Fans who were simply amazed when Slats Gill’s Oregon State Basketball team deadlocked Washington for Northern Division honors in 1947-48 were absolutely dumbfounded by the 1948-49 team. With only one member of the 13-man Beaver squad, Captain Cliff Crandall, starting more than half of the 36 games – Gill’s Pacific Coast Conference championships, but also placed fourth in the NCAA national playoffs. They were the first Oregon State team to advance to the Final Four.
Posting a season record of 24-12, they won the Pacific Coast Conference Northern Division with a 12-4 mark, they defeated UCLA in two out of three games to win the PCC playoff and beat Arkansas 56-38 to advance to the Final Four. This was considered one of Slats Gill’s finest coaching performances as he adeptly interchanged his 13 players one way, then another during games using 24 different starting lineups to reach the playoffs.

1948-49 OSU Beavers: Cliff Crandall, Al Petersen, Ray Snyder, Dick Ballentyne, Jim Catterall, Glen Kinney, Dan Torrey, Bill Harper, Tom Holman, Ed Fleming, Len Rinearson, Harvey Watt, Paul Sliper, Rudy Ruppe, and Head Coach, Slats Gill