Oregon State is set to part ways with longtime menâs basketball coach Wayne Tinkle after the 2025-26 season, following a meeting Thursday with athletic director Scott Barnes. Oregon Stateâs athletic department confirmed the decision publicly, calling it a âleadership changeâ for the program.
Veteran columnist John Canzano reported earlier in the day that Barnes met with Tinkle and the sides agreed to separate after the season, with Tinkle offered the option to coach through the finish.
Oregon State confirms itâs parting ways with Wayne Tinkle after the season
Oregon Stateâs official release leaves no ambiguity about the direction: Barnes announced Thursday that the school is parting ways with Tinkle.
Canzanoâs report adds the key wrinkle that matters in the short term: Tinkle was given the choice to finish the season on the bench, and as of Thursday he had not made a final decision.
If youâre looking for the âwhy now,â itâs twofold:
- The Beavers are at the finish line of the regular season, so the timing limits disruption.
- Oregon State can start laying the groundwork for a coaching search in a college basketball landscape where roster decisions move fast once the season ends.
Canzano also reported Tinkleâs overall record at Oregon State (176-204 across 12 seasons), which frames how the program arrived at this point.
Oregon Stateâs menâs basketball remaining schedule (and why it matters here)
This is where the âfinish the seasonâ option becomes very real, very quickly.
Per Oregon Stateâs official schedule, the Beavers have one regular-season game left:
- Saturday, Feb. 28 â at Santa Clara
After that, Oregon State heads to the postseason:
- West Coast Conference Tournament, begins Thursday, March 5 (Las Vegas, Orleans Arena)
If Tinkle chooses to coach out the stretch, heâd potentially be on the sideline for the road finale at Santa Clara and then the WCC Tournament run, a short runway, but one with obvious stakes for players, seniors, and the staff.
What comes next: coaching search pressure and roster timing
Even if Oregon State waits to formally introduce the next coach, the calendar wonât wait.
Oregon Stateâs decision also lands with real weight because Tinkle did deliver some genuine high points in Corvallis. The signature moment was the 2021 run: the Beavers won the Pac-12 Tournament and rode that momentum all the way to the Elite Eight, beating Tennessee, Oklahoma State and Loyola Chicago along the way. Earlier in his tenure, Tinkle also coached Gary Payton II, who became a Pac-12 star and was named the leagueâs Defensive Player of the Year.
The NCAA recently changed Division I basketball transfer rules so the menâs portal window opens April 7 and runs through April 21 in 2026. That matters because the next head coach (and Oregon Stateâs roster) will be operating under a tighter, later âfree agencyâ window than in past years.
Also important: NCAA guidance around coaching-change-related transfer windows creates additional roster-management pressure when a program transitions to a new coach.
Bottom line: Oregon State has signaled itâs ready to turn the page, and the next few weeks will determine how cleanly the program gets from âdecision madeâ to ânext era started,â especially if Tinkle opts to step aside before the final games.
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