Lathen Wallace no longer spending as much time on the bench

Lathen Wallace was mystified at the reasons why he was stuck on the bench, sitting next to walkons Joey McConnell and Kyle Bjornstad, redshirting transfer Daniel Deane and the other spare parts on the Oregon State men’s basketball team.

Was it his defense?

“I try to work hard on my defense, no matter what,” he said. “That’s what I’m doing, working hard, trying to get better, every day.”

Was it his supposed lack of conditioning?

“I did everything the team did,” in the offseason and in practice, he said, “so it’s not like I didn’t do it.”

Why, then, was the onetime Jefferson High scoring machine anchored to the pine while his offensively-challenged team struggled game after game to break the 60-point barrier?

“I wasn’t what coach wanted, whatever, I don’t know,” Wallace said Tuesday, clearly uncomfortable answering questions he had no logical answer to, and clearly reluctant to throw former coach Jay John under the bus. “I don’t know what to say.

“It was tough, very hard for me,” to play sparingly — or not at all in five games — after redshirting in 2007. “But I did it because that’s what the coach wanted me to do. I’m not sure why.”

The recent regime change has meant a fresh start under interim coach Kevin Mouton, however. The 6-foot-3, 200-pounder from Portland established career highs in scoring and in minutes played against the Los Angeles schools last week and illustrated why he was such a decorated prospect after a standout career for the Democrats.

Wallace had 11 points against USC and 18 against UCLA and played more minutes in two games (41) than in the previous nine combined. He added accurate 3-point shooting (3 of 5) and an aggressive, finishing ability absent from OSU’s offensive arsenal for much of the winter.

“It’s a load off (his mind); I’m excited to play, and I’m ready whenever the coach is ready for me,” Wallace said. “It’s been good to play a stretch of minutes instead of getting yanked.

“I felt I produced then, too, when I was coming in and out. But it still wasn’t enough.”

His reward for last weekend was a promotion to the first team in practice this week. He could possibly make his first career start at 3 p.m. Saturday when the Beavers (6-14, 0-8) meet Oregon (12-8, 3-5) at McArthur Court in the 328th Civil War.

“I’m just happy for Lathen,” Mouton said. “He’s given us the opportunity (to play someone) who can shoot the three and can drive it and get to the rim ... you have to reward a kid when he has some success.”

Added Wallace: “I don’t expect anything. I just wanted to get the opportunity to play.”

Those least surprised by Wallace’s breakout were teammates such as Seth Tarver, a longtime friend from Northeast Portland and a running buddy on various youth and traveling clubs. They lived about 10 blocks apart, and first met in fourth grade as members of the Wolves, who were coached by John Tarver, Seth’s father.

“We’ve always known what (Wallace) could do,” Tarver said. “It’s just about getting an opportunity, and he didn’t get (that) until now. You know what to expect from Lathen. He’s definitely a competitor.”

Wallace didn’t back down one iota against the Bruins. In one two-minute stretch late in the first half, he drilled a 3-pointer from beyond NBA range and added two free throws and a layup for seven points. After a brief respite, he ended the half with a buzzer-beating layup.

“I’ve seen Lathen hit that three on my team plenty of times,” Tarver said.

“That’s what I do,” Wallace added, matter-of-factly. “I’m real confident and once I’m good shooting, everything else opens up.”

Tarver recalls watching Wallace “dominate” practice as a scout teamer at times last season. Mouton said Wallace wasn’t shooting as well then as he is now, but those who score in high school generally don’t lose that knack when they move up a level.

John almost brought Wallace out of redshirt at the start of Pac-10 play last season, but Wallace refused.

“I basically sat out the whole preseason and I didn’t feel like wasting the whole year,” he said. “I wasn’t guaranteed to play or anything, so I told him no.”

Wallace stuck to his word, just as he did during recruiting, when his pledge to OSU never wavered, even when Connecticut — his favorite team growing up — called late in an attempt to reopen the process. He tried to stay positive while redshirting, even as the team fractured around him and five players with remaining eligibility either transferred or departed after another losing season.

“If I commit myself to something, that’s what I do, I just don’t decommit,” Wallace said. “I expected to play (last season), it didn’t work out that way, but I try not to regret anything.

“I never considered transferring, because that’s not me, that’s not the way I am. If I do something, I stick to it. Hard times, bad times, I just grind it out.”

Lathen Wallace

WHO: Redshirt freshman on the OSU men’s basketball team

SIZE: 6-foot-3, 200 pounds

STATS: Is averaging 5.0 points and 1.3 rebounds in 15 games overall and 6.1 points and .9 rebounds in Pac-10 play.

HOMETOWN: Portland

FAMILY: Son of Sheri Bobatunday and Lathen Wallace, Sr; siblings Shagun, Amary, Shanell and Daiyo.

EDUCATION: Graduated with honors from Jefferson High School in 2006.

ETC.: Was first-team all-state and the PIL’s Most Valuable Player in 2006, when he averaged 24.5 points, 6.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. ... Third-team choice on Long Beach Press-Telegram’s Best of the West 2006 team. ... Was honorable-mention all-state and all-PIL as a junior in 2005.

QUOTE: “(Lathen) played that well last year as a redshirt in practices. There’s no doubt in our minds, and in his teammates’ minds, that he can shoot the ball. You got a glimpse of that” against the Los Angeles schools. — OSU coach Kevin Mouton