It might be hard to imagine a scenario where Scotty Riddle Jr. didn’t end up playing basketball at Oregon Tech.
After all, his connections to the program run so deep they might as well be embedded in his DNA. As a young child, he spent many nights watching his father, Scotty Riddle Sr., play for the Hustlin’ Owls. He served as a ball boy during his father’s senior year and saw him win the NAIA Division II National Championship. He attended numerous camps with then-head coach Danny Miles and, more recently, current head coach Justin Parnell.
But Riddle Sr. and Parnell–who were teammates at Oregon Tech for one season and have maintained a close friendship–never saw following in his father’s footsteps as Scotty’s destiny.
“We didn’t really start talking to them until after his sophomore year,” Riddle Sr. said.
“We were a little slow on recruiting him,” Parnell said.
Even as it became apparent that an NAIA or NCAA Division III program would be the most realistic option for Scotty, Oregon Tech was one of five schools he and his family seriously considered. Likewise, Parnell took care to give Scotty a thorough evaluation before offering him a scholarship.
“I wanted to make sure…that he’s a guy that can help us,” Parnell said. “And the more we watched him, we just loved him.”
Scotty was a star for Gresham High School, averaging 13 points and being named the Mount Hood League Defensive Player of the Year as a senior while helping the Gophers to a fourth-place finish at the 6A state tournament. It was during Scotty’s senior season that things really fell into place with Oregon Tech, and on March 18, he announced his commitment to the Hustlin’ Owls.
“It was pretty easy, to be honest,” Parnell said. “He really wanted to come here and we really wanted him.”
The existing relationship between the Riddles and Parnell–who Riddle Sr. said was Scotty’s favorite player growing up–made Scotty’s recruitment unique for his new coach.
“It’s certainly easier [than a typical recruitment], and it’s also harder because you want to make it special for the kid and you want to recruit every kid the same,” Parnell said.
Scotty’s intimate familiarity with the school and the basketball program meant Parnell could skip some of the usual recruiting pitches; there was no need to try to sell him on Oregon Tech’s academic programs (he already knew he wanted to major in environmental sciences) or the atmosphere at Hustlin’ Owls games (been there, done that).
Instead, both Parnell and Riddle Sr. stressed to Scotty that he had earned this opportunity through his own hard work.
“[Scotty’s recruitment] was really more like ‘hey, we really want you. We’re not just doing this because your dad played here,’” Parnell said.
“I told him, ‘I don’t want me to influence your decision…you’re going [to Oregon Tech] because you earned it,’” Riddle Sr. said.
Riddle Sr.’s desire to make sure his son never felt like he had to follow in his footsteps was a point of emphasis throughout the recruiting process.
“I told him…‘I want you to go to wherever you want to go that you’re going to feel comfortable with and where you know you’re going to succeed,’” Riddle Sr. said.
Success at Oregon Tech likely won’t come immediately for Scotty; Parnell said he may redshirt this season due to a logjam at the point guard position. Further down the road, though, Parnell sees him becoming an invaluable piece of the team.
“He’s going to be a winner,” Parnell said. “He’s a guy similar to…Scotty Burge, who played for us when we went to the [2019] national championship.
“They’re a very similar player where…you can’t keep them off the floor because they’re just going to help you win.”
Parnell said the winning mentality Scotty brings is a lot like his father’s, but any Hustlin’ Owls fans who remember watching Riddle Sr. play will find that’s where the similarities end. While Riddle Sr. was a 6-foot-5 forward known for his rebounding and shooting abilities, Scotty is a 6-foot-1, ball-moving point guard and, according to Parnell, “already one of our best defenders.”
Scotty’s goals for himself align with his coach’s vision. He wants to use this season to prepare for next year by getting bigger, stronger, and faster. His career goals are to be the Cascade Conference Defensive Player of the Year and, of course, win a national championship like his father did.
While he works toward the future, he’s also enjoying the moment. He said he’s heard plenty of funny stories from his father and Parnell about their time as teammates, especially when they competed against each other in practice.
Despite–or maybe because of–Riddle Sr.’s efforts to prevent the shadow of his legacy at Oregon Tech from looming too large, Scotty said it “means a lot” to be able to call himself a second-generation Hustlin’ Owls player.
“I have a lot of family down here, so they’ll be able to get to see my play where my dad played,” Scotty said. “I just think that’s pretty cool.”
Watching Scotty go through the process of becoming a Hustlin’ Owl has been pretty cool for his father, too.
“I’m proud of him,” Riddle Sr. said. “I’m hugely proud that he chose [Oregon Tech]…Justin sees the tools he has and knows he can use them.
“That was my proudest thing. It wasn’t based on the fact that I went there. It was based on the fact that Justin wanted him and that he wanted to go there.”
Oregon Tech hosts the semi-pro Seattle Mountaineers for an exhibition game at 7:30 p.m. Saturday before opening the regular season at home against Simpson at 7:30 p.m. Thursday. Both games will be broadcast live on 92.5 KLAD.