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MOUNTAIN WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIPMarch 5, 2020Dave PilipovichCaleb MorrisSid TomesLas Vegas, Nevada Air Force, 60 - San Diego State, 73 THE MODERATOR: Coach, if we can start with you, get some thoughts on today's game. DAVE PILIPOVICH: Nobody brought my popcorn up today? THE MODERATOR: We had to hide it. DAVE PILIPOVICH: Oh, okay. I mean, that was one heck of a game. I know from my vantage point standing there on the sidelines and watching our team play and the Aztecs, obviously it's Thursday and this is the first game of the quarterfinals, but that seemed like a Saturday championship game the way the two teams played and slugged at each other. A credit to them. They're a very talented and a team that can be playing in the last weekend in March for it all. So proud of our team and our effort and what we gave there today. THE MODERATOR: Thank you, coach. We'll start with questions for the student-athletes, and then we'll let them go and keep coach a little bit. Q. For both of you, how much of what happened in the second half do you think was -- San Diego State has done this the last four games, they lit up in the first half, played very well in the second half. How much of it was that and how much was just dead legs from having to play last night? SID TOMES: I think it was a combination. You know, credit to them. There is a reason they're ranked so high in the country. They make big shots, especially late, and that definitely doesn't help. They had a good turnout as well. It was hard to hear in the second half. But, yeah, I think it was kind of a combination. Q. What do you think the key was in the first half that allowed you guys to build the lead you had? SID TOMES: I think defensively we were just a step quicker in the first half than the second half, and that allowed them to, in the second half, free up and hit shots. Then they're a team once they get the momentum rolling it's kind of hard to weather that storm against them. But credit to them. Q. And how much did the foul trouble play a factor, not only when Ryan fouled out, but before that when they had to sit for long stretches, Ryan and Lavelle? SID TOMES: Yeah, I don't want to get too much into that. That hurt us. That's all I'll say. Q. For you guys, you've been part of this class that's been such a big part of Air Force basketball. What do you take away from your career, from today, from the whole experience? CALEB MORRIS: I mean, you just got to take in every moment, you know, the highs and the lows. That's what makes it enjoyable. You don't want anything to be easy. Fought through a lot adversity not only this year, but just in our whole careers, and it was fun. It was a good ride. Q. Sid? SID TOMES: He couldn't have said it better. You know, through it all, like everybody wants to win the championship or whatever it is, but I know deep in my heart like the relationships I made, you know, the experiences we've had, the successes we've had, I'll never forget that. You know, people can say what they want, but I'm -- this senior class has brought a different swag, man, just brought a different swag. DAVE PILIPOVICH: Oh, they were different. SID TOMES: Little different edge, man. I'm getting emotional thinking about it, but, you know, they're going to remember us. Q. You guys also had so many minutes. What do you think looking forward for the program? I mean, the guys below you didn't see the time you guys did as younger players. CALEB MORRIS: I think they'll be fine honestly. They were battling with us every day in practice making us better. Just because they didn't get the game experience now, that's -- they'll be fine. Program is in good hands. SID TOMES: I would agree with that. We went hard at each other every single day and they played against us every single day. We're Mountain West players, and so they know, they see what it is, see what it takes. And there is a lot of young talent on the team. There is a lot of young talent that I think is going to surprise a lot of people. Q. Caleb, what's it is like for you to play against San Diego State having grown up in the area in the shadow of the school and seeing the development of that program your whole life? CALEB MORRIS: It's definitely fun get to play the school that -- I mean, they didn't recruit me, so always have a little chip on my shoulder coming out against them. But, no, it's definitely cool, and happy for the state, for California, the school and all that, and I wish them the best. Q. For both of you guys, so you played an awesome first half. You were almost up by double digits. What was your confidence level heading into the second half? SID TOMES: I would say very confident, but we knew that they were going to make a run, so definitely wasn't cocky. But we were confident. I think we came out the right way. We came out the half actually pretty strong. I know we got a quick bucket inside and couple stops, so we were definitely prepared well. CALEB MORRIS: Yeah, like Sid said, we came out confident, just trying to execute our game plan. But like he said earlier, there is a reason that they're Top 5 in the country. They didn't fold. Q. What can you say about Lavelle Scottie. Amazing career here. From a teammates' perspective, what do you guys have to say about him? SID TOMES: Man, you couldn't write his story, man. He's a different dude. He's different dude in a good way, though. I love that dude to death. I'd do anything for him. He's a very hard worker. He's very humble. That's what a lot people don't see. He's probably the most humble person I've ever met and he's had a great career, yeah. Q. For both of guys, can you talk about aside from basketball what have you learned in your career with coach, and what are you going to take away from that moving forward? SID TOMES: Man, that's a big one, man. Biggest thing I think is just no matter what, you got to continue to work. Like it doesn't matter what the product necessarily is, I buy into the process now. I think the process is the biggest part of all this. Whether you're doing good, bad, hurt, not, you just got