March 16, 2011
San Diego State Quotes | Northern Colorado Quotes | San Diego State Locker Room Quotes | Press Conference: Steve Fisher | Press Conference: SDSU Players | Press Conference: B.J. Hill | Press Conference: N. Colorado Players | White Interview | Tapley Interview | Carlwell Interview | Gay Interview |
TUCSON, Ariz. -
From the San Diego State NCAA news conference
COACH Steve Fisher: I'll start probably like every coach that's been up here: We're excited, anxious. Looking forward to playing this game tomorrow against a very good Northern Colorado team. I'm sure our players conveyed that same excitement and enthusiasm.
We are appreciative of the fact that we're relatively close to home and hopefully we'll have a lot of San Diego State Aztec fans here to cheer us on.
32-2. We've got a good team, you know that. We went back to back to win our conference tournament championship. And we're playing really good basketball right now. Hopefully we can continue to do that.
I'll entertain any questions that you might have.
Q. Steve, nobody's bigger than the team, but the way Billy's played in the last four games, I am wondering if you can talk about that a little bit, and how crucial that's going to be in the next how many games you've got left?
COACH FISHER: Billy had probably his finest hour in the Mountain West Conference tournament. Going back home, he's played good basketball for us for four years. He has not been as consistent as he was in that tournament run. What Billy brings to us is the length to guard anybody on the floor, from the point guard to a post player. And when he is as aggressive as he is, as he was in that tournament he had seven offensive rebounds in the last game. That is more than he had in the last ten games put together.
So we're hopeful that he will continue to play that way. When he does, obviously, we're better.
Q. Do you bring up the past at all to your teams? I mean, you have been to tournament games here and haven't won. Do you remind them that you haven't won a game in the tournament, or do you just skip it all together and say, We concentrate on what we've got going on here now?
COACH FISHER: Nick, one thing that I told our team yesterday was one team will get their first win ever in NCAA tournament play, one team will. We want it to be us.
What we have talked about is Northern Colorado in January of '08 when they came to our building and beat us 62 56. Then the following December of '08 we went back to their place and we won a very hard fought close basketball game.
We showed them a little bit of that tape from both of those games. And I think that, as much as anything, helps us prepare for our first game.
They're well aware of the fact that San Diego State has never won a tournament game NCAA Division I. I like the fact that we've got a group that played last year in the tournament. I've never had that privilege at San Diego State.
We went three times before '02, '06, and '10. Now we're going again in '11. So that feels good to be back to back with a lot of guys that played for us.
Q. What specifically about having played in the tournament with this group of guys last year do you think helps them this year?
COACH FISHER: I think everything from this, from our players being up in this forum to the mandated open practice for 40 minutes, to the fact that it is the NCAA tournament. You grow up and if you are a basketball player, this is what you look forward to when you are in grade school watching. You call in sick. You tell your mom to call you in sick so you can watch some of the early games. As you get into college, you aspire to play in it.
The first time you play, I do believe, that you are a little extra nervous. We were like that last year. And it took us too long for that to wear off. Hopefully we'll be better prepared because of all that from that I just talked about, as we prepare for this game tomorrow.
Q. We talked a little bit with the guys about what the atmosphere was like when they were freshmen. But take us back further over your span there and how this crowd and how the show has developed. And at what point did it really become you called this year, there's no better crowd anywhere in the country. At what point did it reach that and what was it like when you first took the job?
COACH FISHER: Well, I'll go last first. We sold out every game in our building this year with the exception of one. That's 12,414. It was a hard ticket. You saw it. We had people standing, ready to rush the gate to get in to get the prime seats.
Twelve years ago you could mosey in any time you wanted and pick any seat you wanted. So it's a 180.
But this is not the first year and you know this being local that we've had good crowds. This is the best. This is the apex of what we've had. But we've had 20 plus wins for six straight years. Last year we averaged, I believe, 8,500, 9,000 for conference games, which is pretty good.
But this is what happens at very few schools what happened to us this year. I don't care where you are, there are not very many schools that sell out every game all season long, and we did this year.
Q. There's been a lot of buzz this week about the Fab Five movie and what was said in there. How did you feel that team and that era were portrayed? And how do your current kids respond to that? Do you think there's actually a high level of interest even 20 years later among basketball players about that team?
