NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: FIRST ROUND - OREGON STATE VS TENNESSEE

March 19, 2021

Wayne Tinkle

Oregon State Beavers

Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Postgame Media Conference

Oregon State - 70, Tennessee - 56

WAYNE TINKLE: Yeah, I was super proud of our guys. This has been a special run, and it's lasted now for more than just the last week. We knew we had something special happening, and they were very confident heading into this game. Defense has really carried us, and we shot the ball well, and we got contributions from a lot of different guys. So great win for the Beavers and Beaver Nation.

Q. Wayne, I was watching you guys in warm-ups, and everybody just seemed so loose, and you were just standing there real calm. Where did all of that come from?

WAYNE TINKLE: Well, I'll be really honest, this year has been tough. I guess for all of us, but in a basketball sense, tough with our start, with all the injuries we had before we started games. I just have been praying a lot for peace.

I don't do this often enough, but I've really got to give praise to the big fella upstairs because I prayed for peace, I prayed for inspiration and calm, and, man, has he delivered. I just -- it's the way we've been going at it for the last couple of months. I can only think of one time where I really had to light into the guys, and it was at Cal. Other than that, we've just been balling, and it's been really fun to watch and be a part of.

Q. Wayne, what was the focus defensively today, and what did your guys do to get it done on that end?

WAYNE TINKLE: Well, we have this drill we put in a little while back, and it's called the change drill. It's where we've got pressure on the ball. Everybody else is loaded into their gaps, man or zone. We talked about in the scouting report taking away the elbows and the blocks by having a presence there off the ball so that they couldn't get their drives to the rim. They're so athletic.

Then we had to get to their shooters with high hands in man and zone. We lost them a couple times, but you look at the defensive numbers, I'd say, other than a couple of touch-down turnovers, the guys really responded to the defensive focus.

Q. Coach, first, Oregon State wins in the tournament since 1982. How does that feel? How much of an accomplishment is that for you, this team, and the university as a whole?

WAYNE TINKLE: Oh, it's huge, and the exciting thing is we've done some really cool things in our time getting back in 16 and 10 league wins and some of those things like these firsts in a while. We get so much inspiration from the former players, the former administrators, and anybody that's had a hand in Beaver basketball. It continues to fuel us.

So to not just go and win the first Pac-12 Championship but to now advance is a really neat deal. Roman, I caught the end there, said it perfectly. There wasn't a bunch of over exuberance in the locker room. They were excited for one another, but their focus is to keep this thing rolling.

We're proud of the team. We're happy for Beaver Nation, and it's been a heck of a run, but we want to do our best to keep things going.

Q. Coach, congratulations on the win. You guys doubled up Tennessee in team assists. Even Thomas had, I believe, six himself. What were some of the keys to the team being so in sync and sharing the ball so well?

WAYNE TINKLE: Well, our scouting report was they really dig hard in their help if you can get by the first wave. So we really worked hard on moving back behind any penetration, kicking the ball, sharing it. The "one more" phrase, we've been yelling that a lot in practice the last couple of months, and the guys have bought into it. I mean, we have really come together as a team, and you saw it on display.

I think we were top 20 in the country most of the year, I think still, in our assist to field goal percentage. It's just a credit of executing our offense. I thought we did a great job on that out of time-outs, especially the first 30, 34 minutes. We got the looks we were expecting to get early in the game to set the tone, and then the guys just kept making plays for each other. It's fun to see them play that way.

They're really enjoying each other's spirit out there, which is what it's all about.

Q. Wayne, you were working through the post early and often tonight. How big was it to get Pons in foul trouble early? And just talk about the contribution from Roman too.

WAYNE TINKLE: Yeah, Roman was big time. He's done that for us, and we know he's got an advantage in there. First of all, he posted deep. We threw it on target. A lot of times, we want him to go seal these big strong guys, and we're throwing the ball all over the place. We rifle it to him, and he's going to catch it, and he's going to score it.

I couldn't be more proud of our guys' improvement within our program. It's been tremendous. And the great thing is he's an unbelievable kid, and he really epitomizes a team first guy, and that's why his teammates are so happy for him because of the character that he has, the toughness that he continues to show.

Q. Coach, congrats on the win. Obviously, the last few weeks from a basketball perspective have been just so impressive. The teams that you've knocked off to get to where you are, the things that you've had to overcome, but outside of the Xs and Os, how would you describe the last few weeks and what it's been like to coach these players through this historic run?

WAYNE TINKLE: I mean, it's been a real pleasure. It's been an honor. Just we knew what we had the makings of way back when. We know that there were some doubt and stuff like that along the way. We always ignore that stuff, and we just told our guys to continue to grind.

We had a lot of guys hurt early when we were able to start practice. I think it was in the first 40 days we only had 7 days where we had our whole team at practice. We suffered from tough losses, but we never threw in the towel. We never doubted ourselves. We just do what we do. We just stay hungry and humble, and we keep working, and we peak at the right time. It shouldn't have been a surprise. We just grinding it out knowing that we would get to playing our best basketball when it matters most.

