March 6, 2012
COACH Herb Sendek
On beating U of A
“It was a good day for us. We got back to work yesterday and we’re busy getting ready for Stanford. “
On the momentum moving forward
“We have to play the game. It’s going to start zero to zero. That game will be unique to itself.”
On the win against Arizona
“We had a number of guys who I thought stepped up and played exceptionally well on Sunday. Certainly Jonathan was one of them. He was really shooting the ball very well. He finished seven for eight from the field and five for six at the three. He made some big shots for us, none bigger than the three in front of our bench down the home stretch.”
On preparing for Stanford coming off of a big win
“It’s a new day. It’s a new game. You have to start all over with your preparation. When tip-off comes its zero to zero. So to some extent you have to be ready to move on, just like you do when you have a loss.”
On Monday’s practice
“We had a good day together. Our guys have been pretty consistent in their approach. I think it was very much a regular day for us on Monday.”
On March Madness
“One thing we know about March Madness is just that almost anything can happen and that’s true almost every year. We not only see that in conference tournaments around the country but in the NCAA tournament itself. Look back to just a year ago when Connecticut was starting out this week at 11th place in the Big East. I don’t know how many people predicted them to win five straight games in the conference tournament and then win the national championship after going 9-9 in the Big East and finishing in 11th place.”
On having a positive attitude
“We always have a positive outlook because that’s a choice and it certainly beats the alternative.”
On who is favored in the Pac-12
“I don’t know. I don’t look at it that way. I don’t pay attention to it in that manner. My focus is on Arizona State and our next opponent. I don’t mean to avoid the question, that’s just how I approach it. I watch Arizona State and who we’re playing next. The rest of what happens really doesn’t occupy a lot on my mind.”
On playing Stanford in February compared to March
“From our standpoint, that game was awhile ago. There’s not much we can take from it. We’re a different team in a lot of ways. We might look at some tendencies and things like that but there’s a pretty big distance between where our team was then and it where it is now. Trent wasn’t playing at that particular time if you recall so I don’t know how much we can extrapolate from the first week in February to the second week in March. In college basketball, there can be dramatic changes from one media timeout to the next, let alone one month to another.”
On motivation
“People have different buttons. What motivates one isn’t what necessarily triggers another. People respond to different situations in their own way.”
On team adversity
“We most certainly have had teams have adverse circumstances and then turn it around and do some really good things. Hopefully you have a team that doesn’t take that type of stimulus to be motivated.”
On the team’s health
“Everyone is fairly healthy. Outside of maybe some of the end of season bumps and bruises. We’re going into this tournament as healthy as we have been in awhile.”
On the team’s defense against U of A
“I definitely think that our team stepped it up in a big way on defense. I think that was one of the first games we’ve had that was a complete game on defense and offense. Like you said, we had 33 deflections. I was able to change a lot of shots because the guards guided their guys into me and to a place that I’ll be successful.”
On Monday’s practice
“We treat it like any other practice. We feel like whether it’s coming off of a big win or a big loss we have to treat it the same way. We have to leave what’s in the past, in the past. We have to look to what’s coming next and prepare for it accordingly. “
On the Pac-12 tournament
“Its anybody’s game. Hopefully we’re peaking at the right time. We’re playing well as a team. We have guys stepping up, Jon stepping up, Carrick stepping up, and Trent stepping up in a big way. He came off an injury and that’s never easy. I’ve been plagued with ankle injuries my whole career and its not easy coming off of that. I don’t want to be in his situation but I really admire what he’s able to do. He’s a really strong player and he’s really driven. To be able to be successful right off of coming off an injury is something else.”
On the team remaining level-headed
“I think we’re like that because we realize that Arizona was a big win but we also realize that it doesn’t make our season. We’re looking toward the Pac-12 tournament as an opportunity to make it to the NCAA tournament. As crazy as that sounds, it’s been done before so it’s definitely not out of the question. Connecticut finished 11th in their conference last year, won their tournament, and won the whole thing. We look at that for inspiration and we know that if we’re peaking at the right time and playing the way we can, nothing is out of the question.”
On inspiration
“We look for inspiration anywhere. Coach Sendek is a little crazy sometimes and just for inspiration he showed us a video of the Paralympics right before the USC game. It worked. It showed us the heart that those people have. They’re doing something really hard and it put things into perspective for us. It showed us that if you play with heart, anything is possible.”
On coming off his concussion
“I’m feeling great. Having a concussion sucks because you can’t do anything. You can’t watch tv, be on your phone, or look at your laptop so I just had to sit at home and lay in bed all week. I’m coming back from it thought. Luckily we have a great training staff and great doctors here at ASU that helped me get back so I could play on Sunday. I’m just really grateful that we have such great staff here.”
On Jonathan Gilling playing through illness
“I actually was talking to my wife about that. She said that she always plays her best when she is sick because she knows she’s not 100% and she knows she has to give more. I think that’s similar to what Jonathan did. He wasn’t feeling great and was a little bit sick so he realized he wasn’t 100% and had to give a little bit more and that’s why he came out so great.”
On the momentum from beating Arizona
“We have to stay in the now and look toward the future and not dwell in the past because even though U of A was a great win, it doesn’t make our season. We’re definitely going to try to take that momentum though and build on what we’ve been learning all season. I feel like these last couple of games are really showing everybody a little bit of what we’re capable of and what we’ve learned all season.”
On Stanford
“They have really good post play and guard play. They’re a physical team and they rebound the ball really well. I think if we can match their intensity and physicality we’re going to have a really good chance.”
On getting a career high
“I’m just going to play hard. My guards will get me the ball but I’m not necessarily looking to score my 20 points. I’m trying to do what the team needs me to do. If they need me to rebound, I’ll rebound. If they need me to block shots, like on Sunday, I’ll block shots. I just want to get the win. I don’t care who scores the 20. As long as we win, I’m happy.”