Wayne Tinkle desperately wanted to make this run last year with son Tres playing a key role for him at Oregon State. But as it turned out, nobody ran in last year's Big Dance.
Tres is now playing in the NBA's G League, but dad says he's as entrenched as ever in the No. 12-seeded Beavers' tournament run.
"First off, Tres wore a T-shirt the first game that was a picture of (Oregon State's) Jarod Lucas shooting a jumper -- some people thought it was a picture of himself, which he would never do -- and then after the game the other night, he asked Ryan Lawrence, our equipment manager, if he could have a Roman Silva jersey. He wore a Zach Reichle jersey for a while. But he's fired up," Wayne Tinkle said.
As a force for the Beavers, Tres came up short on a couple legitimate runs at NCAA Tournament success with his dad.
"It was too bad he missed out his freshman year with the late injury," the elder Tinkle said. "It was too bad it was swept away last year because we felt like we were about to make the same kind of run, but he's knee-deep in it with us and so is my wife and daughters."
As if the family is not emotionally invested enough this week, odds are Wayne Tinkle won't be able to keep a dry eye before Saturday's Sweet 16 showdown against No. 8-seeded Loyola Chicago at 12:40 p.m. on MTN stations. He explained why after Sunday's tournament win over Oklahoma State.
"I hope I don't get too emotional," Tinkle said at the post-game podium. "It was a hell of a win by Loyola today. As I was saying my prayers, as I do before I take a nap, I just said this would be unbelievable (if we met in the Sweet 16). I grew up in Chicago, I was born in Milwaukee, my dad was Dean of men at Marquette. Then when I was a year old, we moved to Chicago. He was Vice President and Dean of Students at Loyola. I grew up on their campus. He had two offices, one on the North Shore, one downtown down at the water tower place.
"Some of my most fond memories were in the summer going to his water tower place and he would have to do some work. He'd have people just kind of keep me out of trouble, I'd go up to the little gym, shoot some hoops. And then we'd go to the Cubs games in the afternoon. I remember stories about (former Ramblers coach) George Ireland, I remember going to see him play when I was like 5 or 6 years old."
Ireland was Loyola's head coach who, during the 1962-63 season, defied an unspoken rule to not play more than three black players on the court at one time. Ireland and the Ramblers not only defied the rule, they won the NCAA Tournament in 1963.
Fast forward almost 60 years later with Porter Moser now leading Loyola's charge.
"Coach Moser has done a hell of a job and they're a great team," Wayne Tinkle said, "but this is really going to mean something extra special for me and my family."
