Oregon State’s men’s basketball team has spent more than a month in the gym, but this week gives Justin Joyner’s rebuilt roster something it hasn’t had yet: a real chance to see what it looks like against outside competition.
The Beavers left for British Columbia on a weeklong trip that included a bus ride to Nike’s headquarters and stops around Vancouver before tonight’s exhibition against Trinity Western University. Oregon State will also play exhibitions Thursday and Saturday at the University of Victoria.
For Joyner, the point of the trip goes well beyond the scoreboard.
“We’re really fighting for connection,” OSU coach Justin Joyner said. “I think a lot of things go into that but the biggest thing is self-awareness.
How do you function with the group? And then teammate awareness.
Who is he? Who am I?
How do we coexist? How do we function together?”
This is a roster built almost from scratch. Josiah Lake II is the only returning player, while Oregon State brought in 10 transfers and two high school signees. The coaching staff was overhauled too.
Even with all that change, Joyner said the Beavers are “ahead” of where he expected them to be at this stage.
What has stood out most to him is the guard play. Joyner called the work of OSU’s five guards “elite,” with Buffalo transfer Daniel Freitag, San Francisco transfer Legend Smiley and UCF transfer Chris Johnson joining Lake. Lake’s younger brother, Jemai, has also made a quick impression as one of the two freshmen, showing off his speed and intelligence.
“We have five guards that can all do different things but all very, very good in their own ways. Then the bigs are coming along. ... As we mix in certain guys playing with certain groups, they have to find themselves and how they coexist with the other guys.”
Joyner has also put a premium on moving the ball. In practice, several guards have been limited to two dribbles before they have to pass or shoot.
“I’ve seen my game actually get better since he’s been doing that,” Lake said. “Excited to see how the guards keep getting better with that constraint.”
The exhibitions in British Columbia will give Joyner a chance to test different lineup combinations while continuing to shape the team’s identity in scrimmage settings.
“I think connection comes from going through hard stuff together, finding adversity and then powering through it and then finding success,” Joyner said. “We want our guys to feel connected to this institution. We want to make our fan base really proud with how hard we play, how hard we compete and how hard we put on for the city of Corvallis.”
Still, the trip’s biggest value may not show up in any box score. Time spent together on the road, around meals and away from campus, is part of the bonding process Oregon State is trying to build.
“When you actually like each other it’s a lot easier to vibe and connect,” Freitag said. “When you’re doing things like (eating meals) it expedites the process of growing together, (as) opposed to only growing when you’re on the court with each other.”
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