COACH FISHER: I watched it, like a lot of folks did. I got a rough copy of it. I watched it Wednesday before we played Thursday in the Mountain West Conference tournament. I smiled. It brought back a lot of memories. I enjoyed it. I thought it was a good portrayal of who they were, what happened.
Our kids found out that we had a copy. We bussed home after the game and they wanted to watch it. So they all watched it. They enjoyed it. I do think that they had heard a lot about it, but most of them weren't born when the Fab Five were playing. But they had fun with it.
They ribbed both myself and Brian Dutcher about how we looked then and how we look now and all of that stuff. So it was fun.
Q. Kawhi was showing us his hands about ten minutes ago. He said it's about 10 inches. What does that enable him to do on the basketball court?
COACH FISHER: Get every ball he touches. He's got huge hands. He's as good an offensive rebounder as there is. And I know Morehead State's got maybe the best statistically one. But Kawhi pursues every ball offensively and defensively. It's just not good fortune, he pursues the ball. But because of his length, his strength and his hand size, if he gets a mitt on it, he gets most of them. And I think that's evident not only by looking at him but by watching him play a little bit.
Q. Coach, sorry to bring up another Fab Five question, but just wanted to get your memories of bringing that Michigan team here to McKale back in 1993.
COACH FISHER: I can't recall any of that at all, not one thing (laughter). As we got torched by about 50. You didn't have to bring that up. And Jalen doesn't want to bring it up either.
Q. Coach, can you be a little more specific on what you expect to see from Northern Colorado? You talked in your Monday press conference about Devon Beitzel and will it be likely that Billy will get the call to cover him?
COACH FISHER: I'm not sure who will guard him to start with. But they move him around. A lot of people will guard him during the course of the game.
This is a team that's very confident, as you know. They've won 7 in a row, 9 out of 11, and 19 out of 22. They're good. They're a good team in every facet of the game. They're well coached. They're a very, very good rebounding team. They hit you first. They run. And they're not afraid to quick shoot it. Got 4 or 5 guys, if you give them an inch they're going to shoot the three. And not just Beitzel. So they present a big challenge for us.
You know, I know some people have equated Beitzel to Jimmer Fredette. I think their team is a little like BYU. BYU sends kids on missions. Northern Colorado has red shirted three of the four seniors are red shirts and the sophomore point guard is a red shirt sophomore. So they're older than us at every position. They're a veteran team. They've won 25 games last year and they will be confident coming in.
I've got great respect for them. I did when Tad Boyle was coaching them and I do now when Coach Hill is there. He's done a marvelous job. They're not surprised they're here. And we're not surprised they're here, either.
Q. You've told your team all season long to stop and enjoy the wins, enjoy the rankings while focusing on business. Can you enjoy the NCAA tournament while it's going on and not get distracted by all this?
COACH FISHER: Well, we're working now. We got no time to enjoy. We're here working. We're in a two game tournament. That's how we viewed it. You have to minimize distractions and try to make it as normal and as routine as it can be.
The 40 minute open forum is atypical for all of us. So you need to make sure that you don't have an advantage turn into a disadvantage. We were so excited when we got to come to Tucson. It's a five hour car ride, it's an hour plane ride. But also it's a five hour drive and an hour plane ride, so we're going to have a lot of people milling around, going around, wanting tickets, wanting to be around. And we cannot allow that to cause any kind of distraction on what we need to do, and that's find a way to beat a very good Northern Colorado team.
Q. Coach, I know it's been 18 years or so, what do you remember about that Jimmy King tip in game here against UCLA?
COACH FISHER: I remember we were behind 19 points in the first half. And if Chris Webber hadn't played like the number one player in the draft, like he was, we would have had no chance. We were very fortunate to be in the game at half time. We made a couple buckets at the end of the half to come back. Then we had good fortune. We had good fortune in that game.
UCLA had a chance to win on a breakaway lay up. Again, Jimmy King came from behind, knocked the ball out of bounds, or we go home before he has a chance to tip in Jalen Rose's misshot to allow us to win.
You have to get a little lucky. If you are going to advance, you have to play well, you have to have a good team. But you also have to have good fortune along the way. And obviously for us in that game, we got good fortune coupled with good play to allow us an opportunity to win at the end.
Q. Given the way the program struggled before your arrival, did anyone try to tell you that elevating this program to where it is now just wasn't going to be possible?
