Jim Roffler
Jim Roffler
answered best coming focused game guys half knew talked tough
We knew it was going to be a really tough game. It's always a tough game coming up here. Especially this year. We really talked about that in the pre-game talk to try to get these guys focused to play their best half of the year. I think we answered the bell.
against calls foul guys lose noted stretch tough
We had some tough foul calls against us down the stretch that hurt. We didn't lose our composure, and some of the guys who have been noted for that showed a lot of maturity.
either games good knocking ncaa ninth seeds time top tough tournament watch
First games in tournaments are tough. If you watch the tournament championships in all of the NCAA leagues, you'll see ninth seeds knocking off top seeds. This is a tough time of the year, and everyone is either pretty good or has got a lot better.
allowed biggest game guys loss obviously road second tough year
Obviously this was the biggest game of the year for us because it allowed us to get back in first place and re-establish ourselves. We had a tough loss on the road at Tacoma that we shouldn't have lost, but we did. The guys have responded well from that, particularly in the second half.
amount basketball best draw entire finally focused game hang minutes played potential realized rest seldom solid tremendous worked
I told them if they let it all hang out, they would get a tremendous amount back that they could draw on for the rest of their lives. Very seldom did we play a solid 40 minutes during the season. Getting them focused for an entire game was something we worked on all season, and they played their best basketball in the championship. We finally realized our potential in that game.
early game guy hard trying win
It's hard to win when Omar had the game he did. I think he was pressing a little and trying too hard. He's a competitive guy and wanted to win another championship, but I think he got a little competitive early on.
attack continued couple court half held hit played press second shots slow
We held them down in the second half and it showed. They (the thunderbirds) played their three-quarter court press to slow us down, but there was only a couple of times when we did. We continued to attack well and hit the shots we needed.
ball basket campbell feet forced kick knew last locked move ryan spun switched
We knew what they were going to do in the last set, so we switched and put Ryan Campbell on him so he couldn't get to the hole. Carlson made his move and spun back to find Campbell there. We had him locked up 15 feet from the basket and he could do nothing but kick the ball out for a forced three-pointer.
ball blew defensive good handling job passing poor suspect witnessed
We didn't do a good job handling their defensive pressure, and that was witnessed by very suspect footwork and poor passing on our part. We blew a lot of good opportunities to get the ball inside.
coming games half ourselves position second smarter taste win
We're coming out in the second half and getting a taste of what we need to do in the first half. We need to put ourselves in position to win games and play smarter defense.
against ball either game gaps goes great hit inside last man moved outside pure respect rotation shots spots year zone
They (the Warriors) had a great respect for our inside people, so when the ball went in against either a man (to-man) or zone defense, we had a little rotation that moved E.J. into some spots or gaps where he was open. That's the same thing he did here last year and he also hit some big shots for us in those games. His game accentuated when we get into a two-man game where the ball goes in then back outside because he's a pure shooter.
campbell chase game guarded losing percent recall ryan shot shots team
They (the Titans) made 29 percent of their shots, and I don't recall ever losing a game when the other team shot that poorly. Ryan Campbell guarded Chase for a lot of the game, and if he wouldn't have made those shots we probably would've won.
athletic ball overly played players plays run shoot
They're 14-14 but they're pretty good. They shoot the ball well, and their big players are very versatile. They aren't overly athletic on the perimeter, but if you run your plays well you don't need to be. I don't take anything away from them because they played their butts off.
beat behind effort fans foe formidable home loss nice season took tough western win
They're a very formidable foe and it took an effort to beat them. It's nice getting back home after our only loss of the season and have the fans behind us. This was a much-needed win in the tough Western Division.