NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: SECOND ROUND - OREGON ST. VS OKLAHOMA ST.

March 21, 2021

Cade Cunningham

Hinkle Fieldhouse

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Postgame Media Conference

Oregon State 80, Oklahoma State 70

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Cade Cunningham. We'll take questions.

Q. What has that journey been like since the day you stepped foot on Stillwater to now?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: Man, it's been special. I think that's the best way to describe it. I think the biggest thing is I surrounded myself around great people more than anything. That's the thing I'm most proud of. That's the thing that I feel like I've grown the most by just being around good people that pushed me to be somebody good on court and off the court.

I'm going to miss it, for sure. This is a special group of guys. I feel bad for the seniors. I feel like we had something special going on, so...

Q. You and Boynton have had a close relationship well before you got to Stillwater. Can you reflect on that relationship, what he's been for you these last few years?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: That's my guy, man, like, to have somebody start recruiting you before you play a high school game, stick with you through the good games, through the bad games. It wasn't like he was trying to sell the dream to me. Once I got here, he didn't lie about anything in his recruitment. He instilled confidence in me. He let me play free, just like he did the rest of the team.

The only thing that is rewarded here is hard work, being a good person. Being in an environment like that, led by a guy like him, you can tell by how hard he works he wants it more than anybody. His energy is just contagious. To have a guy like him, I know I have a mentor, but somebody I can rely on for life. I'm forever thankful for that.

Q. Was that your last game as a Cowboy?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: I couldn't really hear you.

Q. This might seem like an obvious question, but was that your last game as a Cowboy?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: I don't know.

Q. Is there one thing from this year that you'll remember, that will stick in your head more than anything else?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: I think just the excitement to practice and be around each other every day. I think that was the main thing. We had a group of guys that cared about each other and looked out for each other through the good and through the bad. It's hard to find that. It's hard to find that.

It was fun, man. The whole season was fun. Being around each other every day was something I'll cherish forever. I know I made lifetime memories and lifetime friends with these guys. It's too many memories to count which one was the most special for sure.

Q. Thinking back to the commitment in 2019 to recommitting this past summer, has it all been worth it?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: Definitely. Definitely. I think it was more than worth it. Like I said, I was around the right people. I feel like I've grown so much in my game. I feel like my teammates uplifted me. My coaches uplifted me. I feel I became a way better player than I was when I came into this. And I feel like as a person I've grown. I've grown a lot. I matured a lot.

Yeah, I just can't thank him enough.

Q. You really coalesced the last 10 games of the season, went on a run in the Big 12 tournament. Coach Boynton mentioned the word 'sync' tonight. You guys weren't in sync. Where might things have been a little bit off for you guys tonight?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: I think this game, I think we started playing desperately on offense too early. They made a couple shots and I feel like we started playing like it was the end of the game, kind of started jacking up passes and possessions too early on. We kind of got away from ourselves and who we are.

Coach at halftime told us, it could be your last game so you have to put it all on the line. I'm happy that we did. I feel like everybody went out firing. That's the thing I'm most proud of.

Q. With the young team that surrounded you, you had to balance uplifting them and distributing to them with your own scoring. There were some lulls in stretches tonight where you didn't take shots. What was that balance like as this game hung in the balance?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: I mean, I have trust in my guys. I know they can make plays. I don't worry whenever I don't touch any possession as long as we're getting a good shot. I know how the game goes. We talk about it in the huddles. We try to balance everything out and get organized.

I still feel like I shot shots I needed to shoot. I was always taught shoot until your clip is empty. I feel like I did that. I can't be mad about that. I feel like we played hard and we all played to win.

Q. You cut it to three on the steal. Felt like Oregon State might be on the ropes. Why do you feel like you weren't able to push them over at that point?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: I can't remember what happened right after that. I think we just fouled too much. They were trying to sell fouls. We were getting a bunch of stops. Good coach. They got a bump, they would throw their head back, they'll call a foul. They got scoring at the free-throw line. They put together some stops.

They're a really good team. Credit to Oregon State. They executed their game plan well. They got a really good coach. So we couldn't close the gap. But we kept fighting.

Q. You probably haven't even looked at a play-by-play or anything. You score there on that three, you went over 3 minutes before you scored again. At that point the game is essentially over. It's all ended quickly, but as you think about those last 3 minutes, did you get what you wanted offensively there?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: No. I mean, we wanted points. We didn't put points on the board. So, no, we didn't get what we wanted. I think we had a couple good offensive rebounds. We just didn't really hit shots, so... That's how it went.

Q. Mike said you and other guys this season raised the bar for the program. With or without you next season, when you look at this team, what do you think of the future of this program?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: Yeah, I feel like this is just the beginning for Oklahoma State. I'm just happy that I've been able to be a part of this. I feel like I appreciate them a lot more than they appreciate me just because I know I was a part of something special. I know it's only going to grow from here.

Coach Mike is a big-time coach, he's a big-time people's person. He's somebody you want to be around. I feel like the way we played this year, I expect a lot of recruits to see that, see Coach Mike, be like, Oh, that's a guy I want to play for. Rightfully so. He's somebody that instills confidence. It's not just him. He's put together a big-time staff, everybody in that locker room is wanting to win and does things, is always thinking of ways to help us win, to help us get better.

So, yeah, I feel like (indiscernible), that's this year, but I don't really expecting to be losing the first weekend any more. I don't expect Oklahoma State to fall this short. It's special, man. You see what's going on in the locker room. You see how much the guys have grown.

Avery was probably the one that's highlighted the most this year. It was everybody. MA grew up so much this year. Rondel. I don't want just to start throwing names I feel like I will forget guys. I feel like this is a special group and it's only going to go up from here.

Q. You were asked earlier about if this was your last game. You weren't sure. How do you weigh your future options moving forward?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: With a level head just like I've done everything. I've been blessed to make decisions. I feel like they've turned out well for me. Going to Mt. Vernon was a great decision for me. Coming here was a great decision for me. Staying here was another great decision for me.

I feel nothing but faith in the people around me, my family, and knowing that we're going to weigh everything up the right way and make the right decision.

Yeah, I mean, I had a lot of fun at Oklahoma State. I'm glad I got Senior Night love, for sure. It's all love.

Q. The offense kind of struggled in Indy. Can you pinpoint something there? What did you see offensively these two days?

CADE CUNNINGHAM: I think we just didn't make very many shots that we usually make. I mean, I know it was pretty tough on me only being able to shoot once a day before games. But I'm not going to blame it on that. There were a bunch of shots we should have hit.

We got a lot of good shots. I don't know, man. Could have moved the ball a lot better. If we would have got a couple more stops and been able to run like we usually do, I think that would have had teams on their heels a little bit more.

It's a bunch of different things, things that I know Coach Mike will clean up, for sure.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.