Paycom Wooden Legacy – Tuesday Shootaround quotes

Fresno State Coach Justin Hutson – “Where we’re at right now is we just have to form an identity and get better. We’re not very good at this point in time. We’ve played some good teams but we’re not very good right now at playing together at either end of the floor, have an identity on either end of the floor and we’re developing that. We played pretty good defense last time out, now we’ve got to share the ball, move it, set screens, and execute. It’s going to have to be both ends. We’ve done some things defensively but not to our standards. I didn’t think we were good at all until North Texas, we were pretty good. But we’re going to have to put the ball in the basket and have some type of consistency. We’ve been injured. (Isaiah) Hill’s out, he has a concussion, but we’ve been injured all fall. No excuse with that, it doesn’t mean we would have played better if we weren’t. We’ve been very inconsistent with everything we’re doing and I know that’s part to do with it also. Any win’s great in this business; the March wins are better but any win is great.”

Washington Coach Mike Hopkins -“I went to John Wooden’s basketball camp when I was 10 years old and I still have the picture with me and him. A true legend. My father for years would just quote Coach Wooden, so to be able to be a part of this not only a tournament in his name, but a tournament that has so much weight nationally on ESPN, we’re honored to be a part of it. First of all, we came here to win, we’ve got to play better than we have but that’s also an opportunity to play high-quality teams. We’re going to learn a lot about ourselves and anytime you play in the preseason getting ready for Pac-12, it’s all about learning about yourself.” (Is the team coming together with the right progress?): “I think so. That’s the hardest thing but that’s what great about these trips, not just to play in a great tournament to be here but being on the road and having dinner last night and watching everybody conversate and talk, it’s pretty cool.”

Vanderbilt Coach Jerry Stackhouse – “We’re looking to take advantage of a great environment out here in Anaheim. Being selected to compete in this tournament is an important step for our program. We had a great experience at the Diamond Head Classic last season and are looking forward to this year’s event. Playing Saint Mary’s and possibly Washington or Fresno State, it’s a great opportunity for us to continue to build and measure ourselves. Hopefully all the teams here go on to have really strong seasons.”

Saint Mary’s Coach Randy Bennett – “It’s an honor to play in a tournament with John Wooden’s name on it. He’s the greatest coach of all time. One of the classiest, most humble, wisest leaders that I’ve ever met. Just for us to have the privilege of playing in this thing is why we’re here. We’re excited to be in it. As far as Vanderbilt, they’re a good program. We’ve played them a number of times and they’ve always been a tough team for us to play against. They’re well coached, they have good players and they come from a great conference. It’s the kind of test and challenge we need to see in the non-conference.”