Canzano: Oregon State holding on with both hands
Women's basketball facing uncertain offseason.
The locker-room chemistry was rare. The coaching was outstanding. The on-court results were uplifting. So why does the aftermath of Oregon State’s run to the women’s NCAA Tournament Elite Eight feel so blasted sobering?
Talia von Oelhoffen slid into the transfer portal on Tuesday, offering in a written statement: “I will always and forever be a Beav.”
Be angry — but not at von Oelhoffen.
She didn’t destroy a 108-year-old conference. She wasn’t a blinded Pac-12 commissioner, or a bumbling university president, or a media company eager to own it all. All she did was suit up at Oregon State, stay hungry, and pour herself into the mission. Last August, major college athletics gave von Oelhoffen and her university a knuckle sandwich.
Oregon State is on high alert this week. Insiders expect at least three other Beavers players — and as many as six — could entertain entry into the transfer portal. Also, there’s growing concern that coach Scott Rueck will become the target of a high-profile coaching search in the coming days.