COACH FISHER: I didn't listen to anybody other than my wife when I went looking at this job. I felt that from the city to the university to the brick and mortar, to our arena and some of you have been in our building, we've got a really, really beautiful state of the art arena I said why can't we be good? I knew other good coaches had been there. Guys with resumes had been there and struggled, but they didn't have the luxury until right at the end of Fred Trenkle's tenure of having that building.
So I had an advantage over the others. Then we said we love the kids that we have, but we've got to get better players. So we went out and worked hard on the recruiting trail. Which is what everybody has to do if you are going to get good. And, you know, we got good. And now we've gotten real good.
Q. Some of the Temple players were up here earlier talking about the Colorado team, about how everyone was asking how they've never won an NCAA tournament and they're worried whether they're going to break that streak or instead of talking about the 25 win season. You guys are maybe a little of the same position. Does it bother you so much emphasis by the public is placed on what you do in this tournament and that if you don't get to a certain point in this tournament, you know, 32 win season won't be considered as much of a success?
COACH FISHER: That's the way it is with everybody, Mark. Everybody in the tournament will be judged with double exclamation points if they've had a great season by what they do in the tournament. It won't whatever happens to us in the tournament will not take away from a great regular season; 32 wins, two losses, both to BYU, that's there. That's part of our resume.
And, yet, people remember those that advance. People remember those that get into the NCAA tournament and find a way to win. And that's our goal. We're no different than Northern Colorado or anybody playing in it.
We're excited. We expect to win. They do, too.
It will be bitter disappointment for whatever team doesn't advance from our game on Thursday, ourselves included. But it won't take away from what we've done in our regular season.
Q. I know the game at Northern Colorado was three years ago and the rosters have changed. I'm just curious what you guys remember from that game.
D.J. Gay: Definitely their style of play. They're a very hungry team. Very fearless. They crash the boards like crazy. They don't back down from anybody. And they came into our place, didn't matter what kind of hype we had behind us or anything like that, they came in and threw the first punch. That's what I remember.
Q. Did you guys really get booed off the floor?
D.J. Gay: Yep.
Q. What was that like?
D.J. Gay: Didn't feel good at all. Something that, you know, I'll probably remember the rest of my life. Not a good feeling. But definitely remember it.
Q. Billy, I'm just curious, the way you played in your last four games, you individually, do you kind of feel a little sense of urgency, the clock's ticking on your senior year, things could come to an end at any minute? Do you feel that sense of urgency right now a little bit?
Billy White: Most definitely. You know, just my teammates just believing in me and coach Fisher just telling me he wants me to step up a little bit more. That's what it takes to get my team to win, that's what I have to do.
Q. D.J., obviously coach Fisher has been on the stage before and had this level of success. How has he helped you guys just handle the success you guys have had this year being in the national spotlight?
D.J. Gay: Just maintaining that confidence in us. Since day one, you know, he told us that we are a very good team and have the capability of having a very special season. And to make sure not to get caught up in the hype. Because, you know, with a couple of losses, all that stuff can go away. So just take it for what it is, enjoy the moment. But to know that, you know, we still have a lot of work and goals that we want to achieve.
Q. This whole season has been based on having the dominos aligned in this way for you coming here and potentially going to Anaheim. If something goes wrong along that path, is the criticism that will come with it, is that fair for you guys at all? Or do you say, We don't have any control over this, you can't judge us in this way?
D.J. Gay: I think that if things don't go the way that we want, I don't know if it's fair or not. That is not up to us. But, you know, all we can do is appreciate how far we have come as a program and as a team this year.
But we're trying to stay positive about the season.
Q. I wonder if you saw the Fab Five thing on ESPN the other night. Since Coach Fisher was part of it, at guys your age, what do you remember or know about the Fab Five?
Malcolm Thomas: I watched it. I really don't remember much. I just remember long shorts, black socks and they were the best team I've seen.
Kawhi Leonard: Before the video I didn't the little movie, I didn't know too much about the Fab Five. I just knew they were all freshmen and they went far in a tournament. But after seeing the movie, I just learned a lot about them and Coach Fisher and it's inspirational for us on the team.
Q. This is for the seniors. How important has it been on this team to be led by seniors? Not many teams get this far anymore with five seniors on it. How important is that for you guys and the fact that you have actually played in a tournament game last year?
Malcolm Thomas: It's very important. You know, without senior leadership, you know, a lot of teams struggle. We just happen to have about five seniors who are good at leading. And I think it's helped us in the long run.
