Editor’s note: This article will be updated as players transfer to or from Oregon State.
The modern college basketball landscape is one of constant change, including changing rosters.
Oregon State’s basketball teams are no exception to this, and players have been filtering through the transfer portal since the end of the season, both leaving and joining the Beavers.
The incoming men’s head coach, Justin Joyner, recently won a championship as an assistant coach at Michigan in early April. He will inherit a team almost entirely made up of new Beavers, as all but one OSU player entered the transfer portal or will be graduating after the season ends. The upcoming season will be Joyner’s first as a head coach.
Women’s Head Coach Scott Rueck will have many familiar faces to work with, as just six players will not be returning as of Wednesday. Rueck has built up young Beaver teams before, including in the 2024-2025 season, which had only four players who were at OSU the previous year.
Men’s
As of Wednesday, 12 Beavers have entered the transfer portal. Those leaving, in order of departure, are:
- Johan Munch
- Gavin Marrs
- Olavi Suutela
- Noah Amenhauser
- Isaiah Sy
- Kaan Yarkut
- Dez White
- Matija Samar
- Keziah Ekissi
- Stephen Olowoniyi
- Ja’Quavis Williford
- Yaak Yaak
Seniors Jorge Diaz Graham and Malcolm Christie are both graduating. After the slew of players transferred out, only one was left on the roster: leading scorer Josiah Lake II, who announced that he will be returning for his senior year.
“Beaver Nation, this is where my heart is, and I’m not going anywhere. Gill (Coliseum), I’ll see you soon!” Lake II posted on social media on April 6.
In the wake of these departures, Oregon State has picked up some players from the transfer portal.
Idaho transfer Jackson Rasmussen committed to the Beavs on Friday, the first to sign on. The sophomore power forward averaged 13.6 points a game with the Big Sky conference tournament champions.
Also committing to OSU on Friday was center Xavion Staton from BYU. The former four-star recruit played in just nine games last season due to injury.
Tuesday brought two more committed transfers to Oregon State: Grand Canyon University’s Dennis Evans and Fresno State’s Deshawn Gory. Evans averaged 2.6 points a game last season. Gory averaged 13.7 points and 6.2 rebounds a game – the second-leading Bulldog in both categories.
San Francisco guard Legend Smiley committed to the Beavs on Wednesday. Smiley scored 8.1 points a game. In San Francisco’s three games against OSU last season, Smiley scored zero, 14 and 18 points (his season high).
Former four-star recruit Daniel Freitag, from the University of Buffalo, committed to OSU on Saturday. Freitag led the Bulls last season in points and assists per game, with 19.8 and 3.8, respectively.
Blakely Drummond, a teammate of Smiley with San Francisco, committed to Oregon State on Monday. Drummond played 10 total minutes over five games in his freshman season last year, not recording any stats in the one minute he played against the Beavers on Feb. 12.
Peteris Pinnis, a 7-foot-1-inch forward from Providence College, signed with the Beavs on Monday. The incoming sophomore averaged 0.8 points and 1.2 rebounds a game last season. Pinnis has had success in international play, especially in 2024, where he averaged 9.9 points and 10.3 rebounds over seven games in the FIBA U20 Eurobasket competition.
Guard Chris Johnson, most recently from the University of Central Florida, also joined OSU. Johnson worked off the bench to average 6.2 points a game last season, the fifth-highest scorer per game on UCF. Oregon State will be Johnson’s fourth college team.
As of Wednesday, OSU has the 24th highest-ranked transfer class, according to 247Sports.
Since only Lake II is staying with OSU, the men’s team is losing 83.1% of their minutes played and 81.3% of their points scored from the 2025-2026 season.
Women’s
Although fewer players on the women’s team are leaving than the men’s, some players will no longer be representing the orange and black.
Those entering the transfer portal, in order of departure, are:
- Lucia Navarro
- Cloe Vecina
- Elisa Meyhar
Seniors Tiara Bolden, Lizzy Williamson, and Nene Sow all are graduating.
Leading scorer Jenna Villa announced on social media on Tuesday that she will be staying with Oregon State for her senior year. Guard Kennedie Shuler announced on Friday that she will be staying with the team, also for her senior year.
With six players leaving either via graduation or transfer, the women’s team is losing 34.7% of their minutes played and 37.7% of their points scored from the 2025-2026 season.
