Feb. 5, 2016
SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State Men's Basketball News Conference Quotes
San Diego State Head Coach Steve Fisher
Opening statement:
"If you approach it like we've tried to approach it, that your next game is the biggest game, you're going to play all year because it's your next game, then you are doing things the right way. If you truly look at tomorrow's game against New Mexico, it's a huge game for both of us. We are two games ahead with an opportunity to pull three ahead of the pack or New Mexico can make it a dead heat. That will be their intent. They are very good. If you look at statistics from the Mountain West Conference games, you say 'tell me who is on top?' you would say New Mexico. They have scored more points than anybody. They have the greatest margin of difference between scores in their games. They have the highest spread. Their field-goal percentage is the highest. Their free-throw percentage is the highest. They are second to us in field-goal defense. This is a really good team. This is a team that is coming off a subpar year for New Mexico. They didn't like it, and don't like it. They have talked about it. They are much, much, much improved. They are led by their guards, but they have Tim Williams in the post, a transfer from Samford, who has been terrific for them. This is a good team. We know that. Coach Neal's son is a really good player and is a clutch player. (Elijah) Brown, the son of a coach, is a really good player. He can score in a lot of ways. They have the 7-1 center. We are meeting a team that is legitimate. They would like to go back and replay Rice at home through the Diamond Head. If they could replay that stretch, they probably could say they are a top-25 team, but they lost four games in a row. We are excited, our kids are excited, and I'm sure they are too. It should be a really good game. We will have a very good crowd that will be indicative of the importance to the game."
On if Trey Kell will begin the game guarding Elijah Brown:
"I hope he does. We've had a lot of different people guard good players on the other team, like Josh Adams from Wyoming, but Trey will be one of the guys. Dakarai (Allen) will guard him some, Jeremy (Hemsley) could guard him some. We may go big-big and put Zylan (Cheatham) on him a little bit, who knows? Trey will guard him some."
On how Trey Kell's defense has improved since conference play began:
"He's become very reliable defensively. He had more deflections in our game at UNLV than I think anyone has had in the last four or five years. He's alert, uses his length, plays smart. He's gotten better. He has taken great pride in not just scoring points, but being a basketball player. It is what we hope all of them will do. I would say yes, he has taken big strides defensively."
On if you have talked to the team about the historic nature of being 11-0:
"No, we've talked about being 10-0, and wanting to be 11-0. The importance of preparing as hard as you can for this game, you can be excited but not too excited. We will be on edge, but you can't be so much so that you do things too fast. Our players know the significance of this game. They know the really wonderful games that New Mexico and San Diego State have had before with one another over the past years."
On if you got to know Elijah Brown after he decided to transfer from Butler:
"Yes, we knew Elijah Brown when he was at Mater Dei High School. He went to Butler, and when he left Butler we tried to recruit him. We had no scholarships. Whether we would have gotten him had we had a scholarship, I don't know. I talked with he and his dad, so yes we tried to recruit him. He's good."
On what Elijah Brown has added to New Mexico:
"The tangibles are scoring the ball. He's their leading scorer, averaging over 20 a game. He is shooting a fantastic percentage for the number of shots he takes. He never misses a free throw. Maybe as much as anything he has added the swagger that was there, I think Neal has, but he has added that to the entire group. I think it has spread through the group. He thinks nobody in America is better than him, and that is how he plays. That rubs off on his teammates, especially when you back it up with statistics and performance. I would say that is the one that jumps out at you if you watch them on TV or if you watch tapes on them."
On if New Mexico's style of play is different than in previous years:
"I don't know how different. Maybe the difference is they try and make you think what are we doing to you defensively more so than they have in the past They switch and switch and switch again what they are doing defensively. They might be two-three (zone), they might three-two (zone), they might be man-to-man, they might be one-three-one (zone). They might do all of those within five possessions. They keep you guessing as what they are going to do defensively. They've always been a team that scores the ball. Their good teams have always been able to score the ball. They can score it inside and out, with their guards and Williams inside. I think there are a lot of similarities of their good teams in the past in terms of what they try and do."
On if the champion of the regular season of the Mountain West will get an at-large berth into the NCAA tournament:
"I'm not sure on that in terms of whether an 18-game champion, the winner of an 18-game conference schedule, from a good league (gets in). Maybe those that are in the selection room would argue how good is it. It's a very good league. We've beaten some good people in our league. I would say there is an opportunity for the conference champion to get an at-large bid. Probably more of an opportunity if there is separation at the top. If it is tied, that might be a bit more dicey. I don't know. All leagues are saying who might get in, but it all depends on what happens these last eight games for us."