And, you know, playing in the tournament last year, I feel like we know what to expect. And I feel like we'll have a better chance to go far this year.
D.J. Gay: The senior leadership on this team has been a key thing for our success. But it's not just us as seniors, it's trickled down to the other players like Kawhi, Chase and those that were there with us last year through our good run, through the tournament, the conference tournament.
So this is a team that's been here before. But just to have a team of seniors and underclassmen that has been together going on two years now, it's been the key thing to our success this year.
Q. Kawhi, you had a growth spurt in high school; correct?
Kawhi Leonard: Yeah.
Q. How tall did you grow and all that?
Kawhi Leonard: My freshman year I was probably about 6'0" and as the year went on till about this summer, going into till about the summer going into my sophomore year I grew to 6'4". After that I probably grew an inch after each year.
Q. How long did it take you to get used to kind of your new body? Obviously playing at 6'4" is different than playing at 6'0"?
Kawhi Leonard: Well, when I first started playing organized basketball in high school, I was pretty much in the paint a lot, playing like three or four. Once I got taller it was natural since I been in the paint playing close to the basket.
Q. This is for D.J. and Billy. Everybody's heard about the crowd you guys are getting now, the student participation. When you arrived on campus, how would you describe the level of interest in San Diego State basketball?
D.J. Gay: It's kind of been a circus back at home. You know, everywhere we go, you know, people know who we are, and over the past couple years, especially this season, we have a lot of new friends, a lot of new faces. And, you know, we appreciate everything that the city has done for us. The way they rallied up. And, you know, sold out, you know, almost every single game at home.
Billy White: Like D.J. said, it's just been crazy. I think each year that we improve, you know, we get more fans. And people just starting to get to know us. And it's just been thankful that, you know, people are just coming to our games and cheering for us.
Q. What was it like when you first got there?
Billy White: Oh, um, I think it was just, you know, people were always just in love with us. Just following us and stuff like that. I never really experienced nothing like that. It's been packed ever since we've been there and been playing for four years.
Q. D.J., you guys weren't able to beat BYU during the regular season. How important was it confidence wise to do what you did in the conference tournament?
D.J. Gay: It was a great win leading into our next game. A team that beat us twice and gave us our only losses this season, for us to go out and perform the way we did in that last game was a big, big confidence boost, and reassurance that, you know, we are a very good. And when everybody's on the same page and playing great basketball, anything is possible.
Q. Obviously you guys know you have the idea of a championship. This is what we want. But still when you step off the plane in Arizona and go to the hotel, are you still looking around cracking a smile saying, Hey, we're here, we made it, we got through it; are you still happy?
Malcolm Thomas: Yeah, we're happy. We're happy to be here. But we know we still have work to do. We still need to stay focused. Because no matter what a team's seed is, they can still beat you at any moment if you don't play well. So we're having fun, but we're still focused.
Billy White: Like Malcolm said, we're happy. But to everybody we haven't really proven anything yet. We haven't won a game in this tournament. We just got to stay focused like Malcolm said. If we keep playing well it will take care of itself.
Q. Billy, I still haven't figured out who is supposed to be on the little Jimmer, or Beitzel. Do you want that to be your name since you have covered the real Jimmer before; do you want to cover this one?
Billy White: If coach puts me on him, I'll take him. I'm just trying to win. Whatever it takes, if coach wants me to guard him and that's the game plan, I'll do it.
From inside the locker room.
San Diego State Forward Tim Shelton
On earning a #2 seed:
"I feel like we deserved it. I wish we would've beat BYU the first two times we played them, but I'm glad we're a two seed. It's a good location too."
On being in Tucson:
"I actually have family out here so I like it. A lot of fans are supposed to be coming over, too, because it's a quick flight or a short drive, so hopefully we'll have a nice crowd."
On match-up with Northern Colorado:
"Everybody that makes the NCAA tournament is competitive. So we're going to compete our hardest and we should get the job done."
San Diego State Guard Chase Tapley
On earning a #2 seed:
"It's good, it's real good. All the hard work we put in has paid off."
On being in Tucson:
"All this year we've been talking about coming to Tucson for the tournament since we knew this was a location. Lots of fans are coming over to watch, so it's good."
On match-up with Northern Colorado:
"It's a good match-up. Tim Shelton, D.J. Gay and Billy White played them their freshman year and they have a good team. We're excited to play them."
