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MOUNTAIN WEST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENT

March 12, 2009

Heath Schroyer

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA

Wyoming Â– 75
New Mexico - 67

THE MODERATOR: We're ready to begin with the Wyoming Cowboys. Student-athletes are Sean Ogirri and Brandon Ewing. Coach Heath Schroyer. Coach, we're going to start with you.
COACH SCHROYER: I'm just really, really happy for our guys. I thought that they just gutted out a great win.
I'm happy for the fans that made the trip here. It was a big win for our program, but most importantly for our players. A lot of people counted them out, but I love these guys. They got a lot of fight to them.
I'm just really speechless because I'm just so happy for these kids.
THE MODERATOR: We'll start out with questions for the student-athletes.

Q. Brandon, you had a stretch there in the first half where you hit two threes in a row. One from as a shot clock was expiring from NBA region, and the other where you pulled a double pump. Can you talk about it and how it rallied your team and got you back into the game.
BRANDON EWING: I think shots like that motivate a team when you hit tough shots like that. Actually, I want to say thanks to my teammates. I actually didn't know the shot clock was going down. I wanted to get somebody open for a shot on Ogirri. He pointed to the shot clock. I'm just thankful those shots went in.

Q. First half a little rough. What was said at halftime to kind of turn that game around?
BRANDON EWING: We just had to get some nerves out, some jitters. We were so excited to play. We watched The Mountain just like everybody else does, and everybody counted us out. They knew New Mexico was going to be in the championship game.
We came in this game with a lot of pride. We didn't want to lose this game. We were so nervous at tip-off. I think we missed a lot of easy shots. They made some shots. Once we got the nerves out, we played pretty good.

Q. You guys have been playing well the second half of the Mountain West Conference season. Did you get a feel if you get a couple back that you could make a run in this tournament?
BRANDON EWING: Yeah. We knew today was going to be the toughest game. New Mexico pretty much on the bubble. They win this game, they're pretty much locked for the NCAA tournament.
We wanted to ruin it because we want to get in the NCAA tournament as well. New Mexico is a great team, a well-coached team. We knew once we get one, we build some momentum and hopefully pull out the next two.

Q. Another big play by Djibril there down the stretch. Talk about the confidence you have in him and does it kind of just feed off those plays he's made in games late throughout the season?
SEAN OGIRRI: We just tell him, If you get the ball, just go dunk it. We're confident in him. He made tough free throws at the end of the game. We have a world of confidence in him, and we need him to keep playing like that.

Q. Sean, of course everyone tries to concentrate on Brandon. When you open things up to start the second half...
SEAN OGIRRI: Yeah. 'B' was like, If you hit a couple threes down, that's going to open it up for everybody. I stayed with my stroke even though I missed a couple in the first half, and everything started to open up inside, outside.

Q. Two games in a row now you guys have been able to kind of shut down Chad Toppert. What's been the key to that?
BRANDON EWING: Toppert is a big-time shooter. You definitely got to close out hard to him; don't give him no open looks. He missed a few in the first half that kind of surprised us.
We all talked in the locker room before the coaches came in and said don't let him get going. He's a big-time shooter. He's a senior and wants to go to the tournament as well.
I was kind of surprised he missed some open looks. Sean did a great job. Afam did a great job. And A.J. off the bench did a great job of shutting him down. That's probably the main reason why we won.

Q. Brandon, how big a deal is it at this time of the year to have a guy like Sean, who has been through this and been to the Sweet 16. What does he bring to the table to especially help you guys out?
BRANDON EWING: I said back in August when Sean came to Wyoming, that he's been the place where I wanted to go, Sweet 16, NCAA tournament. I'm sure he's tired of me asking, How was the Sweet 16 experience? I ask him every day.
Having somebody like him, people are surprised he doesn't go out for 30 points. He's the perfect team player. If he get two points and we win, he's just as happy as we have 30 points and we win. I'm just thankful he came to Wyoming.

Q. You guys had nine of the team's ten three-pointers. When you guys are making threes, what does it do for the rest of the team and for you guys?
BRANDON EWING: It's real big. Like Sean said, I just pulled him to the side at halftime and said, If you make three threes, the game is pretty much over. That open up things for Djibril down low. Adam had a nice post move and also tie on Johnson.
Me hitting threes, some lucky threes at the end of the shot clock, you know, I'll take them how I get them.

Q. Brandon, you said all year championships are won in March, not in February or January. What did you say to the team, or what was so different about this game?
BRANDON EWING: We don't want to go home. We don't want to be back in Laramie tomorrow. We definitely don't want to do that. On Sunday we know we're not getting in. Probably call us for the NIT or other tournament. We don't want to do that. We want to be home on Sunday eating popcorn, knowing they're going to call our game. For us to do that, we have to win two more games.

Q. Brandon, you're a guy we've watched grow up before our eyes. We remember when you came in as a freshman and now your senior year. Can you talk a little about your experiences here in the conference tournament and how special it would be to win this thing in your senior year.
BRANDON EWING: It would be huge. Save the best for last. To be blessed enough to win this tournament, we got some great players in this league, some great teams, some great coaches.
If Wyoming was to pull it off, I'd be happy. I told coach, I'd be the first one to hug him back in August if we win it.
It's one game at a time. I don't want to look forward to it right now. We got a tough player in Utah tomorrow, the player of the year, Luke Nevill. If we're blessed enough to pull that one out, it's down to one more.
THE MODERATOR: At this time we'll dismiss the student-athletes. Open up the questions for Coach Schroyer.

Q. As we discussed just a few weeks ago, the sixth seed always seems to beat the three seed in this tournament. Now do you think there's something to it?
COACH SCHROYER: I don't know. I just think that there's -- I can't speak for the past, but I know that from top to bottom that this league is as good as it's ever been.
I give a lot of credit to Craig Thompson, Dan Butterly, those guys have just done a phenomenal job in allowing this league to really grow.
Nothing really surprises me anymore just because this league is so good from top to bottom.

Q. Talk about a little bit the last couple of plays Djibril made. Are you just as confident in him as the seniors at this point?
COACH SCHROYER: I think Djibril is really growing up. He knocked down a couple of free throws late I thought were great. But he's going to be a special player. You know, he just needs to continue to play and play and play.
When Brandon hit him off a cross screen and he was able to get a three-point play, I thought that was a big step for him in his growth that this team has really evolved and trust him a lot.
I'm really, really happy for him. He's really growing up.

Q. How much does it help when you have a guy like Sean, who comes in senior year, who knows what it takes to get to the tournament and do well there? What does he bring to the team with that experience and that leadership?
COACH SCHROYER: You know, I'm a huge Sean Ogirri fan. I think he's as good of a two guard as there is in this league.
This really isn't the time or place, but I'm just shocked that he's not on one of the three teams. He broke the record for threes made for this league. That tells you alone what he's capable of doing. He has a great calm on the floor.
He's just been through it. He's a fifth-year senior. I mean, he's just been an absolute joy to have in this program, and I'm very, very thankful that he's here.

Q. Going the rest of the way in the conference tournament, do you think you're going to need to shoot threes as well as you did tonight in order to win?
COACH SCHROYER: We're going to have to play really well. You know, this league is so good, and Utah is obviously one of the top two or three teams in this league. They won the league, have the player of the year in Luke Nevill.
We're going to have to play really well. We're going to have to knock down shots. We're going to have to continue to guard. We're going to have to knock down free throws. We're going to have to do all the things that constitute winning, and obviously we'll have to play well.
THE MODERATOR: Thank you coach.

End of FastScripts

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