Unique perk boon to Beavers

Back in 2008 when Craig Robinson first was trying to get Oregon State's basketball program turned around, he had a sweet bargaining chip at his disposal to get in the door with potential recruits.

His sister, Michelle, is married to then President-elect Barack Obama. And being the commander-in-chief's brother-in-law helped Robinson make his way into many a living room.

He still uses his ties to the White House but not nearly as often. With the Beavers winning and playing an up-tempo style of offense, Robinson now has something tangible on the court to sell.

"Recruiting has gone easier," Robinson said. "But being the president's brother-in-law definitely helped."

The Beavers bring an 8-2 record into today's 6 p.m. Holiday Hoops Classic game against San Diego at the MGM Grand Garden, and they're a fun team to watch. With balanced scoring led by juniors Roberto Nelson (16.1 points per game), Devon Collier (15.1), Ahmad Starks (12.8) and senior Joe Burton (10.3), the Beavers have averaged 77.7 points, fourth-best in the Pacific 12 Conference. Three years ago, Oregon State averaged 69 points a game in going 11-20.

Robinson said it was just a matter of getting the right people to play in his system.

"We had playing time to sell, which is always appealing," he said of his task of rebuilding Oregon State when he took the job five years ago. "We also had the Pac-10 at the time to sell, and now the Pac-12, and that has helped us.

"The guys we brought in needed time to understand our system, and we knew we were on the right path. But we just had to be patient. Fortunately, our administration was supportive, and it's fun to see the success they're having."

The two-day Holiday Hoops Classic is serving as a dry run for the upcoming Pac-12 tournament in mid-March. Oregon State was looking for a game, as was San Diego, which will return to Las Vegas for the West Coast Conference tournament in March at Orleans Arena. When the Pac-12 asked Oregon State if it was interested in coming to the MGM, the Beavers quickly jumped at the opportunity.

"I'm not sure how much of a leg up it gives us," Robinson said. "But gives us some familiarity with the surroundings to get a certain comfort level. We can put the experience in the vault for March."

In addition to the Beavers and the Toreros, two other teams will get a tuneup for March in Las Vegas. San Jose State, which will be back for the Western Athletic Conference tournament March 13 at Orleans Arena, meets James Madison in tonight's second game at the MGM Grand Garden Arena.

Boise State, which plays New Orleans at noon Sunday, will be making the first of three trips to town as the Broncos also play UNLV on March 5 and in the Mountain West tournament March 12-16, both at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The Oregon State-San Diego game will be the 19-year-old MGM arena's first basketball event. For the Pac-12, the weekend is being used to identify any problems, and the arena will be set up identically to the way it will be in March.

But for Robinson, March is a long way away. He's focused on continuing to build positive momentum for Oregon State's Pac-12 opener against rival Oregon on Jan. 6 at Gill Coliseum. The Beavers play five of their first seven conference games at home, and if they can get off to a fast start, Robinson believes there's no reason why his team can't challenge for the Pac-12 regular season title.

"The future looks bright," he said. "If we can keep it going, we can do some special things."

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj.