via Oregon Tech Athletic Communications
KLAMATH FALLS, Ore. – Veteran leadership, as experienced squad with playoff pedigree and a desire to make a deep postseason run fuels the 2024-25 Oregon Tech men’s basketball team. The Hustlin’ Owls return all five starters from a team that finished 27-6, won a school-record 14 road games, claimed the Cascade Conference Tournament title and was a bucket away from advancing to the NAIA National Tournament final site in Kansas City.
“Last year, coming off a tough season, the goal was to get our mojo back,” said head coach Justin Parnell. “We had the right guys and just had to get better. This year, it’s much different. Two out of the last three years, we’ve missed Kansas City by one possession. Our seniors are in their last go-round and they realize the importance – we’ve pushed them in the preseason, we’ve conditioned harder than we have ever before, we are holding them accountable to things we hope they pick up quicker, because we know what this team is capable of.”
To say Tech handled a tough schedule last year was an understatement – as all six losses were to teams that reached the third-round of the NAIA Tournament. The Owls earned road wins in all 11 Cascade Conference gyms, finished 5-2 in one-possession games and were a perfect 3-0 in overtime contests.
The team will be tested early – meeting perennial Frontier Conference powers Providence and Carroll to open the year in Montana, a match-up against a Top-10 Arizona Christian squad in mid-November, while facing five of the top-six CCC teams to start the league schedule – four of which are away from the Basin.
Despite this, Parnell knows his club will be prepared and ready.
“The goal is head into Game 1 in Montana with our identity completely intact – on the defensive end, on the offensive end and in transition – we’ve tried to get their quicker than we ever have. Montana is a hard place to play – Providence and Carroll are both tough, well coached teams. Helena will be one of the best road environments we’ll play in all year. But we have a team that if we execute and do the things we need to do, we are capable of starting the year 2-0. From there – our home tournament will be tough, we go on the road to Eastern and C of I, host Southern and then back on the road to Corban and Bushnell. We are trying to create as much adversity in practice so when we get into those games, we are built to deal with it.”
Six seniors are the backbone of the Hustlin’ Owls – including a sixth-year senior. The group battled through the 2021 COVID spring season, have qualified for a pair of NAIA Tournaments – and know this is their last go-round.
“We have great leadership,” Parnell said. “We as coaches try to explain things and motivate, but it really comes from the players. The old adage says, ‘a player led team is better than a coach led team’ and I certainly feel that is the case with this group – we’ve had some tough practices and our captains have said, ‘this isn’t punishment, we have to deal with the adversity now so it doesn’t happen in a game’.”
That leadership begins with point-guard Jamison Guerra, one of the 5-year players – coming off a breakout 2023-24 season. Guerra earned All-CCC and third-team NAIA All-America honors – averaging 12 points per game and led the NAIA in assists (227) and assists per game (7.0). He was crucial late in games – hitting game-tying baskets in wins over OUAZ, Southern Oregon and Keiser, while hitting game-winners to defeat Bethel, Bushnell and Lewis-Clark State.
“You name a point-guard in the NAIA that is better than Jamison and I’m going to question you on it,” Parnell said of Guerra. “He is the total package as a point-guard – he is a great player, he is a great person, he is a great leader. Jamison is as tough as they get.”
Two young players will back up Guerra – redshirt freshman Sean Chris Tresvant and true freshman Kaden Groenig. Tresvant played in the allowable five games to preserve his redshirt – including key experience in road games at Jessup and OUAZ. Groenig heads to Tech from Southridge High in Beaverton, traversing the rigors of the difficult Metro League.
Two veteran players will man the shooting guard position – three-year starter Kam Osborn and sixth-man Jay Elmore.
Osborn, who battled injuries through his first four seasons at Tech, had a dominant fifth-year in the program, earning All-CCC honors – leading the club with a 15 points per game scoring average. He was key in the postseason, leading the Owls with 24 points in the CCC title game at C of I, scoring 13 points in both NAIA Tournament contests.
“It’s rare to have a sixth-year guy, especially a sixth-year guy with fire,” Parnell said of Osborn. “Kam might be one of the most skilled players we’ve ever had here. There are so many things he does on the floor that most people do not see – he is such a joy to coach.”
