January 16, 2007

Oakes lands in the South Bay

Kevin McCarthy
 

The odds were that Chris Oakes would land anywhere but the new school he recently chose. The pundits and message boards had him pegged for somewhere in the PAC-10 or a top contender in the West Coast Conference. Little did they know.

"He’s a very good player but he’s an even better person than player"

Castlemont High coach Gerald Pleasant has seen many players come and go during his tenure at the Oakland school but none have made as deep of an impression as Oakes. Hence his quote above.

And now the 6-foot-9 forward is a San Jose State Spartan. This despite other inquiries and interest from PAC-10, Western Athletic Conference, Big West and West Coast Conference teams.

Oakes, a sophomore, departed from Pepperdine, where a coaching change but, more importantly, a system change, caused him to eventually pursue a better fit. At the end of last season, Paul Westphal was replaced at the Malibu school by junior college offensive wizard Vance Walberg, he of the up-up-up tempo offensive and defensive system of Fresno City College. Walberg’s teams averaged close to 100 points per game, launching 3-pointers almost at will, while fullcourt pressing and double-teaming all 94 feet on defense.

However untraditional, this Walberg style was amazingly successful at the junior college level as he won over 90% of his games at Fresno CC. But it is one that doesn’t necessarily require a post player--certainly not in the traditional sense. It requires shooters, with big men left to rebound offensively and help defensively with opponents penetrating the key.

Realistically, it was a mis-match doomed for dissolution--call it a no-fault divorce as all parties wish each other well.

We recently had the opportunity to talk with Oakes about his new college. Here’s what he had to say:

Asked why he chose San Jose State over many other suitors, he said: "The basketball program is going in the right direction and I wanted to be a part and hopefully play a key role in that. When I took my visit, I really liked what I saw with both the school and the program. I had never been on campus before."

Oakes had good things to say about the Spartan coaching staff too: ":;I was reminded of Paul Westphal and his coaching staff (Oakes’ set of coaches for his freshman year at Pepperdine) when I met them. I knew of (assistant coach) Donald Williams already. They seem like good teachers."

He thought of his initial season at Pepperdine when he met the SJSU players: "They reminded me of my teammates at Pepperdine in 2005-2006. We were really young and coming together as a team. I already knew Devonte Thomas and Tim Pierce (current SJSU student-athletes)."

His future plans: "I’m excited. I want to work on my game, keep developing my post skills and work on the weights. I’m eager and ready to go. I’ll be able to help out next year if I work hard enough."

San Jose State Coach George Nessman regarding Oakes:

Q - What generated your initial interest in pursuing Chris Oakes?

GN - Our initial interest was based on the fact that as an assistant at Cal I had watched Chris play a number of times. Don (Williams) was also rather familar with his game. Chris has a reputation as being a high character young man - something we consider a major plus.

Q - After talking with him, what was the ‘clincher’ in deciding to offer him?

GN - Chris really impressed our entire staff when he visited with us. We all had no doubts that he would be a good fit both as a player and as a person.

Q - How do you see him in your system?

GN - I think Chris fits the prototype of a power forward. He is 6’9 - long and athletic. Chris is an active, bouncy high energy player. He does most of his work inside of 16’. However, given the manner in which we defend, Chris could play all of the frontline positions effectively.

Q - We recall one of your quotes from a while back about bettering the team by beating out other WAC schools for players? Does this signing fit into this category?

GN - There is little doubt that Chris was pursued by schools at the WAC level and above out of high school. That remained the case when he let it be known he was leaving Pepperdine. There were some PAC-10 and WAC schools actively chasing him. Remember, the conventional wisdom and the newspapers had him a "lock" for Fresno State. Of course, success in recruiting is fundamental to beating teams in our conference. Here is an analogy - if you are on the playground and you are choosing "sides" for a game - the first side gets to make the first five choices, and you get to have the next five - which team is going to win more often?

And thus, Chris Oakes brings his talent as a player and individual persona to San Jose State.

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