Michael Rataj was gaining experience in preparation for college basketball even before he arrived at Oregon State this past summer.
Rataj got to Corvallis with time spent on four different youth national teams in his native Germany as well as a year with a German professional team.
Having played with four squads last year, the true freshman forward knows what it’s like to make adjustments to new surroundings on the fly.
“It’s a great experience, because now I can adapt really quick,” Rataj said. “I’m trying to read my teammates really well so I know the strengths and weaknesses of everybody.”
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Oregon State discovered Rataj (pronounced ruh-tie) after he played in the 2021 FIBA U18 European championships. He developed good relationships with Beavers assistant coach Marlon Stewart and head coach Wayne Tinkle. Academically, he was interested in OSU because of his desire to study biohealth sciences.
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Listed at 6-foot-9, 220 pounds, Rataj was on the OSU campus for a few weeks this summer before leaving for home again to join Germany’s U20 team for the European championships. He was back with the Beavers shortly before their August trip to Italy, where they played three games.
His desire to learn and get better helped him pick up on what he had missed out on with his new team.
“We knew we were getting a guy that was mature beyond his years because of his experience playing professional, international,” Tinkle said. “He’s a joy to coach. He works his tail off. He’s the hardest-working guy day in and day out. I just think once he gets adjusted and understands the college game at the high-major level, he’s going to continue to grow by leaps and bounds.”
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Rataj said what helped him most about playing professionally last year was learning to accept coaching. He had a coach who didn’t take it easy on him, which he appreciated because he knew it would benefit him down the road.
“It helped me learn how to handle my coaching and not get frustrated if you do make mistakes, especially as a young guy,” he said. “I think getting that experience coming to a foreign country as a freshman, an international student, really helped me to take coaching and not get frustrated after practice and keep a good attitude up.”
Now at OSU, Rataj has been mentored by veterans Dexter Akanno and Glenn Taylor Jr. as he learns a new system and gets accustomed to the program.
But Rataj himself is being a leader. Fellow freshman KC Ibekwe, who joined the team in mid-September and is Rataj’s roommate, has been the beneficiary of some guidance.
“He’s helped me out ever since I’ve been here,” Ibekwe said.
Rataj, who was tall for his age as a child, starting playing the sport at 5. His skills progressed, and as he got into his teen years he started watching college basketball and the NBA more and more. Basketball in the United States is more physical, he observed, while in Germany it’s more tactical.
“I was sure I wanted to go to play college basketball,” he said. “I was working on my game a lot. I was watching games, trying to see the difference in the game.”
Describing his skills, Rataj said his biggest strength is defense and being able to guard all five positions.
“I can keep everybody in front of me, guard the best players on the opposing team,” he said. “Offensively, I’m a good passer. I can make good plays with the ball in my hands.”
He added that he has a good post attack but is working to become a more consistent outside shooter, reading defenses and having better vision on the court.
Rataj learned off-the-ball help defensive skills in his home country, which has allowed him to quickly adjust to a similar style at Oregon State.
The Italy trip gave Rataj a chance to get to know his new teammates better, both on the court and off. It also helped the team has a whole, with nine new scholarship players, to continue to grow their bonds.
“Being together all the time has really helped the group to get more connected and stay together,” Rataj said. “I think that will help us this season, even if we have a bad stretch. We have good chemistry and can come back really strong.”
Tinkle said he’s seen “a lot of growth” from Rataj since he returned in September. Of the work Rataj and the other freshmen have put in, the coach added: “They’ve really gone a long way to getting our culture back where it needs to be.”
Rataj, now four months into his Oregon State career, likes what he’s seen from his new team in terms of coming together as a group and what success might be possible.
What sticks out to him is the versatility at the power forward spot, which can be filled by himself and fellow newcomers Tyler Bilodeau, a freshman, and Dzmitry Ryuny, a graduate transfer from San Francisco, among others.
“We can defend bigs, we can defend guards. We can switch handoffs, we can switch pick and roll,” he said. “The weapons that we have at that position can help us be successful this year.”
Jesse Sowa is a sports reporter at the Corvallis Gazette-Times. You can connect with him on Twitter: @JesseSowaGT.
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OSU men's basketball: Freshman Michael Rataj making smooth transition to college game - Albany Democrat-Herald
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