to work every day and believe. CALEB MORRIS: Yeah, for me, I think I'm a big believer in it's not what happens to you it's how you respond to it. Just roll with the punches and just keep fighting. THE MODERATOR: Okay. We will dismiss the student-athletes at this time. Thank you for coming down, men. Questions for Coach Pilipovich? Q. I know how much you wanted it for those guys. When you saw it was there for the taking after the first half, I mean, does it make this one tougher to take? DAVE PILIPOVICH: You know, I mean, we were good today. We did some really good things. As a coach, in your mind, okay, they're going to make that run. They're going to -- because that's who they are. How can we weather that and delay it, maybe even postpone it? But we talk to them about everything we got. We were on the floor, 50/50 balls, we're making shots, we're matching, and we were there, even to the point where it got to a 6 point game under the four. And then they got on offensive rebound and score, and what a great game. The effort from those guys. But I wouldn't have expected anything less. Just who they are, how they've developed over the years because of what the Academy does for them. Their toughness and togetherness, and I think we would've shocked a lot people, right? It was good. Q. Is this class better than the record they're going to leave behind? DAVE PILIPOVICH: Yeah, yeah, yeah. There is no question. Like what they said about Lavelle, Ryan. You know, Ryan got the fifth foul and it was a reach-in foul, a reaction type play. He's in tears because he feels like he let his teammates down, and he gave it everything. Ryan didn't play as a freshman. We held him out academically. He was around the GPA I was when I was a freshman. I just remember his grandma and mom sitting in my office, and I promised he would graduate an officer. And where he was that first semester, wasn't going to happen. I took basketball away, and he came back that second semester and then look what he's done. He's 1000 point scorer and he's going to graduate and be an officer. Lavelle, we all know where he's been. Caleb complained every day about the weather in Colorado Springs as opposed to San Diego because it's too cold. Lesean Brown, unbelievable what he has given. And then Sid is kind of the ringleader. When they've be over at the house with the guys, my wife would say, Just give him a few minutes and he'll stir the pot, and then they go. So with that all being said, it's a great group. Yes, the record may not have been what we would have liked obviously. But I told them and I mean this, and San Diego State has an unbelievable program and a proud tradition and they do everything the right way, and so happy for them. But I told our guys in the locker room, I won't trade locker rooms. I love our guys. Q. What do you see moving forward for the players on your roster? DAVE PILIPOVICH: Good young players who work, and like they said, they battled in practice. There was a lot of talk going on and they would challenge each other. They grew a lot. They may not have had the game minutes, but they grew with the experience and practice and competing against these guys. Q. And yourself? DAVE PILIPOVICH: Brent, I'm going to get the biggest cheeseburger in town and the coldest drink and exhale. Q. Fair enough. DAVE PILIPOVICH: Maybe a double cheeseburger. Q. There was a point in the first period where you guys were shooting at 73%. What was the key to get around this San Diego State defense? DAVE PILIPOVICH: You know, we made some shots early, and when you do that, especially with us, that basket becomes twice as big and it opens up a lot. We were able to make shots and continue to do that. And then you know he's not probably going to continue that way, and we don't want to live and die with it, but the first half was pretty emotional for us. We were playing at a high pace. We made some shots. We got a few shops. They had some guys in foul trouble, and it just fell into our lap a little bit. But we knew how good they are, that were going on have to be twice as good in the last 20. Q. Coach, yesterday Lavelle, he shot 50%, had 21 points; today 2 for 11, only had the 6 points. Why do you think he struggled so much tonight? DAVE PILIPOVICH: Their defense. They're really good defensively, individually, collectively as a unit. Their team defense, one of the best in the country and they've always been that way. And I thought they took things away to him. Maybe forced a few things he tried and didn't follow, didn't go. Our spacing wasn't great at times where we didn't help Lavelle. But it goes a credit to what they did. Q. And Lavelle is going to go down is as Air Force legend. Can you see a jersey retirement in the near future? DAVE PILIPOVICH: Oh, gosh. You know, I just think we just need to, as all they are, celebrate what they have done, but more importantly what they're going to do for United States Air Force. Q. How hard is it to -- DAVE PILIPOVICH: Mark, I was going to ask you, we should have used a different shot tracker ball for these guys, right? (Laughter.) Q. Not going to ask about shot tracker. Just ran into the CEO. How hard is it to come back and play a game in less than 24 hours and logically thinking it would catch up with you in the middle of the second half, and that appeared to be when it did. DAVE PILIPOVICH: Now, if we had come back and played Thiel College where I went, Division III school, it wouldn't have been that hard. But when you're coming back and playing San Diego State, fifth ranked team in the country, it's pretty damn hard. It is. The emotions you go through on the first day and you play and succeed, and then just trying to keep them off our feet. We had a 6:00 shoot-around time which we didn't take this morning. We tried to do a few things in the ball room last night and this morning, but, yeah, it's hard. But anyway, if we wait two weeks and we wait two weeks and play, they're really good. They're really good. THE MODERATOR: Anything else? Okay, thank you, coach. FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports   |
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