Making progress and moving ahead are standards that every individual tries to achieve in any endeavor undertaken. The metrics can be either empirical or statistical. In the case of Archbishop Mitty's Ben Kone, his advancement can be clearly explained and measured by either method as the power forward prospect has committed to Oregon State.
As a freshman, the 2016 prospect was playing across the bay at Richmond based Salesian College Prep. His playing time and statistics were minimal as he was playing on a senior laden team led by current Cal wing Jabari Bird and current Montana guard Mario Dunn (Beaver head coach Wayne Tinkle was previously the head coach at Montana at the time of Dunn's recruiting). The experience of practicing against Division I level talent at Salesian helped set the standard for Kone during his high school career.
As a sophomore, Kone transferred to Mitty due to his mother's employment situation. The Monarchs were coming off the graduation of current NBA forward, Aaron Gordon. Replacing Gordon was no small feat as Mitty went 27-5 with senior guards leading the way in Kone's first season with the Monarchs. He averaged 17 points, 14 rebounds, and 4 assists.
As a junior, the 6-foot-9 and 240 pound prospect was expected to be the leader. Kone did not disappoint, as Mitty were California CIF State Division II runner up in a 20-11 season. The Monarch program was breaking in new guards and had high level prospects in sophomore transfer Sebastian Much and freshman Riley Grigsby but Kone was the focal point as he averaged 20.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, 2.3 assists, and 1.2 blocks.
Kone had visited Corvallis in mid-June and the current week. He pulled the trigger on the decision as he says, "My decision to select Oregon State really boiled down to the coaching staff and the overall culture on campus. I really feel like with hard work I can become a better player, a better student, and grow in to a good man there. I appreciate all of the offers and opportunities I had from other programs and I was really fortunate to have comparisons. Every program had their great points. I had to pick the place where I felt like it was the best fit for me personally. Oregon State was the opportunity that I knew all the support and coaching was in place for me to be successful and the rest would be up to me."
The current Beaver roster has a Bay Area flavor with former Berkeley High and Oakland Soldier, Langston Morris Walker, and Gary Payton II, son of the former local basketball star with the same name. Both Walker and Payton II are graduating seniors. The incoming Oregon State recruiting class features six freshmen including two sons of the coaching staff, Stephen Thompson Jr. and Tres Tinkle. Oakland Soldiers teammate and 2016 prospect Jordan Ford has the Beavers in his final three in the same recruiting class as Kone. Kone forecasts his potential role as a freshman, "Right now, it looks like I will play a 3/4 role, but I will do whatever the coaches and team needs. I'm all in."
Corvallis is a city with over 55,000 in population and is often found on the list of best college towns. The city is close knit and considered to have a dynamic intellectual environment. The trips to Corvallis made Kone feel as such, ""I've never been anywhere where the people are as genuinely nice as in Corvallis. I'm not just talking about on campus. Just in daily life at the store or the gas station, the people are nice. It's a great town."
Tinkle who is 6-foot-10 and 233 pounds played at Montana and coached at Montana (head coach for eight years). He will be going into his second year as the head coach at Oregon State. Kone says about the coaching staff, "We (Kone's mother Kristy and Ben) came on our second visit to commit in person. I knew that I wanted to play for Coach Tinkle and wanted to tell him in person. Coach Gottlieb was my main recruiting contact and is a great guy. About six months ago, Coach Tinkle jumped in as well and has been personally involved. I feel like I have a great relationship with all the coaches and can't wait to play for them. Coach Tinkle is not only a great coach, but a great person and a mentor. I have an enormous amount of respect for him."
The Monarch program has always had solid academics and athletics. As a result, Oregon State's basketball plus its academics made Kone say, "I am very interested in Brand Marketing and Communications, but haven't officially decided on a major yet. OSU academics and facilities stood out to me. Not only are they top notch, the staff in every department is approachable and knowledgeable."
Before Kone makes the move up to Corvallis, look for him in the upcoming season to help the Monarchs move up in San Jose, Calif.
No comments:
Post a Comment