San Diego State Guard James Rahon
On earning a #2 seed:
"When I was a little kid, I dreamed of this, being at the NCAA tournament and getting a high seed, so all the hard work has paid off. We're all very grateful, but we can't be satisfied. We want to show the nation that we deserve the seed we got."
On being in Tucson:
"I've been here before actually, it's really nice here. It's a benefit being close to home. All the hard work paid off for us and we got a good location."
On match-up with Northern Colorado:
"Every team is tough in the tournament. Our styles compare in some ways and contrast... We both like to run. It should be a battle from start to finish. We're just excited to play."
San Diego State Center Brian Carlwell
On getting a #2 seed:
"I'm pretty happy getting a number two seed. It's close to home and we have to fight for a win and our first NCAA win."
On being in Tucson:
"We got a lot of fans coming in. Last year, we were in Rhode Island and we barely had any people there. Here we get a lot of fans coming. It's a good feeling for us."
On match-up with Northern Colorado:
"They are a good team. We played them before (in previous years) three or four times. They are aggressive and an offensive-rebounding team. They crash the offensive boards. We have to play San Diego State ball and rebound like crazy."
On their shooters:
"They shoot real fast and attack the offensive boards."
San Diego State Guard Jamaal Franklin
On getting a #2 seed:
"I'm very excited about our #2 seed. It's close to home. Instead of going back East where we get limited fans. This is like being at home."
On being in Tucson:
"I went to prep school out here in Phoenix, so it's like being back at home."
On the NCAA tournament:
"We are excited and we just have to prove everyone wrong who doubted us at the beginning of the season and keep winning. Take one game at a time. We aren't looking ahead at the Sweet 16 or the Elite Eight or the Final Four."
From the Northern Colorado NCAA news conference
COACH B.J. HILL: It's great to be here. It's been a long five years. A lot of hard work. A lot of great kids. And a lot of support from everybody back in Greeley and the University of Northern Colorado. It's just the ultimate prize for a lot of hard work by a lot of great kids.
Q. I talked to the players about patience in the offense. They said it's been hard for them sometimes because you got a lot of good shooters, when it's open it's hard for them to pass up that shot. How much of a change is it going to be against San Diego State to be even more patient?
COACH HILL: It's going be tough for them. Because we roll out a lot of confident kids who as a staff we have a lot of confidence in. And the whole thing, and I heard them, so it makes me happy that they're repeating what I've been preaching. That is, it's not a good one, we want to get a great one. It makes me feel good that they understand that and are acknowledging that. Because there's a lot of difference in the game of basketball.
Good shots are often and you can get a bunch of them. But great ones are what we need to have in our offense to have a chance.
Q. Can you talk about Mike Proctor and the role he's played for you guys this year.
COACH HILL: It's been a tough year for Mike. Started off just didn't have the same feel and energy as what he's had in the last couple years. And then the broken thumb set him back. We thought it did. But I tell you what, he did a great job of learning while he was out. He came up, he watched tape, he did a good job.
You could tell he was processing a lot during the games that he wasn't able to play in. He was learning while he was out. He wasn't just sitting there being a spectator. And it really showed when he came back. He was thinking the game more clearly. He wasn't getting in foul trouble like he was early in the year, because I think he had a better understanding and then his confidence took off. And that's what you have seen in the last five games from Mike, is when he plays with confidence, he's really a good player.
In my opinion, when he is confident and believes in himself and bring that's energy he is an all league type guy.
Q. What concerns you the most about Kawhi Leonard, just watching him on tape?
COACH HILL: That's a long list. He's a deadly combination of size, athleticism, and motor. You don't really see guys that are 6'7", 225 have his skill set and play with the tenacity that he does for every second that he is out there. I mean, he is what all coaches dream of.
A lot of times you can get little guards at 5'10", 5'11" that play like that. But to find a 6'7" guy with that skill set and that energy is awfully hard to find. And that's why he is the type of player he is and can do the things he does.
Q. Interested in your background in the Kansas Jayhawks, in particular working in Coffeyville. Could you talk about that in particular, Independence as well with Coffeyville. Talk about how that has helped to shape some of your basketball sensibility. Then follow up, would you mind commenting on what Tad Boyle has come to mean to you as a mentor and a friend and as someone who preceded you in the job that you now hold?
