Nov. 28, 2016
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SAN DIEGO -
San Diego State-Savannah State Postgame Quotes
SDSU head coach Steve Fisher
Opening Statement:
"We did what we were supposed to do, and we did it in nice fashion. I liked how we shared the ball. We had 22 assists. Jeremy (Hemsley) had nine assists and no turnovers. Trey (Kell) had seven assists and one turnover, and we made that a topic of conversation when we got back from Cal. We've got a group of really good young people who are very unselfish, but we were taking too many hard shots. And we took a few tonight, but we did a better job of moving the ball and making one more pass to go from a good shot to a better shot. So it was nice to see that this is a team that plays at a pace that we don't see very often. They averaged 47 threes a game and tonight we shot 40. You have an opportunity to shoot a three almost every time now. And, when you get in a rhythm like (Matt) Shrigley did, we want him to shoot it. He made three or four in a row and was five for nine in the first half. So you go with the momentum and the flow that you've got. I thought we did a good job, but we started missing a few to put the ball to the basket and get a layup and get to the free throw line. Then, that led to making some open three's after that. The lowest point total they had was 71, until tonight. At Iowa State, they scored 71 and all of the others they've been higher than that. We held them to 67 which I felt good about the way we continued to guard and make them shoot contested three's. It's nice to have Malik (Pope) and Max (Hoetzel) able to play. They make us better and our fans know about Malik (Pope). They are getting to learn a little more about Max (Hoetzel) and he is a good player. Early in the preseason, I was somewhat surprised but he was our best offense rebounder and he continues to do those kind of things as well as shoot the ball because he can shoot the ball too. Nice win for us and now we have to get ready for a stretch of very challenging games."
On the team's scoring record tonight:
"It felt good that we were able to get good looks and then make enough of them. We've got some guys that can shoot the ball from the perimeter. I've name two guys that have done that with regularity. Jeremy has been our most consistent and reliable perimeter shooter, and he did not shoot it particularly well tonight. I think we will score more points. One game does not make a season. One game against a team that gives up a lot of points does not make a season. I think the players felt good about that."
On rhythm with substitutions and different lineups of guys playing:
"I think we are starting to say who can play with who. Can we play three of our bigger guys if you throw (Max) Hoetzel in there with Malik (Pope) and Zylan (Cheatham)? Can you play the three of them together for a stretch? We are still trying to figure that out at practice so that we know when we are going into a game, let's try it because we've tried it in practice. It is still kind of a work in the process along that line."
SDSU sophomore forward Max Hoetzel
On preparing for Savannah State's style of play:
"I mean the main thing after practice and after a game which Coach Hudson does a good job of is letting us know that the main focus was to run them off the three because that's what they've mostly been doing. So we did a great job just to be able to go out and close them and make sure they didn't hit threes like they usually do."
On being comfortable health wise:
"I feel very comfortable. I love playing for Coach Fisher. After the first game, I just immediately felt very comfortable out there. As long as I'm playing hard, everything else will fall into place. I mean, I shot pretty terribly tonight, but it'll come back."
On his knee:
"My knee feels great. As you guys may know, I hyperextended it about seven or eight weeks ago and in that stretch of time we just needed time for it to heal. They were talking about reconstructing my ACL, but we were all talking together and realized that that wasn't even necessary. But I feel great. Honestly, I feel the best I've ever felt athletically. Now I just have to get my wind back for the time that I missed."
SDSU senior forward Matt Shrigley
On making a lot of three point shots in the first half:
"We do it all the time in practice; take your shot, make your shot. It is what Coach Fisher preaches, and that is what we did the first half."
On how dangerous the team could potentially be:
"The team could be very dangerous, even if we are not on the floor at all. This is a dangerous team, stacked full of talent. We just want to come in and bring energy and knock down jumpers for this team, and add onto what everyone else is doing."
On scoring 100 points:
"It means we scored the ball well, we made our shots. Looking at their previous games, the teams that beat them scored 100 points. So, our goal was to keep them under 70, and score the ball the most efficient we can. "
On the team's health:
"Everyone is feeling good, I think. Obviously nicks and bruises, which come with the season, but for the most part we are out there practicing. We have two first team and second teams, so everyone is feeling good right now."
Savannah State head coach Horace Broadnax
On his team's performance vs SDSU:
"We were probably a little bit out of character as far as trying to do what we ask them to do. We want to push the ball up. We talk about trying to get downhill to create shots. I think guys were doing too much with the basketball. We just didn't shoot the ball well, and at the end of the day SDSU's got some good athletes and good players. It's obviously a hell of a program that Coach Fisher has here."
On SDSU's performance:
"They've got a tremendous shooter, they've got this physical presence of guys, the athleticism, [they're] big, [they're] fast and very athletic kids with decent basketball IQ. Great shooting, guys [who] can get down to the paint [and] guys are a lot stronger. I don't believe they're in a power five conference, but they can compete with power five schools. [Coach Fisher] has got a solid group of kids and as the season progresses, all coaches want to try to establish chemistry. I think he has enough to be successful this year. Obviously the kids have got to buy into the system and trust one another, and it could be a positive year for them."
On performance of SDSU senior forward Matt Shrigley:
"I was just sitting there visualizing what triggers his brain to shoot the ball the way he shoots it, and how much time he puts into shooting. Not necessarily putting the shots up, but just what I call 'deep practice.' When he's shooting the ball, he'll know why he misses, and he'll shoot the ball and know why it goes in. So he'll try to gravitate to doing the things that make the shot go in. He's constantly adjusting, making corrections [and] he embraces mistakes because he can learn from it. That's how you become a master, and he shot the ball well. I was impressed with him."
On SDSU compared to their other competition:
"Athletic-wise, I think they just have so much physical and raw ability. If they turn it up a notch they can dominate a lot of people. They're strong, they're big, they're long, they have enough shooters to keep people honest. They're just athletic. They play above the rim and cover a lot of ground, and that's what you want. That's where they gave us problems. Our guys look like malnutrition basketball players compared to [SDSU], [SDSU] look like Adonises. It's tough, these guys don't want to necessarily admit it, but they're stronger and it causes problems. We couldn't get downhill and make the extra pass so we could get our feet set and take the easy shot."