The Oregon State men’s basketball team lost a two-year veteran on Thursday, but gained a transfer in an exchange that leaves the Beavers bigger, stronger and younger.

OSU coach Jay John said that junior Jack McGillis, a 6-foot-6 shooting guard/small forward from Missoula, Mont., has left the program and will transfer to an unspecified school. McGillis played in 32 games in 2007 and averaged 5.7 points and 2.2 rebounds, primarily as the first or second player off the bench.

However, the Gazette-Times has learned that Daniel Deane, a 6-foot-8, 245-pound forward from Park City, Utah, who played at Utah in 2007, will enroll at OSU shortly once administrative paperwork has been cleared up. He was the state Gatorade and Deseret Morning News player of the year in 2006 as a senior at Judge Memorial High, and he averaged 3.9 points and 2.7 rebounds in spot duty with the Utes in 2007.

Deane must sit out the 2007-08 season under NCAA transfer rules, but will have three years of eligibility remaining starting in 2008-09. His father, Greg Deane, played at Utah from 1975-79 and was drafted by the Utah Jazz.

McGillis had been waffling whether to leave or stay throughout this week, the Beavers’ last in the Corvallis before they depart on a 10-day trip to Europe on Aug. 21. He made his decision on Wednesday and was not at practice that night.

“Jack got homesick and we wish him the best,” John said Thursday.

McGillis has asked for his release and it will be granted, with specific conditions, so he can receive athletic financial aid at his new school, sources within the university said. If those conditions aren’t met, McGillis can transfer to any school he wishes but wouldn’t be eligible for athletic financial aid until the 2008-09 season.

Known for his hustle, McGillis graduated from Hellgate High in Missoula in 2005, was selected as the top player in the state and originally planned to walk on at Washington. However, he received a late scholarship offer from OSU and eventually lettered as a true freshman, averaging 1.9 points and 1.0 rebounds in 28 games.

His playing time increased substantially in 2007 to 20 minutes a game. He shot .406 from the field and .359 from 3-point range, second-best on the team for players with 50 or more attempts. His best game was at California, where he scored 24 points off the bench in an 84-80 overtime loss.

John said senior Marcel Jones, sophomore Seth Tarver and freshmen Calvin Haynes, Lathan Wallace and Mike Stovall would take McGillis’ minutes at the “3”.

Deane is fully qualified, graduated from high school with a 3.75 grade-point average and was a pre-engineering major at Utah. He was recruited by Stanford, Gonzaga and Kansas out of high school, and by several other Pac-10 programs once it became known he was leaving Utah following a change in the coaching staff.

He was first-team “Best of the West” by the Long Beach Press Telegram newspaper, and ranked as the 56th best prospect in the country by USA Today after his senior season. He averaged 16.5 points, 14 rebounds and three blocks and was the MVP of the state Class 3A tournament, which Judge Memorial won.

OSU coaches cannot comment on Deane until he has enrolled in school.

Deane’s playing time increased steadily in 2006-07 when he averaged 7.2 points and 4.0 rebounds over his final nine appearances. He had five double-figure games in that stretch, scoring 12 points against Wyoming, 11 vs. UNLV and 10 against TCU, New Mexico and UNLV, and had seven rebounds vs. New Mexico, six against UNLV and five against San Diego State.