MOUNTAIN WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 13, 2024

Tim Miles

MJ Amey, Jr.

Alvaro Cardenas

Thomas & Mack Center

San Jose State Spartans

Postgame Press Conference

Colorado State 72, San Jose State 62

THE MODERATOR: San Jose State. We have student-athletes MJ Amey, Alvaro Cardenas. Coach, let's get your thoughts on tonight's game?

TIM MILES: A hard-fought game. I thought it came down to a few plays, some timely shooting by Colorado State. We didn't shoot the three well, but we competed well.

That's the one thing about this team is they really haven't got a break all season. There's been injury, illness, you name it. To see them battle tonight made me very proud to be their coach. I'm so gratified to watch them go out and be in this game.

I think that they proved to a lot of people that we're elevating San Jose State basketball where it should be.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. The energy and the pace was off the charts in a sense. When it comes to the last couple of minutes of the game where the plays really count, how much does that either diminish or affect the effectiveness of you guys knowing all the effort you put out for the 40 minutes you each played and the last difference was probably the last couple of minutes? How would you say -- how do you sort of account for that? You guys are going after it the last couple of minutes, and that's where the difference of the game was in that sense. Was it being tired, or is it just knowing that you have to do what you do?

ALVARO CARDENAS: I think we struggled this year a little bit playing 40 minutes, the whole game. I mean, at the end of the game anything can happen. They just made more shots, played a little bit better. I thought we had really good effort except for maybe four minutes at the end of the first half, and they were just better at the end of the stretch, and they got the win.

I'm proud of how the team competed, and I think it was one of our most complete games in terms of effort and intensity.

Q. For MJ or Al, you guys showed a lot of fight and played with a lot of heart, competed throughout the whole game. What did you like from your teammates tonight?

MJ AMEY, JR: For me specifically, like I told our guys in the locker room after the game, just the fight they give because it wasn't an easy season at all, and it's easy for us -- at any point of the season it could have been easy for us to look at the record and let that define us, but I tell people all the time when we talk about our team that our record doesn't define us because we'll give your -- whatever team you put out there, we'll go to the end with them. We're going to fight until the end.

That's why I love these guys, and it was fun to go and compete, go to practice every day. I was really proud of them because we talk about A-plus mindset, and we had that mindset today. I felt that from just the first tip, and that's what even then makes this game fun. It's unfortunate that we ended up on the wrong end.

Q. This can be for either Cardenas or MJ. Isaiah Stevens struggled from the field. He finished 4 of 11. He didn't get to double digits until the last bit of free throws. What was the game plan going into there and making him struggle a little bit offensively at least to get his points up?

ALVARO CARDENAS: Yeah, we tried to -- we read all his ball screens, just kind of trapped him and tried to get the ball out of his hands. He's a really, really good player.

Even though he didn't shoot it that way, he still ended up with a double-double, ten assists. He impacts the win in so many different ways.

Yeah, our game plan was just try to get the ball out of his hands and make other guys make plays.

Q. MJ or Alvaro, how would you evaluate Latrell Davis off the bench tonight? He's been really hot down the stretch towards the regular season, and he kind of came out and just did his thing here tonight. Double digit scoring again off the bench. Evaluate his performance and what he has done here for your group down the stretch this season.

MJ AMEY, JR: Man, like I said, Latrell is on go, and that's what he we need him to be. When he has the mindset to attack and just to have an attack and aggressive mindset on both ends of the floor, he does great things for us. You guys witness it, you know, during these games, but it starts in practice.

We kind of -- I challenge him just to be consistent every day, and not even just the results, but his mindset. If you have the same mindset every day, then the results are going to happen. Good things going to happen. We've been needing a spark off the bench, and for him to bring us that, it's been making it able for us to stay in games and compete too. It gives us the energy boost as well.

Q. What are your guys' thoughts on -- obviously the season was a difficult one, but as far as the effort and the character you guys showed, what are some of your thoughts and feelings going into offseason or next season? If you can share anything like that.