COACH HILL: First part, my time in Kansas has made me the coach I am today. I wouldn't have you know, Tad Boyle wouldn't have plucked me out of the junior college ranks if it wouldn't have been for my time in the Jayhawks. I learned a sense of urgency about recruiting, what it takes as an assistant, what you can do to have an impact on a program. And I just learned so much from having the repetitions, so many repetitions going out and recruiting, because you do replace your team every other year.
Then we also have an unbelievable opportunity to see so many Division I guys come in and recruit your guys. And if you are willing and you are open, you can soak up a lot of good information. And I tried to learn from the best. I remember on a two day time picking up Coach Williams, Coach Self, Coach Alford, and Coach P. Gillen to come, you know, at the huge Coffeyville airport to come in and see one of our guys. And just to be able to have those type of experiences and remember how they did their visits and what they were like and what the kids liked, what the kids didn't like. You know, I tried to soak up as much as I could.
You know, it wasn't the most social scene in the world, but I couldn't replace the experiences I got when I was in Coffeyville and Independence and all those places meant a ton for my growth as a coach.
In terms of Tad, you know, without him, I wouldn't be where I'm at today. You know, I heard it so many times when I was a junior college assistant, hey, if I ever get a job, I'd love to hire you, to the point where you just quit paying attention to it. He got the opportunity, he followed up and brought me out.
So when you get that opportunity, you just try to do the best job you can. When it's your ultimate goal, you just try to bust your butt as much as you can to help somebody who did you a huge favor. So I can't thank him enough, obviously, the guy behind us, Jay Hinrichs have lot to do with that, too. But without Tad I wouldn't be in this chair?
Q. You mentioned that one of the things you guys have to do is get back in transition. Who were the real transition teams you played this year? And how did you do against them going back on transition?
COACH HILL: Northern Arizona's really good in transition. I thought we did a pretty good job with that. I thought we did a better job in transition when we did half court against Northern Arizona. Portland State is a very good transition team in our league. And Idaho State has a point guard that is, you know, a one man transition all in himself.
Then obviously the high major squads that we've played in Arizona and Illinois both have really good players that bring it at a rate that we're not use to in the Big Sky.
So, you know, this year overall I've been pleased with our transition defense. One of the stats I look at at half time in points is transition. We've done a good job of taking away easy baskets. It think that's the good step in any defense. You look at our defensive statistics this year and I think we've led the Big Sky in defensive percentage and that was our goal.
Q. Talk about the recruitment of Devon and what you saw in him that obviously nobody else saw and what was sort of your hope for him? Did you ever expect him to be sort of the player that he?
COACH HILL: You know, Devon's recruitment I didn't have a whole lot to do with. Tad got the job in May, and I came out in June, and when I got there Devon had already been on campus. But it wasn't a marathon of recruiting by any means. Once the offer was made, he snatched it up. And Tad had seen him and liked the way he could shoot the ball. I think maybe the part that if anything I had to do with was just trying to instill confidence in him when he wavered his red shirt year, and wasn't sure if he was good enough. I just saw tremendous heart in him. A tremendous will to succeed that a lot of kids don't have. And as a Division I coach, when you can walk through your arena at odd hours and find a kid in there working on the things that you told him he needed to do to be successful, you got to take advantage of that. Even if he might not have the athleticism or the size, guys that have that type of heart make up for it. And you are not going to find a better example than that kid.
Q. Coach, since arriving in Tucson has the energy level been any different with the team?
COACH HILL: The energy level has been great. I'm not sure the focus level was great yesterday. You know, our first practice down here they lacked a little bit of focus, which is understandable. I expected it. I almost anticipated it too, to be honest with you.
But once we brought them back after about 15 minutes into practice, I thought we got a lot out of it. And then it became the Northern Colorado that practices back in Butler Hancock every day. Which, you know, is to be expected. We're traveling with people we've never traveled with before. Obviously there's so much that's involved with the NCAA tournament. These guys have never had to deal with it before.
Just thought it was my job to refocus them. And they have been. By listening to their answers up here to you guys, I can tell they're exactly where they need to be mentally.
Q. I had a follow up about Leonard. He has gigantic hands. You probably noticed that.
COACH HILL: Yeah.
Q. What can you tell in the video from his hands? I mean, what kind of advantage does that give him as a basketball player?
