Figuring Out How The Beavers Can Keep Jordan Pope After Another Tough Season
By 750 THE GAME STAFF
The Oregon State Beavers basketball season has ended without the postseason for the third straight year. The team hasn’t been to the postseason since the miraculous Elite Eight run. Is it time to move on from Wayne Tinkle?
Tinkle has three years on his contract after this season. Because of that, John Canzano (Afternoons 3-6 p.m.) says that Tinkle will be safe, and Tinkle knows it.
“Tinkle will never say it, but I think he knows they can’t move on from him,” Canzano said on 750 The Game. “I think it’s why he recruited the way he did last year to this year. I think he went younger. The question will be Jordan Pope. Will that guy stick around for another year of what he had to endure at Oregon State?”
The best player on the Beavers is Jordan Pope. No questions. Pope is a sophomore point guard who has hit big time shots and is really one of the Beavers only ball handlers. After his freshman season Pope admitted to Canzano that he had offers to enter the transfer portal. Canzano thinks this offseason the Oregon State NIL collectives need to offer a good deal to keep Pope.
“If you’re Jordan Pope, what do you need to see? I know he got offers. He told us on this show that he had offers last offseason and decided to stick with Oregon State. He did get some NIL help from (the OSU) collective, but I think he turned down more money, better offers to stay loyal to the only school that offered him a scholarship.”
If Pope is to leave the Oregon State program, Canzano thinks Pope will shine and become an even better player. Canzano puts the pressure on Oregon State to keep the talented point guard in Corvallis.
“Jordan Pope has been the focal point of Oregon State’s offense and I think you could put him with a lot of teams that are more talented, have deeper rotations, and have post players who keep defenses honest,” Canzano said. “I think he would be a far more effective player, and I think Oregon State could be in a lot of trouble with Jordan Pope if they don’t get super proactive.”
Listen to the Bald Faced Truth with John Canzano by clicking the podcast below. Catch the Bald Faced Truth weekdays 3-6 p.m. in Portland exclusively on 750 The Game.
