[Brett Hoerner: One of three true freshmen on the roster (the others being guard Richie Williams of Steele Canyon and forward Kyle Spain of Newark Memorial), this forward from Fullerton High is still recovering from a serious ankle injury. But he is out of his cast and could be ready to go when practice begins.] We're optimistic that will be the case, ... His injury was fairly severe, but the doctors feel good about his progress, which makes me feel good. |
[Lorrenzo Wade: The Louisville transfer wing will sit out this season and have three years of eligibility remaining.] We're hoping over the next year he will become comfortable with our kids and coaches, ... He brings a wonderful skill level and athleticism. He comes from a premier program. Hopefully, he'll have a big impact on the type of player he is and those around him. That's what really good players do. |
[Mohamed Abukar: The Florida transfer and former Rancho Bernardo High standout forward has been medically cleared from a stress fracture in his shin. Abukar will be eligible as a junior in mid-December.] We might monitor his preseason work, but the doctors are satisfied with where he is, ... They have been very conservative with him. But now they have let him loose and we and our training staff will dictate what he does. I would imagine it will be at a pretty aggressive pace. |
A lot of times, teams get more conservative in March. We try not to do that, but every possession in March is magnified. When you have to play three games in three days, that tests everybody. |
And now, if we can go out and win a few games in this tournament, and if we can say, 'Boy, did you see what we did in the tournament?' that would help. |
As much respect as I have for Indiana, they're good. They're not significantly better than we are. And I know that, and our kids will believe me when I tell them that. Can they beat us? Absolutely. Will they beat us? I hope not. If we play well, we will have a chance to win the game, and I'm confident of that. |
Brandon Heath is someone you love to see succeed for all sorts of reasons. He's a gentleman. Nobody works harder. You can't help but love Brandon Heath. To see him have both team and individual success is immensely gratifying. |
Brandon is a guy, when he's good, he's really good. He has had a few games where he has been the flip of that and really struggled. Fortunately for us, that was a long time ago. He has a way of scoring points quickly and can do so before an opposing coach really understands, 'Hey, he's got 10 straight points off us.' (Heath) is a better player this year. He is playing like we hoped he would play. |
Brandon was the difference. That stretch where he got basket after basket got us some separation. It puts a lot of pressure on the other team to score quickly and every possession becomes magnified. We caught a break with the way he got that hot hand. |
Brandon's capable of doing that. The difference was simple -- we made shots and we guarded them and didn't let them make shots. |
By entering this plea, we received the best possible sentence he could have received if we would have gone to trial. |
BYU was without question the better team. They made important plays and deserved to win. We had a tough time guarding in the post and they made us pay. |
Good players make coaches smile and that's what they did today. They made plays. |
He has a wonderful reputation. This is truly a tragic event ... Wherever the result of the injury came from, it's truly tragic. |
He has been invaluable to this team. He was like any young guy who walks on – hoping there would eventually be a scholarship available. But he didn't dwell on it. Justice is sometimes there even when you're not sure you're going to allow it to be there. He deserves to have been on scholarship. He earned it and has played exceptionally well, which is what you hope your seniors will do after having moved through the conference two or three times. |