2.15.2000
ARIZONA MEN'S BASKETBALL
PRESS CONFERENCE QUOTES
FEBRUARY 15, 2000
ARIZONA HEAD COACH LUTE OLSON
On the USC game:
"I think the same problems we figured we would face the first time we played them will be key here once again. They create problems with the two big guys, and by that I mean (Brian) Scalabrine and (David) Bluthenthal. They both shoot the three well, and they force you to spread out."
"I don't think the last game was a matter of us not playing well, but USC just shot the lights out. I think it will come down to shooting percentage again. We took care of the ball and rebounded well against them, but they just shot the ball too well."
"USC is a very good team. In preparing for them, we just have to focus on the guys who can shoot the three. We can't give them any looks. I think the key for USC will be staying out of foul trouble, and the key for us will be trying to get them into foul trouble."
On Loren Woods:
"Loren's (Woods) back is better, and it will continue to get better as we stay at home for a while. We are going to keep him out of contact drills and try to have him healthy for game time. He has done a good job for us, and he played really well at Washington State. He is doing much better today than he was Sunday, but this is not something you can expect to improve quickly. This is something we have to look at day by day."
On Richard Jefferson:
"Richard (Jefferson) will get a x-ray on Thursday, and if everything is as they expect it to be at that time, we think he will be able to start jogging and doing some cutting work next week. If that's the case, we would expect him to be on the Oregon trip and be able to participate."
On Jason Gardner:
"I think Jason (Gardner) understands that there is more to the game than just shooting the ball. He is our primary ball handler, and he knows that he has to distribute the ball. The worst thing to do is to start looking for shots when a player is in a (shooting) slump."
"Jason (Gardner) is defending well and taking care of the ball. Jason is not attempting a lot of difficult passes, so his turnovers are going down. He is doing a good job of selecting his passes."
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