CORVALLIS - Roeland Schaftenaar had a decision to make.

He could spend his summer in his native Netherlands and play for the national team, or he could choose to stay in Corvallis and work out with his teammates on the Oregon State men's basketball team.

In summer's past, Schaftenaar went home until fall.

But this year was different. Schaftenaar's senior season was coming up and he wanted to be ready. So after a couple weeks visiting friends and family back home, Schaftenaar returned to OSU.

"It's my senior year, it's my last year, so I don't want to have to regret anything and I went home for plenty of time," Schaftenaar said. "It was good to come back."

Schaftenaar wanted to keep improving after taking on a big role for the Beavers last season. He was second on the team with 10.5 points a game, led the team with 120 assists and was a key part of its turnaround.

It was time well spent.

Schaftenaar hit the weights. Hard. He put on about 20 pounds on his 6-foot, 11-inch frame and is listed at 260 pounds.

"I just worked hard in the weight room this offseason," he said. "I tried to watch what I eat, made sure I ate enough, make sure I eat right and just worked hard in the weight room."

He wanted to bulk up so rebounding and the physical play at the basket would come easier. He averaged four rebounds a game last season.

"I didn't do that good of a job rebounding last year," Schaftenaar said. "I'm not under the basket so I could potentially get a rebound every play, but still I could do a better job from the position I'm at."

It was a decision that pleased OSU coach Craig Robinson.

"That shows a dedication to getting accomplished some things here that he would like to get accomplished, like having us make the NCAA tournament and being competitive in the (Pacific-10 Conference)," Robinson said.

Because he spends quite a bit of time up top and the offense often runs through his point-center position, Schaftenaar has to be an accurate outside shooter and deft passer.

He had plenty of time to work on those areas to keep his game sharp and avoid turnovers when passing.

"In this offense, there's a lot of backdoor passes and stuff like that, and you've just got to make sure that it's actually open and that you're not forcing it in there," he said. "You can't just throw the pass in there blind, so I've just got to make sure that when I pass it I know it's good, I know it's open."

Schaftenaar is the perfect fit for his position and blossomed in Robinson's Princeton-style offense.

Schaftenaar had a major role in OSU's revival last season. His 3-pointer sent the Southern California game into overtime and the Beavers eventually won 62-58. Schaftenaar had 18 points, seven rebounds and six assists in the game, which was OSU's first Pacific-10 Conference win since the 2006-07 season.

It was a different world for Schaftenaar, who had contemplated leaving OSU after the 2007-08 year in which the Beavers went winless in the Pac-10 and Jay John was fired during the season.

Now the expectations are even higher for the Beavers and Schaftenaar. Robinson wants him to take on a bigger role as a leader now that he's a senior.

"This year I'm hoping that he can do everything he did last year, but also put the team on his back from time to time when we're not playing well," Robinson said. "And that's a lot to ask, but I think he's capable of doing it and I think he's willing to do it, so that's the real exciting thing."