Q & A with Oregon State MBB coach Wayne Tinkle

Despite the season coming to a close in one of the most unorthodox ways possible, Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle finds happiness in knowing that the Beavers ended their season in one of the most memorable ways possible.

BeaversEdge.com caught up with the Beavers' head man via teleconference to get his thoughts on the season coming to an unfortunate close...

Q: Where were you when you find out and how did the players take the news?

Wayne Tinkle: "I was in my room at the hotel. We had just finished our pregame meal and I was just finishing my routine. We were about an hour from boarding the bus. We then met with the team and gave them the news, which they had already seen from their phones, so it was a tough moment. It was total devastation. From where we were the day before in winning that game to really getting ready to take on the Ducks, to then all of a sudden having the rug pulled out from under you, there were a ton of emotions."

Q: Did you have a sense the tournament would be canceled?

WT: "When we got things underway, we figured we'd be able to complete it. But obviously, we support the decision because we don't know nearly enough about (COVID-19). It was a very cautious but necessary measure taken. You know our guys wanted to go play, but our conversation with them was that the health and welfare was the top priority. We didn't have any sort of inclination the plug would be pulled in Vegas.

Q: Talk about the emotions of being able to end the season on a win

WT: "To be honest, I was pretty down for our group overall, especially our seniors, and even more so with one of them being my son. We really felt that we were going to make our run in the Pac-12 Tournament... My daughter Jocelyn put it into perspective and said, 'You know Dad I was part of three Final Four teams and we lost every time. With this team and your son, not only can you say you won, but you'll always remember how you won and that's going to help ease this process of having the season over with.' We challenged our guys to stay hungry this offseason and carry it forward."

Q: Your thoughts on a potential NCAA waivers?

WT: "With regard to spring athletes, it makes total sense. In terms of our year, we pretty much had a full year, and it's a shame that we missed out on the postseason as so much magic is made there. I'd fully support those waivers, but we really try and tie in life lessons with basketball, and sometimes you don't get do-overs. I would support it fully if they proposed it because we wouldn't want our seniors not to be able to go out the way they wanted."

Q: What's the next process for Tres?

WT: "He's going to finish his finals off, and then I'm trying to convince him to take a couple of weeks off and get his body right for what's next. He's got a lot of agents who are trying to sign him, and they all have workout guys and facilities, so he'll have to make a decision on an agent soon and start prepping for pre-draft workouts."

Q: How will this impact recruiting?

WT: "Well, it's new territory for us. We had plans to go to the Junior National Tournament next week and several high school tournaments over the next week if our schedule allowed. We also were going to bring people to campus because this is when we sign guys. It's really going to hamstring us, so we have to get creative and working the phones and skype to get as much done as we can. April 15th is the date right now, but it could be pushed even further as the situation is quite fluid. We're all dealing with it, but we'll have to be creative and diligent in our process."

Q: What will you be doing in the interim?

WT: "We'll just be working the phones. I need to take some time to get healthy, because I've been beaten up the last couple of weeks, but we really can't afford to slow down. Once we get some sort of a grip on what we can do with our current team, we'll jump into it, but we're in a holding pattern in terms of what's next. Once the snow melts, I just might to be able to get out and get a round of golf in."

Q: What will March be like without the Madness?

WT: "A bunch of us were having dinner before we left Vegas and we were just mesmerized thinking about how different things are going to be. You see crazy things happen in conference tournaments that are simply the precursor to the Big Dance, and then not to have it is very tough. I wish I had bought Netflix stock years ago because I think that's what a lot of folks are going to be doing in the next few weeks. I actually had plans to see the Masters in Atlanta in conjunction with the Final Four and to see that taken away is tough. But, obviously, we have a crisis health-wise that we need to get a grip on first and foremost."