Alaska native Rhea selects Oregon State over Arizona

By Brooks Hatch
Corvallis Gazette-Times

Talisa Rhea was in Parker Plaza when the Oregon State baseball team made its triumphant return to Corvallis after the College World Series.

To say that the tumultuous reception the Beavers received from the estimated 5,000 fans made an impact on her would be an understatement.

And the reaction she’s received around her hometown of Juneau, Alaska, since announcing her oral commitment to play basketball at OSU next season has been equally impressive.

“Everywhere she turns there are Oregon State alumni,” congratulating the 5-foot-10, 175-pound guard from Juneau Douglas High for selecting the Beavers over Arizona, JDHS coach Lesslie Knight said Thursday. “Her neighbors, people at school ... there’s a huge Oregon State alumni group in Juneau.”

Rhea was the Alaska state Player of the Year as a sophomore and junior. She helped the Crimson Bears win the 2004 state championship and take third at the 2005 tournament by leading them in scoring (18 ppg), rebounding (8 rpg), assists (7 apg) and steals (5 spg), all while maintaining a 3.83 grade-point average and playing soccer.

She earned the 2005 Player of the Year award over Kelsey Griffin of Eagle River High Chugiak, who plays at Nebraska and was selected as the Big 12 Conference’s 2005-06 Freshman of the Year by the Dallas Morning News.

NCAA rules prohibit OSU coaches from commenting on Rhea until she signs her letter of intent on Nov. 12. The Beavers are also expected to sign Alexandria Mitchell, a 6-4 post from Berkeley High in California.

Rhea, 17, said OSU’s rising status, the small-town feel of Corvallis and the non-stop attention paid to her by the coaching staff during the recruiting process and during the summer camps she attended here helped her choose the Beavers over Arizona and Long Beach State.

Georgia Tech, Hawaii, San Diego, Pepperdine, Wyoming, Harvard and Utah State also showed interest.

“The university is really a big deal, and Corvallis is a nice college town,” fairly comparable in size to Juneau, Alaska’s capital city, she said. “I really liked the smaller campus. That was important to me.”

Rhea played AAU summer basketball for Team Alaska, which played 33 games at tournaments in Oregon, Washington, Illinois, Tennessee and California. She said at least one OSU coach was at every game, and she also attended OSU’s team and individual camps.

“There’s nothing like competing against people from all across the country,” Rhea said. “It’s been good to go down (to the lower 48), play against them and get exposure. That’s the most important thing.”

Knight anticipates Rhea will be an instant contributor to the 2007-08 Beavers, who will be dominated by incoming freshmen such as Rhea and the five current freshmen who comprise coach LaVonda Wagner’s first recruiting class.

“When I first watched her as a freshman I compared her to Sue Bird,” the one-time Connecticut star now with the WNBA’s Seattle Storm, Knight said. “Her ability to control the tempo of the game, to shoot and penetrate,” are similar.

“Oregon State can use her in multiple spots. She shoots well, can hit the 3-pointer, go left and right, can really pass and anticipate the openings. She reads people coming off the screens like you’ve never seen.”

Added Rhea: “I’m just hoping to come in and play. They play really hard, and I’m just looking to help out any way I can.”

Rhea said she’s not as quick as some, but uses her savvy and size to outplay people. She’s a prospective business major who hopes to work in athletic administration after graduating.

OSU opens practice on Sunday. It opens the season on Nov. 11 against Southern Utah at Gill Coliseum, after home exhibition games with Team Concept (Nov. 1) and Western Oregon (Nov. 5).