|
|||
|
|||
|
 |
|
|
PACIFIC-12 CONFERENCE MENS' MEDIA DAYOctober 23, 2014Langston Morris-WalkerWayne TinkleLOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA THE MODERATOR: Representing Oregon State, Coach Tinkle and junior guard Langston Morris‑Walker. COACH TINKLE: Very excited about the task we have at Oregon State University. We have a monumental task of turning the program around. Again, the guys have been working hard here early. We're very thrilled with the tasks at hand and we're ready to get to work. THE MODERATOR: We'll take questions. Q. Wayne, once you got established in Corvallis, what were some specific things that rose to the top of your to‑do list to get things going in the right direction? COACH TINKLE: Well, recruiting was the first thing, to get some talent and depth. We currently only have eight scholarship players, seven walk‑ons. Obviously we know moving forward we've got to add to that. Then it was really reaching out to the community, both the former players, the alums, boosters and supporters, to get them involved and believing in what we're talking about moving forward. Q. Langston, somebody had to be picked last. You are picked last by the media. What do you feel about that? LANGSTON MORRIS‑WALKER: You know, I'm speaking on behalf of my team, that's just motivation. We have our own set of goals. We just want to win the small battles every day and keep working hard every day. I think that's what we're going to do. Q. Coach, what does your brother‑in‑law do? COACH TINKLE: I have a good answer to that. That came up at a baseball game last spring when I first got the job, but I can't share that answer here. Q. Being a new coach in a program that's bringing in a lot of new guys, is that something that has made the transition easier or more difficult? COACH TINKLE: I think coming from the situation that Oregon State hasn't had the success, it does make it easier. We can go and bring in some players that we feel fit our style and the things that we base our program around. Initially, we have a great group of guys that are focused on working hard, buying in. I think they've been starving a little bit for the fundamental things we talk about. We'll be able to identify moving forward this year those that are onboard and then move forward accordingly. Maybe there are some that won't be after a year. Then you add to it with your '15 class, your '16 class. All of a sudden you got a group of guys that are suited for the way you do things and you can start to build. Q. Coach, Scott Rueck, a few years ago, was in the same situation that you are in. Just a few years later, he's in the NCAA tournament. Do you talk with him much? Has he given you any advice on what he did to get the women's program to where they are now? COACH TINKLE: Scott and I have had a relationship for a few years. He recruited my daughters when they came out of high school. He's been very easy to talk to. Our relationship has gotten off to a good start, smooth transition. We have spoken about those things. But fundamentally I think we believe and have some of the same philosophies. Roll up your sleeves, out work your opponent, be honest, forthright with your values and vision when you're recruiting. Really, there's no tricks. The way we did things at Montana, and if you guys have followed the history of Montana, the coaching tree, you do things a certain way, the right way, you don't cut corners. Same philosophy that Scott has, Pat Casey with the baseball program, Mike Riley with football. We're not going to change the way we've done things. I ran into John Beilein, head coach at Michigan over the summer. Said, Coach, don't change how you do things. Make sure you continue along that same path. It's funny. He was in the Portland Airport. Ran into my wife and daughter and reiterated that. So we're going to stay grounded and make sure we focus on the things that have allowed us to have success in the past. Q. What are your expectations of what this team can do on the court this year? COACH TINKLE: That we can play harder than our opponent each and every night. That's number one. The two things you can control as an individual, no matter who your opponent is, is how hard you play, and really the attitude that you approach the game with. That's where we're going to start. It's going to be as basic and generic as that. But I think that fundamentally could be the most important thing for us moving forward. If our guys will buy into that, playing hard every day, keeping a great attitude. Really it's that approach in everything we do throughout the day. We've talked to them about that, the way they get out of bed, the way they approach their class load, their homework, the way they approach the people on campus that make it as beautiful as it is for us, let's win each of those battles each and every day. You heard Langston mention that a minute ago, the small things. That will lead to great success down the road when the time is right. Q. Wayne, your old boss Larry Krystkowiak is being picked second by the media. Do you see that as an example? Have you communicated since you took over at Oregon State? COACH TINKLE: We've conversed in a little different light than when we weren't competitors. Larry and my history goes back to my playing days at Montana.  We're two of the more competitive guys. We can probably share stories about pickup games way back when. He did reach out. He saw me this summer. He was involved in recruiting my son. He said, Coach, hold your breath and get through the first six months, that's the toughest, but everything is going to be all right. He said, Beyond that, don't expect much more advice from me. I'm excited. We played together, coached together. He's had great success. Again, doing it the right way. So the model is there. We have a lot of the same beliefs, although maybe different tactics and approaches. I'm really proud of Larry for what he's done, but most importantly how he's achieved those things. Not looking forward to coaching against him, but glad that we'll be in the same conference and competing against each other a little bit here moving forward. Q. Coach, your thoughts on the walk‑ons, impressions on them? COACH TINKLE: Well, I'm glad we have them. The first couple of weeks, we only had nine guys. I had to get my old butt out there to go five‑on‑five. Pulled a hamstring one day, inflamed Achilles the next. We're glad we have them so we can go five‑on‑five. They're more than just bodies out there. I was talking to the folks flying down last night. Walk‑ons in my mind are very important to your program. I think especially when they're local, they can really be the ones ‑ and this is coming from a place like Montana where we didn't have a lot of Division I kids each year, and Oregon is similar ‑ but they can help the pride and tradition that makes up your program. They're the ones giving everything they've got. They're paying their own way. They don't have some of the, I guess, lavish stuff. We get snacks, that sort of thing, so that is neat. But they're giving their all and making a commitment to be a part of something special. So when a scholarship guy maybe thinks he's a little special in his world, you can remind him about the guy next to him that has to take out student loans, that sort of thing, to be out there on the floor, what it means to them. They're vitally important to your program and your program's success. We've never had seven to eight like we do this year. That's okay. We're proud of the guys that came out, are sticking to it. We know they're going to contribute quite a bit. Quite frankly there are going to be several of them that have to compete and play for us night in and night out. Q. Langston, I saw that both your birth mother and adoptive mother are here today. How did that come to be? LANGSTON MORRIS‑WALKER: My birth mom, she isn't here. It's just my adoptive mother. But it means everything to me. She's been there every step of the way. I'm back here in my hometown. I grew up in Berkeley. I get to see them a little bit. It means a lot to me, though. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
About ASAP Sports •
FastScripts Archive •
Recent Interviews •
Captioning •
Upcoming Events •
Contact Us
FastScripts | Events Covered | Our Clients | Other Services | ASAP in the News | Site Map | Job Opportunities | Links |
|
ASAP Sports, Inc. | T: 1.212 385 0297
|