JUCO Transfer Isaiah Sy Brings Efficient Scoring to Oregon State Basketball in 2024-25

The 6-foot-7 wing has a ton of offensive ability. How will it translate to Division-I?

Oregon State players return to the court after half time during the men s basketball game against Bushnell on Tuesday, Nov. 15, 2022 at OSU in Corvallis, Ore. Osuvsbushnell456 / ABIGAIL DOLLINS / STATESMAN JOURNAL / USA TODAY NETWORK

Oregon State has essentially a completely new roster, and Wayne Tinkle has been tasked with rebuilding a team that already had its struggles last season. They returned very few players with experience from last season's squad, and had to essentially construct an entirely new roster to compete in the West Coast Conference this season after the dissolution of the Pac-12 Conference.

One of these new pieces is transfer freshman Isaiah Sy, a French-born player who spent his first season at Cloud County Community College and was highly productive in his only year there.

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According to Synergy Sports, Sy is an elite catch-and-shoot forward, one who finished in the 98th percentile in efficiency on the spot-up at a blistering 1.44 points per shot. He sported an effective field goal rate of 68.1% (not a misprint) due to his dynamic long-range shooting, and took advantage of opponents by punishing them for going under screens to guard him.

On this Oregon State team, Sy will play the same role he did in the junior college ranks. Though the Beavers ranked 270th in three-point attempt rate last season with just 34% of their shots coming from beyond the arc, Sy will have to be a staple for this offense from deep. Even with a volume shooter like Jordan Pope, they took just 18.7 threes per game in 2023-24.

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It's expected that Sy's blistering 47.9% from deep will regress to a more reasonable percentage as he transitions from the NJCAA to Division-I hoops, but the sniping ability is undeniable. The question will be whether the Beavers can find ways to get him open – he is a movement shooter, and can come off of screens to hit shots, meaning off-ball actions will play into his favor.

Though not a player that can create for himself off of the dribble, Sy can punish opponents for sagging off of him on the perimeter. It will be interesting to see how Wayne Tinkle incorporates the D-I newcomer into his system.