Commentary

By Kevin Hampton
Gazette-Times reporter

Angelo Tsagarakis never really wanted to leave Oregon State.

Tsagarakis, the long-range jump shooter with a last name made for PA announcers — Sog-A-ROCK-us! — didn’t see eye to eye with now-deposed men’s basketball coach Jay John.

Too bad for OSU basketball fans, who loved hearing Tsagarakis’ name booming throughout Gill Coliseum after he hit a 3-pointer.

Too bad for Tsagarakis, who didn’t get to finish out his college career in Corvallis. And, really, too bad for John, who could have used an outside threat.

Though to be fair, it looked as if a freak injury to his shoulder had stolen some of Tsagarakis’ touch. Certainly, his play had gone from a free, almost wild abandon approach to sometimes tentative and cautious.

In John’s defensive-oriented philosophy, Tsagarakis was considered too much of a liability. The combination led to bench time.

“I was tired of the situation I had at Oregon State, even though it was hard because it was the school I wanted to be at,” Tsagarakis said.

There were choices. Tsagarakis could have stayed and accepted a reserve role, watching from the bench. He decided to leave for Cal Poly Pomona and more time on the court.

It was a decision he didn’t want to make. He had already made a major move in his young life, coming from Auffreville, France, to Oregon State.

Corvallis had become his home away from home. He was comfortable with the community and enjoyed OSU and playing in Gill Coliseum.

“It was very tough, very tough,” Tsagarakis said. “Jay John did not take my scholarship away, but he told me that my role was not going to change and I would have limited playing time.

“Pretty much in my head I knew I had to leave.”

That was the low point. The turnaround came quickly.

As a basketball player, Tsagarakis was no longer extra baggage to a coaching staff. He became one of the focal points for the Broncos’ offense.

“Right away I was made a team captain,” he said. “I played the point guard and shooting guard, the combo I would have loved to have played at Oregon State, but it didn’t happen.”

He had a high game of 27 points, led the team in scoring 11 times and finished the season with a 15.1 average. He led the team with 2.5 assists a game. He was selected to the all-California Collegiate Athletic Association second team.

The NBA didn’t come calling, but professional basketball in France did.

“It encouraged me to get the confidence I needed to have to get to the professional game,” he said. “It was the breath of fresh air that I needed.”

Tsagarakis signed a contract with JL Bourg Basket in Bourg-en-Bresse to play through the pro B playoffs. He is looking to stick with a pro A team. That could be JL Bourg, because the top two B level teams move up to replace the bottom two A teams each season.

The teams are selective and tryouts can be tough to land unless you are well known as a player or have a connection. Tsagarakis knew general manager Maurice Beyina, so he got the opportunity.

While European pro leagues aren’t known for lockdown defense, games can get rough. Tsagarakis got his first taste of pro ball right after getting off the bench.

“In the first two minutes, I get blasted to the head,” he said. “I was on the floor bleeding. I put my hand to my face and there was blood coming down.”

He left, got a few stitches under his eye and came back in to play 15 minutes and scored four points.

“I came back in the second half with a bandage around my head,” he said. “I was kind of blinded.

“Talk about a pro debut.”

Tsagarakis followed the Beavers throughout their 0-18 Pacific-10 Conference season. He said it was hard to see the team struggle even though he was no longer with it.

He was not surprised by John’s firing.

“I understand that results speak for themselves,” Tsagarakis said. “You could see it coming. You could see that after they lost to Alaska Fairbanks, things weren’t going well. I want OSU to do good. It hurt my feelings to see how it went down after I left.”

He wasn’t aware of Craig Robinson’s hiring and said it will be a tough rebuilding job, but holds out hope for the new coach and the program.

After all, the Beavers are Tsagarakis’ team.

“I think I will always be a part of the Beaver family.”

Kevin Hampton is a sports reporter and columnist for the Gazette-Times. He can be reached at kevin.hampton@lee.net.