Oregon State Lands Commitment from 2025 Finnish Forward Olavi Suutela
Oregon State has gotten its first commitment of the 2025 recruiting class by landing Finnish forward Olavi Suutela, according to his Twitter/X feed. This follows a pattern of recruiting done by Beavers' head coach Wayne Tinkle, going after foreign-born prospects often, as more than half of the makeup of the 2024-25 Oregon State roster is from overseas.
I’m committed to Oregon State University! #GoBeavs pic.twitter.com/SOiUhQ5g2o
— Olavi Suutela (@olavisuutela) October 5, 2024
The 6-foot-10 Suutela is a forward from Helsinki, Finland. He's an interesting prospect in the fact that he, despite his height, plays quite a bit on the perimeter, demonstrating a really solid face-up game and handle. His size works in conjunction with his skill by allowing him to get to the paint using his dribble before backing opponents down and using post moves to score, demonstrating touch inside in these offensive situations.
The other thing that stands out about his game is his fluidity with the ball – he can make dribble moves in spite of his size, and often scores in difficult situations using his mobility. In seven games in the FIBA U18 tournament playing for Finland, he scored 55 points, grabbed 59 rebounds, and recorded 13 assists. He also blocked seven shots, and has some potential as a future rim protector due to his ability to move around.
Where he can improve his is shooting – he shot 10-for-16 from the free-throw line during the tournament and connected on just one of six attempts from beyond the arc. Still, his game is more reliant on interior scoring, something that he does better closer to the rim than from long range.
As previously mentioned, this pickup fits a theme with Oregon State recently, as they feature many players from European countries, many of whom have FIBA or other international basketball experience. Hopefully the team can build on this momentum and continue to pick up players that conform to their roster style.
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Keenan Womack is a sportswriter native to Dallas, Texas, who has spent the last 12 years in Austin, the home of his alma mater, the University of Texas. Keenan has covered sports for SB Nation, Bleacher Report, Rivals/Orangebloods, a host of his own sites and now, Fan Nation. Focusing on basketball, Keenan was on the beat for the Longhorns hoops team for the last two-and-a-half years before moving on to pursue other opportunities. He is married and lives with his wife close to the Moody Center, so they can continue to catch games together.