Feb. 9, 2005

SAN DIEGO - Head Coach Steve Fisher
On UNLV:
"We are preparing to play team number two (UNLV) which we beat the first time around. I know both teams will remember what happened and why. The nice thing about this game, and the last time we met them, is that we have a long time to prepare for them. Good or bad, they play Missouri tonight. Sometimes it is helpful for a team to come back and play right away. They are athletic and very good off the dribble. We need to defend their transition offense, too. If we do that and rebound the ball, I think we will have a good chance to be successful and with three or four minutes left, have a chance to win the game. It is an important game for both teams and I think you will see both teams come out with a sense of controlled desperation, which is how we need to play. We are anxious, excited and ready to go."

On the team's play against Utah:
"I thought we deserved a better final score, not that we deserved to win, in the game against Utah. We played better than a 20-point defeat."

On Monday's win versus Brigham Young:
"I thought that we did a good job of defending the dribble-drive, which we have had some problems with, and we did a better job of rebounding the basketball. We didn't let (Austin) Ainge and others attack the basket like they had in the past. Both of those will be critical in our game against UNLV."

On the injury/sickness update of the team:
"(Chris) Walton was sick again yesterday and is back today in the training room, but will not practice. I think he is on the road to recovery, but quite weak after being sick since last Friday (Feb. 4). John Sharper is sick now and won't be at practice today, either. Every team goes through the touch of the flu and hopefully he can get it out of his system and be ready to play on Saturday."

On the phrase "controlled desperation":
"It is a phrase I have used since junior high. I think if you don't play with some sense of urgency, you probably aren't going to be as good as you can be. But if you try too hard, you are not going to be as good as you can be. We have to treat every possession with the utmost of urgency, yet not go haywire and run all over the place where it looks like nothing but chaos."

On Trimaine Davis:
"If you poke your head out to the arena and see him (Trimaine) out there right now, you will see him bouncing around with the kind of energy you see on gameday. What you see is what you get with Trimaine. He is full of energy and all about the team. He gave us a great lift with both energy and productivity against BYU. He makes this group stay in there every game and is improving every game. He is a slasher and an attack player. I am a guy where if you play well, you will play in longer stretches the next time. He is already playing with controlled desperation. The other players need to get there, too."

Trimaine Davis
On his playing time:
"Coach Fisher and I always have conversations. We talk about that (playing time) a lot, but I am satisfied and happy with my role on the team this year. It's not about how much you play, but what you do when you play. That's the lesson that I have learned since I have been here. Whenever I can play, I am just happy to go out there and help the guys."

On doing everything all out:
"I tone it down a bit in the classroom, but I live life with a passion. I know how great it is to be here, to be a student-athlete, to play Division I college basketball here at the campus of SDSU. I try to approach everything with a lot of passion."

Marcus Slaughter
On Trimaine Davis:
"When he is out there, you have to be ready to run up and down the court. He (Trimaine) is like a gazelle. He is always running and active around the glass. He is tough to guard. He will sneak up and run right pass you, and get a dunk and embarrass you. If you are an offensive player and have to run up and down guarding him, you are going to be tired on the offensive end."

On Trimaine Davis' infectious energy:
"I think everyone in the arena picks up on his energy. Even when he is not playing and we are down, we see him standing up and cheering and that picks us up. He helps us any way he cans."

On playing with controlled desperation:
"Coach talks about urgency. When we are playing offense and make a cut, make it fast. When we are on defense, run a player down and make a play, but don't go out of control."

Brandon Heath
On Coach Fisher's philosophy:
"Coach Fisher always tells us to play each possession as if it is our last. Every possession counts in basketball, whether it is at the beginning of the game or at the end of the game. If you do something in the beginning, it could be the difference at the end of the game between a win and a loss. Everybody's mindset is to play each possession as if it's our last."

On Saturday's game versus UNLV:
"I will be patient and let the game come to me. I won't force any issues. I'll get my teammates involved. When you get your teammates involved, it is hard to focus in on one guy. When that happens, then you have to worry about everyone else, instead of just one guy."