0-8 in PAC-10 play, Oregon State searches for answers

By Daniel Crawford

The Oregon State basketball program has been held winless since PAC-10 play opened on January 3rd. All of their losses have been in double digits with the exception of a 9-point defeat at the hands of the Washington Huskies, which was ironically the last game that former head coach Jay John was at the helm.

The 15th head coach in school history, John compiled a record of 72 - 97 during his tenure at OSU. John led with a firm disciplinarian style of coaching, but even he could not revive the lackluster play of sophomore big men Roeland Schaftenaar and Calvin Hampton and freshman Sean Carter.

"We lost the battle down in the paint," was a recurring answer from John after recent losses at Washington and Washington State.

Too much inexperience in the post combined with the unexpected and prolonged injury to junior C. J. Giles-who has since been dismissed from the team-were big reasons why John could not gather his troops together and make a stronger showing in PAC-10 play.

Athletic Director Bob De Carolis promoted assistant Kevin Mouton to head coach prior to Oregon State's most recent homestand against USC and UCLA.

Mouton lost his first two contests, but the team did have an inspired showing against nationally ranked UCLA. The Beavers headed into locker room at halftime with only a four-point deficit before succumbing to the Bruins 85-62.

Mouton, who was trying to find answers to the Beavers' woes in the paint, decided that he would go with a speedier lineup and in the process found a surprise shooter with a golden touch in Freshman Lathen Wallace.

Wallace has responded by leading the team in scoring in both games that Mouton has held the coaching reigns. The 6-3 freshman showed that he can hit from long range and penetrate into middle with his lightning quickness, but his defense often times looked a bit chaotic. Wallace showed a tendency to try and do too much, and let the ball handlers get past him, creating a five on four advantage for the opposition.

"His defense will improve as he gets more playing time and he develops into better game shape," said Mouton of his newfound offensive weapon.

Mouton then caught himself and added, "His defense better improve!"

Just about any team will look soft in the middle when a squad like UCLA comes to town, featuring standout Kevin Love anchoring the post for the Bruins. Oregon State only compounded the problem by failing to bring double teams numerous times when Love handled the ball down in the paint. The Beavers appeared to be fairly comfortable playing man-to-man on the perimeter, but when the ball went down low to Love and the other UCLA bigs, they looked lost.

Love, a former Lake Oswego High School standout, was booed soundly on his trip to McArthur Court to play the Ducks. But to his surprise he found the confines a bit friendlier at Gill Coliseum.

"He had an unbelievable weekend," said UCLA head coach Bob Rowland of Love's return to Oregon. "To come home and do what he did on the road is incredible. This wasn't nearly as hostile personally towards him as we experienced on Thursday [against Oregon]. For him to come home and play in front of his family and friends and be really controlled with his emotions and be so poised is really big for us."

Oregon State and Coach Mouton can only hope that future receptions for the PAC-10's premier big men won't be so friendly, both on and off the court.

At 6-14 overall and 0-8 in conference play, the Beavers are hopeful that they can at least become a spoiler in the remaining 10 games of the season.

After that, De Carolis will shift his search for a new head coach into high gear.

The AD has had a successful run at Oregon State, having overseen a winning football team of late, not to mention the back-to-back defending National Champion OSU baseball team.

De Carolis has also been responsible for hiring two-time NCAA Coach of the Year Jim Zalesky for the wrestling program, former US Olympic coach Terry Liskevych for the volleyball program and has promoted standout assistant LaVonda Wagner to head coach of the women's basketball team.

Faced with obstacles like facilities that don't compete with other Pac-10 programs, a conservative budget and the stigma of a losing program, finding the right man to turn OSU basketball around will be De Carolis' biggest challenge to date.

"Our progress on the court has not been what we all had hoped for so we are moving in a different direction," said DeCarolis' at the press conference announcing John's dismissal from his coaching duties.

The good news for the Oregon State basketball program is that the only direction remaining is up.