MOUNTAIN WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 9, 2022

Joe Scott

Joseph Octave

Jake Heidbreder

Thomas & Mack Center

Air Force Falcons

Postgame Press Conference

Utah State - 83, Air Force - 56

THE MODERATOR: We'll begin with an opening statement from our head coach, then we'll take questions for the student athletes, they'll be dismissed, and then we'll finish up with the questions for the coach.

Joining us at this table, we have Head Coach Joe Scott. We have zero, Joseph Octave, and three, Jake Heidbreder.

So Coach, your opening statement, please.

JOE SCOTT: Well, I mean, first, I think you have to give credit to Utah State. They played extremely well. They played really well in the second half. And I just thought over the course of the game, you know, they sort of wore us down.

You know, they looked like a little bit older team, stronger team, more experienced team. And it sort of showed up, you know, as the game kept going along and going along. And that's something that, obviously, we have to address.

Because, you know, it's something we have to do something about to be able to move forward and compete in this league physically, you know, physical strength, mental, experience, get older.

But, you know, that being said, they played extremely well. They're a good passing team. They're a well coached team. They do have a lot of experience and have a lot of experience winning. You know, I think they won this tournament, you know, maybe two of the last three years. And you got to give them credit and we have to learn from that and put it to use going forward.

THE MODERATOR: Okay. Questions for our students athletes?

Q. Joseph, let's start with something positive. You had -- I think this was your first career double-double, 21 points. You were able to get to the rim, especially in the first half. Was that kind of the -- you guys didn't attempt many shots from three-pointer ranger? Was that the approach, was to get to the rim, or was that just an adjustment to what they were doing?

JOSEPH OCTAVE: I would just say it was an adjustment. Offensively, give us a chance to see the way they're guarding things. So I felt like I could exploit them driving to the rim, so that's what I did.

Q. Defensively, you were only able to force one turnover in the first half and I then think they shot somewhere in the range of 80 percent in the second half. What made them so difficult to guard and to have your defense, you know, be effective?

JOSEPH OCTAVE: I just said, they're a really experienced team. They've played together a lot and our defense just wasn't where it should have been today. And they're, obviously, just a really good team.

Q. A young team that, obviously, wanted something positive to end with and spring you into the offseason, you didn't get that. But how can this feed you, you know, in a motivational way also?

JOSEPH OCTAVE: I just feel like we played together. Of course, it's hard losing AJ. We love everything they've done for us. We just got to go forward with the guys that we have and the guys coming in. And I know next year can be different.

Q. Jake, how eye-opening was this season for you, you know, to go to a Mountain West season and kind of see what the challenge is?

JAKE HEIDBREDER: Yeah, this was, obviously, pretty eye opening, just being a freshman and playing in general. I'm very blessed for that. And being in the Mountain West, too, obviously, a really good conference, especially this year. So just getting a season down and knowing what I need to work on in the summer, I think that's big for me.

THE MODERATOR: Do we have any more questions for our student athletes? Okay. Thank you, gentlemen. We appreciate it. Now we'll take and entertain questions for our head coach.

Q. Coach Scott, Coach Odom started off his remarks about a gesture you guys made before the game for Max Shulga. Can you just kind of explain a little bit of what went into that?

JOE SCOTT: Well, I think, obviously, everyone knows what's going on within Ukraine. And it's hard to watch and see. And then when you see that someone, and he's not the only one playing college basketball from Ukraine, but when you see a guy like him who's playing his tail off, who's really been playing well for them lately, and then you put it in context with what he has to be -- obviously, I have no idea what he could be going through in that regard.

But one of our assistant coaches' friend is a pretty good baker and made some cookies for him to give with Ukrainian nat colors to sort of, you know, just let them know -- let him know that, you know, there's people out there that know what he's going through. And, you know, are very -- are extremely supportive.

I think everybody is extremely supportive. But it was one way for us to be able to, you know, say it to him in a way where, as we compete against each other, we're really all in the same team here and I think that's really important during this time.

Q. I guess a couple things. Big picture: You open the conference play with Utah State and closed it. You know, as you see the difference in that, you know, do you attribute that to, you know, freshmen going through a tough season, that kind of limits of how much you can grow? What do you see as those bookends?