We say it all the time, and here we are. So to us, it's been a fun ride for sure, and we'll be able to enjoy it somewhere down the road, but it's not a surprise from the sense that we're playing our best basketball right now and the talent that we have on this team and the toughness and the heart.

Q. Wayne, your team seems to play with such a calm effect on the team. There's so many pressure packed moments. But that goes back to enjoying being around each other and the confidence, doesn't it?

WAYNE TINKLE: Yeah, certainly. I touched on that a little bit earlier. They're going to, I guess, react to each other, and when they're strong and when they're poised, that's where the confidence oozes.

But I go back, I mentioned two big turning points. After we got beat by Arizona at home, we really rallied, and we talked about keeping things simple and executing, enjoying each other, and playing harder than our opponent. And we said, guys, let's just focus on those three things. If we can check those boxes, the game will be successful. It may not lead to wins right away, but it will eventually.

We just kept harping that phrase, and our guys have really bought into it, and lo and behold, after you get a few wins, now all of a sudden, the trust comes. Their trust in each other on both ends of the floor, and it's resulted into a heck of a run here. We say the same things every year. I'll be honest, I thought last year, when this thing hit all of us, we were poised to make the same kind of run. I really do.

So credit to everybody that's really been through to kind of blaze a trail to put us in a position we're in right now.

Q. Coach, congrats on the win. I know it's been a tough season just in terms of not playing in front of as many fans as you'd hoped, but to get this win and close out the game with your fans cheering you on there, how special was that moment, and how much is that something that you carry over into the next round?

WAYNE TINKLE: Yeah, you said it. These kids, these young men have been under so much. We've demanded so much from them, but I praise their resiliency. They've had moments that could have gone south, but all the things I said earlier, for them to really build that love and that trust is incredible.

Then we had a small amount of fans that were able to attend in Vegas last week. To have more here, it's such a just reward for them having -- and just bought in and continuing to grind through some tough times. I'll tell you, that's what we really focus on in our program is through the sport of basketball teaching these guys life lessons. Adversity, how to overcome, how to pull together. Don't look for excuses. Don't look for explanations. Let's just work hard. Stay together, we'll get there.

So we said it was a great reward to be here because of all that they've fought through, and then winning this game, having their families and loved ones here to be a part of it, that's what it's all about. They're going to remember these things moving forward, and the lessons that we help them learn are going to help them somewhere down the road to be great husbands, fathers, and contributors to their community, and that's what's so great about collegiate athletics. It's something that we always harp on. So it's a pretty dang cool deal.

Q. Wayne, you don't see a lot of 7 foot back to the basket centers in college basketball. Did you feel like, going into the tournament, that was going to be a little bit of a weapon that a lot of people were going to have something to deal with in your case?

WAYNE TINKLE: Yes, certainly. You've seen against certain matchups where we've been able to do that with Roman, and it took our guys a while to buy into it. That's another part of the growth. We wanted to dribble jack and all that, and we finally got through to the guys the importance of the inside-out balance. Roman's been a big part of that. At other times, it was Tuck, Rodrigue, Warith in there, our guards when we feel they have mismatches.

So I couldn't be more happy for Roman just because of who he is, how he goes about his deal, and then the team in general. We've been really inspired, and I talked to Bud Ossey the other day -- he left me a message after winning the championship. I mean, unbelievable. He's Mr. Beaver, and he says, Coach -- 102, 103 years old -- tell your guys that we're here for them. We're supporting, and we believe. He says, that's coming from a guy who played football and basketball for the Beavers in the 1930s.

We used that a little bit. Jimmy Anderson doesn't miss a practice, and if he does, he allows me to get in his ass, and he takes it. A really good buddy of mine, Justin Woodland, lost his father last night about 4:12. Kelly, we love you up there. We've got a lot of stuff going that is driving this train, and we just hope that we can be blessed to keep it going.

Q. Congratulations on the win, Coach. Would you say that the adversity from this season made this win just a little bit sweeter? And also, you mentioned the Orange Express being back. What does that mean to you? What does that mean to Beaver Nation, Coach?

WAYNE TINKLE: I don't know if it's quite back. They put up some points, but it is a special thrill. We just, we're so honored to be part of such a proud tradition. We had big responsibilities on us, which every program does. We've done some neat things. We've had some tough times, but I'm really thrilled for the people that never left with their support, with their belief.

Again, I only focus -- people ask, what's this? Does this get in your head? I don't hear any of that stuff.

I listen to the positivity, and I believe in our loyal fans, and the other ones, they don't exist to me. So that's what we focus on as a team. Let's just stay positive. Let's stay together. Forget any of the negative stuff. Great things will happen. Obviously, we're proving that.