CORVALLIS, Ore. — The Oregon State University men's and women's basketball teams lost a couple of key players to the 2024 transfer portal Tuesday, with Talia von Oelhoffen and Jordan Pope announcing their departures.
Von Oelhoffen said goodbye via social media, thanking her coach and community for her time spent at the university. The junior guard stated she will be using her last year of eligibility to enter the portal.
"Corvallis will always be a home away from home, and the people whose paths I was lucky enough to cross will always hold a special place in my heart ... I will always and forever be a Beav," she wrote.
Von Oelhoffen, a 5-foot-11 guard from Pasco, Washington, played the past four seasons at Oregon State. This season, she finished second on the team in points (13.2), assists (3.3) and steals (1.2) as the Beavers reached the Elite Eight, where they lost 70-65 to No. 1 seed South Carolina. It was the furthest the Beavers advanced in the women's NCAA Tournament since 2018.
Over four seasons, von Oelhoffen averaged 12.3 points, 4.2 rebounds, 3.8 assists and 1.0 steal per game. She was a starter the past three seasons.
"Given the circumstances, I have decided that it is best for me & my future to close this chapter of my life," von Oelhoffen wrote on social media. "I will be entering the portal as a graduate transfer to use my last year of eligibility elsewhere."
For the Oregon State men, sophomore star guard Jordan Pope led the Beavers in scoring this season. A 6-2 guard out of Oakley, California, Pope averaged 17.6 points, 3.4 assists and 2.6 rebounds. Last season, as a freshman, he averaged 12.6 points, 2.3 assists and 2.6 rebounds.
Pope thanked multiple people in his social media announcement, saying, in part, "though the seasons weren't what we wanted, through the wins and losses, the past 2 years have been nothing but amazing for me."
Though neither von Oelhoffen or Pope directly noted it as a reason for entering the transfer portal, the demise of the Pac-12 may have played a role in their decisions. Oregon State and Washington State are the only teams left in the conference after the other 10 members, including Oregon and Washington, announced that they'd be leaving the Pac-12 and joining the Big 10, Big 12 and ACC in the 2025 season.
Oregon State's football team saw 12 players enter the transfer portal at the conclusion of their season, including starting quarterback DJ Uiagalelei and top quarterback recruit Aidan Chiles.
In football, Oregon State and Washington State reached a scheduling agreement to play six games in the 2024 season against schools from the Mountain West Conference.
In all other sports, including men's and women's basketball, the West Coast Conference added Oregon State and Washington State as affiliate members for two years, beginning next season. The Beavers and Cougars will be eligible to compete in WCC tournaments across 12 sports starting next fall.
Download the KGW News app: Download for iPhone here | Download for Android here
Stream newscasts for free on KGW+ on Roku, Amazon Fire and Apple TV: How to add app to your device here
See a typo in this article? Email web@kgw.com for corrections.
