PAC-12 CONFERENCE MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 13, 2021

Gianni Hunt

Oregon State Beavers

Postgame Press Conference

Oregon State - 70, Colorado - 68

Q. When you walked up the ladder to cut down your piece of the net, what went through your mind?

GIANNI HUNT: Just how blessed and grateful I am for being here and being in this position. That's really the only thing that was running through my mind. I'm just so blessed and thankful to be here with this team with these guys and it's been special, it's been a special run, but we're not done.

Q. When you look back at this season -- excuse me, last season to this season, what's the biggest thing you've learned?

GIANNI HUNT: I just learned how to adjust to college. Last year, well, with college there's always going to be ups and downs, but the mental part has been a lot better for me, I know what to expect, I know how it goes, I know you just got to stay even-keeled, through the goods and the bads. That's just really what I learned, that you got to grow up in this game and mature.

Q. When did, realistically did this seem possible this season? When did you feel like you could win a tournament championship?

GIANNI HUNT: Well, towards the end of the season our chemistry has been building since the end of the season, since the last couple games of the regular seasons. We have been finishing out some games good. Even a couple games we lost we still played good, we just, some close games that we couldn't finish at the end. So I would say I feel like on the plane ride here everybody had a feeling that we could go win this, that was everybody's goal from the jump.

Q. What's it been like to play for Coach Tinkle and what's he done to keep this team on the right track through the tough times you've had this season?

GIANNI HUNT: It's been great playing for Coach Tinkle, honestly. What he does to keep us together, he just keeps us together, he tells us to stay together he reminds us how blessed we are to be in this opportunity, how grateful we should be, how much we should appreciate one another and that's it. He just makes sure we stay together and no outside noise affects us and we worry about what we got and we come to work every day.