3/31/2021 basketball Edit

How Oregon State's Elite Eight Run Will Impact Recruiting

Brenden Slaughter • BeaversEdge

Publisher

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With the Oregon State men's basketball program looking ahead to next season and beyond after falling to Houston in the Elite Eight, BeaversEdge.com dives into how this postseason run will impact recruiting.

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Fresh off its first run in the NCAA Tournament since 1982, the Oregon State men's basketball program is in a fortuitous position on the recruiting trail the next couple of offseasons.

The Beavers, who became the Cinderella of the 2021 Big Dance by becoming only the second 12-seed to ever to reach the Elite Eight, now find themselves armed with the necessary capital to be able to win big-time recruiting battles.

"It's something we can really build off of," head coach Wayne Tinkle said. "We had a helluva run, and we'll keep building this thing moving forward."

No two recruiting battles are the same and every player has his own idea for what he wants college to provide, but more times than not, the best recruits and the ones you want in your program prioritize two questions during their process.

1. Can you get me to the NBA?

2. Are you relevant in March?

Before this point, the Beavers' best selling points on the recruiting trail were that a few guys had made it to the NBA/G-League, they play in a power-five conference, and that they had made the tournament in 2016.

Not to discount the tremendous history that the Beavers have as a program historically, but when you hadn't been relevant in March in 39 years, there's only so much that you can sell a prospective recruit on, regardless of how great of a coaching staff and culture you have.

Now that's all changed...

Whereas the Beavers used to have to cut their losses with recruits that they knew they didn't have a decent shot at, now, because of this run, they've become an attractive landing spot for recruits.

"As far as recruiting, I mean, we have people e-mailing and texting us now. I think it's going to open up a lot of those doors," Tinkle said. "This impacts us with regards to recruiting, support, and the confidence that our guys are going to have."

It goes without saying that this is easily the most important offseason for Tinkle and Co. in their tenure as staying at a high level and consistently reaching the tournament is what the new standard will be for this program.

The Beavers will be a part of conversations they never thought they would have been previously and that access is going to do wonders for this program in the coming years.

"We're just going to continue to build. Even though we had this tremendous success, it's not going to change who we are. Even when we had the low lows. It didn't change who we were. We just continue to grind and do things the way that we do them, and we know it's going to lead to even greater things.

With the Beavers bringing in Memphis transfer Ahmad Rand, Farleigh Dickson transfer Xzavier Malone-Key, and JUCO guard Dashawn Davis this offseason to join the group that just made this run, it's not hard to imagine why the Beavers could be in the mix to be back in the dance again...

"This was almost an unprecedented run, but we feel like we were this close. If we all can find a way to gain that much more from each other, we'll be able to take another step. I'm so thrilled for our university, for our state, for our program. I know there are great things ahead."