Nov. 2, 2011
Recap | Stats | Notes | Quotes | Highlights | Fisher News Conference
Student-Athletes News Conference | SDSU Gallery
SAN DIEGO -
Cal State San Marcos-San Diego State Postgame Quotes
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher
Opening Statement:
"I thought tonight was good for both teams. I think it's going to help Jim and his team, and I know it's going to help us. I'm not sure what the reason was, whether they were a little nervous or not, but we jumped on them a little early. They had 15 turnovers in the first half and only four in the second half. Maybe it was a combination of us getting a little bit comfortable in the second half. I thought four or five times balls were there, that we deflected, that turned into baskets for them, when in the first half they were turnovers. Maybe it was them settling into a comfort level.
"(Tim) Steed got hot in the second half. He made every three-point shot he took. We played a little zone and they scored, I think, every position against us. We're going to continue to work at it. I think it can be used the right way. We had decided beforehand that we would start the second half in zone and see what it would look like. I made a commitment to play it until the first time out and we did and we didn't go back. They're a good athletic team, they make it hard for you off the dribble. They can get in the gaps and I thought we did a pretty good job, most of the time, of covering and staying in front of them, knowing who the shooters were and not giving them easy baskets.
"This is going to help us, we'll go back and look and be prepared before we play our second exhibition game. I told our team, after the game, that we have a really nice group of kids. Mark Fisher said, `I've never seen anybody so happy to come out of the game.' Chase Tapley came out and Jeremy Castleberry went in for the first time ever. They were so determined to help him get a basket. They all felt good about that. They were more excited about that than anything at the end of the game. We'll see what happens in terms of what they do. Now we'll be following San Marcos to see what they do as they move forward with their schedule."
On the performance of CS San Marcos:
"Well, they look like a Division I team when they come out there. We knew that going in from what we had seen and heard. I've known Jim Saia for a long time, we're not best friends, but we talked three days ago and we shared a scouting report. He gave me a nugget or two on each of his players and we did the same for him. We talked about what we wanted to try to do offensively. We asked if he would play us a little zone, we're going to play a little zone. We tried to make it a beneficial exhibition game for both teams. I think it will prove to be just that. When they get a little bit of an angle on you, they're hard guards; they're a hard group to guard. They're athletic and quick and they do a nice job of getting in the creases and finding that big guy. I think they're pretty good."
On the new players in action:
"It was nice for our fans to have a chance to see them in action. DeShawn Stephens is a wonderful young guy who is just neophyte with his basketball right now. He's so eager to learn and get better, but one thing he knows is how to play hard. He does that all the time and things happen when you play hard. Good things usually happen and they did for him tonight. I was really happy for him that he played as well as he did. This will give him a lot of confidence tomorrow coming back and playing that next game."
San Diego State Junior James Rahon
On how he thought the game went:
"We had a lot of new guys so this was just a dress rehearsal for the season. We came out and coach told us to just play as hard as we can and everything would be alright. That is what we did tonight and we ended up coming out with a victory. We are happy about that."
On how good Cal State San Marcos is:
"Coach told us before they are a huge team. They are like a mid-major Division I team with all their transfers. We knew they were going to be a tough matchup, one of our tougher exhibition games in a few years. We came out ready to play and we came out with a win.
San Diego State Sophomore Xavier Thames
On his first night as a point guard:
"I was a little nervous out there in the first half. The second half I felt more comfortable and got my teammates involved so it was all around a good game."
San Diego State Junior DeShawn Stephens
On his comfort level:
"The knee is feeling great. I just went through a little knick-knack at practice. Other than that, the knee feels great. I feel very comfortable, I feel right at home. The style of play is the way I play, so I think I fit in perfectly."
On how Tim Shelton is holding up:
"Tim is great and is a great leader. He actually helps the others out in terms of playing everything. The more and more he talks to us, the more we get like Tim."
Cal State San Marcos Head Coach Jim Saia
On the game:
"That's why it's an exhibition, it's a learning experience. This is the first time these guys have played together in front of a big arena (crowd). So it's a whole new deal. We played hard and we played together and there was a lot of spirit with us."
"One of our game plans was we couldn't turn the ball over. Poor Tim (Steed), he's not a true point guard. He just tried to do too much, so we settled him down in the second half. We only turned the ball over two times in the second half. We shot 48 percent. You can't get down 17, but we climbed back. I know they respect us and they were in a game over there. I appreciate Coach Fisher for playing us. He's such a classy person and a great example for all young coaches to follow."
On how he thought the team played in the program's first-ever game:
"I thought it was great. It's a brand new team, we haven't play together and they haven't run my system. It's not necessarily an offensive execution beauty. It really wasn't, but we're athletic and that's who we are. We just have to get a little smarter and when we get Danny Redmon back, our point guard, it's going to be a whole different deal."
On what Aztec players caused the most problems:
"Xavier Thames obviously, he's a good player. Chase Tapley is solid. They have three good perimeter guys. They're solid. Their post guys are formidable. They have good players and they're a good team and they're well coached."