Catching up with Oregon State Signee Rodrigue Andela

With the Oregon State men's basketball team focusing its attention on the 2020-21 campaign, BeaversEdge.com Managing Editor Brenden Slaughter caught up with JUCO big man Rodrigue Andela to get his thoughts on joining the program and what drew him to Corvallis and head coach Wayne Tinkle.

Q: How are things going for you?

Rodrigue Andela: "Things are good. I'm actually on campus now. I got cleared from the COVID testing and will start conditioning tomorrow with the team. I really wanted to get here early and be settled when everyone comes back. I've also got some summer classes to take too, so that was another reason I wanted to be here early."

Q: What led you to choose Oregon State?

RA: "I came here because I believe that as a big man, I can really thrive here. I wanted to go somewhere where I could play as a big man and where that position would be valued. I see myself having a lot of playing time here and that was really important to me. OSU is also a great place to get my degree and that's really important to me too."

Q: What's your relationship like with Coach Tinkle and what made the Beavers an attractive option to you?

RA: "When he came to see at my JUCO, we really hit it off and he was able to tell me pretty much everything about Oregon State. I liked him a lot and there was something about him being a big man with playing and coaching experience that I was drawn to."