Spokane native Wayne Tinkle, who guided Oregon State to 2021 Elite Eight, won’t return next season

Oregon State will have a new basketball coach for its return to the Pac-12.

Athletic director Scott Barnes announced Thursday that Oregon State is parting ways with Wayne Tinkle, who has been in Corvallis for the last 12 seasons and has compiled a 175-204 record.

Tinkle, the former Ferris High School star, made two NCAA Tournaments in 12 seasons, the last one coming in 2021. The Beavers have been in the middle of the pack over the last two years in the WCC – going 19-16 – and considering it’s a high-major program playing in a mid-major league, that probably didn’t help Tinkle’s chances of remaining the coach for the reinvention of the Pac-12.

In Tinkle’s defense, all five starters transferred after last season. He was put in a tough spot after the crumbling of the Pac-12, because most of his players signed to play at the high-major level and all five starters transferred to high-major programs.

“We are grateful to Wayne for his dedication to Oregon State and for the leadership he has provided our men’s basketball program,” Barnes said in a release. “He has represented Beaver Nation with integrity and commitment. As we approach the dawn of the new Pac-12 era, we believe it is in the best interest of our men’s basketball program to transition to its next chapter. These decisions are never easy, but we are focused on positioning our program for sustained success in a rapidly evolving collegiate athletics landscape.”

Barnes, who came to Oregon State in 2017, will be hiring a men’s basketball coach for the first time since 2016, when he was the athletic director at Pittsburgh and tabbed Kevin Stallings to replace Jamie Dixon. Stallings lasted just two years and went 4-32 in the ACC.

Oregon State announced that DHR Global will assist in the search process for the team’s next head coach.