By Daniel Crawford

Even with a 6-6 start, the Oregon State Beavers are mired in last place in the Pac-10, a conference that features every team above the .500 benchmark.

With conference play set to begin January 3rd, the Beavers basketball program is seemingly going to use this season as a tune-up for a run at next Pac-10 season. No one really expects much out of OSU this year, but at the same time no one really wants to play a team that is young and doesn't know that they are supposed to lose.

The Beavers are sporting the youngest roster in the Pac-10 with only one returning senior-forward Marcel Jones-who is second on the team in scoring with a 13.4 average.

Smooth sophomore shooting guard Seth Tarver has a golden touch from the outside and a quick first step that will create opportunities for both himself and his teammates. Tarver also leads the team in scoring (14.5 ppg) and three-point shooting (42%).

Aside from Jones, Seth Tarver and his brother Josh-also a sophomore and the team's starting point guard-the Beavers roster is largely unproven. But Coach Jay John likes the potential of his young roster, especially on the defensive end.

"We have significantly improved our athleticism; so, obviously, we would like to be able to use that in various forms of defensive pressure," says John. "But, it's all about creating a defensive mindset that will take us through droughts in scoring. You cannot win on the road anywhere without the ability to defend. That is a big part of it, being able to control the game with our defense and athleticism more than we have been able to do."

But the real ace in the hole could be a temperamental kid that transferred from Kansas, junior C.J. Giles.

"He's something that we've been missing, a tall athletic guy who has a big presence down low both defensively and offensively," says Josh Tarver." He makes the game easier for the people around him. We're really excited to have him with us."

Giles at times showed a hostile attitude towards the coaching staff at Kansas, but a fresh start may revive the 6-11 big man into the dominant stopper that he was slated to become. Early on this season, he has been limited by injuries and has been brought off the bench and eased into competitive play.

Giles had been unspectacular for the most part in his first four games played due to foul trouble, committing 19 fouls in only 49 minutes of playing time. But in a recent contest against Montana State, Giles gave fans a glimpse into his vast potential, contributing 13 points, 10 rebounds and five blocks while committing only two fouls in 31 minutes of play.

Whenever Giles does crack the Beavers' starting lineup, he won't make them any bigger. Most likely, he will unseat either 6-11 sophomore Roeland Schaftenaar or 6-10 sophomore Calvin Hampton.The difference is Giles boasts the team's greatest wing span, a formidable reach that figures to make him an effective shot blocker once he stops fouling.

Collectively as a team, the Beavers have played far better in the second half of their games thus far. That could be a good sign that they are going to be a "never say die" kind of team.

John, now in his sixth year as head coach, accepted the challenge of rebuilding one of the nation's most storied programs when he was introduced to Beaver Nation in early April of 2002. In just his third season, he restored a winning program to Oregon State University, something Corvallis had not seen for more than a decade before his arrival.

The 49-year-old John is the 19th head coach in the history of the program and just the seventh since the 1928-'29 season. He signed a five-year contract extension in the fall of 2005. John's 66 wins over five seasons are the most by OSU in a five-season stretch since 1989-'93.

Facing the strongest collection of Pac-10 teams in many years (seven schools were nationally ranked at one time or another, including a record six during one week in February of '07, and a record-tying six squads made it to the NCAA Tournament), the 2006-'07 Beavers slipped to a ninth-place finish in the league.

The 2007-'08 season will be yet another tough Pac-10 campaign for Oregon State. Don't expect the Beavers to make much noise before March Madness rolls around, but all signs point to this young team unleashing its potential and becoming a conference contender down the road.