Oregon State Coach Wayne Tinkle Reflects On COVID Tournament Years After

Former Griz Men's Basketball Head Coach Wayne Tinkle called into the Daily Drive with Ace Sauerwein on Thursday to talk about the grand spectacle that is March Madness.

Tinkle's Grizzlies

Tinkle led the Grizzlies from 2006 to 2014, making three NCAA Tournament appearances. Tinkle's teams went 0-3, but the tournaments meant the world to the Griz and its fan base.

"It was unbelievable," began Tinkle. "First off, we had an incredible team, staff, great group of guys that epitomized the Montana way."

Tinkle's teams didn't perform with glowing reviews, especially against the Syracuse Orange, scoring just 34 points. I had to ask him about it, though I felt like a jerk.

"The big thing is we weren't the team we were throughout the rest of the season. It shouldn't take away from all they accomplished... But when you lose your leading scorer Mathias Ward, like I said, Will Cherry playing on a stress fracture... we weren't ourselves."

Montana still racked up a 34-2 in the Big Sky over those 2 years of 2012-2013.

"It's funny cuz Coach [Jim] Boeheim grabbed me and apologized for the disparity," said Tinkle.

READ MORE: Another Former Griz Head Coach, Blaine Taylor, Shares His NCAA Memories & Experiences

Tinkle's Beavers

Post-Montana, Tinkle found success in the NCAA tournament with Oregon State, where he still coaches today. Most notable was his team's 2021 NCAA Tourney run in the bubble in Indianapolis. Though they weren't Griz wins, Tinkle gives the nod to Montana still.

"We had lost a handful of NCAA tournament games. To get that first win, I'd be remiss not to think back to Montana. You know what, those teams deserved this as well. This is for them as much as it is for Oregon State and Beaver Nation."

Though COVID put a damper on the 2021 tournament, Tinkle wasn't about to let it deflate his energy. After the Beavers pulled off a miraculous PAC-12 Tournament run, beating Colorado in the title game, Coach Tinkle was not letting this opportunity go by the wayside.

"Our team doctor said 'We're still in the bubble, we can't bring anything on the plane tomorrow when we fly to Indy,'" said Tinkle.

"I'm gonna let you in on a little secret. So we've been in Vegas for over a week so I said "Doc, we just won the championship. I'm gonna put on a hat, sunglasses, three masks and I'm going to the high limit room and I'm gonna play some slots tonight."

I laughed my *** off when Tinkle told me that. Coach, I have mad respect for you and that story.

What a legend.

For the full interview with Coach Tinkle, check out The Daily Drive podcast below.