MOUNTAIN WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 11, 2023

Ryan Odom

Steven Ashworth

Trevin Dorius

Thomas & Mack Center

Utah State Aggies

Postgame Press Conference

San Diego State - 62, Utah State - 57

RYAN ODOM: They've got a dynamite team. They're very tough. They're very deep. They're very physical. They just have a well-rounded bunch. And they keep coming at you, and their guys play off each other really well. When one's not playing well, another guy steps up. They're able to rest their guys more than most teams, and so when they are on the bench, they get their energy back and then they come back in. And then, you know, they're refreshed and ready to attack. I think you saw that with Bradley, the times when he would go out and then he'd come back in, he made some big plays for them. The theme of the game, I think, and why we weren't able to change it into our favor was just pace. The pace of the game was played at their pace. And more so than what we would have wanted. And it started kind of at the end of that first half, heading into halftime where we were up and then all of a sudden they whittled it down to a one-point game at halftime. While we were still up one, our guys were still understanding that it's a long game. You can't win a game in the first half. But it does hurt you when you have a little bit of a lead like that and then you go into half and it's tighter than you would really want. Obviously we were in foul trouble at that point. He's sitting on the bench. And that makes it difficult. But the other guys did well. We just couldn't make a shot, and we weren't very good on offense, quite honestly, at that juncture. But they had a lot to do with that. Their pressure, the fatigue a little bit set in on us and we just weren't moving our bodies appropriately.

And then in the second half, really in the first half and the second half their willingness to pound the paint, get it in there over and over again, physically duck us in, you know, that takes a toll on your body as well in terms of fatigue standpoint. And a lot of those turned into either a basket or a foul. Obviously they were 20 for 26 from the free throw line so the game was, in a lot of ways, won right there as we were 7 for 14. They shot it well from the line which is good for them. They got quite a few offensive rebounds, too many, some on free throws, that turned into extra baskets. And so if you're trying to win a championship like this, you're not going to get it done in that fashion and giving up that many.

And we got our fair share, too, but again, can't say enough about their team, and wish them a ton of success in their next game.

MODERATOR: Questions for our student-athletes.

Q. Steven, do you think the offensive was more of a by-product of San Diego State's elite defense or it also had to do with the fact that you guys played three games in 40 hours?

STEVEN ASHWORTH: Yeah, there's definitely elements of both. I think the fact of the matter is they also played three games in that same sort of span and at the same time I credit a lot of it to our defense. I think our defense is really what helps propel our offense a lot of times to play up pace and get in transition and when we're not securing those shots on the defensive end, the first chance we get it's hard to get out and run and really get our pace. They did a really good job of crashing the offensive glass. Then when they did make a shot they're obviously in that somewhat full-court pressure to minimize our opportunities to get into the flow of the offense, which we just gotta watch the film and do a little bit better next time.

Q. Trevin, I saw that you started off hot. You had the alley-oop and you were scoring a bunch. What miss matches did you maybe have and how do you think -- what adjustments do you think they made to kind of contain you a little more in the second half?

TREVIN DORIUS: Just to understand your question, you're asking like what miss matches --

Q. (Inaudible)?

TREVIN DORIUS: Yeah. So I mean, I definitely think that you talk about that alley-oop that Sean threw to me. I think that at that point in the game we were playing well. And then, man, I don't really know. I don't really know what they did. They took Mensah out. They threw in LeDee and his game is just a little bit different I think on both ends of the floor.

Q. Trevin, you mentioned LeDee. How hard is he to handle in there? He's such a big, strong guy and you said he's different than Mensah. How is he different and why is he so hard to handle?

TREVIN DORIUS: He's a good ballplayer. He's versatile. He's got a good little midrange shot. He's quick and explosive. He's someone you gotta take account for on the offensive glass. He's someone you gotta always take account for. And I think that he caught us lacking a few times today. And as unfortunate as it is, I think he was a big reason of the outcome.

Q. Steven, can you tell us about that stretch in the first half. You guys go up by 11. What were you guys doing there that helped you have that success that you weren't having the rest of the game?

