Pac-12 Basketball Recruiting: Taking a look at Oregon State's Class of 2016

Coming off a surprising season which led to their first NCAA Tournament appearance in 26 years, Wayne Tinkle and the Oregon State Beavers will look to build upon that and make it back to the Big Dance.

While leading scorer (and rebounder, and assister) Gary Payton II has departed, the Beavers are still armed with a lot of talent on their roster, and will have even more coming in with the two recruits they signed.

JaQuori McLaughlin

One of the players that will attempt to help Oregon State replace Payton’s production is, McLaughlin is a 6’3” guard near Puget Sound.

McLaughlin originally committed to the Beavers under Craig Robinson. When Robinson was fired, McLaughlin decommitted from Oregon State and committed to Washington. Not long after, he decommitted from the Huskies and went back to his original choice.

A lot changed for McLaughlin between his commitments to the Beavers. When he originally committed, he was a freshman not on the national radar. By the time he committed the second time, he held offers from multiple programs, including Arizona and Wisconsin.

HERE is what we wrote about McLaughlin when he originally committed. His most recent highlight video can be found below.

Ben Kone

Kone, a 6’9” forward, had a fantastic high school career in Northern California. However, in January he tore his ACL, ending said career.

Depending on how the recovery process goes, Wayne Tinkle and his staff may choose to redshirt Kone for the season.

Prior to the torn ACL, Kone was everything you could possibly want from a power forward. A big body who was able to impact the game on both sides of the ball.

HERE is what we wrote about Kone when he originally committed, and his highlight video from last winter can be found below.