On if Malik Pope has earned his minutes late in the game:
"I said after the Colorado State game Malik was playing at the end and played the last 12 to 15 minutes because he is playing well. I'm going to try and do that. If you play well you have a better chance of playing down the stretch. He played well in that game. I think everybody knows that, which is why he played. He played well not just at the offensive end. He made a huge basket for us when we were down three, shot clock running down, where he swept and drove under control and made a driving a layup. He also did a good job moving his feet, keeping smaller guys in front of him. He blocked a shot at the end of the shock clock. He did some good things for us."
On Matt Shrigley's progression since his ACL tear in mid-June:
"Matt is getting his sea legs back under him. I hope the crowd erupts when he makes his first three-pointer tomorrow against New Mexico. Hopefully that will get him another one. Matt has worked so hard. I want it for all of us including myself and the program, but I want it most for Matt. He has been so diligent with doing everything asked of him, and then he has done the extra stuff. He needs time; it's a process. You don't roll out of bed after getting ACL surgery. It takes time. He is getting better in practice which makes me think his moment will come hopefully tomorrow."
San Diego State Sophomore Guard Trey Kell
On what last Tuesday's win over Colorado State means moving forward:
"It just gives us a lot of confidence. No matter what situation we are put in, whether it be up five with two minutes to go or down five, we feel like we can come back from any situation and handle business to win the game."
On if you plan on being matched up on New Mexico's Elijah Brown:
"Yeah, we have gone over and watched our film, gone over their players and what not. That is the matchup I'll have. I will be guarding him Elijah for half the game at least. It will be a good matchup, he is a good player."
On how you've progressed as a defensive player throughout the season:
"Just the constant work we put in practice and watching film, going over those situations and knowing how to read them. Also, the constant pressure our coaches put on us to perform on that end. Put all that together, and that makes a good product."
On if you pay attention to any of the Bracketology talk that goes on:
"If we handle our business and win our games, take care of what we have to take care of, then the rest will take care of itself and we will end up in the tournament."
On if you feel more confident with your shot now than in the beginning of the year:
"I would say so. The coaches and players have all given me that confidence to just be aggressive, be yourself, and they have the faith in me that if I have the ball in a critical situation, then I will make the right play. Whether that is pass or take the shot, they have the confidence in me to do that. I have the confidence in myself first off, and they have the confidence in me which helps a lot."
On if it's your name being called at the end of the game:
"I guess you could say that. I don't necessarily think it's going to be Trey who gets the ball. I think it's just going to be the best play our coaches think that has the best available matchup. Whether that is Jeremy coming off a screen, or me coming off a screen, or Winston (Shepard), whoever has the best matchup at that time I think will get the ball."
San Diego State Senior Forward Skylar Spencer
On what has been the key to the current 10-game win streak:
"It's just been about poise and focus. We've had a lot of close games, some too close for comfort. We came out victorious in each one because we played under control and had some luck on our side too. We've just been handling business under pressure."
On if the game vs. New Mexico on Saturday means more with the chance to have the best conference start in school history:
"Yeah, I guess you could say that. I didn't even know that was being counted, but I'm just excited to play them. They are a real good team. The two best teams in the conference, and it's going to be a fun game."
On if Coach Fisher has mentioned the fact of being able to go 11-0:
"It's there. Obviously everybody knows. He is more focused on just winning the game than going 11-0. We don't want to get caught up in all the hype. We are constantly on edge and making sure that we are focusing, ready to go play."
On how different New Mexico plays compared to other UNM teams:
"Their guards are a lot better. They have always had good guards, but they also had big men, seven footers. They are more physical and more aggressive than in the past. Their guards can score a lot more different ways. They still have a post presence. They have been winning games, so it's going to be a fun game tomorrow."
On if you pay attention to any of the Bracketology talk that goes on:
"I don't really pay attention to that, unless it's brought up here or there. All I know is that if we just keep on winning games, we won't even have to worry about that. That is more of our focus."
On if there is now a comfort level in playing a close game:
"I would say so. Every time we start conference, coach always tells us that every game is going to come down to the last few minutes, and obviously it has. He has prepared us for it, and every game we are just getting mentally stronger. We are just improving and playing with more poise."