Rush The Court

Oregon State loses its top scorer and defender from 2011-12’s team, but the Beavers welcome in three incoming freshman and a transfer to try to fill the big hole left by Jared Cunningham. Along with those four small forwards/combo guards is a 6’10” forward who redshirted his freshman season due to a broken leg. Below, we’ll take a look at the five newcomers to Robinson’s program, in roughly the order in which they’ll impact the team next season.

Victor Robbins, Freshman, Small Forward, 6’6” 195 lbs, Compton High School, Compton, CA – While junior shooting guard Roberto Nelson will certainly get the first opportunity to replace Cunningham’s minutes, Robbins looks to be the newcomer most fit to acquire a backup role behind Nelson. We’ll start on the offensive side of the floor. His speed and natural athleticism will remind fans of Cunningham, especially when he’s running the lanes in transition. Robbins can go to either side and knock down a pull-up jumper, although he’s much more comfortable going to the right. On defense, his lateral quickness and length will deny opponents entry into the lane, not to mention passes and shots will be difficult to get off. With all of that said, the biggest thing Robbins will need to work on throughout the summer is being more engaged without the ball. Once the rock is in his hands, his speed and athleticism opens up many doors for him. But as he makes the jump from high school to Pac-12 ball, getting open and creating opportunities for himself will become much more difficult. If he improves on that, and also adds a three-point shot to his game, Robbins will undoubtedly be the Beavers top newcomer in 2012-13. Almost to demonstrate that, Robbins led all newcomers with five points in limited playing time against St. Charles Basketball Club in Oregon State’s first European Tour competition.

Daniel Gomis, Redshirt Freshman, Forward, 6’10” 225 lbs, Oak Hill Academy, Mouth of Wilson, VA – Gomis was set to earn solid minutes as a freshman before a broken leg while overseas ended any of those aspirations. While Gomis’ offensive skill set is limited to dunking and just about nothing else, he makes up for it on the defensive end of the floor. He has a lean frame with broad shoulders, making him athletic and a monster on the glass. He is also quick enough to guard multiple positions on the floor. While his limited offensive game will likely keep him off the floor in conference play, it will be interesting to see what he can do earlier in the season when the Beavers aren’t going to have to put up 80 points night in and night out to win ball games. Craig Robinson can certainly use all the help he can get on the defensive glass, and a few cheap buckets here and there via offensive rebounds picked up by Gomis would help as well. We haven’t even talked about his shot-blocking ability, which combined with Eric Moreland and Devon Collier down low could be absolutely lethal. Gomis is one of the rare cases where his playing time could rest on the shoulders of his teammates. With the departure of Cunningham, Oregon State will need all the help they can get from the newcomers and players that came off the bench last season. So if Nelson finds his jump shot and Moreland builds off a strong finish to last season, there could be times in big moments when the Beavers need to go big on defense and sacrifice some points for a big block or rebound. Gomis scored one point on a free throw in the Europe opener as he continues to play tentatively after the broken leg.

Jarmal Reid, Freshman, Combo Forward, 6’7” 230 lbs, Columbia High School, Decatur, GA – The Beavers came out of nowhere to get Reid, a two-star whose offer list went as far west as Norman, Oklahoma before Craig Robinson stepped in. The 6’7″ combo-forward has worked enough on his game to where he can now hit the three-point shot, not to mention be quick enough for a dribble-drive move. In short, he is the prototypical Robinson big man, one that is comfortable playing anywhere on the floor that can shoot when needed. What will limit Reid’s playing time in his freshman campaign is his defense. In high school, the quickness he showed off the dribble is nowhere to be found on the defensive end of the floor. The good news is that he’s got a defensive-oriented coaching staff to lead him through his freshman season. Reid averaged 15 PPG and 8 RBG as a senior with Columbia, a team that went 31-1 on the way to its third straight state championship. He had two points, one rebound, and one assist in the Europe opener.

Langston Morris-Walker, Freshman, Small Forward/Guard, 6’5” 210 lbs, Berkeley High School, Berkeley, CA – Passed on by hometown California, Morris-Walker chose Oregon State over St. Mary’s, UTEP, San Francisco, and UC Santa Barbara. The small forward/guard has the ability to be a fan favorite in Corvallis due to his explosive dunking ability and great defense, but it will likely be a season or two before he plays any major minutes. That’s because he is too small to play the four, and with Nelson, Robbins, and Reid all in front of him at the three, will be hard-pressed to earn minutes there as well. With that said, coaches love a player like this. Always in attack-mode, you can be sure you’ll get 100% effort whenever he’s on the floor. And what he lacks in size to play down low, his strength will be needed to clean up on the glass. He is unselfish with the ball but assertive enough to shoot it when he’s open, even if his jump shot needs some work. He is definitely an intriguing prospect that will be worth watching in the coming years.

Michael Moyer, Junior, Guard, 6’2” 205 lbs, St. John Fisher College – Moyer is a product of Sprague High School in Salem, Oregon. He spent the 2010-11 season with St. John Fisher before transferring to Oregon State last year. Plain and simple, Moyer is one of those players that sacrifices playing time at a lower level in order to play for a major program closer to home. He will likely only see garbage minutes throughout his two remaining seasons in Corvallis.