Jan. 15, 2012
Recap | Box Score | Notes | Photo Gallery
COACH SENDEK POSTGAME PRESS CONFERENCE (JAN. 14 76-66 WIN OVER OREGON STATE)
"I'm really proud of our guys. I thought they really stepped up with a gut-check win tonight. I love the way they're pulling together and I thought we played a pretty good over-all game on both ends of the floor. To shoot 62 percent in the second half and 59 percent for the game with twenty-two assists is a reflection of that cohesion. No play better demonstrates it then the one where Jonathan Gilling hit Chanse Creekmur in the corner for the open three in the second half. Jon had an open shot but he had the basketball IQ and awareness to know that Chanse was open and that he was on fire. That's one of the best plays of the season. A number of guys really stepped up for us tonight. Obviously Chanse's shooting was sensational. Trent (Lockett) and Chris (Colvin) combined for thirteen assists and I just thought Chris did an amazing job when Trent went down with the injury. It's no secret, Chris has been struggling. His confidence has been on the rocks. But for him to gather himself and play the way he did for the last quarter of the game is just a real tribute to him. I'm happy for him and proud of him. I thought Kyle Cain played a good game as well and really you can go right down the line. It was a great team win. I'm proud of the guys."
ON TRENT'S INJURY
"Fortunately the x-rays were negative but he does have a pretty good ankle sprain. There's good swelling in it right now so he'll have to be reassessed this week."
ON THE TEAM RALLYING WITHOUT TRENT
"They've been rallying together now for a couple weeks, they didn't do it just when Trent went down. I think this team for the last couple weeks, even though we haven't always had the results go our way, has really been doing a great job of coming together. I love the way they talk to each other and help each other. We're in the process right now of really becoming a team, win, lose, or draw. I just thought everybody stepped up in very admirable fashion when Trent went down with the ankle injury. There still was a lot of time left in that game and for a team that doesn't have very much depth at all right now, to be put in that position and respond the way they did, it's a really good thing."
ON THE UNSELFISH PLAY IN THE OFFENSE
"I think we're getting more comfortable with what we're doing. Guys are understanding what this team has to do right now to have a chance at being competitive. I think right now we're at a place where we don't have any selfishness. So sometimes we may take an ill advised shot or not have the kind of patience we need but I think we're beyond a place where anybody says, `Well the reason they did that was because he was looking for his.' Right now I feel really good about where our team is in terms of togetherness. I think we have a team right now that is very unselfish."
ON MAKING ADJUSTMENTS AT HALFTIME
"We continue to emphasize the same things. Trust me, if you would have heard our talk before the game, it was the same kind of thing. The guys just did a little bit better of a job in the second half than we did in the first half. Oregon State is a hard team to prepare for when you have just the one day in between. Even if you have a longer period of time, they're very difficult to simulate. The first time our guys really had a chance at that kind of defense was when they saw it during the game today."
ON CHANSE'S GAME
"He got in the zone and really was making some shots for us. I kidded him at the end that maybe the free throws were too easy."
ON THE TEAMS'S PASSION
"I thought they played with great passion today. I couldn't be more proud of their passion quotient and their heart. I think they just displayed that for forty minutes and with character. That comes from them. Its not up to a coach to give a `rah-rah speech'. That wears thin and can only go so far. Those kinds of things have to come from the players themselves and I thought they clearly played inspirational basketball today. Even if you weren't a Sun Devil fan, if you watched the way those guys pulled together, what they did and how they played tonight despite the fact that we've endured some hard times. To me those kinds of things are inspiring. When I watch sports and see something like I did today, even if I'm not involved, those kinds of things are uplifting for me and that's what our guys did today."
ON Chris Colvin
"I really challenged him at half time and have been talking with him about the mental part but its not as easy as switching the light switch. Ultimately, no matter what I say or do, that is something that has to come from him. He's the only one that can go out there and play. How I feel about him, how you feel about him, or how anybody else feels about him isn't important. What's important is how he feels about himself. I just thought he was amazing. The way he was able to go from where he's been, including the first half of this evening, to clear his mind and perform the way he did for the last quarter of the game, that is not easy to do. Anybody who has ever participated in athletics knows exactly what I'm talking about. That showed a lot. We're not capable of holding off Oregon State if he doesn't do it."
ON HIS ROTATION/SUBBING
"Well Trent had his third foul in the first half so in both cases, necessity pushed the button for Chris and he stepped up and delivered for us. Our substitution patterns aren't just a function of what's happening in the game right now but its also based on what we see guys doing in practice every day. So sometimes somebody will say, `well he just made two straight mistakes and you're taking him out already'. But it can also be a function of what's happening in practice and now you see the mistakes so its not just two mistakes. You don't have the luxury of seeing what's happening in practice. Once again to circle back and just amplify our praise for Chris, to turn it around in the context of the game the way he did is very extraordinary."
ON IMPROVEMENTS MOVING FORWARD
"We can improve in all areas. We're a challenged team that has our feet on the ground. We have a good sense of who we are and we're just going to keep chipping away at the rock. We're going to try to get better every day, continue to take it one day at a time, and do our best to stay in the present. As coaches we're going to continue to teach and coach and I know our players are going to continue to work hard and learn."