JOE SCOTT: I mean, what I see is, like what I said, they're an experienced team. You look at Horvath, I think, fifth year. You know, they got a bunch of fifth-year guys. They've been really successful.

And as you're really successful and you're older and you're more experienced, I think today's game -- just today's game, like I said, was a sort of a microcosm of that.

I mean, we were fighting really hard in the first half. Things weren't going our way. Balls were rounding out. You know, things that -- if AJ's three could go in, if this ball could roll around and in, you know, it makes a world of difference.

And when it didn't -- when those things didn't happen, I think you just saw them, you know, sort of know through their years of experience, you know, this is what a college basketball game is, this is tournament time. It's every possession. And being able to withstand that. The wherewithal to handle that physically and mentally.

And, you know, there's no question that right now we need to get physically stronger, we need to grow up, we need to get, you know, that experience. And we -- with that, comes that mental toughness, then. And, you know, they're ahead of us in that regard right now. It's just the way it goes. We started three freshmen and sophomore, we all know that. That's the way it goes.

As you go through a season, you see the benefits of being 23 years old and having played 125 college basketball games. And I think you saw that with them today.

And they know who they are, they know how they're going to play together. We do, too. But we don't have -- we're not seasoned like they are in that regard.

And that's what our guys have to take from it. You know, they got to -- and so do I. What are we going to do in the offseason about it? And that's why this takes time. Guys got to get older, guys got to grow up, guys got to get stronger. They got to continue to play together, they got to continue to mesh together, they got to continue to grow their games together.

And if we can do that, then we know one day -- we're going to be older and more experienced and physically strong. And in this league, you know, especially right now with the extra years guys get and I don't even know how many years you get to play in college anymore, but the extra years and all that experience, it is of utmost importance to get to that point, especially right now in this league.

But it will always be that way in this league. This is a really good league. So that's what we have to attack going forward. And we have a lot of pieces to attack it with.

And, you know, we'll see out of all our guys who wants to step up and meet that challenge and use this entire year and this entire league season as the only -- there should be no other motivation. They know exactly what they went through. There's no greater experience than that, and then what are we going to do with it.

Q. Coaching in the modern world, as you now approach an offseason, how much thought is it just on growth, recruiting, and how much does the transfer portal enter into your mind, especially with such a young team at the academy who are still --

JOE SCOTT: Yeah. I mean, one, I'll start with strength. I already talked to them in the locker room about it. I mean, we are going to do something about it. And we talked about it last year, this is why it takes time.

You know, the first time I was here, it didn't happen. It's going to take time. Anything that's worth anything takes time. Success takes time.

You know, so we're going to work to get stronger, physically. There's, obviously, a skill element that goes with it. Like today in the game, you asked Joe a question, you know, why was he attacking the basket. One thing I'll say about Joe, he's really improved as this season's gone along.

That's very encouraging to see a young sophomore who didn't really play as a freshman, just a little. As he went through the season, he got better and better and he played his best basketball in the last three or four weeks of the season and that's why he's staying on the court more and more.

But I think there was a physical element to that. He's a little older and he's gone through it. But as you do that, then there's the skill parts that come into it. You got to put it in the basket at the end of the day. Whether that's a pull-up jumper, whether that's a post move.

You know, is Lucas going to get bigger and stronger, are we going to throw it into him like they throw it into their guys? It's all part of it. That's what I'm going to focus on. Because that's the only thing I can control.

The rest going of what's going on with college basketball and all those things and guys being able to play immediately and the transfer portal and the NIL, I got nothing to do -- you know, that's -- I don't control that. You know what I mean?

What I control is our program, our guys' development, their knowledge, that the coaches are going to work extremely hard to get them better to invest in them, to get them to be the best basketball players they can be.

And in return, to your last thing, recruiting-wise, we got to make sure we keep getting guys that love -- that love to play basketball, you know, that want to be challenged this way.

Because if we get those kind of guys, well, those are the kinds of guys that grow, develop, you know, from my experience, get better. And one day you're playing with older, experienced veterans. And, you know, we got to get ourselves to that point.

THE MODERATOR: Any further questions for our coach? Okay. Thank you.

Joe Scott: All right. Thank you.