Oregon State Men's Basketball Officially Hires Justin Joyner
The Oregon State men’s basketball program just wrapped up its 2025-26 campaign with a WCC Conference Tournament loss to Gonzaga on Monday night, and the Beavers already have their next head coach as of Wednesday with the hiring of Michigan assistant Justin Joyner.
Oregon State Athletic Director Scott Barnes had the following to say via press release about Joyner’s hire, highlighting the importance of starting the new Pac-12 start and having someone with an unmatched passion in Joyner.
“It is vitally important that we create momentum and an upward trajectory for this program,” Barnes said. “Our move to the new Pac-12 demands a leader like Justin who has an unmatched commitment, passion and energy. Justin will build a men’s basketball program all of Beaver Nation will be proud of. He is a relentless competitor and has a great pedigree, having coached under some of nation’s best coaches. He is a skilled communicator who prioritizes connecting with the student athlete and advancing their holistic development. These qualities along with a strong recruiting acumen and record of success in player development makes Justin the right leader at this critical time in the program’s history.”
Oregon State University President Jayathi Murthy also added her perspective on the Joyner hire.
“Coach Joyner’s record of achievement and his extensive experience in winning programs position Oregon State’s men’s basketball program to excel as we launch the new Pac-12 Conference,” Murthy said. “I am delighted to welcome him to OSU and to support the program’s future success.”
Joyner, who comes to Oregon State from Michigan, where he spent the past two seasons on Dusty May’s staff. With Joyner, May has helped rebuild Michigan into one of the top teams in the country this season. Joyner helped guide Michigan to a Big Ten conference regular-season title and the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament.
He previously served as an assistant at St. Mary’s under Randy Bennett for seven seasons, starting as a director of basketball ops before being promoted to assistant coach and eventually, associate head coach.
Joyner coached several players who received WCC honors… Jock Landale and Augustas Marciulionis were both named WCC Player of the Year in 2018 and 2024, respectively. Logan Johnson (2023) and Mitchell Saxen (2024) were named WCC Defensive Player of the Year in consecutive years, while Tommy Kuhse was named the 2022 WCC Sixth Man of the Year. Overall, 13 Gaels players earned 21 All-WCC honors under Joyner’s guidance.
Joyner, who will be introduced by Oregon State on Monday, March 16th, spoke about how grateful he is for his first-time head coaching opportunity, how the Beaver program fits his values, and how he plans to be very involved in the Corvallis community.
“I’m deeply grateful for the opportunity to coach Oregon State Men’s Basketball,” Joyner said. “Joining an athletic department that aligns with my beliefs and values is a dream come true. I am very thankful to Athletic Director Scott Barnes and President Murthy for this special opportunity. My wife Tracy and our daughter Weslee are excited to ingrain ourselves into the University and the Corvallis community whole heartedly. I come to Oregon State ready to empower our student athletes to chase greatness both on and off the court. Go Beavs!”
Michigan Wolverines head coach Dusty May also highlighted the hire of Joyner at Oregon State, calling him a tremendous fit and one of the best up-and-coming minds in coaching.
“Justin has one of the best young minds in coaching,” said May. “His ability to teach the game, connect with players and build a program the right way makes him a tremendous fit at Oregon State. He sacrificed a lot over the last two years to help build what we have at Michigan, and we are incredibly grateful. We’re excited for this opportunity for Justin, Tracy and Weslee, and I know he’s going to do a terrific job leading the Beavers.”
St. Mary’s coach Randy Bennett also weighed in on the Joyner hire, highlighting his recruiting ability and his competitiveness.
“Justin Joyner has many outstanding qualities, but the two that I believe will be keys to success at Oregon State are his recruiting ability and his competitiveness,” Bennett said. “Justin has a strong ability to recruit high level talent, and that should continue in Corvallis. Justin has also won at every level he’s played and coached at, and that drives his competitiveness and his hunger to win.”
A standout player at UC Santa Barbara, Joyner was a three-time captain and named to the 2007 All-Big West All-Freshman Team. Joyner played a pivotal role in helping the Gauchos win two Big West regular season titles (in 2008 and 2010) and back-to-back Big West Tournament titles (in 2010 and 2011), which gave UCSB two consecutive automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament.
JOIN BEAVERSEDGE for inside access on Oregon State Athletics & MORE!
With the Oregon State football program officially ushering in the JaMarcus Shephard era, Beaver men’s and women’s basketball underway, and OSU baseball on the horizon, now is the time to join BeaversEdge!
JOIN BEAVERSEDGE NOW 50% OFF (new subscribers only)
We’ll also have key updates from the upcoming transfer portal window, and the latest on who’s joining JaMarcus Shephard’s staff…
BeaversEdge.com provides everything that passionate Oregon State fans need—exclusive, wall-to-wall coverage of the Oregon State athletics athletes and recruiting.
JOIN BEAVERSEDGE NOW 50% OFF (new subscribers only)
Not a subscriber? That’s okay! It’s never too late to subscribe to BeaversEdge. Not only will you get access to each week’s full visitors list, but you’ll also have the following perks to go along with your subscription!
* Access to The Dam Board, our premium message board, where you can talk with fellow Oregon State diehard fans as well as the BeaversEdge staff.
* In-depth breakdowns — BeaversEdge provides the latest analytics, stats, and more on the Beavers, their opponents, and more. Each week, dive deeper into the Beavers’ previous game and future opponents.
*Dedicated team coverage — BeaversEdge every week is ready to provide the latest scoops and coverage on Oregon State football, basketball, and baseball. We keep you locked in with Mitch Canham’s squad this offseason with updates, as well as our two basketball teams. Scott Rueck’s Oregon State women’s basketball team is coming off an NCAA Tournament appearance and will be looking for more, while Wayne Tinkle’s men’s squad will be retooling its roster as well!
* Complete recruiting coverage — We keep you up to speed on all of Oregon State’s efforts on the recruiting trail. Keep up to date with who the Beavers are targeting from the day they’re offered to the day they sign their letters of intent.
* Full network access — On top of our coverage at BeaversEdge, you’ll also receive FULL ACCESS to ALL On3 fan sites and national message boards, access to Rivals recruiting and high school coverage, featuring the biggest names in the recruiting inudstry, and access to On3’s national talent including some of the nation’s top college analysts in Andy Staples, Brett McMurphy, Pete Nakos, Ari Wasserman, and more.
If that’s not enough, there’s another benefit to signing up for BeaversEdge today!
Join BeaversEdge now 50% OFF and enjoy a complimentary year of The Athletic – included with your membership.
Sign up here: https://www.on3.com/sites/beavers-edge/join/
TALK ABOUT IT ON THE DAM BOARD
LISTEN TO OUR PODCASTS ON APPLE & SPOTIFY
FOLLOW THE STAFF ON TWITTER – @Beavers_Edge, @b_slaught, @DylanCCOn3, @ryan_harlan, & @BroganSlaughter
