NCAA MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP: REGIONAL FINAL: OREGON ST. VS HOUSTON

March 29, 2021

Wayne Tinkle

Lucas Oil Stadium - Equality Court (North)

Oregon State Beavers

Elite 8 Postgame Media Conference

Houston - 67, Oregon State - 61

THE MODERATOR: We will now begin with an opening statement from Coach Wayne Tinkle.

WAYNE TINKLE: Super proud of our guys. It was a heck of a run. I'm really impressed with Houston, their physicality. Obviously, disappointed. We didn't have the greatest first half. It's very reminiscent of some of our issues throughout the year where we just weren't as assertive as we needed to be, a little bit of a fog on both sides. We didn't run our stuff offensively, and we carried that frustration over to the defensive end.

But helluva an effort second half. Just proud of the fight we showed. But for making a few more free throws and getting some rebounds, it could have been a different story. It was right there within our grasp with the effort we showed in the second half to get back to tie that thing up.

Couldn't be more proud of this group. We had every single ounce out of them. You know what, tip our caps to Houston and Coach Sampson. They did a great job and pulled this one out. It's something we can really build off of. We had a helluva run, and we'll keep building this thing moving forward.

Q. Wayne, you gave folks a lot of reason to celebrate in a time they could really use some smiles, man. Just the significance of Beaver Nation rallying around this basketball team. It's been a long time. The significance is what?

WAYNE TINKLE: Man, it's incredible, not just for Beaver Nation, but everything our society's been through the last 12 months. I'm telling you, I mean, the joy we've been able to bring to the families of our foxhole, our team, and then so many others that were looking for some kind of therapy, some kind of joy, happiness through all of this. I mean, it's amazing. It's amazing.

I'm not going to lie. I think those of you that know me know that I'm pissed off that we didn't perform better. We always look at ourselves first. But it's an incredible run. I think there's only one other Oregon State team that won three games in the NCAA Tournament, and how far this team came in the course of this season speaks volumes for the character of our guys and, frankly, the way we do our deal in the program.

Q. Wayne, what specifically did you see out of your group there in the second half that let you make a game out of it?

WAYNE TINKLE: Energy, intensity. We lacked that at the start of the game. Just the will and the desire that we've shown here down the stretch. Like you said, but for some free throws and some rebounds, could have been a different story.

You got to give credit to Houston. They came out at the start of the game -- did I lose you guys?

THE MODERATOR: You're good. Go ahead. You look great.

WAYNE TINKLE: I'm not worried about how I look. We just were -- I don't know if we got caught up in the moment. Guys were loose at shootaround.

You've got to give credit to Houston. They kind of came out and punched us a little bit, and we weren't able to get back, and it was very similar to some of the things that cost us earlier in the year, where their pressure kind of -- you know, we went a little bit too much one-on-one. We lost a little bit of that trust that we built, and in the second half, we got it back with our defensive effort.

I thought we played defense pretty darn well. If we had just rebounded the thing, I think it would have been closer at half. But offensively, we just started settling. We got a little bit too individualistic, like I mentioned, and then even down the stretch, once we got it tied up, we kept reminding the guys in the time-outs, our discipline, our character, and unfortunately, we broke down a little bit there, and they were able to pull it out.

Q. Wayne, what was the reaction in the locker room like afterwards?

WAYNE TINKLE: Well, you know me, I wasn't going to sugarcoat it. It was a helluva run, but I talked about the breakdown of trust when we needed it most. We had a couple of turnovers, a couple of ill-advised shots, but the overwhelming theme -- and, again, the assistant coaches and all of us really rewarded the guys with their efforts on this season.

Guys were down. There were tears. I think the guys understood how hard we fought to get back into that thing and how we squandered it. But I'm thankful for the staff and the people I have around me that boosted us up because, when you look back -- and here we are -- shoot, I don't know, three hours with all the stuff that went on -- but I'm really proud of the effort of this group. We showed amazing heart, fight, and we got every ounce out of this group that we could, and it's a credit to them. It's a credit to our staff. And then all those that never quit on us.

I couldn't be more proud of all the folks that are involved, from the equipment manager to the trainers to the medical staff to the sports information people to support staff and to the foxhole that never gave up on us. I just can't mention enough how proud I am of them.

Q. Coach, it was mentioned before how tough this year's been. Is there one or two things that you're going to remember the rest of your life from this season?

