Oregon State AD Scott Barnes satisfied with progress of men’s basketball, says next step is more wins in 2023-24

Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle, fourth from left, huddles with players and coaching staff following the team's win over California in an NCAA college basketball game in Corvallis, Ore., Saturday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)

Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle, fourth from left, huddles with players and coaching staff following the team's win over California in an NCAA college basketball game in Corvallis, Ore., Saturday, March 4, 2023. (AP Photo/Amanda Loman)AP

Oregon State men’s basketball coach Wayne Tinkle will return for the 2023-24 season, his 10th in Corvallis.

Asked Tuesday if he had planned to make a change following a 11-21 season, athletic director Scott Barnes firmly said no.

Tinkle has four years and $11 million remaining on his contract that he signed following the Beavers’ Elite Eight run at the 2021 NCAA Tournament. OSU went 3-28 the following year, then with a revamped roster with nine new players, won 11 games this past season.

“We have a reclamation project that is underway, and I’ve seen growth and development of the players,” Barnes said. “We aren’t where we want to be obviously, but we’re making progress. This isn’t a one-year project. We’re looking forward to the next step and continued growth.”

Oregon State went 5-15 and finished 11th in the Pac-12 this past season. The roster includes seven scholarship freshmen, and second-year sophomore Glenn Taylor Jr. Only senior forwards Dzmitry Ryuny and Rodrigue Andela are leaving the team, pending anyone who opts for the transfer portal.

Following the 3-28 campaign of 2021-22, Tinkle made significant changes to his assistant coaching staff, adding Eric Reveno and Tim Shelton. Reveno formerly was head coach at University of Portland for 10 years.

Barnes thought the priority of restoring the team’s culture was achieved this past season.

“This is a great group of young men, on the court and off. My hope, and I feel like it’s apparent, is that we would see this group come together and build a positive culture and develop as a team and individuals,” Barnes said. “There’s some real exciting key pieces there that tell me that we’ve got a bright future.”

That won’t be enough for 2023-24.

“Man, we’ve got a lot of work to do. Wayne and I know that. His staff knows that. But they’ve built a foundation that I think we’re all excited about,” Barnes said.

The Oregon State AD said the next step is success on the court. Barnes declined to attach a win total to what defines success next season.

“I’m not going to put a bar on the number of wins, but certainly more success on the court is an outgrowth of this culture,” Barnes said. “The outgrowth of that, the fruits of that, are more wins. How many more? I’m not going to say, but certainly moving forward in that department is really important. It’s an expectation of mine, and I know, Beaver Nation.”

--Nick Daschel | ndaschel@oregonian.com | @nickdaschel


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