Commentary

By Kevin Hampton
Gazette-Times reporter

The scene has become ugly in legendary Gill Coliseum.

The venerable gym was once home to a West Coast power led through the decades by Dave Gambee, Mel Counts, Lonnie Shelton, Charlie Sitton, Steve Johnson, A.C. Green, Gary Payton.

Wake up these echoes? The few fans who bothered to turn out for OSU’s loss to Tennessee Tech on Sunday afternoon probably would be terrified of the prospect of Ralph Miller showing up for a look at his legacy.

Or maybe they’d welcome it. Anything for a change.

The excitement that permeated Gill for so many years is absent. Long gone. At the half, crowds huddled around the TV in the concourse to catch a glimpse of NFL highlights and stuff down a Beaver dog.

There were no heated arguments over who should be playing point guard. No crowing over C.J. Giles, who played a scant eight minutes in the first half.

At some schools, the mere presence of Giles, who was making his first home appearance for the Beavers, would be good for a packed house.

Not at Oregon State. Not now.

The frustration was palpable. One or two OSU fans stood to applaud Tennessee Tech after a breakaway dunk, presumably in hope that the worse it gets, the quicker coach Jay John goes.

Die-hards booed the Beavers as they huddled one last time before the final buzzer and gave John another round when the team left the court after the 79-62 loss to the 4-7 Golden Eagles.

A bad loss for John, who can’t afford any this season.

Change will come sooner or later, on the court or the bench.

Whatever happens, this team will not start from scratch next year. That’s reason for optimism.

Yes. Optimism.

The Beavers have some talent. They’re young and athletic, but also raw and probably a little confused. But given the right circumstances, they can play.

Maybe even win.

Five freshmen and five sophomores are listed on the OSU roster. Marcel Jones is the lone senior.

On Sunday, sophomores Calvin Hampton, Roeland Schaftenaar, Seth and Josh Tarver all saw playing time, as did freshmen Calvin Haynes, Omari Johnson, Sean Carter and Lathen Wallace.

Jones and junior transfers Rickey Claitt and Giles were the only upperclassmen to play.

The aspect that really stands out is the team’s height. Now that the 6-foot-11 Giles has joined the team, the Beavers can bring in Schaftenaar at 6-11, Hampton at 6-10 and Carter at 6-9.

It’s hard not to watch Giles. He’s hyperactive on defense, constantly moving, leaping to swipe away shots and snag rebounds. He had seven rebounds in eight minutes in the first half against Tennessee Tech.

Even though Giles’ tendency to reach, slap and grab has led to an early seat in his games so far, he has the length to change the game on the defensive end. He shows good touch on his jump shot, but his offensive game in the post needs polish. Still, there’s no doubt he can be an impact player.

Carter shows flashes of big time potential. He worked hard in the paint and had some nice passes on Sunday.

At point guard, Claitt is whippet-quick and pushes the ball up the court. He didn’t show hesitation in driving to the basket, but needs the go-ahead to take complete command of the offense.

If the offense clicks, Seth Tarver could benefit the most. At 6-5, 205-pounds, he has the build and skills to create match-up problems. Tarver can take the ball inside or shoot jumpers and add extra rebounding to the mix. He had 14 points and seven boards against the Golden Eagles.

These are the Oregon State basketball players. They’ve inherited a great tradition and a bad situation.

This year, they will hear more boos from the stands and rumblings about John’s job.

Let’s hope they’re resilient.

It’s going to be a long season.

Kevin Hampton covers sports for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at kevin.hampton@lee.net.