March 4, 2004
SAN DIEGO -
Fisher opening comments:
"We are looking forward rather than behind, but if I could look back for a moment I would say our last swing to New Mexico and Air Force were two games in which we didn't compete well enough and we didn't have a chance to win, which was obvious. We took a step-and-a-half back and we can't let that happen and we can't let that affect how we prepare to play for our last home game. It's important that everybody know that, from the coaches to the players to the managers to everybody associated with our program. We've been good at home. We're 5-1 in league play and 11-3 overall (at home). We need to come out with the energy and the enthusiasm that will help the crowd help us. Aerick (Sanders) and Ben (Wardrop) are playing their regular season home game in Cox Arena and we need to make it a special one and a positive, productive one for them. In order for us to do that, we need to beat a very good Utah team who is struggling itself. The BYU game (a 70-57 Ute loss on Monday) is not one that they're going to reflect back on with a great deal of happiness, so we need to come out and compete. (Nick) Jacobson's our number-one concern. We need to make sure we stop the high-low look of (Andrew) Bogut and (Tim) Frost and if we do those things, defend hard and intelligently, we'll have a great chance to win. That's our goal, to finish the regular season at home in a fashion we can all be proud of."
Fisher on Ben Wardrop:
"Well, I didn't know Ben when he showed up on our doorstep, but Ben has done a marvelous job as he's grown in the program from someone who stayed out of the way early to someone now that is upfront with everything we do. He leads up with stretching, he's very vocal in the locker room, on the practice floor and he's going to be a coach. I think his experiences with us has been mutually beneficial and I'm really proud of what he's been able to bring to San Diego State and San Diego State basketball in particular. I think he'd say that the feeling is mutual. I think he values the experience that he's had and feels like it's been a real positive one in every regard and we're lucky to have him and we know that."
Fisher on what it is going to take to get over the last road trip and start a winning streak:
"Well, you have to in some measure be a grinder and you have to grind it out, be strong mentally, coaches and players, while another side of your brain says you need to make sure they have a freshness with how they approach practice. I told (assistant head coach Brian) Dutcher to tweak practice a little bit yesterday, so we did some things that accomplished what we wanted that they hadn't seen before. I think they liked that; they had fun with it and yet they felt good about themselves and so did I when we left. We accomplished something other than being out there for an hour and a half. I think it's important that they realize in spite of the fact that we're 5-8 in this league, we could very easily be 8-5 and maybe should be, but we're not. We just need to deal with today and if we do that, we'll be okay. It's good for us that we're finishing this last game at home. We've been, like everyone, a team that's performed better at home. We know that, we're 5-1 in league play at home. We believe that home court will be something that will be an added plus for us. We've talked about all the things of importance, having yourself ready mentally and control what you can control. Talk is talk and you have to make sure that you produce right along with that."
Fisher on how the team can get momentum heading into the postseason:
"Winning begets winning. If you win, you feel better about yourself; I don't care what you do or who you are. It's monumental from the standpoint of, if we want to say, 'We want to be a post-season tournament team' and we do, then we have to, in my opinion, win at least two more games. So getting this one, our last home game, would be very valuable from a mental state to get us ready to go to Denver for the conference tournament. Everybody talks about preseason and conference, the playoffs being the third season. Regardless of what happens on Saturday, we need to approach the tournament as a new season. You can go back through the years and find teams who have struggled and have, all of a sudden, found themselves and come on in tournament time. It's the exception rather than the rule, but it happens. Villanova, when they won the national championship, were struggling badly at the end of the season. North Carolina State, the year that they won the national championship had to win the conference tournament at the end of the season to have a chance to even get in. So you feel better about yourself, and I would feel a lot better about myself going into Denver with a one-game winning streak as opposed to a three-game losing streak."
Senior Aerick Sanders
Sanders on when Ben Wardrop emerged as a team leader:
"I would say the summer after the graduation of Al Faux and Randy Holcombe. In pick up games during the summer, people would probably choose to guard him but he would hit three or four straight and everybody would start getting on the guy who was guarding him. He just came in and earned that respect day by day to get to the point where he is now."
Sanders on playing in his last home regular season game at Cox Arena:
"The end came real fast. The last four years have been a blur. I remember the first time I was moving into Villa Alvarado and I saw Chris (Walton) and his brother moving his big screen TV up the stairs. But I am looking forward to the game. I have served my time here and hopefully I will be able to do whatever I need to do to get a victory for our last game at home. I just want to end things on a high note."
Sanders on what the team needs to do to get a postseason bid:
"Realistically we have to finish above .500. We need at least two more wins to solidify a NIT berth. But we don't want to sell ourselves short just settling for the NIT. After the Utah game, we need to head up to Denver believing we can win three straight."
Sanders on the importance of getting a win heading into the tournament:
"Beating a team that has finished in the upper tier of the league at this point of the season is big for NIT possibilities and also for getting as much momentum as possible heading into the conference tournament next week. We need to try to win every game possible. We play a little bit better at home than on the road so this team is pretty optimistic going into Saturday."
Junior Chris Walton
On Ben Wardrop:
"Ben is a great player and a great person to be around. In the offseason when we are playing, he can score on anyone on our team that is guarding him. When we were playing pick-up games he held his own everyday. Unfortunately, he never really had the opportunity he would have really liked to show that on the floor in games. Since the day I got here, day in and day out, Ben has been the hardest worker this program has seen in a long time."
Walton on the disappointing road trip:
"We would have liked to at least gotten a split in our last road trip. Unfortunately we came home 0-2. We got back to practice yesterday and we had a really good practice as a team. The coaches will tell you that and most of the players will tell you that it was high energy, and good spirits. It is that time of the year when people get excited, when March rolls around, about college basketball. There is no time to feel sorry for yourself and have regrets for what you didn't do earlier on in the season. We can do nothing right now but to look forward to what we can do in the next couple of weeks."
Walton on his food drive for Saturday's drive:
"Last season we had a food drive for the San Diego State game versus Arizona and we had a pretty good turnout and this Saturday we are planning the same thing. It is for an organization called Special Delivery, which is located in the Mission Hills/Hillcrest area in San Diego. What they do is deliver meals to people's homes that are living with HIV/AIDS and are too sick to take care of themselves. We are holding this food drive to increase the inventory so they have enough supplies to take care of the people they deliver too. We are also holding a raffle this year. We are going to be selling tickets before the game and are auctioning off a basketball signed by Shaquille O'Neal, another signed by Kobe Bryant, and another signed by my entire family including my brothers and my father. It is a way to raise money as well as collect food for a good cause. We would appreciate all the support we can get from people coming to the game. There will be people at the Arena starting at noon, selling raffle tickets and collecting food. We really appreciate all the support we get from people around the city. It is a great cause and we can't do it with out their support."