MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 10, 2005

Andrew Bogut

Ray Giacoletti

Marc Jackson

Bryant Markson

COACH GIACOLETTI: I take my hat off to Colorado State. They gave a great effort today. Our staff thought all along that the last three weeks was the first time they have been healthy this entire year. They played their best basketball down the stretch here. This is a very good basketball team. When you get from a tournament setting, I mean, it is every team is back to 0-0 and you have to prove yourself again. They gave a great effort. You know, you kind of got back on our heels again. You know, we did a couple of things the second half that the players made adjustments with. Whereas we had one turnover the second half, we had eight the first half. They had two offensive rebounds the second half. Those are the things that help this team be successful. The other point in looking at the statistics is we out-rebound somebody again right at our numbers, at 13. We were at 12 or 13 for most of the year. If we can hit on those numbers when this team has been successful.

ANDREW BOGUT: I'm fine. I had a migraine yesterday. I had to leave practice a bit early. Got to bed pretty quickly, wasn't too much of a big deal. Coach helped me through it. Woke up in the morning, was feeling better. A bit of a headache now.

ANDREW BOGUT: Just a little. I missed dinner yesterday. Didn't eat. I am going on one omelette for like 24 hours so my body is sort of feeling it. I'm trying to get out of here, get some food.

ANDREW BOGUT: I don't usually get them early in the game. But this year I got them early and we were doing the same thing we do in every game. I was so much more open and then they made some adjustments. It was hard to get the ball in the first half, but we came back at the end of the second half and we made some threes and just opened things up again for the second half. I just got to pick my spots in every game.

MARC JACKSON: Second half was big for us. We made a couple of points going back inside, going into Andrew. I mean statistically our turnovers and rebounds. I think Coach was saying on the way down that we had one the second half. The first half we had one. Our goal is six. So, that always helps out. Defensively, we always rely on the second half, which we shouldn't have. We do because, I mean, it is the end of the game. We are not saving anything. Our defensive pride steps up. Our second half is better than our first.

MARC JACKSON: Kind of match-ups ended up on me in the second half, I got their tall three-guy on me. And it gave me the opportunity to go to the hole. That opened things up with my passes to Andrew and also with the couple of lay-ups. I don't know if I was looking more, just things came to me.

MARC JACKSON: I mean, like I was saying, first half, I mean, we have the second half to rely on. I don't think that is good that we have been doing that. But that is one area that we need to focus on. We come out with high energy. We come out at second half, that is a big opportunity to wear the opponents down. I think we are one of the best in-shape teams, and that is where it helps us in the second half also is our conditioning. And with a big guy like Andrew, we can pass it in. We do our motion around him. He steps up big second halves. What can we say when he puts up the numbers he puts.

BRYANT MARKSON: I think we get ready for the next game. We shoot enough to know that we are comfortable shooting. We're going to come out and shoot some more.

ANDREW BOGUT: I can't control that. When I am on the court, I won't be thinking about NBA guys. Been happening all year. Do what I do best. Playing for 11 years now. Keep doing that. I get asked that all the time. I get more media attention. Scouts are something I didn't control. If they come or they don't, I will put the ball in the hole. That is how it is.

BRYANT MARKSON: We felt pretty comfortable. We have been in these positions before. We got a group of guys we know we can pull together anytime to make a run. We were pretty comfortable.

COACH GIACOLETTI: Thanks.

COACH GIACOLETTI: Even when you think you have seen the ceiling for Andrew, he is able to do something else that helps us out. The last month of the year we have been really working him shooting basketballs from the perimeter. It is not our first option, but at the end of the shot clock certainly something not as predictable. Consistently roll in the basketball. We can pick and pop with him. You know, it's he is a guy that is constantly working at the limit. He works out in the weight room shooting basketball from the perimeter. He watches what he eats. Constantly trying to make himself better. I don't know if there is a whole lot of guys like that.

COACH GIACOLETTI: Marty Wilson made a great call. We were trying to double from the man that was closest to the help side, which means it could be any one of four guys in that position. We changed at halftime. We were going to double big to big. That is when we've had most success this year, when we have doubled. We worked on the other way the entire week because we were going to try to switch ball screens one through four. If we were going to double big to big there was a chance that the other big could be anywhere on the floor. I am probably doing a bad job in explaining it. We went back to going big to big. We just said forget it where he is at. Try to rotate, cover things up. Marty made a great call. I wasn't thrilled with it. But that was the key. You know, coaches get way too much credit when we win; way too much of the blame when we lose. Marty made a great call and the kids executed it.

COACH GIACOLETTI: I am always worried about Andrew. It is something that -- I don't know. He gets these every now and then where he gets dizzy; he needs darkness. But, we have medicine for it. Went and got the medicine, put him to bed. Get eight hours, ten hours of darkness and sleep, he is okay after that. I am concerned very much about him.

COACH GIACOLETTI: I am concerned, but you know it was college basketball and it's competitive. We're trying to find ways. For instance, I don't mind -- we talked to the team after the game after we're done with the film for the night. I think the team needs to meet on their own. Because I haven't got the point across well enough that we need to get across to better starts. Maybe the kids can do that. It is a point of emphasis. I am going to deal with reality and instead of, you know, try something to lighten the mood or other things, to try to help us get off to -- we switched the line-up a little bit today to try to get going quickly. But also sometimes people have such big expectations that it is a lot of pressure to be put on a team or an individual. When in reality the team shows courage to be able to fight back and get the job done at the end. Am I concerned? Yeah. We will figure a way to get off to a better start.

COACH GIACOLETTI: That, and I think trying to find people to play with energy at the defensive end of the floor. Again, that is something that will get us off to a better start and a better first half. I don't have all the answers, just searching to try to find way to get better.