It’s a new season for the Oregon State University men’s basketball program, as Athletic Director Bob DeCarolis announced Sunday evening that head coach Jay John had been relieved of his duties.
With the Beavers still winless in Pacific-10 Conference play and staring down a possible last-place finish, change was inevitable.
While John did get OSU over the hump with a winning season in 2005 and a short-lived appearance in the NIT, the program fell backwards again in the short period since then.
With the Pac-10 beginning to rival the ACC for college basketball’s most prominent conference, the Beavers fell deeper and deeper into a hole behind everyone else. Only Arizona State slipped behind them last year in the standings, but second year head coach Herb Sendek has already made the Sun Devils relevant again with an impressive recruiting class and strong offensive system.
With the first winless conference season in Pac-10 history looming in the air and apathetic fan support, attendance has slipped to record lows. This season might be over, but with still 12 games remaining, the right decision was made to pull the plug on John and give assistant coach and longtime friend Kevin Mouton an opportunity.
Most people don’t know much about Mouton or his capabilities as a head coach, except for a one-game stint as a fill-in for John in 2005, a blowout win over ASU. If the Beavers want to move out of the cellar, numerous things will have to turn around, with Mouton being the guiding force.
If OSU is to win another game this season, they will have to shoot better from the floor. They currently hold one of the worst shooting percentages in Division 1 basketball, but showed signs of life last weekend against the Washington schools, shooting 42 percent in both games, respectively. Mouton will have to implement a structured offense that will give OSU high-percentage shots, something it lacked at times when John was at the helm. Better looks will give the Beavers a chance to win a game or two, even a possible upset victory.
More productivity from senior wing Marcel Jones will also be crucial if OSU wants to turn its 2008 campaign around. After a strong junior season where he averaged 15.3 points and 5.7 rebounds per game, Jones has been the Pac-10’s most enigmatic player. While he had a solid non-conference slate, he has been dismal through the first six conference games, averaging just seven points per outing. To salvage his final season, he will need to step up and be the player he was in 2007, becoming a 1-2 punch with sophomore Seth Tarver, who is currently leading the team in scoring.
As deep as the Pac-10 is this season— even winning a couple games, coupled with the addition of a new head coach with experience— could get fans excited about next year. Things will have to change though if Oregon State wants to become a winning program again, something Beaver Nation truly hasn't seen in almost 20 years.
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8 months ago
You're probably right about making a change. OSU is a team with loads of talent that hasn't approached their potential. Because of the level of talent throughout the PAC-10 this season, very few picked the Beavs to do very well. That has proved to be the case. Personally, I've never been a fan of changing coaches mid-season simply because the team is losing. The signal that sends to the current players and recruits is shaky at best. It can be argued that it doesn't reflect well on the university administration. In the case of Coach John, did he really become inept enough to be fired in just a few months? Not likely, but that doesn't matter any more.
Wish that fans were a bit more supportive of the team, despite their disappointing record.
Wish Coach Mouton much success...unless he's going up against Coach Bennett! Given how well the football program at OSU has turned around the past few seasons, it's likely that the same thing will be possible with hoops as well.
Keep up the great writing Sean!
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