Men's Basketball Opens Practice Saturday
Jay John experiences his first
Oct. 10, 2002
Corvallis, Ore. -
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SCHEDULE: Division I basketball programs may officially begin practice Sat., Oct. 12. The team's first practice is scheduled for 9 a.m. Saturday, followed by 1 p.m. Sunday. Practices during the week will be held in the mornings, varying in times due to class schedules. Practices are open to the public and are generally held in Gill Coliseum.
THE NEW COACH: For the third time in four years the program has a new head coach, Jay John. The 44-year-old John spent the last four years as an assistant to Lute Olson at the University of Arizona. During his tenure, Arizona won 101 games and reached the title game of the 2001 NCAA Tournament. John has also served as a Division I assistant at Oregon, San Francisco, and Butler.
COACHING STAFF: The coaching staff for the 2002-2003 season includes Kevin Mouton, Jeff Reinert, Brian Loyd, and Ken Carrillo. Mouton was an assistant at the University of Nebraska the last two seasons, and has stints as an assistant at St. Mary's (Cal.), New Hampshire, Eastern Illinois, Butler, the Colorado School of Mines, and Logan (Cal.) High School. Reinert spent the last eight years as the head coach at Utah Valley State College in Orem, leading the program to a mark of 179-77. Reinert has also been an assistant at Nebraska, Simpson College, and Bremer State High School in Australia. Loyd spent last year as the director of operations at Massachusetts, and has been an assistant at Portland State, Cal Poly, and Queens College in North Carolina. Carrillo is the program's director of operations, after serving as the head coach at Division II St. Joseph's College in Indiana for 2001-2002. Four-year letterman guard Adam Masten is completing his fifth year in the program as an undergraduate assistant.
RETURNING CAST: A total of 10 student-athletes who saw action last season return to the roster, including four starters. The returning starters include seniors Philip Ricci (F), Brian Jackson (F), and Jimmie Haywood (G), and sophomore J.S. Nash (G). Those four players averaged 42.5 points of the team's 64.3 average last season -- or .661. Ricci averaged 16.2 points and 7.1 rebounds to lead the team in both categories. Other returnees include senior Mike Cokley (G), junior Jarman Sample (F), and sophomores Floyd North III (G/F), J.S. Nash (G), Derek Potter ©, and David Lucas (F).
NEWCOMERS: Five true-freshmen join the program for the 2002-2003 season. The list includes Kevin Field ©, Lamar Hurd (G), Michael Johnson (G/F), Chris Stephens (G), and Sal Vance (F).
LINDY'S RECOGNIZES RICCI: Senior forward Philip Ricci has been recognized by Lindy's Basketball Annual as the 13th best power forward in Division I basketball. Ricci is the only individual from the Pacific-10 Conference to make the top-20 list at that position.
THE FIRST TEST: Oregon State plays its first game of the season, an exhibition tilt, versus the NW All-Stars, Mon., Nov. 4 at Gill Coliseum. The game is the first of the season for any conference school.
JUMP START: The Oregon State team had a chance to bond on its six-game August tour of Australia. The Beavers won four contests and benefited from learning the new schemes of first-year head coach Jay John. John's former employer, Arizona, also ventured to Australia during the offeseason.
WHAT ABOUT THIS SCHEDULE? The coaching staff inherited the entire schedule from the previous staff. This is the first time the program has not played in a pre-conference tournament since the 1990-91 season.
THE 12TH WINNINGEST PROGRAM: Oregon State enters this season as the 12th winningest program in Division I basketball. The Beavers begin the year with 1,504 victories, one behind Notre Dame and six behind conference foe UCLA. Two other Pac-10 programs rank among the top 20 -- Washington is tied for 16th (Purdue) at 1,434, and Arizona is 20th with 1,410.
BEAVER DAM JAM: Oregon State University students will have a chance to meet the men's and women's teams Friday, Oct. 11 at 8 p.m. in Gill Coliseum. "Beaver Dam Jam" will include entertainment, basketball exhibitions, and a chance for students to sign up to be members of the "Beaver Dam." Students will also have an opportunity to win football Civil War tickets.
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