STEVEN ASHWORTH: Yeah, I think we recognized some different ways to get us open off of the pick and roll. We knew that if we could get some switches and get some of their bigs because they wanted to switch some of those ball screens out on the perimeter, forcing them to guard some of our guards, that would make it a little more difficult and also give us more space. So I think we saw Max being really creative as well as Sean being aggressive off those ball screens and making the right reads. And on top of that, I think during that stretch we were also getting stops, and those stops led to quick-pace offense, drags in transition, or good attempts, good shots. And so that was -- those few minutes was really just a collective of all those things.

Q. Steven, this is SDSU and Utah State's fourth matchup in the last five years in the Mountain West championship. You've had battles in the regular season. Would you consider this a rivalry within this conference?

STEVEN ASHWORTH: Yeah, I mean I definitely think it's a rivalry. I think it's more of a rivalry of respect rather than hatred or animosity. I think that's what happens when you have the two best programs in the league going at it four out of the five years, and we take pride in what we've built as an Aggie culture, and obviously they have a great culture and history here in the Mountain West. So we really are just trying to make sure we can sustain what the people before us have done. And every single time we go out on the court against anybody in this conference we obviously want to win, but there's also something special when you're playing San Diego State and have that matchup with San Diego State and Utah State and just the history that it has and the different really spectacular moments and games that have been played. So I would consider it a rivalry, but once again more so out of respect than anything.

Q. Steven, time and time again you guys have proven that you refuse to be pushed around and you always, always fight back. Do you think that's at the core of what has made this team successful?

STEVEN ASHWORTH: I would. I think that's one of our -- one of the characteristics that we've always wanted to establish is the fact that we're never going to give in. We're never going to give up, and we're going to stand fearless in any opposition that we face, and I think that as you look throughout some of the games that we've already played this season, there's been a lot of adversity come our way and we've been able to answer the bell just about every time. And obviously tonight we had some adversity and we'll go back and learn from it and we'll learn quickly and hopefully turn it around the next time we have adversity come.

Q. Can both of you just talk about the depth of San Diego State and everyone they put in was capable of playing a really solid 20 minutes today.

STEVEN ASHWORTH: Yeah, I think you said it very well. Everybody can play 20 minutes for that squad, and I think it's a credit to their coaching staff as well as the caliber of players that they have. And when you can go that deep, it can give you some advantages, especially in a tournament when you're playing three games in three days. And I didn't feel like we were fatigued at all. I felt like we had the energy and the juice and the stamina. You saw us right down to the final minutes fighting right there with them, but I do think that in the previous games, that probably gave them even more so of an advantage just the opportunity they had to play so many versatile players in different roles.

TREVIN DORIUS: Sure, I'll add to that. Like Coach said, they are a good team. They're pretty talented, one through 15, however many guys they play each game. They're good. But I just want to echo what Steven said. We were fighting with them tooth and nail. We're as talented. We're as deep. Just didn't fall our way this time. So I'm really excited for what our team has to offer and excited for the future that we have this postseason. There's really no backing down. We're here to fight.

Q. Steven, what has to happen now for this team to kind of refocus now heading into presumably the NCAA tournament?

STEVEN ASHWORTH: I think we gotta sleep. Gotta go home, get some sleep, and then get our treatment in, get our bodies right, and then our minds will be right. I am very confident in the collective toughness that our team has to get ready for our next game, whoever it may be, wherever we have to travel. But sleep is a huge one.

Q. Steven, can you take us back to the first half, the 4:35 mark you picked up your second foul. You were up ten at the current moment. How big were those next four minutes for the entire game?

STEVEN ASHWORTH: Yeah, that was a difficult four minutes. Obviously frustrated with myself and just a little bit throughout the whole tournament of careless fouls. Obviously on that one I went under the ball screen and Butler bumped it back. So I had to close out and he got me with two hands. So it was tough to have to come out, especially after I kind of got a freebie on one of the plays where they went and reviewed it after I asked the official, that wasn't on me and he said he'd go look at the timeout and they did. So to come back out and pick up another one was frustrating. I definitely take accountability that I need to be a little more careful, and I should have just covered the ball screen better, in all honesty, and it would have negated that foul. But being able to watch from the sideline was tough, but I was still trying to encourage our teammates to make sure they were playing aggressive, playing Aggie basketball. Things just didn't quite go our way. We let up a few offensive rebounds in those last four minutes which kind of stagnated our offense a little bit, which I think was the biggest thing.

