Oregon State’s Most Important Player: Gary Payton II
Posted by Tracy McDannald on October 21st, 2014Taking over a program and instilling a new system can be difficult enough on its own. First-year Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle must first figure out who on his decimated roster can score. Oregon State’s top five scorers from last season are now gone — including Pac-12 scoring champion Roberto Nelson. So, attempting to pinpoint a key player is a bit difficult when the returning leader in the clubhouse, Langston Morris-Walker, averaged a whopping four points per game.
Wayne Tinkle Takes Over In Corvallis and Expects Early Help From The Glove’s Son (Stephanie Yao Long, The Oregonian)
To add to the woes, there weren’t enough bodies to field a 5-on-5 scrimmage when practice opened in Corvallis at the start of October. Tinkle had just nine of his 11 players available, with one-time practice player Justin Stangel awarded a scholarship during the offseason. There are still questions as to whether freshman guard Chai Baker (who collapsed during a summer workout) and redshirt freshman guard Alex Roth (shoulder) will be able to suit up at all this year.
A blind man could throw darts more accurately than zeroing in on one key body for this team. The smart pick is usually the most experienced returnee, but all players here will have the same learning curve in Tinkle’s system. The next best option: Pick the splashy name. Enter junior college transfer Gary Payton II, the son of the NBA legend and the school’s all-time leader in points, assists and steals. While those shoes are much too big to fill by himself, there is no pressure when the team will likely be a preseason pick to finish last in the conference.
As a transfer, Payton will be expected to contribute immediately. The 6’3″, 175-pound guard spent the past two seasons at Salt Lake Community College, where he averaged 14.1 points, 7.9 rebounds and 3.8 assists per game as a sophomore. Those numbers were good enough to earn him second-team NJCAA Division I All-American and Region 18’s co-Player of the Year honors. The step up to the NCAA Division I level can be a big change, but the green light and endless opportunities to grow should be awaiting him. Payton’s pedigree can’t hurt, either.
As far as Tinkle’s philosophy is concerned, the focus is defense first. When you’re the son of “The Glove,” it might as well be considered as basic as walking. Payton averaged 1.9 steals per game last season, and Tinkle is looking for such production to lead to easy transition points and make up for the inevitable growing pains on the offensive end.
Tracy McDannald spent the last three years covering the Arizona Wildcats. Baseball ends when college basketball is getting ready to begin, and vice versa. Coincidence? Nope, just perfect.
