PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 10, 2021

Oscar da Silva

Stanford Cardinal

Postgame Press Conference

California - 76, Stanford - 58

Q. I understand it's probably tough to look past what just happened, but what are your maybe first thoughts on what this season was like for you guys, the challenges it posed, and how you guys handled them?

OSCAR DA SILVA: Yeah, I mean, obviously it's been a season like no other for everybody. I think we had a fair share of extra adversity throughout this whole process. But at the end of the day, I'm really grateful that we got to play. Obviously, ending on a bad note here. In the post-season you got to put your best foot forward and we clearly didn't do that today.

But again, like, I'm really excited that I got to go through this process with these people and I think we really bonded. I think it made me, helped me grow a lot as a person, as a player, and I mean, I'll be forever grateful for that.

Q. A question that, I understand if you haven't spent much time on it yet or want to talk about an individual decision that you have coming up about what your next step is, do you imagine some sort of time line for when you'll want to know what's next?

OSCAR DA SILVA: No, I mean, I'll figure all that stuff out in the coming days. The goal today obviously was to win the game, so that's what I have directed my energy to. Certainly I think I could have done a better job helping the team win.

But, yeah, I mean, all the other stuff from here on out will be, it will be a process, like everything else, and, yeah, time will tell.

Q. I know it's been a tough three weeks, but just kind of reflect on your four years at Stanford, what it's meant to you, playing basketball and other things, because it's been remarkable to watch you play.

OSCAR DA SILVA: Thank you. First of all, I think I could probably write a book about what Stanford means to me. The last four years were unbelievable. Today is kind of tough because definitely like, you want, in terms of like basketball, you obviously want to win, win championships and compete, like compete for those championships, which I think I fell short a little bit.

But this experience is about so much more than just basketball. Stanford is a place unlike any other and I'll cherish my memories from these last four years forever. And, yeah, like I said, it's kind of a bittersweet taste in my mouth right now, to end on this note, but at the same time, I'm also very excited to look ahead, and I'm excited for what's to come in the future. And I think Stanford set me up for that really, really, really, incredibly well.

Q. You went from playing from behind for so long and seeing it come out of your grasp, what was your take on how it played out?

OSCAR DA SILVA: I didn't hear the first part of your question. Could you repeat that, please?

Q. Yeah, can you give us your take on how this game played out, just having to play from behind and seeing it slip away, how did you see it play out from your viewpoint?

OSCAR DA SILVA: Yeah, it's tough. We put ourselves at a disadvantage in the beginning. I think the last two games why we were successful against Cal was we jumped on them early and had a double-digit lead at half, which obviously helps. Like I said, I think I could have done a lot more. I think I shot very poorly from the field today. Obviously, like, I'm kind of playing on a foot and a half, but that's, I think that's no excuse to go 4-12 from the field.

Yeah, I don't know. I think we never quite went on a little run, we never quite got the momentum going that we needed and whenever we started to turn that way, they made a play to kind of suffocate our energy. And, yeah, I think we should have kind of come together as a team more and played with more excitement and played with more energy and leave it all on the floor because this is post-season basketball and everybody wants to win, and if you don't compete at the highest level, it will be over just like that.

Q. When you do write that book about your Stanford career, I imagine multiple chapters will be devoted to what you and your teammates went through this season, from the pandemic to being banished from your campus, and then having so many key players in and out of the lineup. How much of a toll did that take on you guys down the stretch, trying to stay cohesive and pull yourselves through during crunch time when you just, I mean, you had to deal with so much over the course of the year. I know coach won't let it be an excuse, but does that explain what we saw these last few weeks?

OSCAR DA SILVA: I mean, I wouldn't necessarily say that. Obviously, it hurt us out on the floor, missing these last three games, I think affected my team, not just in terms of production, but also in terms of how everybody, like everybody's confidence on the floor. I think I contribute to that just by being on the floor. And, yeah, I mean, we did face a lot of obstacles, personnel-wise, and like kind of the circumstantial things, but a good team takes that, and like a truly, truly good team takes that and is able to rally around that and compensate for losses of players, and I think we showed that in certain stretches during the season, which I'm really proud of, but I think it just was not quite enough.

If you had a chance to do it all over again, obviously that's something that you want to get a second chance at, just making sure that everybody stays together, everybody keeps swimming in the same direction. I think that was the biggest challenge that we faced this year.

Q. You were part of the first recruiting class that Jerod Haase brought to campus. Can you talk about what it's meant kind of getting in on the ground floor of a new program and just as you've seen it grow these last four years?

OSCAR DA SILVA: Yeah, I mean, it was a good time. It's crazy that four years flew by so quickly. As you kind of near the end of your career you start thinking a lot about, like, what legacy you're going to leave at the place, at the school you attend. Certainly, except for maybe last year, to a certain degree my freshman year, like, I think my legacy is not that of like building this program into a winning program, like where you truly like you go to the NCAA tournament every year, and that's something that hurts a lot because that's what we're in this game for.

But yeah, again, like, Stanford has given me so many incredible other opportunities, just like off the court and even on the court, as well, that I think I can look back with a sense of pride for about how the culture that we built here, that coach has built.