Nov. 13, 2007
SAN DIEGO -
SAN DIEGO STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL
NEWS CONFERENCE QUOTES
AZTEC ATHLETICS CENTER
NOVEMBER 13, 2007
Head coach Steve Fisher
Opening Statement:
"Winning three games was good, but the way we won them was significant. We played good defense for three games and we did what we talked about doing in sharing the wealth offensively. Lot of guys got touches. Lorrenzo (Wade) led us with 32 shots attempts. The next highest was 26, 25, 23, 20, 16 and 12, which is good distribution. We had six guys in double figures the last game and had eight guys play 15 or more minutes. Hopefully, we can continue to do that. It was a good start for us and yet we know it was only a start. Most people thought we would win the first two games and yet they were hard for us. We shot our best game against Fresno State and that can cure a multiple of sins. We jumped out to an 8-0 lead early and it's hard to comeback when you are consistently down by 8-10 points."
On the team's scoring distribution in the first three games:
"I would hope that we would have that be the norm rather than the exception. Will that happen all the time? Probably not, but I do think at the end of the year will have four to five guys pushing double figures and maybe even six."
On the team's depth:
"That (depth) should be a plus for us. I played eight guys (last weekend) which means a couple guys I thought we were going to play, didn't get much time. Can I expand the rotation to nine when Richie Williams comes back or to 10? That will be key to us. Will guys be happy if they get 22 minutes as opposed to 27 minutes? Those are all things I have to manage and deal with. Our guys have to understand that a good 25 minutes are better than 31 with seven or eight minutes of those being when you are tired. We have to continue to play at least eight people and try to play nine."
On the play of freshman guard D.J. Gay:
"D.J. did a great job playing both ends of the floor. If you meet him, you'll understand how desperately he wants to please himself and coaches. At times, I saw him doing things for somebody else when he could have taken the shot. As he grows more comfortable, he won't hunt for his shot, but be prepared to take a couple more shots. He did a wonderful job of running the team. He did a great job of guarding. D.J. can really move laterally and probably keeps people in front of him better than anyone on the team. For a young guy his first time out, he was good"
On the play of freshmen forwards Tim Shelton and Billy White:
"Tim is mature. When you see him in the halls, at practice or in the weight room, he doesn't act like a freshman. He's got leadership qualities. I thought Tim would provide a pretty steady game on the road.
"Billy White impressed me that with athletic as he is, he didn't try to do too much. At times that can happen. He made some plays off his athleticism. I was very impressed with both of them, but not surprised."
On the play of junior transfer Ryan Amoroso:
"Ryan had a sensational third game after being okay in the first two. He is going through all the growing pains everyone else does. He wants a few more touches in the box and sometimes he thinks he's open when our guards don't. We have to work through that. He is a guy that can handle the ball and grab a defensive rebound and dribble the ball up the court if he needs to. He can shoot it from the perimeter. I have to do more than lock him into the low post and give him the freedom to that. If you watch Ryan, he would prefer to run to the wing instead of run to the box. You have to run to the block first. I love the way he played in game three and hopefully we get that sort of consistency that will be really helpful for him and us.
On the status of junior guard Richie Williams:
"Richie Williams will dress on Saturday. All I can say right now is that he will be in uniform on Saturday."
Junior forward Lorrenzo Wade
On the performances of the Aztec freshmen at the World Vision Classic in Fresno:
"I was very impressed with their performances, especially in the Fresno State game. Early on in that game, D.J. Gay made a couple of clutch three-point shots that gave us some momentum and allowed us to get the lead, which we were able to hold on to for the rest of the game."
On the Aztecs' 27-4 home record over the last two years:
"We have a lot of pride in any game, regardless of the circumstances. We want to win each and every game that we play, but Cox Arena has become a place in the Mountain West Conference that is a tough arena (for visiting teams) to win at. We are glad that we have a good home win streak going over the past couple years."
On the team's defensive efforts:
"In practice, Coach (Steve Fisher) is on us non-stop about the way we play defense. He wants us to guard the ball hard and leave it all on the court. Coach (Fisher) always says defense wins ball games and offense sells tickets."
On the team's offensive efforts:
"We are still getting acclimated to the offense, but I believe things will get better. Once again, it starts on the defensive end. If we can get some stops and rebounds, we can get out and run. Being able to run will allow us to get some easy baskets."
On freshman forward Billy White and junior transfer guard Kelvin Davis:
"Billy White has so much athleticism and he alters so many (opposing players') shots. He really makes it tough to score baskets and with his rebounding presence, the sky is the limit for him. Kelvin Davis came in (last weekend) and did his job. He knocked down some crucial shots against Fresno State, especially in the first half when I wasn't quite as crisp as I could have been. Those two definitely carried the load for us in the first half."
Junior forward Kyle Spain
On how the team has come together:
"Well, we definitely started coming together in practice. Everyone on the team wants to learn and get better, which has allowed us to mesh and build some chemistry."
On the Aztecs' 27-4 home record over the last two years:
"We have a lot of pride (in playing at Cox Arena). With all of the fans that come to the games and the momentum that it gives us, we feel like we should never lose a game at home."
On the biggest difference of his role on the team from last year:
"I am definitely taking a leadership role and trying to help fill the shoes of Mohamed (Abukar) and Brandon (Heath). I feel like I have a bigger role this year in terms of being a leader."
On the performances of the Aztec freshmen at the World Vision Classic in Fresno:
"They (the freshmen) show no fear. Tim Shelton and D.J. Gay both came out of the gates strong. (Gay) hit a couple of shots early in the Fresno State game that gave us the momentum and a lead that we kept all game."
On how the team has handled off-court distractions:
"We try not to let those distractions affect us on the court. Whatever problems we have off the floor, we try to disregard and move forward."