Maryland's Chol Marial, right, ties up LaSalle's Clifton Moore for a jump ball in December in College Park, Maryland. Marial transferred to Oregon State in April.

Chol Marial grew up playing soccer, but he can thank his brother for his basketball career.

Marial played soccer with friends his age growing up in Rumbek, South Sudan. It was people older than him, including his brother, whose first name is Marial, who took part in basketball. Even though he was the tallest among his peers, Marial stuck with soccer because it was fun and there was no pressure.

“My brother, he was taking it serious. Every time he saw me playing soccer he would get mad at me,” Marial said.

He finally relented and gave the new sport a try. He’s glad he did, and it’s led him to Corvallis as one of Oregon State’s newest men’s basketball players.

Marial, now 7-foot-2 and 235 pounds and a transfer from Maryland after two years with the Terrapins, says he saw a future in basketball when he was called to represent his state to play in South Africa, more than 3,000 miles from home.

“That’s when I was like, wow,” Marial said. “I never even traveled to go out of the state, and now I’m playing basketball. That’s when I was like, ‘yeah, I’ve got to keep going with this.’”

Marial came to the United States for the first time in 2015 and attended school in Florida for his eighth-grade year. He then went to Cheshire Academy in Connecticut for two years and IMG Academy in Florida for his junior year in high school before moving west to Arizona Compass Prep in Arizona.

“It was probably the best year of my high school career,” Marial said, noting the family atmosphere he found at the Chandler school.

There, the four-star recruit averaged about 14 points, 13 rebounds and eight blocks and was considered the No. 2 player in Arizona and No. 58 nationally by ESPN.

He initially chose Maryland over Grand Canyon and New Mexico.

Last season at Maryland, he averaged 1.6 points and 1.1 rebounds while playing 6.1 minutes a game in 18 contests with one start. He played in 12 games as a true freshman with the Terrapins, averaging 5.7 minutes a game.

Beavers coach Wayne Tinkle said Marial’s minutes at Maryland were limited as he rehabbed from injuries sustained in high school but that he’s now 100%. Tinkle said he expected Marial to compete at the level he did in high school.

“He’s a high-character kid who brings great length and athleticism. He’ll be able to contribute at both ends,” Tinkle said when Marial was signed in April. “He can step out and shoot the 3 and is very good around the basket. Defensively, with his 7-foot-8 wingspan, he is going to be great at protecting the rim and helping control the boards. He’ll really add depth to our post positions.”

Roman Silva is the only other OSU player listed as a center. But the Beavers also have Warith Alatishe, Rodrigue Andela, Maurice Calloo and newcomer Ahmad Rand, all listed at 6-8 or taller.

With a wealth of players to fill the power forward and center positions, playing time will be at a premium. But Marial is no stranger to hard work.

He grew up the middle child of 17 siblings — eight older and eight younger — and was raised on a cattle farm that was larger in size than Rumbek, a town of about 32,000 people.

The farm also had goats, sheep and chickens, and Marial helped his parents with various chores, including herding the animals to where they needed to be. Now 21, he left his family behind to chase basketball dreams. A cousin helped him get situated in the United States and make connections in the sport.

Describing his own game, Marial said, “I like to play defense and I like to help my teammates. That’s why I love playing basketball. It’s a team sport and you’ve got to help each other.”

He also likes to step out and shoot 3-pointers as well as play close to the basket. He believes he can fit in well on a defensive-minded Oregon State squad because he has a knack for helping teammates when they get beat off the dribble. He had 16 blocks in limited time at Maryland.

In deciding to transfer, Marial says it wasn’t the lack of playing time that led him to move on.

“It’s just getting the right place for me, the right coaches,” he said.

Marial believes he’s found that place and his looking forward to getting mentored by associate head coach Kerry Rupp, Oregon State’s big man coach. “I think he’s going to get me right,” Marial said.

When asked what he wants people to know about him, he said the No. 1 question he receives is how tall he is. “They don’t even want to know where I’m from.”

“I’m just a humble guy,” he added. “Don’t be shy around me. If you have questions, just ask me.”