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DIRECTV WOODEN LEGACY MEDIA CONFERENCENovember 13, 2014Dave WojcikTIM SIMMONS: San Jose State coach, Dave Wojcik, welcome, and just like to have your thoughts about the preseason for your team entering your first game it looks like you're playing Bethesda in the first game tomorrow night? DAVE WOJCIK: That's correct. Appreciate being here, Tim. We're excited. My team, I like where we are right now, where the program's heading. We have no injuries, so everybody's healthy. That's always a plus from a coach's standpoint. I'm anxious. I know if I feel anxious, I know my players are anxious to start playing. So they're looking forward to tipping it off tomorrow night and getting into it kind of quickly here. Q. Coach, any concerns you have about your team? Maybe some strengths, what strengths have you seen so far? Obviously I read some clips that you were a pretty good outside‑shooting team last year, three‑pointers. What are your thoughts about the strengths and any concerns you might have? DAVE WOJCIK: Yeah, we do shoot the ball very well from the perimeter, and that is a big strength of ours. But I think we filled some of our needs from the standpoint of we've got some size here. We've got a freshman kid, Leon Bahner, a 6'11" kid from Germany, who really changes the game defensively. He can block shots. Rebounds extremely well. We have another young man who sat out last year as a transfer, 6'9", Frank Rogers, who is extremely skilled. Can play inside and out. So I think the good thing about my team is we're a year older. I had a lot of freshmen last year. I started five freshmen at times last year, so they're a year older. They've been through the wars. So I'm excited about that prospect along with the two transfers that I have sitting out last year that are going to be playing this year. Jordan Baker is the other transfer from Pepperdine that transferred in, the 6'4" guard. So I really liked where we are and where we're headed. I think one of the things, a concern of mine is obviously always taking care of the basketball. That's the biggest emphasis that we put on this year in the off‑season is taking care of the basketball. Q. Coach, obviously, you had a freshman last year that led you in scoring. Talk about him, the kid out of Las Vegas, and any other players that you want to highlight that have done pretty well? DAVE WOJCIK: Yeah, Rashad Muhammad led us in scoring last year, and he came off the bench. He understood his role. He averaged 13 a game for us and led the conference and led the Mountain West Conference in three‑pointers. He can really throw the ball up, can really score it. He's really worked hard in the off‑season off the dribble and pulling up and stuff.  So I'm looking for big things out of Rashad. The other young man that I'm excited about was my senior Jaleel Williams. He was my second leading scorer last year. I think he's going to be even better this year. He can really shoot the basketball, rebound it, and he's really worked on his body in the off‑season to get bigger and stronger. Then the other young man that I'm pleased with is my point guard, Jalen. Jalen James out of Chicago. He started every game last year as a freshman for me, so he's got that experience. He's more confident this year. He's shooting the ball extremely well. So I'm really pleased with the progress of my players, especially those three young men. Like I mentioned earlier, the two transfers that sat out last year are going to make a significant impact with my team. Q. Coach, talk about the possible first‑round opponent Washington, knowing that you've got several games prior to that that you're preparing for. But any thoughts on Washington? DAVE WOJCIK: Yeah, that's so far down the road for me, I'm sure everybody has probably said that, and it's true. But Lorenzo does a great job. It's no secret. He's been there for a long time and he's done a great job with that program. We'll have our work cut out for us. That's why I'm in this tournament. I want us to play against high‑level teams and that's where I want to put San Jose State. I want to put them in position to get to the Tournament. With these teams, this event in particular, our teams are going to be in the NCAA Tournament. Washington is one of those teams that are a Pac‑12 school. I want that for my players. That's why I recruited them to come here and told them we're going to play a high‑level conference‑‑ excuse me, non‑conference schedule. Haven't really thought about Washington much. I know they'll play hard and be athletic. But that is about the extent I know about Washington right now. Q. Coach, you talked about playing in this tournament. Do you like the format where you play two days, off a day and then play the third game placement game championship game? Do you like the format? DAVE WOJCIK: You know what, Tim, I really do. I think it's a great format. You at least get that one day to get your legs back, your mind back a little bit. Then as a coach, I really like to game plan a lot just like every coach does. So it gives you that opportunity to do that. In the first two games it's like an NCAA Tournament or your conference tournament. You've got to play back to back. We'll get ready for Washington, and then after that game we have to game plan that night for whoever we might play, whether that's Long Beach State or Western Michigan. So I really do like the format and really looking forward to getting out there and playing in this thing. Q. Coach, you took over a program that had been struggling, and obviously you're not ranked very high in the Mountain West preseason polls. But do you think you have the chance to break through this year to move up the ladder? DAVE WOJCIK: Yeah, absolutely. It's no secret. We've had one winning season in the last 21 years. That is the challenge I have. That is the challenge I wanted here. I think we were picked last in our league. I'm not shying away from that stuff. I tell my players, until we do something, it's going to be that way. So we will break through this year, Tim. I love our chemistry. I love where we are. Our guys are extremely upbeat, and we're going to have a heck of a year and surprise a lot of people. TIM SIMMONS: Any questions for the coach from San Jose? Q. Coach, I'm doing a story on camaraderie and smartphones in the social media era we live in. I'm wondering among your players you've coached now or in the past, have their relationships been weakened, I guess, because they're on their phones Tweeting, texting or they've got headphones on instead of just talking to each other during meals and plane rides and things like that? DAVE WOJCIK: I think it's changed a little bit, but from my standpoint, my experience, I don't let my guys on Twitter. They're not allowed to Tweet. They're not allowed to do that kind of stuff. We're monitoring that. Headsets and all that stuff, I don't allow that. But I think it has a little bit, but not to the extent to where they just totally avoid or ignore their teammates. We have great chemistry. I'm always trying to tell our guys, you don't have to love each other off the floor. You don't have to be with each other 24/7. But when you're around the gym and in the gym, you have to care and love each other. That's just how I was coming up. My mentor, the late Skip Prosser, that's who I learned from in high school all the way up through college. I don't think it's changed all that much. I think it's how you, as a coach, attack that and deal with it. There are some schools that allow them to do all of that and have headsets when they're out warming up and all that jazz. But I don't allow that at pregame meals or any of that stuff. I think our guys from our standpoint and my experience, I think we're tighter knit than we have been, to be honest with you, and the teams I've had in the past. I don't think it has much, but I think it has a little bit. I guess that answers your question. But from my standpoint, I'm not seeing that with my team. TIM SIMMONS: Coach, thank you very much. We'll see you in a couple of weeks. Good luck with your opening games, and we'll see you in Anaheim. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports |
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