Feb. 6, 2009
Coach Herb Sendek
On James Harden shooting 21 shots against the Ducks, versus only the nine he fired up against Washington:
"We never fail to emphasize his importance, believe me. It's not like last game we didn't realize he's important. He just stepped up and played well tonight."
On his 300th career victory as a head coach:
"Coaching is nice and everything, but players make the difference. Tonight, we had a guy that did that for us."
On their chances of winning when Harden plays so well:
"There's no question we're a better team when James plays like he did tonight. I don't think that's unique to us. You can go across the league or the country: When your best player plays well for any team, you are better. If they have an off-night, then that team isn't as good."
Guard James Harden
On his play (he finished with 36 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the field, five rebounds, three blocks, two assists and two steals):
"I played all right, could have been better, especially on the defensive end."
On playing at Mac Court, the University of Oregon's arena:
"It's a great environment. There's nothing like it, especially on the road, in front of a big crowd and hushing them up. Things like that are what get you going."
On going scoreless for the first 17 minutes of the game against the Huskies, then coming out and scoring 36 against Oregon:
"I was trying to step up and make big plays tonight and I was more aggressive. When I'm more aggressive, it allows my teammates to get open shots as well. That's the major key, be more aggressive and take good, open shots."
On continuing to shoot the ball despite their recent struggles:
"That's our mind-set. If you are open, shoot the ball. It's the same for me, or Derek Glasser, or Rihards Kuksiks. If you are open, shoot the ball, and if not, make another guy better with your passing. That's what we did today."
Guard Jamelle McMillan
On the stellar play of fellow guard Harden:
"James Harden was James Harden. He showed up on both sides of the floor. We were fortunate that he was able to get his game going, and we fed off of that."
Thoughts on the game:
"It's all about us. We focus on Sun Devil basketball when we go on the road. Ultimately, if you stick to your fundamentals and stick to what you've been taught, most of the time you'll see a lot of success."