WAYNE TINKLE: Certainly. It's going to be the moments that I think turn the season around. After the shellacking of the Arizona game, after it came out of the COVID pause, I mentioned that, the game at Cal, when was the first time we kind of started to show a little bit of negativity with -- we coached the guys on shot selection, substitutions, guys rolling their eyes, we got after them, we didn't relent. That's probably, until tonight, the hardest we went at our guys, and they responded. That was three wins in a row on the road.

That really, I thought, was kind of the last stamp to build the momentum for the postseason. A couple of the time-outs in the UCLA game, when we were down big, and then again tonight, I mean, we challenged our guys when we were maybe sleepwalking a little bit, and I just couldn't be more proud of how they responded. The adversity that this group has been through, and everybody's been through it the last 12 months, but with our team and all that they faced, the way that they continued to fight and come back for more just is going to leave an indelible mark in my heart and on our program, and we'll build off of it.

Q. You've been doing this for a while, but this has to be one of the more unusual seasons you've ever been part of. You learned so much about your team and about your players. What did you learn about yourself this season?

WAYNE TINKLE: That's a good one right there. I'm incredibly blessed with the people I have around me. I'm talking about my family, my close friends, my faith. I've prayed hard this year, not for victories, but for peace, for patience, for calm, and it's unbelievable.

I harken back to when I grew up, when I was raised catholic. I don't want to bore anybody with my upbringing, but just -- it's just amazing when you reach out for help. I know some people don't believe in a higher power, but just the peace and solitude that I was able to achieve over the year through prayer, through meditation, through my support for loved ones, it was unbelievable. The one thing I learned is how much I'm going to be able to rely on that moving forward.

Q. Hey, Wayne, so I know you're incredibly frustrated right now with the results, but have you had a chance to think back on the last three weeks and what it's been like to have six straight survive-and-advance games and all that you guys have been through? Have you had a moment to reflect on what this journey has been yet?

WAYNE TINKLE: I've had such an outpouring of support of both people just saying enjoy the ride. Enjoy the ride. I know we stayed pretty solemn, and, hey, we're focused on the next thing, but we've enjoyed it. We've enjoyed it. There's some videos we could probably show you to prove it, but it has been remarkable.

Again, I think it's only the second time Oregon State has won three games in the NCAA Tournament. The first ever Pac-12 Tournament championship. We're going to be able to reflect and enjoy all of that. Like I said, I've got great people that remind me of that.

You know, you get some people that say, you know what, the critics -- we don't hear the critics. We don't pay any attention to it. You know what's amazing about our program. We use what we do to impact these individuals on their lives, their day-to-day lives, and on their future lives. We said it in the locker room after the game. Like we've got to get rid of the hate. We've got to get rid of it. We've got so much support, so much love, that it drowns out any of the other stuff, and we're so appreciative of that.

That's what motivates us to keep doing things the right way, and our number one focus is we've got 15 sets of eyes on us looking to see how we react and respond to the good, to the bad, and it's not just for the sport of basketball, but for them down the road when they're husbands and fathers and contributors to the community.

So that's what's so rewarding is that they get it. They understand that it's way more important than wins and losses. And I know how important winning is, believe me. But these guys are learning life lessons, and they're winners. They're winners because of the way we do our deal.

Q. Hey, Wayne, just kind of talk about the future and what it means to you from here. Obviously, you've talked about the run and all the accomplishments from here that you'll build. What can a run like this do for the program, and how excited are you to take it from here?

WAYNE TINKLE: Yeah, it's important. We did this in 2016. We had a lot happen to us with injuries, and it took a lot of the momentum. This impacts us with regards to recruiting, support, and the confidence that our guys are going to have.

There were a lot of tears shed in the locker room, and those are going to -- we told our guys, remember how this feels. We came back after being down 17 and tied this thing up, those plays down the stretch.

You know, we lost our discipline. We lost our character a little bit, which we always (indiscernible) on the board. But the overwhelming thing, we showed incredible heart and grit. We came together. We put the team first. That's how we got on this run.

So we'll focus on those things, but, man, as far as recruiting, I mean, we have people e-mailing and texting us now. I think it's going to open up a lot of those doors.

We're just going to continue to build. Even though we had this tremendous success, it's not going to change who we are. Even when we had the low lows. It didn't change who we were. We just continue to grind and do things the way that we do them, and we know it's going to lead to even greater things.

Again, this was almost an unprecedented run, but we feel like we were this close. If we all can find a way to gain that much more from each other, we'll be able to take another step. I'm so thrilled for our university, for our state, for our program. I know there's great things ahead.

Thanks a bunch. Really appreciate it. It was a fun run. Appreciate the way we were treated, the way we were respected, the way you guys handled your business, and let's keep this thing rolling. Thanks a bunch. Go Beavs.