Joe Burton saw the ball bouncing free on the floor of Gill Coliseum and charged down the court after it.

The Oregon State men's basketball team trailed Sacramento State early in the second half and Burton, a freshman forward for the Beavers, knew every possession was important to get back into the game.

Burton flung his 294-pound body to the floor, bowling into Hornets as he grappled for the ball.

The end result? A foul.

But Burton was received an ovation from the fans for his hustle.

Coach Craig Robinson said he hadn't seen anybody make a play like that since he started coaching the Beavers.

"It was the first time I've seen a guy that size make that kind of play," Robinson said. "That was really impressive."

Burton took the praise for the play in stride.

After all, he was taught to go all-out and dive to get at a loose ball.

"That's just been my style of play since I was young," Burton said. "My grandpa told me always hustle after the ball, no matter what, put your body on the line. That's what I did."

The Beavers have needed a big man with a physical presence on the court and Burton has fit the bill so far.

He averages 6.5 points and 4.8 rebounds a game. He had nine rebounds against Texas Tech and eight against the Hornets.

"They needed a rebounder and I found out when I did the Texas Tech game I had nine rebounds and I just figured that my role could be to go out there and get rebounds, offense and defense," Burton said. "So my focus is to score but also get as many rebounds as I can while I'm in the game."

Burton looks the part. He is listed at 6-foot-7, 295 pounds but said he was 317 when he stepped on campus. He's been working on slimming down and is currently at 294.

"We're lifting weights and it's turning into muscle, so it's kind of hard losing weight and I've gained some pounds back because of the muscle," he said. "They want me to get down to 280. So it's like a work in progress."

His progress was slowed some at the start of the season when he suffered a relapse of a bout of walking pneumonia and missed some practice time, but Burton quickly bounced back.

Burton's teammates have noticed the work he's put in and know he's serious about getting better.

"He shaved a couple pounds off since he's been here and that's a big improvement for him," freshman guard Jared Cunningham said. "He keeps doing that, get more playing time and he'll be in there."

Cunningham said Burton runs the floor well for a big man and is nimble around the basket.

"We just get the ball in to him in the post and he just does whatever he can do," Cunningham said. "He likes the spin move a lot, so that's what his go-to move is, so we love when he does that and he makes buckets."

Robinson has noticed Burton as well. It doesn't hurt to do some floor diving on occasion.

"With all the freshmen I try to temper my expectations because they are just freshmen and I try not to put that kind of pressure on them, but he has certainly in his play, earning more playing time," Robinson said. "He's been proving that we're good recruiters, that's what he's proving. He's just turning out to be a terrific player."