Nov. 23, 2012

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Demetrius Walker

On starting the game on the bench...

"It was more relaxing and it's something that I'm really comfortable with. I spent all last season coming off the bench so it was a role that I got use to. When he told me that I was going to come off the bench tonight it was something that I had to take with caution and just go with it."

On being a pure guard again...

"It felt amazing. Battling down there with those bigs guys is tough so getting on the wing and battling with guards that are the same size as myself felt good on my body at the end of the game."

On the comfort zone coming off the bench...

"Last year coming off the bench I got comfortable with it and it's a good feel for me. When coach told me that tonight I thought that it would be just like last year. I would go out there and provide the spark and whatever happens happens. I just need to play hard. I am with whatever coach wants me to do. If he wants me to start then I have to find my role and niche with the starters. If he wants me to continue coming off the bench then I will continue doing what I'm doing."

On if he will be starting on or off the bench...

"That's not for me to decide. Ultimately, it is for coach to decide but either way we are winning. We are 5-0 right now so you can't really say that the four guards didn't work or that tonight didn't work. At the end of the day we are still 5-0."

On turnovers...

"I know my spot from the wing and I know when I'm coming off staggers off the fast break position exactly where I am running. At the four spot I'm not really familiar with it yet. There are some growing pains that I'm going through and I am still trying to get comfortable playing it by running it in practice. Maybe later on down the road coach will let me give it another try but for now if he wants me to continue doing what I'm doing I'm fine with that."

On coming back from the Virgin Islands...

"It was pretty tough but coach stayed on us all week. They said that this is going to be a tough game and that Idaho is going to play hard. In the first half we came out a bit sluggish but in the locker room at halftime we talked to each other and figured it out and we came out in the second half and brought it to them."

On the run in the second half...

"We banded together. At the end of the day it is us versus them. We had the pit around us which is our sixth man and we tried to take the pit intensity and run with it."

On the quick turn around...

"Ultimately, us as basketball players we want to play. We want to compete versus different teams and this quick turn around versus four teams in three days is tough but it is what it is. We need to go out there and perform."

Alex Kirk

On the three guard line up...

"It doesn't really change anything for anybody tied to that position. We understand that when we are playing bigger teams that it is a little helpful. We understand that it is a learning process. I'm guessing that D-Walk hasn't ever played the floor too much and Kory has mostly been a ball handler. Walk having to adjust and guard these bigger guys is tough but he has adjusted well. We had Chad coming out tonight and having quite a performance. Putting 9 and 5 together is solid work for him and he keeps getting better and adjusting to that four role."

On the slow start...

"Our coaches said that they kind of expected it and it's hard to come back from travel after a week. That first home game is always going to be tough and we came out a little sluggish and they came out harder and more physical. Obviously, we had to adjust to that and I thought that we did. We came out harder in the second half after we came together as a team. We started progressing and it was hard to catch us after that. We were shooting better and passing better, really just playing defense."

On the physicality of the game...

"I would say it's pretty physical and they have all been. Some of the games at the islands were physical with the different refereeing and stuff like that is something that we need to adjust to. They were a physical team. They came out us right away and that's what they had to do to catch us on our heels. When we got back up on our toes we came at them. It was a good second half."

On how he is feeling with the increase in minutes...

"I feel good. It is one of those things that Cam and I are going to have to keep working at. Some days maybe I will be in foul trouble and some days maybe he will be. We are going to have to keep progressing with that. Whatever is called we will be in shape and we are both getting in better shape and getting better everyday. We are going to have to keep working with the rotation."

On being 5-0 and the Paradise Jam Champions...

"We have been told all season that we have an incredibly high ceiling and that first half we see that. I wouldn't say that we are going to ever get over confident as a team. I think coach threw out the number 32-3 tonight which is the conference record combined and that is impressive. I'm sure those loses are to a couple ranked teams. We need to keep getting better and there are things we need to work on. We need to keep working hard."

Coach Alford Quotes
New Mexico vs. Idaho

Opening Statement...

"I think anytime that you come back from a trip, especially an island - we've had a lot of teams come back from Hawaii or even when we came back from Cancun a few years ago when we had a bad trip there - I don't know if letdown is the word, but it's always going to take some time. I thought the first half they [Idaho] really played well. They made shots. They took it at us. And I think it took us a half to really get back in rhythm. We held them to 22 in the second half; really guarded them much better in the second half.

"But statistically we did some good things. A lot of assists, few turnovers, had a lot of guys productive. So all in all, very pleased that we could come back with the emotional trip that we had and get this first one. I've always said the first one of a homestand is the hardest. And that takes nothing away against the next two. The next two are going to be difficult as well. But getting that first one and getting back at home and playing well is a very difficult thing, and I thought out guys made a good adjustment at halftime."

On starting Chad Adams in the place of Demetrius Walker...

"We're just too small. We tried that, and I don't think we're getting the most out of Demetrius, and you can see that tonight. We put him back in the guard spot and he gets 19 points. Coming into the game he had one assist, 11 turnovers. He's guarding people 6-7, 6-8. We're asking him to do things he's never been taught to do: hedge on screens, guard the post. And I think that was our fault. We tried it because we thought we needed to get him in the starting lineup and get minutes. But Chad has been practicing really well. He played well on the islands and I though having a senior in there and trying to rotate those four bigs makes a little more sense for us than to go a small lineup."

On the performance of Alex Kirk...

"He just keeps getting better and better. He takes up space. He's a shot blocker. He changes shots. He's doing a lot of good things inside for us both offensively and defensively. He and Cam had some breakdowns a little bit on the baseline screens. They'll learn. They'll see some tape and they'll learn that, of just jumping the ball a little quicker."

On the performance of the bench...

"I though both Jamal and Cam gave us a big lift off the bench as well; obviously Demetrious did. But I really like what Jamal did in form of leadership. His leadership was outstanding. He was

very vocal out there, he huddled the guys up. He had some urgency to him in the second half. And it was really good seeing his leadership out there. We've missed him and the last two game have been a lot better having him back."

On what keyed the 19-0 run in the second half...

"We made shots and kept it out of the other end. A janitor told me a long time ago in my first job `put it in the one end and keep it out of the other'. It's a pretty simple game. And that's what we did. We guarded, we defended, we made things hard on them. We took their transition away. I thought they did a great job in transition in the first half. They came out ready. They punched us real quick. I got to give them a lot of credit. They were ready to play. They were well- prepared and well-coached. Their kids performed very well. And in the second half I thought we started wearing them down a little bit. We're probably a little deeper team and our depth started showing in the second half."

Lobos Men's Basketball

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