Q. Can you tell us about the moment after Taylor Funk's three-pointer got overturned, the shot clock violation? What was that like for you guys where you took the lead for a moment and then it was kind of taken away from you guys?

STEVEN ASHWORTH: Yeah that was a difficult moment for sure. We thought it was good. I'm a Nazi for the rules, and so I thought because they called it good they weren't able to review it unless they called it a shot clock first. So I was a little confused and didn't quite get an answer. It's really close. Obviously I haven't seen the replay, but they believed, and maybe it was a shot clock violation, which is tough because every possession matters in a game like this. So to have that one taken away, obviously is an easy one to kind of point back to, but there's a lot of other plays throughout the game that if we really look at it in our heart of hearts we wish we would have done a little differently. But that one was a little difficult. But we stayed together and just reminded each other that we can only control what we can control. We can't control this decision. So whatever it is, let's go out and let's answer and coming down that stretch that's what we tried to do.

Q. Steven, you mentioned sleep. How many hours of sleep did you get last night and as athletes, do you wish that maybe had you a rest day before you had to play this final instead of like 12 hours, 15 hours that they force you to do? If you had a voice in this. What would you want?

STEVEN ASHWORTH: Great question. I actually have a WHOOP that tells me all my sleep data that I monitor really closely just trying to be the best athlete I can be and make sure my recovery is good. So I got about four-and-a-half hours of sleep last night. Obviously it's tough when you start -- you're supposed to start at 9:00. Game doesn't really start until about 9:20. And then a later night. You're trying to get recovery. I had to get in the ice bath. A few bumps and bruises after that semifinal game. So really tried to get to sleep as quick as I could. But if you've ever been an athlete you understand how your body is just running after a game and how it can be hard to wind down. So I think it would be something that would be beneficial for the conference in the future, is to have a really quality championship game. I don't know what the logistics would have to be. Obviously money rules everything. And so, we understand that as athletes and entertainers we appreciate the conference putting on such a high-class event. But for the betterment of the athletes and just the competition, I think it would be a positive thing to after the semifinal round to have maybe a single day off to regroup and then have that final.

MODERATOR: Thank you, gentlemen. We'll now entertain questions for our coach.

Q. Coach, I thought obviously Trevin's minutes, especially in the first half, were huge.

RYAN ODOM: Yeah.

Q. How important is that going into a tournament to know that you can rely on Trevin because he had to gain his confidence, like you described after those first couple games?

RYAN ODOM: Yeah. He struggled yesterday with his confidence, and certainly that first half. And then came back in a big way in the second half, and I think you saw him tonight. Even though he missed some shots around the rim that he can make, he really made some good plays. When he was in there, we were able to secure more rebounds, and that pass that he threw to Z, he catches it near the rim, you know, behind the defense, and then the defense comes and for him to have the awareness to be able to throw it all the way across the baseline for three, it just shows the improvements that he's made in his game since he arrived at Utah State. So I'm really proud of him.

Q. Coach, what do you think specifically cemented the All-Tournament team for Taylor Funk and Steve Ashworth?

RYAN ODOM: Just their play. Their play. Obviously Taylor was a big reason why we won our first game, and even in the second game, I thought he was excellent. And even though he didn't make his shots tonight, just Taylor being on the court provides so much, because of the spacing and kind of the attention that he draws from the defense. Steven is just a special guy. You just heard it right there, right? There's not one of us in here that could have answered, especially at that age, that could have answered any of those questions that you just threw at him like he just did. And I think that's where it starts with him. He is a true student-athlete, and he's a dynamite player. He's a guy that works at his game, is always trying to figure out how he can tweak it and improve it. He's not the tallest guy. He's not the strongest guy, and he never will be on the basketball court. But he's got the biggest heart. And he sets the tone for our team in that we're not going to give in. No matter what's going on, there's always a play to be made, and over the course of the season, I mean the guy's made countless plays for us, and obviously in this tournament, right? Taylor got us off to a good start night one, and then all of a sudden it was Steven, and it's just -- he's a special player.

