Oregon State guard Talia von Oelhoffen is entering the transfer portal with one year of eligibility remaining, she announced on social media Tuesday.
Von Oelhoffen and the Beavers are coming off a magical run to the Elite Eight, where they fell 70-58 to the undefeated South Carolina Gamecocks on Sunday.
"Given the circumstances, I have decided that it is best for me & my future to close this chapter of my life. I will be entering the portal as a graduate transfer to use my last year of eligibility elsewhere."
what a ride. once a beav, always a beav🧡 pic.twitter.com/6fAKgEwIAk
— talia von oelhoffen (@TaliaVono) April 2, 2024
Oregon State faces a precautious future amid the demise of the Pac-12. As 10 members of the Pac-12 departed for the Big Ten, Big 12 and ACC, Oregon State and Washington State joined the West Coast Conference as affiliate members for the next two years for women's basketball and 11 other sports.
Oregon State coach Scott Rueck spoke on the roster uncertainty his program faces ahead of its matchup against South Carolina.
"That's reality," Rueck said. "I can't control that, other than just keep doing what I'm doing. I think the opportunity within that for a leader provides a discipline that you'd better be on your A game all the time. You'd better take care of people, and you'd better provide a great experience. That's the approach going forward, and what happens, happens. We'll find a way."
Added von Oelhoffen, who is using the extra season of eligibility granted to student-athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic: "The future is uncertain in that regard. But we can only control what we can control, and our focus is on this season and this year. I'm sure there will be questions after the season, and it's definitely going to be something that needs to be addressed and talked about just because we don't know what next year is going to look like.
"But this group has been so good about just staying present and taking games one possession at a time, one game at a time, and when you're doing that, then conference realignment, the portal, all of that, it's not a factor."
Von Oelhoffen was a key piece for the Beavers as they made their first NCAA tournament appearance since 2021 and first Elite Eight run since 2018 (third since 2016). The 5-foot-11 guard from Washington state averaged 10.7 points, 5.0 assists, 4.1 rebounds and 1.0 steals per game this season.
With von Oelhoffen leading the way for a mostly young core -- Oregon State had no seniors on its roster -- the team dramatically improved upon last season's 13-win campaign to capture 27 victories and, despite being picked 10th in the preseason poll, finish third in the Pac-12.
After losing to Stanford in the Pac-12 tournament semifinal, von Oelhoffen guided the Beavers to wins over Eastern Washington and Nebraska (both at home as a top-16 host) and then 2-seed Notre Dame in the Sweet 16.
"I can confidently say I gave everything I had to leave this program better than I found it, and I have learned and grown so much along the way," von Oelhoffen said in her post. "No one can take away what our team was able to do this year, and I will never forget how special it was to be apart of it. This team's impact on me will last a lifetime."