching on the AAU circuit.

He joined head coach Randy Bennett at Saint Mary's College in 2017 as the Director of Basketball Operations before being promoted to an assistant coach the following season.

In 2022-23, Bennett appointed Joyner as the associate head coach after four years as an assistant.

Justin Joyner signals — Michigan assistant coach Justin Joyner and head coach Dusty May signal players during a play against Northwestern in the overtime at Crisler Center in Ann Arbor on Sunday, Jan. 19, 2025. | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

During Joyner's seven seasons under Bennett, the Gaels posted a 171-60 record with an 83-24 mark in WCC play.

Joyner's playing days included playing college basketball at UC Santa Barbara from 2006-11 and was a three-time captain and named to the 2007 All-Big West All-Freshman Team.

He is married to Tracy (Hamm) Joyner, who is the current women's soccer head coach at Oregon, which would bring them to working in the same state if Justin Joyner got the job with the Beavers.