Q. Coach, how tough is it to handle the Aztecs when Jaedon LeDee impacts the game like that?

RYAN ODOM: He was good, and Logan as well. All their players are really good right around that free throw line and they can make the shots there. Some of them are off the dribble guys that can make the shots there one on one where you feel like you've got them guarded well where they can make a really hard 2 there. But they also can get to the basket. Bradley was dynamite going to his left and getting to the rim and making some really tough shots through contact. But LeDee is a dynamite offensive rebounder. He's a shot maker in that little -- in midrange, and he obviously makes his free throws, too. And he's just a winning player.

Q. You mentioned their depth being an advantage in a tournament like this. Is there a difference between a team that is maybe built for a three game in three day tournament like this or the grind of the season versus a team that's built just to play one game in the NCAA tournament with four or five days rest?

RYAN ODOM: I think it always pays to have depth. I think all coaches would choose depth over just having five guys that are going to play however many minutes, because you're going to run into foul trouble. You're going to have things that happen like happened to us and some of the other teams in our conference, our last night's game where you've gotta kind of hold the fort. And the key for any team when you have the depth that they have, it's easy to tell when you watch them play, is that they all pull for one another, right? And that's hard to do in college basketball, and that starts at the top. It starts at the top with their coaching staff, and the messaging that clearly they're giving to their players. A lot of guys would -- especially dynamite players that are All-Conference players would love to play 30 some minutes a game, but for them it's all about winning, right, and it's about while I'm on the court I'm going to give it my all, and I think that's a great lesson for us all because it's not like that everywhere. And we certainly try to do that at Utah State. I think it's a strength of ours, you know, the culture and the connectivity that our guys have is really special.

Q. Kind of a presumption you guys will make the NCAA tournament. Obviously this is a program that hasn't won a tournament game in quite a while. What would it mean for you guys to be able to be the first in about it 22 years to win a tournament game here at Utah State?

RYAN ODOM: It would be great. We hope we're in. We don't know. We'll wait till Sunday, tomorrow, and figure it out. We know we're going to be playing another game. We know that. Our guys have been really good after a loss, shy of maybe one time, I think. I think it was one time we lost to San Diego State and then we lost at San Jose, I think. I'd have to go back and look at that. But I think it's one time all year. So they understand how to refocus. They understand how to fix things that got us down a bad path. And so they're going to be jazzed to play in the next game. And just like in this tournament, if you advance for just your first game, right, like our first game against New Mexico, and it was going to be New Mexico or Wyoming, we knew we were playing a good team. Well, this is not going to be any different. We know we're going to be playing a team that can beat us. But our job is to figure out how we're going to beat them. And so once we find out where and who and all of that, then we'll begin the preparation for kind of what's next.

And I say this every year to our teams. This team has one life, you know, to live. This particular team has one life, and we're going to make the most of every moment that we have together. Our guys didn't feel good in that locker room after losing that game because that was a goal of theirs. You know, this summer to win a Mountain West championship, and they were right there. They were close. Didn't happen. And so there's a little sadness about that, and regret, could have I done this a little bit better and given us a better chance to win. Certainly. But you could say that after wins, too. And so for us it's going to be all about making the most of the time, all right, that this particular team has to spend together, and I'll give you an example of that. We beat New Mexico the other day, late game. I get a text message at 5 am waking me up, and I look down, and it's 20 people in a group text, right? And the people in that group text were all my former players from UNBC and former coaches, right, that were watching our guys here in this tournament go for it. And it was the -- it's the five-year anniversary of us winning our Conference Championship against Vermont. And so it was just a barrage of texts, right, you know, of memories from our time together. And so this team is created, so this particular Utah State team, the San Diego State team has created so many memories this year that will last a lifetime. And a lot of it isn't about cutting the nets down. It's about the times that you spend together. And that we're all fortunate to enjoy each other's company. And so I think that's what the rest of this time that we have, we're going to enjoy it.

MODERATOR: Okay. We're going to have to cut this short. San Diego state has to get to the airport to make their flight.