Nov. 1, 2013
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SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State-Cal State San Marcos Postgame Quotes
San Diego State Head Coach Fisher
Opening Statement:
"This game is what I hoped it would be, it was good for us. I thought early on we had a nice flow and made some shots. When we didn't make a couple shots I thought that affected us on the other end of the floor, and that cannot happen. If we have to do one thing, we have to guard. They (CSUSM) exposed us with (their) athleticism. They are quick and athletic and they made four people guard on the perimeter and they beat us off the bounds. They made some shots, some of them were good shots that were hotly contested. I think this will be a great teaching tape for us. Right at the end of the half they get a four point play.
On what the team can improve on:
"You have to guard, you have to keep in front of it, you cannot foul. We foul off the bounce, they miss the second free throw, throw it off of us, we don't box out, and they hit a three-pointer at the buzzer. You can't let that happen. We had a sequence where we get a break away and miss a dunk and they fire right back on us and hit a three-pointer. Now it is a five point swing. Those are things that you have to say, you can't let that happen."
On this season's team:
"This will be good tape for us, I like our team. I asked Josh (Davis), "What do you think?" He said we have versatility, which we do. I think Josh (Davis) has the footwork and feet to guard anyone on the floor. Josh has that versatility. JJ (O'Brien) and Josh played like veterans and that is what we have come to expect. I am going to end with this game was everything I could of hoped it would have been, it will be great to get us ready for UC Riverside next Friday."
On the crowd:
"Our crowd was great and our student crowd was terrific for an exhibition game. They were absolutely outstanding and we appreciate that. They will help us, our crowd will help us as this season moves on. We need to make sure they know how much we appreciate them and need them."
San Diego State Forward Josh Davis
On his first game as an Aztec:
"It was different. The atmosphere was great. I thank all the students and all the fans that came out, but I was excited to see that many people there."
San Diego State Forward JJ O'Brien
On Cal State San Marcos:
"Before the game Coach (Fisher) said that they were in the top 10 of the NAIA, so they're a good team. A lot of it was them. They did a good job on the give and drive, mixing it up on the switches and capitalizing on that. They got to the basket, and they took advantage of the new rules, too, and got fouls. So they did a good job. It was a lot of them and a lot of us, so a little bit of both."
On how was it without guys like Jamaal Franklin and Chase Tapley:
"You have to step up and be more of a leader, and more of a scorer. You have to do everything on the floor a little more. You have to assume the role that they had and I tried to do that tonight. I wanted to be a stable point for the young guys tonight and try to show them the way and help them. So, I just tried to step into that role."
On not missing a beat with DeShawn Stephens gone and Josh Davis in the lineup:
"Josh played great tonight. I think he had five offensive rebounds. So, DeShawn was great for us and Josh is going to do just as good."
Cal State San Marcos Head Coach Jim Saia
On his team's performance:
"We didn't play incredibly beautiful basketball. We had our moments, but (SDSU) is just so long and big that we knew we would have issues on the glass. We couldn't stop their inside strength. I think the gameplan was right on. We zoned them and they don't shoot the ball extremely well. What they do is go get (the ball). They play volleyball. And then we didn't get the ball in the paint in the second half. We didn't run our offense like we should have, but (SDSU) had a lot to do with it. It's really hard to get inside of them. They wall up pretty good (in the lane). But if we would have made some free throws, it might have been a different game. We're not into moral victories, but I think it made us both better. SDSU is going to have another great season."
On the difference between SDSU this season and last year:
"Well, they don't shoot the ball as well. Players like (Chase) Tapley and (Jamaal) Franklin were hard losses. But Davis is going to be a load and we doubled him, so he didn't really get going. They're just long and really hard to attack."
On playing at Viejas Arena:
"What they've built here is unbelievable. I coached at Fresno State in 1990 and I've seen 3,000 people at these games. What coach (Steve) Fisher has done to revive San Diego State basketball in his 15th season is absolutely remarkable. (Fisher) is somebody I look up to in the profession."