Dec. 30, 2004
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San DiegoStateUniversity
2004-05 Men's Basketball
Press Conference Quotes (12/30/04)
San DiegoState head coach Steve Fisher
On the Iowa State game:
"Iowa State was a winnable game. We just couldn't quite get it done. We gave ourselves chances despite putting ourselves in a hole early by turning over the ball eight times in the first 15 possessions. We righted the ship and took a second half lead, but then they went on a 13-0 run, which is what good teams do. We had terrible travel after the game. We left Iowa at 6:15 a.m. (CDT), and arrived at Cox arena at 4:00 p.m. (PDT). That is a long travel day, and then we practiced immediately upon arrival. We had a very spirited, aggressive practice, which I felt really good about."
On the upcoming Providence game:
"Providence is a good team led by a great player in Ryan Gomes. But he is not the whole show. Gomes is a key ingredient, but they have other good players."
On senior forward Chris Walton:
"(Chris) Walton had his first performance since the first game of the season. He played a few more minutes than I wanted him to. I had in my mind 15, but he ended up playing 23 minutes. He is feeling good and he is back playing for us. We need his intellect, savvy, experience and skill. He should be a real help for us."
On Walton against Iowa State:
"He was like three left hands to start off with, trying to make plays every time he touched the ball. He turned it over a couple of times. But once he settled down he was good. He knows how to play. We need that desperately."
On the starting rotation:
"I am the kind of person that likes consistency. I like to have a nice cut and dry rotation with a starting group and a substitution group. But we don't have that. We will be starting a different group tomorrow. We are trying to juggle guys and figure out what will fit and whether we can get guys that can stay in the starting rotation."
On Mohamed Camara's progression:
"Camara is still a work-in-progress. He is without a shadow-of-a-doubt our best low-post defender. He is strong, he bumps and he pushes. Camara is a very good help defender. He has not rebounded as well as we had hoped he would. That comes with teaching, helping and experience."
Sophomore Forward Marcus Slaughter
On Providence forward Ryan Gomes:
"It is exciting that we have a (first-team) All-American coming into San Diego for the first time since J.R. Reid (1988). There are only five (first-team) All-Americans in the nation, and he is one of them. We have our hands full with him. For me it is fun to play against that caliber of player."
On the lineup changes:
"We have a good team and a good core. Everyone on the team knows their role in what we need to do to win. We can all play together. We just need to find a combination that can play as a starting five. A group that can get us started well."
Sophomore Guard Brandon Heath
On dealing with team struggles:
"This team has great character. It is just a matter of us putting together 40 minutes every night. We haven't really done that all year. We have played from behind most of the games this year. We have to learn to jump on teams. If we do that and finish games the right way, then we will win."
On having Chris Walton back:
"Chris (Walton) brings a lot to the team in leadership and his intelligence on the floor. He does a lot of the little things that other guys might not do, and that makes our team that much better."
On the Providence game:
"This is a game that we have looked forward to all year. It is a game that when you look at the schedule, you put a star by. I am very excited that we get a game against a Big East school."