COMING UP: Season Complete
 
NAIA TOURNAMENT RECAP: With a runner-up finish in the Cascade Conference regular-season standings, OIT earned the league's second automatic bid to the NAIA Championships – and a trip to Glendale, Ariz., for the first two rounds of the tournament. In the first-round, Tech rolled to an 87-78 upset win over Indiana Tech, one of five lower-seeded teams to win a first-round game. The Hustlin' Owls ran into a buzzsaw in the second-round, as Arizona Christian held Tech to their lowest field goal percentage and scoring total of the season in an 83-52 decision. ACU would advance to the national semifinals, where they were toppled by national champ and CCC rival, College of Idaho. Two other CCC teams were in the tournament – as Southern Oregon rode three upsets to reach the national quarterfinals, with LC State losing a first-round matchup.
 
ANOTHER 20-WIN SEASON: The Hustlin' Owls finished the 2024-25 season with a 23-8 record, their 39th 20-win season in the 77-year history of the program. It marks the seventh 20-win season in head coach Justin Parnell's nine years at the helm.
 
SHIVERS CAPS AMAZING CAREER: The loss at ACU ended the career of Keegan Shivers, a career that was among the greatest in the 77-year history of the program. The guard became just the second Cascade Conference player to be selected to five All-CCC teams, averaging 14 points and six rebounds per game this season – including 20 points in the NAIA win over Indiana Tech. Shivers finished his career with 1,662 points and 822 rebounds – both No. 5 in program history – joining Herb McEachin as the only two OIT players to ever post 1,600 points and 800 rebounds in a career, while establishing the new program record for 3-pointers made in a career with 291.
 
GUERRA TO GET A SHOT AT D-I: After five outstanding seasons at OIT, 2-time All-CCC point-guard Jamison Guerra is continuing his playing career at the Division I level. Guerra led the CCC in assists per game (5.8) for a second-straight year, while averaging nearly 12 points per game – ending his time at Tech with 660 assists, No. 3 in program history. Thanks to an NCAA ruling, all junior college and NAIA players have been granted one year of eligibility to potentially play at the Division I level – with Guerra committed to play next season at Idaho State, under the direction of former Eastern Oregon head man, Ryan Looney.
 
OSBORN CLOSES OUT HUGE SENIOR YEAR: The breakout season for the Owls in 2024-25 was posted by sixth-year senior Kam Osborn, who earned his second-straight All-CCC honor after averaging a career-best 15 points per game. The shooting guard made 41% of his 3-point attempts and 86% of his free throws – both among the Top-5 in the CCC, scoring 20-or-more points in a game seven times. Osborn was Tech's latest addition to the 1,000-point club, ending his career scoring 1,271 points.
 
THREE MORE SENIORS: The trio of Blake Jensen, Erik Fraser and Jay Elmore saw their playing careers end in Arizona, each instrumental in the success of the program. Jensen had the best season of his career in 2024-25, averaging 12 points and seven rebounds per game, making nearly 65% of his field goal attempts – earning honorable mention All-CCC honors – posting four double-doubles and a career-best 30-point effort at Evergreen State. Fraser scored in double-figures in both NAIA Tournament games (scoring in double-figures in 4-straight national tourney contests), finishing the year averaging nine points and five rebounds and ending his career with 925 points scored. Elmore capped his 3-years at Tech by ranking No. 13 all-time in 3-point field goal percentage and ranks among the Top-30 in 3-pointers made – including five triples in a key road win this season at Eastern Oregon.
 
CUPBOARD NOT BARE: Despite graduating six seniors, the Owls will return a boatload of talent for the 2025-26 season – including forwards Jackson Cooper and Dakota Reber, as Cooper averaged nine points and five rebounds a night and Reber chipping in seven points and three boards – with both players making over 50% of their field goals. Role players Jared Sucher, Grant Tull, Sean Chris Tresvant, Garrett Osborne and Logan Thebiay will see increased minutes, along with the two redshirts from this season, Quincy Townsend and Kaden Groenig. Tech is also excited for their incoming recruiting class, which will be announced this summer.
 
THANK YOU COACH: Following the 2024-25 season, longtime OIT assistant coach Paul Poetsch announced his retirement from the Owls bench. The mainstay on the sidelines for nearly 20 years was a bridge for the program – working under both Danny Miles and Justin Parnell – and part of the 2012 NAIA title team and the 2019 team that lost in the NAIA title game.
 
LOOKING BACK AT THE YEAR: The Owls played a competitive preseason schedule – splitting two games in Montana, including a win over Frontier Conference runner-up, Providence, while dropping the title game of the Lithia Classic to Arizona Christian. OIT played well in Cascade Conference action – sweeping quality Southern Oregon, Corban and Eastern Oregon teams, while splitting the home-and-home series with LC State were the lone team in the league to play College of Idaho to two single-digit losses. Tech was stunned in their CCC Tournament opener vs. Multnomah, but the 18-4 record in CCC play and second-place finish earned an automatic bid to nationals.
 
