2015 Pac-12 Men's Basketball Media Day: Wayne Tinkle excited to coach his son

SAN FRANCISCO -- The 2015-16 season will be a special one for Oregon State head coach Wayne Tinkle. Sure, the Beavers return all five starters and 90 percent of their scoring for a team that surprised many in the conference by going 17-14 and racking up eight conference wins a year ago. Pac-12 play won’t be easy, but the Beavers are in a position to earn their first NCAA tournament berth since 1990, when Gary Payton II’s father was in Corvallis.

But there’s another, more personal reason why this year will be unique: For the first time, Tinkle will be coaching his son. Tres Tinkle, a 6-8 forward, is joining pops in Corvallis for his freshman season.

“He’s been out there the last couple of weeks, and to be honest, after the first day I had to go up to my office and pinch myself afterwards,” Tinkle said here at 2015 Pac-12 Men’s Basketball Media Day. “It just kind of hit me all at once that her I am coaching my son now for the first time.”

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This isn’t a case of nepotism; Tinkle is a consensus top-100 recruit and one of the reasons why Beaver Nation is stoked for the upcoming season. He along with Stephen Thompson, Jr., son of Oregon State assistant coach Stephen Thompson, and five other freshmen combined to give the Beavers their highest-rated recruiting class in program history.

The challenge for Wayne isn’t coaching up his son. It’s drawing the line between being a coach and being a father.

“We quickly kind of drew the line in the sand. When we’re between the lines, it’s coach and player and when we’re off the court, it’s father and son,” Tinkle said. “He’s one of the guys. I’ll yell at him, and he’ll probably be cussing me out in the locker room behind my back sometimes, so we’ll just have to deal with it.”