March 14, 2010
SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher
On the large travel distance to Rhode Island:
"It is what it is; we have to not worry about that. We are thrilled to death to be in the tournament. We are excited to be there, we will be in Providence, and we are going to compete hard."
On how special this year's team is:
"I love this team, but I've loved every team that I've had. This is a team that you don't have to micro-manage, they are fun to be with, and they're appreciative. I have said this before; they appreciate the little things that they have. They are non-complainers. They have never done anything except say please and thank you, and I like that."
On the significance of consistent postseason trips for SDSU:
"It says you have got a program. We have a program that we expect to be good; our fans expect us to be good. So we have grown from 2,500 (attendance) to 8,500. We have created an excitement, awareness, and pride in San Diego State basketball."
San Diego State Freshman Forward Kawhi Leonard:
On being seeded lower seed than UNLV:
"None of that matters to us. It's just a game, and we are ready to play."
On matching up with Tennessee:
"I think we match up pretty well. We have big, athletic wings like they do. We have low-post men that can score just like them."
On making the NCAA Tournament as a freshman:
"There's just a lot of emotion and excitement to be playing in this game. This is what I wanted to do when I came to college and I'm doing it in my first year, so I feel very lucky right now."
On getting better throughout his early career:
"I have just been working hard. My team has been pushing me; in practice we are all pushing each other and making sure we are all focused and ready to play."
San Diego State Junior Guard D.J. Gay:
On playing Tennessee:
"I have only seen them play one game vs. Wyoming earlier in the season. So we have a lot of film to watch."
On the matchup between two long, athletic teams:
"It's going to be a lot of fun. Expect a lot of physicality..we are both athletic. It's going to be an exciting game to watch."
On taking the next step and winning an NCAA tournament game:
"Right now it's all about making history. This is the first time I've played in the NCAA tournament; I played in the NIT the last two years. I don't want to stop there; I don't want to just settle for winning the Mountain West Conference tournament. We want to win a game or two in the NCAA tournament and even more, so I'm just going along for the ride."
On the growth of the SDSU Basketball Program and five straight postseason appearances:
"That just goes to show you how far we have come. Our coaches have done a great job recruiting for this program. We have come from bottom to top. We compete every year and we expect to maintain that."
On the difference between selection Sunday last year and this year:
"Last year was an all-time low; this year is an all-time high. Just knowing that our name was on the NCAA bracket on television today was excitement enough. My heart skipped a beat; words can't really explain how I'm feeling now."
San Diego State Junior Forward Malcolm Thomas:
On so many new faces gelling so quickly as a team:
"We just had to build chemistry. Do stuff of the court with each other and get to know each other. The newcomers didn't really know the system and we had to learn fast, but I think we all picked it up pretty quick and we are doing a good job."
On continuing the trend of winning at SDSU:
"There was a little pressure. You don't want to be known as the team that couldn't match the year before. We just came out and played hard every day and it paid off."
On playing Tennessee in the first round:
"It's going to be tough; it's not going to be easy at all. They are used to winning and playing in big arenas, so we are going to have to play really hard."