HOME STREAK ROLLS ON: Since OIT moved to their current campus in 1964, the Hustlin' Owls have had a decisive home floor advantage inside the Athletic Center – winning over 81-percent of their home games. Over the last 61 seasons Tech has played on what is now known as Danny Miles Court, the Owls hold a 798-182 overall record in the building – including an 111-22 mark under current head coach Justin Parnell – two wins away from 800 home victories. OIT has recorded a winning record in 57-of-59 seasons (going 5-7 in 1965-66 and 1-8 in 1970-71), including undefeated records four times (1986-87, 2008-09, 2009-10, 2010-11). The Owls finished the year 12-3 at home, clinching their 54th-straight winning season on their home floor – the longest streak in NAIA history.
 
ATTENDANCE CHAMP: Tech dominated the NAIA in men's basketball attendance this season, leading all schools with an average of 1,554 fans coming regular-season game – tops among all small college teams in the West. In the NAIA ranks, OIT finished ahead of College of Idaho (1,325), Carroll (916), LC State (739) and Evangel (643), while overall in the Northwest, the Owls ranked No. 8 among all teams (Boise State – 10,636, Oregon  - 7,170, Washington – 6,915, Gonzaga – 6,601, Washington State – 4207, Oregon State – 3,888, Idaho – 1,766, OIT – 1,554, Eastern Washington – 1,487, Idaho State – 1,386). Among Oregon schools, the Owls was No. 3 in attendance (Oregon – 7,170, Oregon State – 3,888, OIT – 1,554, Portland – 1,295, Portland State – 634, Southern Oregon – 443, Pacific – 339, George Fox – 259, Willamette – 241, Corban – 213).
 
3-POINT STREAK: The 3-point shot has been key to the Hustlin' Owls success over the years, with Tech extending their string of games with a made 3-pointer to 1,043. OIT last failed to make a 3-pointer on Dec. 4, 1992, at Humboldt State, going 0-for-7 from outside the arch. During the current streak, the Owls made one 3-pointer in a game on five occasions. Duke (1,263) and UNLV (1,262) hold the current 3-point streak record, just ahead of CCC rivals Corban (1,226) and College of Idaho (1,200), along with East Tennessee State (1,190).
 
SEASON RECORDS: Two Top-10 marks were established this season – as Kam Osborn posted the No. 6 free throw percentage mark (.861) and Blake Jensen ended the year No. 8 in field goal percentage (.639).
 
CAREER RECORDS: Seven players rank among the Top-75 of the Hustlin' Owls career record book, led by Keegan Shivers, who holds the all-time 3-pointers made (291) and 3-point attempts (753) records, ranking No. 5 in points scored (1,662), rebounds (822) and field goal attempts (1,300), No. 6 in field goals made (565), No. 14 in games played (132), No. 15 in free throw percentage (.790), No. 16 in free throws made (241), No. 24 in assists (312) and free throw attempts (305), No. 31 in steals (97), ranking No. 53 in blocked shots (21). Jamison Guerra is No. 3 in assists (660), No. 6 in free throws made (319), No. 8 in free throw attempts (428), No. 9 in assists per game (5.0), No. 12 in points scored (1,364) and steals (147), No. 14 in games played (132) and field goal attempts (1,044), No. 16 in field goals made (471), No. 30 in 3-point attempts (339), No. 34 in 3-pointers made (103), No. 69 in rebounds (362) and No. 72 in blocks (15); Kam Osborn is No. 16 in free throws made (241), No. 17 in free throw percentage (.782), No. 18 in points scored (1,271), No. 19 in 3-pointers made (154) and 3-point attempts (401), No. 20 in free throw attempts (308), No. 21 in field goal attempts (964), No. 25 in field goals made (438), No. 37 in assists (223), No. 49 in games played (108) and No. 58 in steals (64); Erik Fraser is No. 25 in 3-point attempts (358), No. 31 in 3-pointers made (124), No. 37 in steals (88), No. 41 in games played (116), No. 44 in blocked shots (26), No. 48 in points scored (925), No. 50 in field goal attempts (722), No. 53 in field goals made (338), ranking No. 60 in rebounds (393) and No. 66 in free throw attempts (199); Blake Jensen is No. 6 in field goal percentage (.614), No. 13 in free throw attempts (369), No. 14 in free throws made (259), No. 18 in blocked shots (47), No. 23 in rebounds (561), No. 47 in games played (110), No. 50 in points scored (917) and No. 56 in field goals made (329); Jay Elmore is No. 13 in 3-point percentage (.405), No. 30 in 3-pointers made (128), No. 34 in 3-point attempts (316) and No. 58 in games played (93), with Jackson Cooper No. 72 in blocked shots (15).
 
ACADEMIC AWARDS: Eight players on the 2024-25 team earned NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors (3.5+ GPA, sophomore academic status) – as Erik Fraser, Blake Jensen, Keegan Shivers, Jay Elmore, Jamison Guerra, Jared Sucher, Dakota Reber and Jackson Cooper earning the honor. The Hustlin' Owls set a Cascade Conference record with 12 Academic All-CCC selections (3.2+ GPA, sophomore academic status) – as the eight NAIA award winners were joined on the team by Kam Osborn, Sean Chris Tresvant, Garrett Osborne and Grant Tull. Four players – Shivers, Guerra, Jensen and Fraser were named to the CSC Academic All-District Team.