COACH HILL: It helps him. He can get a hand on the ball and get rebounds that your average human being can't get without getting too up there. You know, he can use his athleticism and get one hand on a ball and retain it when most guys got to get two. You know, he's so strong. That's a then, you know, that's hard enough to defend as it is. But then you when a guy like that can go get a rebound like that then has the skills to take it himself and start the fast break by himself that's what makes him so hard to guard. I mean, we don't face anybody like that the Big Sky.
Q. Taylor, you've seen tapes of San Diego State, how do you think you match up with them on the boards?
TAYLOR MONTGOMERY: We provide a lot of good size. We have a lot of guys with a lot of energy and tenacity. So we plan to just box out just like we would any other team and create space because we know they're so athletic and can just jump over us.
But we're used to not being the bigger, more athletic team, so we're used to playing like that. So we do what we do, and we always seem to find a way to get rebounds. I mean, nothing's going change from our end.
Q. Taylor, from what you have seen of Leonard on tape and in person a little bit, how can he change the game and what will you guys have to do to slow him down?
TAYLOR MONTGOMERY: Well, he brings a lot of energy. You know, he's nonstop attacking the boards. You know, he leads their conference in rebounding, I think. And he's always going. Always going. Just nonstop.
So I think to keep him from, you know, being a big, you know, problem, just keep him off the boards and not let him get rid of them and get rebounds and easy lay ups. Just make all of his points difficult, I think that will be the best chance.
Q. How much zone defense have you guys played this year and how confident are you in it? Because some teams have had some success against San Diego State because they're kind of streaky shooters.
NEAL KINGMAN: We played a couple different times. It's not our it's not what we hang our hat on. We're man on man defensive team. But when it comes to tournament time you got to make adjustments just like every other team.
We've played it enough that we're comfortable in it. It's not anything that's foreign to us by any stretch.
Q. Devon, there's been a lot of comparisons with you and Jimmer Fredette. I just want to ask you if you get sick of that or do you welcome that.
DEVON BEITZEL: Whenever you get compared to a player like Jimmer, it's a compliment. But there's, I mean, no one in the country can do what he does. I mean, I've never seen anyone score 52 points in a game and only have one point come from a free throw. That's unbelievable.
I mean, I'll take the comparisons, I'll take the compliments, but, I mean, I'm definitely not at that level.
Q. Devon, have you been able to look back and see what Jimmer did do against San Diego State, and can you take anything from that in terms of how to attack them and maybe how to beat them?
DEVON BEITZEL: Well, I've been working on my one dribble across half three pointer. (Laughter.) But, um, besides that, just stay aggressive and take what they give.
Don't try to force too much, let the game come to you. But, at the same time, make sure you stay aggressive.
Q. What in particular or in general concerns you about San Diego State? Is it their athleticism, size? What in particular do you feel like has been drilled into your heads or that really you feel like you got to be cautious about or avoid falling into?
NEAL KINGMAN: Transition defense for sure is one.
CHRIS KABA: We can't get into a running game with these guys. I mean, we got to make sure we take care of the ball. And I think the biggest thing has been drilled into us this week is patience offensively.
Q. Also for Devon. Again this is a follow up on Jimmer. What parts of your game are different for people who haven't seen you? I mean, you've obviously seen him play quite a bit. What part of your game do you think is different from his?
DEVON BEITZEL: I think I do a little more off the ball. I think he gets a lot of his shots with the ball in his hand. I come off screens a little bit more. That's probably the biggest difference.
Q. You guys all had some success against San Diego State a few years ago. How much has that boosted your confidence in terms of, hey, maybe we can do this?
DEVON BEITZEL: I mean, it's big, but so much changes in four years, you know. I think only two of the guys that we really played against are still on the team Gay and White. Um, you know, and, I mean, we've become a completely different team ourselves.
I mean, we can't really take too much from that game four years ago. But, you know, we can't we can't shy away from them either. We understand they're great team. You are not a great team or you can't have a 32 2 record without being a pretty good team. So we just got to make sure that we don't go in their wide eyed and, you know, just play our game.
NEAL KINGMAN: I think a lot of people put more weight on the outside of on that outside of our team than we do. People have said you have beat them before and stuff like that. But like he said, we're both completely different rosters. Yeah, it's a familiarity, no doubt, but that's about where it ends.
Q. Devon, your first time, they've been here before, but they can't advance. Do you think that gives you an edge or what's the mentality like?
