SAN FRANCISCO — Tres Tinkle showed up to the Pac-12 Conference's downtown headquarters Friday in a pair of head-turning Air Jordan IV sneakers customized by a friend to include Oregon State's orange and black and the face of Benny the Beaver on the tongue.
But you didn't need to be a sneakerhead to take note of his feet.
Specifically, his right one.
Nearly seven months after undergoing surgery to repair the broken fifth metatarsal in his right foot, an injury that forced Tinkle to miss Oregon State's first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1990, the 6-foot-8, 220-pound sophomore forward is excited after being cleared Thursday to return to all basketball activities.