Oregon State WBB; NCAA WBB; Scott Rueck;

With the Oregon State women's basketball team seeing it's season end by way of the NCAA cancellations sweeping the nation, BeaversEdge.com caught up with head coach Scott Rueck and guards Mikayla Pivec and Aleah Goodman via teleconference to get their thoughts on how the season ended.

Q: What's the initial feeling?

Head coach Scott Rueck

"It was almost disbelief because you saw it coming, but you couldn't really grasp it because it's so strange. I just felt numb. For our student-athletes not being able to finish their year, it brought out a lot of frustrations. The initial emotions are just sadness.

At first, you thought this was perhaps an overreaction, but once you learned about the virus, how it spreads, and how dangerous it can be, it seemed necessary to cancel. You have to put science over emotion, and trust that the people who are making decisions know what they're doing."

Junior guard Aleah Goodman

"I don't think it's really hit us yet. It still feels like we're waiting to see where and who we're going to play. It's shocking and we're really numb to it. We don't know how to feel or what to say, because where do we go from here? We haven't had any sort of closure and we don't want it to end this way."

Senior guard Mikayla Pivec

"I'm still in shock. I'm really sad I didn't get to finish the year out with my teammates the way that I'd hoped, but for the safety and well-being of everyone involved, they had to make this decision."

Q: Would you be open to seeing winter athletes get an extra year of eligibility?

Rueck: "We talk about how it's bigger than basketball and our group won't get to have a team banquet this year," Rueck said. "My favorite part of the year is sitting there listening to our seniors give their speeches at our banquet and I don't know how to recreate that. They're getting short-changed in their experience, so what can we do to make it right? There should absolutely be an open-eared process to giving players an extra year and I'd be open to it."

Pivec: "I hope I get another opportunity to have a shot with this team. You prepare your whole career for these last moments that end up being a culminating point in life. It hurts to not be able to have that moment and I hope that there's an opportunity to come back."

"I'm taking things day by day right now. I'm usually a person with a plan and right now I don't have much of a plan. I'll take a week off after finals, and then train and prepare for the WNBA Draft or return in a heartbeat if I get an extra year of eligibility."

Q: What are your thoughts on this years' team and senior class?

Goodman: "So many things to come to mind when I think about what this team went through this season. It brought us closer and this is definitely the tightest team I've ever been a part of. There's a healing process that comes with how it ended, but this team is just so tough. It's hard to put it all into words.

This senior class is special. They've left a legacy that's very special. From long talks with Mik to 2 a.m. shootarounds with Kat (Tudor) to lunch dates with Janessa (Thropay) and game nights with Maddie (Washington), they're a very special class. Off the court is what I'll remember about them the most because they're like big sisters to me. They deserve so much more and don't deserve to go out this way."

Rueck: "I didn't give an end of season message to everyone, so I'd just say thank you to everyone involved. This group was impactful in the community and we had as emotional of a senior day as we've ever had, and I just love them. The moment looking at this team was the Arizona State game at home. The way we won that game and came together was one moment that stands out."

Pivec: "The thing I'll remember most about the season is the relationships. I could write a book with everything that's happened this year. From two season-ending injuries at the same position to attending three celebrations of life, it's been a year of adversity. There's so much more life than basketball. It's a huge part of it, but you can't do it alone and that's why I'll always remember the relationships."

Q: What's next for the program?

Rueck: "There's no script for this. Moving forward we're being asked to work from home, can't recruit, and can't practice. We've effectively been shut down, so the thought process of what to do next has been taken from us. There's nothing we can do other than support each other every way possible."