DEVON BEITZEL: Our mentality's going there with a chip on our shoulder and do whatever we can to win. I mean, we've been undersized and, I mean, we definitely don't have the most athletic team. But we fight every game. And we don't give up. That's kind of what we've hung our hat on all year. There's no reason to change that now.
Q. Chris, you talked about the fact that you can't get in a running game with them. Visually, what can you do with them? And what kind of scenarios do you feel you're prepared for? I mean, I'm looking at, you know, other evaluations of possibly what could happen during the game, and it doesn't look like you can also afford to get down by 10, 12 points against a team with this sort of athleticism.
CHRIS KABA: Well, I mean, like I said, we don't want to get in a running game just because, I mean, their transition game is their best defense. The thing that's lead into that is quick bad shots or turnovers, you know. And then we'll be playing right into their hands.
So I think definitely patience on offense is definitely going to give us pretty much the advantage in some part aspects of the game. If they do get in transition, we got to make sure we get back.
Q. Neil, how patient is your offense and has it been this year? When you have had to be patient, have you guys done a good job? Is it easy when you get the ball to get up and down the court a little bit?
NEAL KINGMAN: We've had some issues with patience this year just because we've got a lot of guys that can shoot the ball well. So if we get someone open on one pass and they're open, they're taking the shot, which isn't a bad thing.
But in a game like this, it's giving up good shots to get great shots. That's what it takes to beat teams with the size and athleticism that San Diego State has. We've been working all week in practice. We know that is one of the foundations of our game plan. And we've done a good job of sticking to our game plan game by game this year, so that's definitely something that is going to be a key aspect to our success.
Q. Devon, I read that you had some chances to go to Ivy League schools out of high school. I'm just kind of curious why you decided to go to Northern Colorado. What was it about the school or the opportunity that appealed to you?
DEVON BEITZEL: I just didn't have 40 grand a year 40 grand a semester to pay for school. You know, that was a big part of it. And then, I mean, it was definitely it's definitely been nice to be close to home playing ball. But the biggest one is just, you know, I don't have $40,000 laying around to pay for school.
Q. On that same line, Devon, when Dartmouth talked to you, did they talk to you about any kind of a work program you could have done or, you know, a lot of Ivy League schools give guys loans or put you in a work study program to make up for the financing. Did they have any plan at all? Did they say if you showed up at school, we'd put you on the team?
DEVON BEITZEL: We talked about it a little bit, but in the end it just made more sense to me at the time to go to Northern Colorado.
Q. Devon, you know, having been through what you have been to get here, can you sort of put this into perspective for you, how special it is to be in this tournament, you know, given, you know, some of the trials and tribulations along the way?
DEVON BEITZEL: I mean, it's a dream come true, you know. I mean, five years ago we were the absolute worst team in Division I, which isn't something that we really took lightly. It was kind of it was just a huge motivational factor for us three up here, Taylor came here the year after that. And, you know, it just shows how our hours in the gym and hours in the weight room and watching film and, you know, just how that has always really just paid off.
From inside the locker room.
Northern Colorado Guard Elliot Lloyd
On the being the first UNC team to make it to the tournament:
"It's a wonderful feeling, for the community, for the coaching squad and for us as players. It's exciting."
On returning to McKale after a loss to Arizona here earlier in season:
"We just use that as a learning experience. We are trying to come in here and execute the game plan the coaches have for us and just play hard."
"This is a beautiful atmosphere to play in. The fans are great and we're going to use this as an example that we can play and compete at any level."
On the feeling for the seniors and turning the program around:
"It's a great feeling for the seniors and for the rest of us as well. We want to go out and send the seniors out like we did at senior night on our home court to win the (conference) championship. We want to be able to do something like that again in the tournament."
On keys to the game against SDSU:
"We need to limit turnovers and try to box out every rebounding opportunity. Most important, though, we need to have fun."
Northern Colorado Forward/Center Mike Proctor
On being first UNC team to make it to the tournament:
"It's great. We've done something that no one else has; no one can take this away from us no matter the outcome of the game tomorrow. It's definitely something special, both for our team and our school."
On UNC seniors:
"It's huge. There's nothing greater than winning our first conference title on our home court so we want to continue that momentum and play hard to try and get this next win for the team and for our seniors."
On entering the game on a winning streak:
"It's real good. We've got seven games in a row under our belt. We've been playing under pressure the entire time. Now that there's no pressure we can just come out and play loose. Just ball."