ALBANY, N.Y. – The Oregon State 2023-24 women’s basketball season is finished, but the action is just getting started.
Was the Elite Eight run the start of something larger? Or as good as it gets?
OSU players must decide what they want, beyond a school for its academics. The Beavers are headed for the West Coast Conference next season. That’s a decided step down from the Pac-12, the country’s best conference this past season.
It’s not just Oregon State, either. Every Pac-12 women’s team is taking a step down. Some are headed to the Big Ten. It’s a good league, but travel is a challenge, and it’s not like Duck and Husky fans identify with Purdue, Minnesota and Rutgers. Others to the ACC, where travel is a beast. Four are bound for the Big 12, the worst of the Power 5 conferences for women’s basketball quality.
What do the Beavers want? Perhaps some wisdom from Connecticut coach Geno Auriemma is necessary. A few days ago, Auriemma spoke about standout Paige Bueckers and her return to the NCAA Tournament after sitting out last year with a knee injury.
“Regular season games are regular season games. But these kids, this is what they dream of when they go to college and play basketball. And if their dream’s taken away from them, it’s like they’re half a person,” Auriemma said.
If the NCAA tournament and chasing a championship is what matters most, why would anyone from this year’s Oregon State roster leave?
This team is set up to win a championship, if it remains intact. Before the transfer portal circus begins, there are only a handful of teams set up to win a title in 2025. Texas, UConn, South Carolina, UCLA and Notre Dame come to mind.
And Oregon State.
The Beavers darned near made the 2024 Final Four with a team largely made up of freshmen and sophomores. They won 27 games, tied for the third-highest total in school history. Sixty-eight percent of OSU’s scoring and 70% of its rebounding from the 2023-24 season has two or more years of eligibility remaining.
If this team remains together, the Beavers should be a preseason top 5, with a team capable of securing a No. 1 or 2 seed for the NCAA tournament.
The topic of Oregon State’s future was prominent throughout its Albany regional stay. Following Sunday’s 70-58 loss to South Carolina, players were asked if they believed this team will stay intact next season.
“Hopefully everybody comes back. It’s hard to tell, though, with the changing of conference and everything,” sophomore forward Timea Gardiner said. “We’re a great team. We’re a young team, too. Hopefully the core group is together and we can build on that for next season.”
Said sophomore guard Lily Hansford: “I’m pretty confident we’ll all come back.”
Point guard Donovyn Hunter: “We’re all so close. We all want it. Every single person in this room is going to be putting in extra work, so I have no doubt that we’ll come back even stronger.”
To be clear, no one pounded their fist and said, I’m back, count on it. But Sunday wasn’t the time to make that declaration. The players have been clear that they’ve been focused on the present, which has been this season’s journey to a 27-8 record and an Elite Eight appearance.
In the days ahead, it’s about what to do next.
Oregon State coach Scott Rueck said the transfer portal alarmed him a few years ago. He was used to building programs through freshmen and sophomores, molding them into top-flight players and leaders as they matured into upperclassmen. Suddenly, the roster was in transition. Four players left after the 2020-21 season.
Two years later, Rueck continues to learn how to navigate the new world. But at the core is this philosophy.
“You’d better be on your ‘A’ game all the time. You’d better take care of people, and you’d better provide a great experience,” Rueck said.
To that end, it’s probably not enough to chase a championship. As much as Auriemma says players dream of championships, they also want great competition leading up the title chase. The Pac-12 provided that. Now it’s gone.
What now?
Oregon State should become the Gonzaga men of 20 years ago, and to some extent, even today. That is, the Beavers nonconference schedule must take on the philosophy of anytime, anybody, anywhere.
Call LSU, Notre Dame, UConn, Stanford, USC, big tournaments and say we want in. The Beavers have an appealing team, and it should sell anywhere. Take a little of that Pac-12 loot and buy a big-time home game or two.
Oregon State’s program has momentum and a chance to do something special. The Beavers could roll out a red carpet and may not be enough. But it must try and retain what might be the team of a lifetime.
Nick Daschel covers Oregon State athletics, in particular football and basketball, and can be reached at 360-607-4824, ndaschel@oregonian.com or @nickdaschel.
Our journalism needs your support. Subscribe today to OregonLive.com.
MORE BEAVERS COVERAGE
- News | Newsletter | Facebook | YouTube | Podcast
- Support local journalism with a subscription to OregonLive
- Contact Nick Daschel at ndaschel@oregonian.com