ALVARO CARDENAS: Yeah, in terms of our effort this season I'm glad and kind of proud that guys just didn't put their head down and we just gave up. We've had some bad games, but I think we've been for the most part close in almost every game, so that's a good sign.

Then for this offseason we just have to work harder and keep improving. We had a lot of freshmen this year, so obviously those guys got to step up and work out this summer and get better.

Like you said, Latrell is a good example of that. He figured it out towards the end of the year. We just need everybody to kind of step up and just try and understand what we're trying to do here.

THE MODERATOR: We'll dismiss the athletes at this time. Questions for Coach.

Q. You guys showed a lot of passion on defense and forcing a lot of turnovers very early on in the game. You guys kept it consistent throughout the whole game. What was the scheming? What did you like from your guys defensively during this matchup?

TIM MILES: We just felt we needed more pressure, ball pressure or more aggressive in our screen and roll coverages and post doubles.

I thought for the most part we were pretty good that way. They still shot well, but I thought we took away a lot of opportunities, and they never really got on a good roll. So I liked our intensity and our edge.

Q. Talk about going up against Niko Medved, obviously a good friend of yours, Back to your Fort Collins days. You as a head coach and him as an assistant and now coming full circle here: Season on the line; High-leverage game in March. What was it like going up against him in that moment?

TIM MILES: Well, I hated it when they scored out of time-outs, and I took that personally. Like, oh, you got me.

Niko is an outstanding coach. It was always evident from the get-go when we worked together at CSU and even before that that he was going to be highly successful and he was going to be a good head coach too.

We were really fortunate and we kind of took over CSU when it was in a difficult place and we were able to elevate it. He has taken this to a whole new level.

So impressive to see how well the Rams fans have traveled. I think that's the thing that I noticed the last two games down at Clune Arena in Colorado Springs, how many CSU Ram fans and here today. I think that's a mark of that commitment from the community and how engrained that coaching staff and that team is in that community. That says a lot about them.

Q. Obviously there's a lot of factors that go into the game, whether it's a win or loss there, but talk about what looked like from my perspective at least the potential goaltending when it was at 56 of 58. Do you think there was any type of a switch of momentum there after...

TIM MILES: Can it go one way or another on a call? That's a tough call. Did I think it was the wrong call? Of course. I bet Niko thought it was the correct call. That's just the way it goes.

We have great officiating in this league. That's hard to say, too. We have great officiating in this league, and we needed a break, and then when the break doesn't go your way, how can we do it?

I probably stayed in one-three-one just one possession too long, right, and they banged that corner three. You know, that's something I would live with. I thought we were doing a pretty good job in it, and it had been successful for us in the first half and at their place.

They made plays, and Clifford is a great addition to that team. His length and athleticism, the things committee do driving the ball, blocking shots. He had a big block.

And then Joel Scott is a physical presence for them with some athleticism that they hadn't had previously too. Two really good additions.

Q. Myron Amey had a break-out season this year. Can you just speak on his development?

TIM MILES: So cool, right? His journey is special. He's been through a lot personally. His mental health, everything that goes with that. To see him at a point where his confidence was so low, and he kind of defined himself only as a basketball player and it wasn't going well because he wasn't healthy. It wasn't because he hadn't done the work or he didn't have the skill and the talent.

He had all those things, but he just had to get healthy, and so then to watch him rebound from that, so to speak, has been really impressive. I just can't say how great that is to watch and witness firsthand and how happy I am for him and proud I am of him.

Q. With obviously the relationship and friendship you have with Coach Medved, how difficult or easier or more fun is it --

TIM MILES: Yeah, I don't like it. It's just hard. He's such a good friend, and he's been a friend for a long time. Ali Farokhmanesh was on my staff in Nebraska for three years or whatever too. Brian Cooley I've known forever.

You have these friendships, so it's no fun to play them. I wish him luck. I think that will be a really good Nevada game.

I think that CSU with that dynamic guard like Stevens, Palmer shooting some threes today and Scott inside, but any time you have Isaiah Steven on your side, I think you have a chance.