INDIANAPOLIS – The secret weapon of the Oregon State NCAA Tournament may be its most notable player, Roman Silva, 2.10 m.
The 7-footed player with offensive skills back in the basket almost disappeared in college basketball. It’s about going out and hitting three, rejecting shots and giving lobs to bury.
Silva? It is as old as a four-door sedan. And what’s happening is that college basketball may not have a good answer for Oregon State’s Oldsmobile Cutlass.
Silva dominated the interior of Friday afternoon, hitting 8 of 8 shots and setting his career record of 16 points in the Oregon State NCAA Tournament victory by 70-56 in the first round over Tennessee. Silva also had three blocks, a record for the OSU NCAA tournament.
Oregon State coach Wayne Tinkle, being a former college big shot in Montana, loves a job that could end as Silva. But it didn’t happen overnight. It took Silva to get fit and teammates to agree to an offensive setback.
“We wanted to dribble, jack and everything,” said Tinkle. “We were finally able to convey to boys the importance of balance from the inside out. Roman has been a big part of that … I couldn’t be happier for Roman just for being who he is. “
Tennessee coach Rick Barnes said Silva was the difference.
“They had an internal game and we didn’t have a chance,” said Barnes. “We didn’t do what we had to do to prevent this.”
Silva has had moments in the past two years, but not consistently. He came to the state of Oregon two years ago as an unannounced JC transfer. Absences and conditioning were a problem last season. Silva got in better shape for this season, only to be hit with the COVID-19 in late December.
Silva recovered and showed that he could be a force to keep himself out of trouble. Silva led OSU to a 58-56 turnaround at USC in mid-January by hitting 6 of 7 on the floor. At the end of the season, Silva scored 6 out of 8 in the win over California and 5 out of 6 at the end of the regular season against Oregon.
The Oregon State technical team was patient when he was returning from the COVID-19 break. In short, they told Silva about his belief in his game and what he could do when he was right.
“It means a lot to have support like that,” said Silva. “Not just the coaching staff, but the teammates supporting you and willing to look for you. It feels great. “
Why wouldn’t they look for Silva? When the shot goes up, it is as automatic as anyone on the Pac-12, hitting a 67.6% shot (71 out of 105). When Silva starts to roll, he rarely misses. Friday was 8 out of 8.
“Roman was a great time,” said Tinkle. “He did it for us, and we know that he has an advantage there. … we raffle it for him, and he’ll pick it up, and he’ll score.
“He’s an incredible boy, and he really symbolizes a guy who is in the first place. That’s why his teammates are so happy for him. “
– Nick Daschel | [email protected] | @nickdaschel