Numbers do not speak to the impact Elmore has had the last two seasons – averaging 15 minutes a game, while coming off the bench in 60-of-62 contests. The senior converted a team-best 45-percent of his 3-point attempts and among the Top-30 in program history in 3-pointers made.
“We talk with our guys about what is your super power – well, for Jay, it’s shooting the ball and he can shoot the ball like no one else can,” Parnell said.
True freshman Quincy Townsend from Bend will learn from the upperclassmen in 2024-25. The Mountain View High grad earned 5A All-State honors last season, averaging 23 points per game.
The deepest position group on the club is at the wing – where the Owls have experience and length, as every player stands 6-foot-4 or taller – including returning starters Keegan Shivers and Erik Fraser.
Shivers looks to close out a banner career – heading into the year one of three OIT players in program history to post 1,200 points, 600 rebounds and 250 assists – sitting 45 made 3-pointers away from setting a new school record. The 4-time All-CCC performer averaged 14 points and a career-best eight rebounds per game in 2023-24.
Fraser responded after an injury ended his 2022-23 season with a stellar year – averaging 10 points and four rebounds per game – providing key energy at both ends of the floor.
“Keegan and Erik are special kids – they put in so much time in the weight room and on the court and are such high-level players,” Parnell said. “Keegan is Keegan, you know what you are going to get. He will make big shot after big shot. The guy who is playing maybe better than anyone else is Erik Fraser. He is fully healthy for the first time in a couple years and is playing at an all-conference level in practice.”
Behind the seniors are quality options. After sitting out a mandated year due to conference transfer rules, Dakota Reber is poised to make an immediate impact. Reber, who started his career at Division I Incarnate Word, was a starter in 2022-23 at Warner Pacific, averaging 12 points and six rebounds a game for the Knights. Junior Grant Tull is in his fourth year in the program and is a skilled offensive player, sophomore Garrett Osborne played a key role off the bench last season and made 55-percent of his field goal chances, with Jared Sucher looking to crack the rotation after using last year as a redshirt season.
“This is as deep as we’ve been at the wing since 2019 – Keegan, Erik, Dakota, Jared, Garrett, Grant – we can play so many guys which makes it extremely tough on an opponent,” Parnell said. “The key is everyone has to accept their role, continue to rotate guys for the betterment of the team, which I think this group can do.”
On the block, post Blake Jensen returns after his first full season as a starter. The 6-foot-7 big man led the CCC in field goal percentage (.637), averaging 11 points and six rebounds per game – while serving as Tech’s top interior defender.
“Blake Jensen is the working man’s big,” Parnell said. “He does exactly what a big man has to do – he finishes, rebounds, plays tough defensively and runs the floor. In many ways, he’s the most important piece in our puzzle.”
Tech must replace the numbers of Kody Bauman, the lone graduated senior – who averaged nine points per game – but sophomore Jackson Cooper looks to thrive in the identical role. Cooper was crucial off the bench late in the season, averaging nine points and five rebounds per game over the final month, connecting on 55-percent of field goal chances.
“I think Jackson Cooper is poised for a breakout season and is one of the more talented players in the league at his position,” Parnell said of the sophomore. “He will come off the bench but play starter minutes and I think Jackson will take his game to another level this year and it will surprise some fans.”
In addition, 6-foot-10 post Logan Thebiay will add depth on the block. The sophomore made the most of opportunities last season, averaging three points and two rebounds per game.
Less than a week from the season opener (live on 92.5 KLAD-FM) – the final year for the senior class – anticipation for the games in Helena is near for the players and staff.
“We told the seniors at the beginning of the season – ‘what kind of legacy are you going to leave’ – and they’ve already left a great one, but we are challenging them to leave an elite legacy,” Parnell stated. “We have extremely high expectations this year, but we also know that we have to perform. We were fortunate to win a lot of games in the last possession that could have gone the other way and it would have been a different season. Going 27-6 isn’t easy and the players know that all the hard work they have put in this fall is going to pay off and we have to go out and do the job.”
