NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL SEMIFINAL: OREGON ST. VS LOYOLA CHICAGO

March 27, 2021

Ethan Thompson

Bankers Life Fieldhouse

Oregon State Beavers

Sweet 16 Postgame Media Conference

Oregon State - 65, Loyola Chicago - 58

Q. You seemed calm out there. Where did that come from today?

ETHAN THOMPSON: That's one thing we talk about as the team going into the game, into all our past games really, just staying calm. And the main focus is just having fun with each other, believing in each other. And I just embodied that today. It kind of calmed my nerves when they went on a long run. And as a team we were able to respond by keeping a level head.

Q. Following off of that, down the stretch there your team was able to answer just every big basket that Loyola made. What is it about your team's resiliency these last couple of weeks that's allowed you guys to play that way?

ETHAN THOMPSON: I think this team is so competitive. I said it since the beginning of the year, our guys want to win. And you know they will be able to step out of their comfort zone, all of us really, just step out of our comfort zone and make plays that we might not used to be making those plays, whether it be getting a rebound, you know, hitting free throws, hitting shots. Or also just getting the stop as a team. And I think we're really doing that these past few games.

Q. What does it mean? You guys are moving on, survive and advance, Elite Eight bound. How special is this for you, man?

ETHAN THOMPSON: It's so special. All glory to God. Our team is blessed. We're thankful for the opportunity to be able to keep playing. And we are looking forward to it and we're just grateful that we're here.

Q. I'm sure you dreamed about this moment growing up, and here you guys are. You win the Pac-12 tournament. You're still rolling. What's it like? Is it like what you dreamed?

ETHAN THOMPSON: Definitely. You know, even with the limited fans in attendance, Beaver Nation is still showing out and supporting. And we feel that energy while we're playing and feed off of it. And yes, this is definitely a dream come true. And we're trying to keep it going as well.

Q. At what point this week did the coaching staff sort of go with the zone as the game plan defensively, let you guys -- and why do you think that was so effective for you guys today?

ETHAN THOMPSON: I think the zone is something that we've had in our pocket for a long time now. Our team has a lot of different defenses we're capable of playing. And the past few games our man defense has been really nice, but I think that going to the zone I don't know if it gave us more life or threw them off guard a little bit.

But just being able to have the discipline to go from man to zone to another zone, back to man, even in the same possession, really, just having the discipline and communication to do that, it's always something that we have up our sleeve.

Q. This is six straight win-or-go-home games for you guys. What's changed in this run and is there a different mentality that comes along with knowing you've won six straight of these sort of games?

ETHAN THOMPSON: Oh, yeah, definitely. I think even during the regular season, going into games we're pretty confident in our abilities as a team. But having the wins to back it up, winning six straight, like you said, going into these games is just more confidence, really, believing in each other and trusting each other to get another win. And our guys don't want to stop playing.

Q. We've talked about it last week, 1982, the last time this program did something this far and played basketball this late in the season. You've heard from a lot of greats coming through. What significance is it that you're carrying that torch for Beaver Nation?

ETHAN THOMPSON: It's an amazing feeling to be just part of the success, really. Beaver Nation has waited a long time. And when Coach Tinkle and the rest of the coaching staff got here, this was the goal in mind to turn it into successful basketball. And we're here now. So it's just been a great feeling and extremely blessed to be a part of it.

Q. You guys were down 9-3, at the 12-minute mark. There was a timeout. You came out, had a stretch run there at the end of the first half. What was working there at the end of the first half to get you guys the lead and ultimately the win in the end?

ETHAN THOMPSON: I think we were just being stronger and more aggressive. I think that early in the game we kind of were going through a little feeling-out process of how they played defensively and offensively. But I think overall just we had a different mindset coming out of that timeout to be more aggressive and confident. And we know what we're capable of. And we just changed that mindset for real.

Q. Can you just speak to that full-court pass from Warith Alatishe and his impact as a teammate?

ETHAN THOMPSON: The play was a little bit on the fly, but not really. Earlier in one of the timeouts we drew up something similar to that where I was taking it out he was the one to go long. But we saw them press and I saw nobody behind me. So we kind of made eye contact, a little head nod. And he knew right away.

Warith a special player. He does everything for us. He came in with a lot of energy defensively -- blocking shots, getting in passing lanes, getting steals and on the rebounds he's special. He's one of a kind for sure.

Q. Defense was a big part of the win today for you guys. You held Loyola to 33 percent from the field, 21 from 3. How important was that to the win today?

ETHAN THOMPSON: It was very important. They're a very talented team. A well-balanced team. And they run a great offense. And the scout that they had in place for us -- our coaches put in place, we were able to execute it. Defensively, we kind of picked up on some tendencies, made it a game. And we were able to communicate and lock in defensively.

Q. You only had two free-throw attempts in the opener against Tennessee but have now made 23 in your past two games. Has your attacking or aggressive strategy changed on the offensive end over the past couple of games?

ETHAN THOMPSON: Not really. Going into the game, I don't focus on trying to be super aggressive or put the ball in the basket. I kind of read what the defense gives me. And just being able to be confident in myself against no matter who we're playing to get to the basket and get to the line.

But the games, how they've kind of gone, when it gets to a certain time, it becomes just taking care of the ball and the defense gets pretty aggressive. And just being strong with it and able to handle the ball through contact. And then that will get me to the line.

Q. (Indiscernible) to Colorado in the Pac-12 tournament. It's quite a locker room. You're answering questions about whether you're going to test the NBA draft waters and (indiscernible) moving through it career wise. I'm curious if you could put into words what the journey has been if you had to go back to that moment and even think you could be at the place you're at now?

ETHAN THOMPSON: You were kind of going in and out a little bit, but I think I got the gist of your question. Yeah, definitely, I have no regrets. The choices that I've made in terms of whether coming back or not. You know, even from day one being here, I knew this program, this team would be successful and it was just a matter of time for us to show that to the rest of the world.

Q. It looked like after the game Wayne was really fired up. He was pumping his fist. I imagine when he went in the locker room was pretty fired up too. But during the game has his calm just been a real influence on you guys during the games?

ETHAN THOMPSON: Oh, definitely. Yeah, he has a great presence on the sideline. He doesn't get too animated. He can at times, but all coaches do. He's a competitor, for sure. But seeing him calm on the sidelines definitely helps us in the game not get too worried about runs that other teams are going on or the pressure that they're putting on us. But just definitely, I kind of said this earlier, positive energy leads to positive outcomes.

Q. That 12th-place prediction at the beginning of the season, how does that look right now?

ETHAN THOMPSON: I mean, I don't know. I mean, we're not in charge of the rankings preseason. All we could do is control what we can control. And that's going out every night, having fun, giving it our all and trying to win the game. So, yeah.

THE MODERATOR: Thank you.