Transfers Impacting Oregon State and UCF Ahead of "The Crown" Basketball Tournament
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Will the last one out please turn off the lights?
In less than a week, Oregon State's men's basketball team has lost four players to the transfer portal - Michael Rataj, Da'John Craig, Nate Kingz, and Parsa Fallah - three starters.
On Tuesday April 1st, the Beavers face UCF Golden Knights in the opening round of The Crown postseason tournament in Las Vegas. Coach Johnny Dawkins' team from the Big-12 have a similar problem: they've lost 7 players to the portal so far.
With each team staring down depleted rosters, here are 3 things to expect on Tuesday.
1. Oregon State Has to Play Small
Earlier this week when I wrote about Oregon State's transfer portal woes, I offered this saving grace: "The Beavers still have Parsa Fallah". You can now throw that in the trash bin.
Behind Fallah, Oregon State have 7'1" Englishman Matthew Marsh. He averaged a career high 18.3 minutes per game in the 2022-23 season, averaging 6.1 points and a meager 4.2 rebounds that year. His minutes have declined precipitously in the following seasons. Oregon State may be better off going small, with Josiah Lake II as a third guard paired alongside Damarco Minor, Liutaraus "LT" Lelevicius, and a bullpen of rotation wing players.
2. Oregon State Can Exploit's UCF Thin Bench
Fans of the orange & black might be feeling blue this week, with good reason, after losing 4 players in the portal.
Try 7.
That's how many UCF players entered the portal this week. UCF junior wing Keyshawn Hall is the biggest name of the bunch - he averaged 18.6 PPG and 7 rebounds this season - and he is flanked by 5 other departees with games started this season, and 1 freshman backup. Hall was the only consistent starter, but that's still a significant amount of minutes leaving the program. Those who remain lack game experience.
If Wayne Tinkle's defense can dial up the pressure, they might find success exploiting the inexperience of UCF's bench players.
3. Coaches Need to Get Creative
Pro Football Hall of Famer Bill Parcells once offered a great line about roster-building: "If they [ownership] want you to cook the dinner, they at least ought to let you shop for some of the groceries."
Extending this analogy, the transfer portal is like a refrigerator going out in the middle of the night. Food begins to spoil. What happens then? The great coaches find a way to cook the dinner with what they have.
Wayne Tinkle bought the groceries. Those groceries are going bad, and now Wayne has to find a way to cook the dinner. Lose your best player - your captain - to the portal? Lose two of your best wings, and your starting center? Get creative.
Tinkle has garnered substantial criticism from fans through the years, but no one denies his ability to scheme up a variety of zone defenses. Oregon State will need him to go back to the drawing board Tuesday.
More Reading Material From Oregon State Beavers On SI
Matt fell in love with radio during his college days at Oregon Tech, and pursued a nine year career in sports broadcasting with Klamath Falls' and Medford's highest-rated sports radio stations. He currently lives in McMinnville wine country and is excited to talk about the Beavers again.