Editor's Note: The following contains commentary from the
writer's "real-time" views of the on-court performances and decisions
of our
men's basketball team. In no way should constructively-intended
criticism be
deemed as a lack of respect or admiration for our team's obvious desire
and
commitment.
Trent Johnson was as angry postgame as I’ve seen him in three years.
His arms were crossed, he was pacing back-and-forth and his face was tensed up
as he talked with three Stanford beat writers. After a few minutes, he
crumbled the box score into a ball and popped it incredibly loudly, and
ended the interview seconds later, pacing away with his hands on his hips,
shaking his head. He asked the Sports Information Director Brian Risso to
hunt down Bill McCabe, Pac-10 officials director. I don’t know if Johnson
ever got to speak with McCabe, but I know he did get to speak with a former
official and air his grievances.
It was unclear whether Johnson was frustrated and wanted a word with the
officials because of the flow of the entire game, the last-minute technical, or
a combination of the two. All I know is that I walked by the corridor outside
Stanford’s locker room at 1:35, and Johnson was still there, and still
didn’t look too happy.
Speaking with the professional radio guys after the game, I heard that
Johnson had been in “frank dialogue” all day with the officials, and so that
technical was likely cumulative. I also heard that Johnson said something to
the effect of “we’re shooting like sh-t” to his assistants, but the official
running by only heard the last two words, and might have assumed it was directed
at him, thus whistling the T.
I know this won’t make me popular on this website, but I honestly thought if
anyone caught more breaks from the officials, it was Stanford. At any rate, I
think everyone can agree the officials certainly didn’t cost us the game.
Note: Fred Washington emerged from the locker room with ice on his left hand
and neck.
Trent Johnson:
I don’t like losing. That’s the bottom line. … Yeah we’ll be fine.
It’s time to go back to work.
On whether he’s concerned by the loss:
I’m not concerned whatsoever. We got contributions from Kenny Brown.
We drew some shots that didn’t go down USC played a very good game, give them
credit…They’re good. They’re good. They’re good. It’s disappointing.
On what he said postgame:
Like I tell them all time, ‘Get showered, get cleaned up.’ We’ll evaluate
when we look at the tape. Move on like we have. It’s the first time we lost two
games all year.
Kenny Brown:
Opening statement:
We were pretty tired emotionally, physically. It was quick turnaround game.
We fought hard, we’ll keep fighting as team and worry about next week. It’s all
do-or-die from here.
Mitch Johnson says the opposite half-a-page later. Just based on the way
the two were talking, I believe Johnson more – he sounded more genuine, whereas
Brown strikes me as more of a company-line guy.
On his big day:
I know that lot of guys had played big minutes [at UCLA] and were very tired
and it was hard to get energized and get going. Everyone’s fighting for a
Tournament bid and seeds, and so I took it upon myself to get the team sparked
and excited. I just tried to close the gap.
On a comeback:
We did get it down. We just couldn’t get over that hump. Like I said, we lost
a little gas.
On whether playing UCLA deflated Stanford:
We always play Thursday, Saturday, so you can’t say that’s the only reason.
We just have to worry about bouncing back Monday.
On Stanford’s resiliency:
I am very confident in this team’s resiliency. That’s different than some
of our other teams, and we will take upon ourselves to be accountable for
this loss. I know the staff won’t let us down.
Mitch Johnson
Opening statement:
They came out and played a little junk D and helped on Brook’s side.
They got off to a hot start. I know everyone’s going to say and think
this, but I don’t think it was letdown. Today was its own game and no one spoke
about UCLA. They just came out as aggressors and hit big shots.
On rebounding:
Our biggest positive is rebounding and today was not a good day in that
department. We’re not going to win too many games like that. That’s our staple:
defense, but really, really rebounding. I bet every game we’ve won against a
good team, we outrebounded them, but we got our butts kicked today.
On why he didn’t think Stanford was fatigued:
We had contributions: Kenny Brown, Drew Shiller, they came and stepped up.
So I don’t know if we were necessarily tired. I don’t think we were reading
and reacting. I think we started thinking too much.
