Dec. 19, 2006

SAN DIEGO -

SDSU Men's Basketball
Weekly Press Conference Quotes
Dec. 19, 2006
Cox Arena at Aztec Bowl

Head Coach Steve Fisher

On facing Washington State and last year's loss to the Cougars:
"We will head to Seattle to play a team that is very, very good. They have played tremendous basketball to date. I'm thankful that we're playing them in Seattle rather than Pullman, but no matter where you play them, this is a good team. They came into our place last year, and we went almost 16 minutes in the second half without a field goal. We missed (23) consecutive shots and still with two minutes to go in the game had a chance to win. But we had a hard time making baskets. Washington State makes it hard for you to make baskets. They make you take perimeter jump shots, and you have to be able to make them. Then you have to be able to rebound offensively and find a way to get some easy baskets, which is easier said than done. So this will be a really good challenge for us. It'll be a road game. They'll have good representation even though it's not in Pullman. And, it'll give us another barometer as to where we are now against a really quality team. I've been very impressed with the tape I've watched (of them). Derrick Low is as good a guard as we'll see all season long. So I'm excited about the game. It should be a great game for both teams."

On Washington State's defense:
"They're a team that without exception doesn't switch, so you become extremely accountable for your man. They help and recover and do all the verbiage that we all use, but in the games I've watched, they won't switch. So if I'm guarding you and you score, we know who to blame. They hold (their players) accountable and they're good at it. What they've done a little bit, in my opinion, with son Tony (Bennett) coaching the team as opposed to his father Dick is he's giving them a little bit more freedom to shoot (the ball) quicker offensively, and I think their kids like that. But they're still guarding very effectively, and they guard two different ways. Some times they'll guard you hard and other times they'll play the gaps and make it hard for you to get penetration."

On what the significance of beating a Pac-10 team on the road would be:
"We need, for our own psyche, to say `we can go on the road and win, we can go to tough places and win.' This will be a good challenge for us. (If) you beat a team that's 10-1, it's significant. It doesn't matter what league that they're in, and that's hopefully what we'll have an opportunity to do."

On the significance of possibly getting his 300th career win on Thursday:
"What it would do is give us 11 wins on the season and would set a tone for us moving into the conference. That's the most significant part that a victory would play for us going up there."

On his assessment of the Mountain West Conference:
The only team to beat Washington State so far is Utah, and Utah is (6-6) right now. Our league is measuring up. It's a good league, and I think it will be very competitive. The team that's been getting the most recognition--and justifiably so, obviously--is Air Force because they've beaten everybody except Duke. They've beaten people in convincing fashion from those big conferences. But it's a good league. I haven't seen anyone yet, but everyone tells me UNLV is guarding better than anybody in our league. They had a great win at Nevada."

Senior guard Brandon Heath

On becoming the MWC's all-time leading scorer last Saturday:
"It's a great accomplishment, something I'm very happy about. I passed up a great scorer in Ruben Douglas, but it really doesn't matter to me if we're not winning. The individual accolades will come. As long as we keep winning, which is the most important thing right now, then I'm happy."

On facing Washington State:
"All we can worry about right now is ourselves and getting better as group, as a unit and just going out and practicing really hard every day. Probably tomorrow we'll know a little bit more about Washington State. We know they're a great team. They're 10-1. They beat a great team in Gonzaga, which is a Top-25 team. We know it's going to be a dogfight, but I think we'll be well-prepared for them."

On his assessment of the team so far this season:
"I think we rank up there with the best of them. I feel we have the talent to play with anybody in the country. We have a great coaching staff. We have a coaching staff which has won before. As long as we play together, play hard and do what we have to do, I really think the sky's the limit for this team this year. We're going to continue to work hard and get better everyday and hopefully be recognized as one of the elite teams in the country."

On the possibility of coach Fisher get his 300th career victory on Thursday:
"Anything I can do to help coach Fisher be successful and get another win, I'm going to do. I love that guy dearly. The relationship that we have is great. Anything I can do to help him get his 300th win, I'm going to do. I'm going to leave it all out on the floor and hopefully, what I leave out there is enough for him to get that win."

Senior forward Mohamed Abukar

On what defeating a Pac-10 team on the road would mean:
"Any road win is a good win, especially when you're playing a team that's playing well like Washington State. It's going to be a business trip for us. We have to go out there and take care of business and get it done. We are treating it like another must-win, and we know they are doing the same. We are going to be ready."