Oregon State Basketball: 2021-22 season preview and outlook for Beavers
By Tuck Clarry
Bench players
The Beavers enter the season with a lot of options to find contributions from off of the bench. Both their frontcourt and backcourt have a decent depth to jumpstart the offense and keep their defense active. Transfer guard Xzavier Malone-Key and returning senior forward Maurice Calloo will be the early substitution options for added offense.
Malone-Key comes to Oregon State from Fairleigh-Dickinson and is a solid guard/wing that is dangerous at the basket but also capable outside, shooting 35% from three in his last season playing. He’s a capable ball-handler and will also help maintain the stodgy zone defense.
Caloo will be the first forward off the bench, serving as a tall stretch-four at 6-foot-10. Caloo rides the perimeter, waiting for the extra pass on the wing. He’s a 41% 3-point shooter that likes shooting outside of the paint more so than battling down low.
The rest of the bench will be interesting to see solidify as Tinkle gained plenty of options through the portal. Dexter Akanno, Ahmad Rand, and Chol Marial are all additions from the portal that all look to contribute this season. Marial and Rand are two frontcourt pieces that likely will mostly be utilized on the defensive end. Marial in particular is an interesting piece as an enforcer at 7-foot-2. Akanno will be a major asset in the zone and by crashing the basket with his athleticism and length.
A dark horse for major minutes is Dashawn Davis, a former JUCO All-American. Davis is an offensive maestro, a guard able to handle the ball and shoot from multiple levels of the offense. He will likely come off the bench for most of the season but once familiar with Tinkle’s system and the speed of Division I basketball, expect him to take on a larger role.
Rodrigue Andela will also be an option for TInkle’s interior, as he’s a high motor post player that gets most of his work down off the glass. Andela will likely be utilized as a small-ball five, even though he’s definitely a sizable 6-foot-8, 250 pounds.