On the challenge that USC presents:
Their tempo more than their D forces outside shots. Coaches talk about
fools good, you come down and there’s a wide-open three, but now you’re going up
and down. I don’t know if our defense got caught up in their tempo.
Tim Floyd:
Opening Statement:
It was a really good win for us. There was not a lot of time to
prepare. We played hard, we played inspired. I think both teams were
worried about a letdown. We felt we got into the NCAA
Tournament. We’ve been playing big games for seven weeks, after a bad start
with 0-3. The kids played inspired, they played unselfishly. They
were able to get [Stanford] on the boards, which we couldn’t have envisioned
going into the game. It’s the most encouraging thing. Now we’ve
out-rebounded five or six teams in a row. [Stanford] may have been a
little flat coming out after their loss with UCLA. They sure had an
opportunity to win it. They’re a dangerous team. We probably didn’t
give Kenny Brown enough credit. We had great rebounding from the guards
coming back. Getting an edge in first half was critical. It was our
first time pressing all year long. We wanted to play at a fast pace because
they’re so efficient in the half court. We did pick up the pace to our
liking. O.J. was special down low, he played really well. Hackett
got into a little foul trouble, but he played well when he was in. This was
a good team win. Collectively, we did a great job defensively.
On how USC was able to out-rebound Stanford:
Our guys… we had guards
rebounding down low. Maybe the press helped a
little bit in that shots were coming at different times on the block than normal
with the offense. They were so accustomed to throwing inside. Maybe
the shots came quicker, from a different person. The Lopezes were not
always where they are on the block. There were a few possessions when they
kept tapping it, tapping it. It’s hard to stop.
On when Floyd decided to press:
After the Cal game. It was hard to depart from what we did at
Stanford earlier in the season. But we just got mashed on the
glass. We wanted to play unconventional this time. [The decision]
depends on the team, depends on the talent, depends on the strengths.
On satisfaction with how the team has matured:
We had obstacles, injury obstacles all year
long. Simmons is barely with
us right now. He was able to get back after not playing 90% of
season. And Cunningham, losing him to an injury early in
season. Hackett, going out with a stress fracture, a broken jaw early in
year. There’s no depth. A lot of youth. There’s a lot of teams
with veteran players coming back. The best thing for us was starting
0-3. We didn’t panic. Not getting caught up in standings got us
through. We won 11 of last 15 games. For young team to go in and play
well is a tribute to their talent. Good talent. Good heart. We’ve been
a defensive team all year. It’s given us the chance to advance and play as
we move forward.
On whether the young USC team is prepared for the post season:
I don’t know how we couldn’t be at this point. When you’ve played as
many top 10 teams as we’ve played. Two against Stanford. Two against
Washington State. Two against UCLA. Kansas, Memphis. We played
everyone well except Washington State.
On whether twenty wins means something:
Not necessarily. It’s significant that we believe we’re in the NCAA
Tournament. Numbers don’t mean anything when you’re playing to
advance. We can’t afford injuries. We have seven guys. There’s not a
lot behind them. Not a lot of experience and shooting behind them. To
prepare for the NCAAs, we have to have a quick turnaround. Of course, we
get a chance to do that in the league.
On the “one more year” chants for O.J. Mayo:
Wouldn’t it be great if he did? We’ll be responsible and do what’s right
for him. He knows he’ll have option to come here next year, but he’ll do the
right thing when the time to make a decision occurs. We don’t talk about it
too much now. It takes away from a great season. He needs to be
allowed to focus on what’s important. This season, his growth here, and
growth of the team. I prefer not to have a lot of conversations about that
here.
On Mayo’s growth and how he’s emerged as player and a leader:
He’s the most misrepresented player coming into
college. He’s been very
dependable. Very accountable. Extremely bright. Not one ounce of
trouble. He’s a leader, he’s a good student. Great
GPA. Participates. He’s a great talent. He was beaten up by the
media in high school, and it seems some would like to make him look bad
still. It’s irresponsible on their part without getting to know the
kid. He’s easy to respect. Look where he comes from. Look where
he represents himself to be. What kind of person is he? Does he treat
people with respect? He does all of those things every day. He’s less
trouble than anybody. Great kid. I wish him the
best.
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