Sports Column

New Beaver serves up optimism

By jason vondersmith

The Portland Tribune, Aug 7, 2007, Updated Oct 30, 2009

Former Jayhawk C.J. Giles, shown rebounding early last year, is hoping for a real rebound at Oregon State, where he landed after Kansas showed him the door.

Brian Bahr / Getty Images

I caught up with new OSU player C.J. Giles the other day as the big fella went to summer classes and played summer hoops.

Staying out of trouble hasn’t been any problem, he says. In his idle time, he cooks, or watches the Food Network.

“I’ve cooked for all my teammates,” says Giles, who remembers taking a cooking class as a third-grader. “It’s sometimes good, sometimes bad.”

Coaches, teammates and fans of Oregon State will be happy to hear about cooking being his leisure activity. Giles came to the Beavers with baggage, fresh off being booted from the Kansas team for what coach Bill Self described as “a pattern of irresponsible behavior and disrespect for team rules.”

Included was his misdemeanor battery charge for allegedly dragging an ex-girlfriend by her feet out the door and striking her, which he denied doing. Giles has been in a diversion program that requires he stay clean for a year, or else legal woes return.

He also owed back child support – he has a 2-year-old son, Jaden – but the issue has been resolved, Giles says.

Irresponsible behavior – it’s a topic that Giles has addressed and will need to address throughout his career, although he doesn’t admit to learning from past transgressions or needing counseling.

“It wasn’t anything, really,” he says. “Just me growing up, like everyone else, being immature. It’s behind me.”

His dismissal from Kansas related to image, he adds. The Jayhawks couldn’t afford to have a perceived troublemaker on their team. “And I understand that,” he says. “We ended on good terms.”

Coach Jay John gave Giles the proverbial second chance at Oregon State, after suitors such as Tennessee, Syracuse and Old Dominion inquired about the 6-11 shot blocker and rebounder.

Giles wanted to stay close to home, hailing as he does from Seattle and Rainier Beach High. He likes the Beavers and their prospects for 2007-08, despite the extremely tough competition expected in the Pac-10.

With players Marcel Jones and Josh Tarver back and newcomers such as Giles and Calvin Haynes, the Beavers should be better – but will it translate into a winning record?

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