Two from Portland, one from Los Angeles and the last from The Netherlands

By Cliff Kirkpatrick
Corvallis Gazette-Times

Oregon State men’s basketball team coach Jay John promised to bring the best in-state talent to Corvallis when he arrived on campus almost four years ago.

He’s now finally delivering on a regular basis.

The Beavers received four signed letters of intent Wednesday from players joining the program next fall. Two of them are from Portland, one from Los Angeles and another from The Netherlands.

Seth Tarver from Jesuit High and Lathen Wallace of Jefferson High were the key local guards John wanted. Calvin Haynes, another guard, comes from LA’s NCAA Division I factory, Taft High, and Roeland Schaftenaar is somewhat a mysterious power forward from overseas.

“When I got the job, I made the pledge to get the best high school players from the state of Oregon, from the best high school programs in the state,” John said. “I think we were able to do that with this recruiting class.”

Tarver was a first-team all-state selection as a junior, helping powerhouse Jesuit to a 4A state title. He averaged 15 points and nearly eight rebounds.

Wallace was third-team all-state and guided Jefferson to the Portland Interscholastic League title. He’s a multitalented ball handler and shooter.

“I think when the program was successful, when it had its great runs in the 1970s and ’80s, we got kids from Oregon,” John said. “We got away from that in the late ’90s and early 2000s. There weren’t a lot of kids coming, they were leaving (the state). It’s good that kids are thinking about OSU now. Success has helped opened up eyes that going to OSU is a good thing.”

There were no surprises with the recruits. The three U.S. players committed relatively early, and Schaftenaar accepted his scholarship offer last week.

All three domestic players are three-star athletes in the Rivals.com five-star rating system. There were two three-star players last year, including Tarver’s brother, Josh.

“I knew it would be a great opportunity to play with my brother, and to be in the same backcourt with him,” Tarver said. “The coaches have definitely turned the program around from where it used to be. I wanted to go to a place where I could develop as a player, and the coaching staff has proven they can do that. The program is on the rise, and I want to be part of it.”

Haynes was a standout with 22.1 points a game in the highly-competitive Los Angeles area. He’s a big-game player who’s been around some of the best in the nation with teammates, opponents and the camps he’s attended.

“I’m thrilled with our incoming freshmen,” John said. “I’m pleased with how every year we’ve been able to improve ourselves. As time goes on, it will reflect in how we perform.”

There were four three-star players in John’s second recruiting class in 2003, but one left the program and another ran out of eligibility after last season. Liam Hughes and Kyle Jeffers remain.

Schaftenaar is unrated since there’s little known about him, but he has a good pedigree with a 7-foot-2 father who played for the Dutch national team.

“Big guys get labeled a project because you don’t know how long it’s going to take,” John said. “But he’s a good athlete right now, and you can’t teach size.”

John was also happy about filling all the team’s future holes in the lineup. Three guards Lamar Hurd, Jason Fontenet and Chris Stephen graduate after this season, as does forward Nick DeWitz.

While there will be an opportunities for the recruits to be impact players, none of them have to fill that role. John believes his coaching staff is molding next year’s starters this season.

“We have developed the program enough, so a lot of it is on them,” John said. “It’s up to them if they are ready. With the amount of games kids play now, they are more ready to play than they are in the past.”

Another sign the Beavers have become more of a destination for high-end talent is that Tarver, Wallace and Haynes turned down scholarship offers from teams such as Arizona, Connecticut and California.

That wouldn’t have happened in the past.

“I feel we went toe-to-toe with guys in recruiting,” John said. “Three years ago, we might not have been able to recruit a class like this.”