MOUNTAIN WEST MEN'S BASKETBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

March 13, 2024

Justin Hutson

Donavan Yap

Isaiah Pope

Thomas & Mack Center

Fresno State Bulldogs

Postgame Press Conference

Fresno State 77, Wyoming 73

THE MODERATOR: We're ready to begin with Fresno State. We have Donavan Yap and Isaiah Pope. Coach Justin Hutson, we'll start with you and get some thoughts on today's game.

JUSTIN HUTSON: Hard-fought game by both teams. I got so much respect for Coach Linder and the program that he runs. There's some really good coaches in the Mountain West. You start having five and six people going. All it takes is for him to lose Ike and me to lose Orlando and Niko to lose Roddy. Next thing you know you're in trouble.

So very proud of my guys for continuing to fight like the 6'5" and under team out there. They continued to fight and run and fight through turnovers that we've had and continue to play defense. So we deserved one of these.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for the student-athletes.

Q. How do you guys not get discouraged when they went on that 10-0 run late in the fourth, and what turned the tide for you when you went on your run to win it?

DONAVAN YAP, JR.: I feel like we just kept a positive mindset. Even though we was down a lot, we wasn't going to give up. We just kept fighting to the end, and we were happy with the result that we came out with.

Q. Donavan, a big hit to lose Isaiah there in the end. How happy were you that you were able to finish it out without him?

DONAVAN YAP, JR.: Our guys stepped up. Without Pope in the game at the end, a lot of guys had to step up to the challenge and get the job done are. Thankfully we were able to do that. Are it's a good feeling for sure.

Q. Kot went for 14 points, didn't miss a shot in the first half. What did you do in the second half to slow him down?

ISAIAH POPE: He's really good at coming off the ball screens, making plays by himself. He likes to pull up jumpers a lot, so Hut told us to come off the ball screens and hide him, get the ball out of his hands and try to run him off the line because he had made a couple of threes. We listened to the game plan and executed it and got the stops that we needed.

Q. You guys just lost to this team by 39 points four days ago. What has been the message this week, and how did you turn it around? They made a lot of hay inside in the last game. Not so much today.

ISAIAH POPE: It's a mentality thing, like Coach likes to say. We got down early that last game, and I think a lot of us just gave up on ourselves, you know what I'm saying?

Coming in today, this is it. It could be it. At least for me, it could be my last game ever. So I just told the guys -- I thought to myself if this is my last 40 minutes, I'm going to give it everything I have. And I think we all did that and stepped up. We played defense. We made big shots. We got good free-throws, made them.

It's basketball, baby. That's the beauty of basketball. One day you lose by 39. One day you win by four. You know what I'm saying? You got to love it.

Q. Isaiah, you had the best game of your season today. What does it mean to you to extend your senior season?

ISAIAH POPE: It means everything. If we lose here, this is it for me and my college career. That's what I'm saying. Me and Zay, we're just going out there and going to play as hard as we can for the 40 minutes that we have.

It's a humbling experience, and I'm grateful we got the win for sure, and I'm ready to get back out there tomorrow with my brothers.

Q. Donavan, this is your first game back in a month. To have that kind of performance in your hometown, what does that mean to you?

DONAVAN YAP, JR.: It means a lot to me. We were able to get the W being able to play in the Mountain West Tournament back at my hometown. It's pretty fun too having family and friends out there to support me.

It was hard for the month that I was out. I wanted to be out there with my brothers. As soon as I got the news I could play, I was excited. Told my team. Told Coach Hut. I was ready to get back out there and try to be Wyoming.

Q. Donavan, you came off the bench, 16 points, 5 rebounds in your hometown. Obviously I know you kind of just answered this question, but how do you think that momentum you built up in your first game back is going to help you as you guys go and play Colorado State next game? Not Colorado State. Utah State. Sorry.

DONAVAN YAP, JR.: It felt good being able to kind of get my flow back in the game, you know, being out for a month. I just tried to stay confident, keep God first. Coach Hut puts a lot of confidence in me, my teammates. It really wasn't that difficult to come back my first game back. My teammates and Coach Hut believed in me, so that kind of uplifted me when I did go out there. Then being at home that helps too, so...

Q. You guys play the Aggies tomorrow. They're the outright champions of the Mountain West Conference. What is your attitude going into it?

JUSTIN HUTSON: We will respect them. We have great respect for everybody in our conference, and for it to be such a good conference and for Sprink to win it in his first year says a whole lot. We have much respect for them. They beat us pretty bad at their place. They made a 35-foot bank shot on us at our place. That was tough.

We're just going to take it new and come out like we play every other team and show a healthy respect, but be ready to compete.

Q. Justin, kind of the same question I had for Isaiah. How do you turn it around in four days like that from what you witnessed in your home court, and also were you shocked to not see Cam Manyawu out there in the second half?

JUSTIN HUTSON: I wasn't shocked. It's just kind of what it is. You're coaching your team, but...

That's the second one first, but I appreciate it.

But you go back and watch film. After that butt-whipping we took, then we took a day off, which you didn't want to do, but everybody gets to regroup, and you go back and watch film. What can you change schematically? What could you do better than you were supposed to do? Then how can we have a mentality change?

As the leader, then you fight for those three things no matter what, and you don't give in. That's just how it is. So we lost to them in overtime up there the first time, but we had our whole team. We had Eduardo. We know he was hurt. It was a heck of a game, and we had our whole team, but these guys know with these five or six guys that we can play.

Q. Coach, this is a team that's got five seniors on it, two fifth-years. As you were coming down that stretch and kind of looking into the void and you guys were able to pull off this incredible comeback, just what can you tell me about the range of emotions that you went through through the last 30 seconds or so?

JUSTIN HUTSON: Those grade questions are deceiving nowadays, because we only got two guys that leave that don't have any eligibility. So it's deceiving when you call somebody a senior or super senior or junior. Depends on what it is.

The range of emotions was just pride for them and happy for them. I thought we deserved a few other games, but that's how it goes. This time we deserved this one too, but it doesn't mean we were going to win. The ball goes in or it doesn't at times.

You just wanted to come and play the way that we knew we can play and give everything we can have and stick together. When that happens as a coach and a leader, you want success for them. That's the first thing you do.

Of course, you like it, but you want to see them cheer and jump around, so I'm happy for them.

Q. Yap, you ended the last three minutes of the first half dominating, six points. You came in the second half also dominating. What got into you? Did you feel more confident now that you had played a couple of minutes, got back into the rhythm?

DONAVAN YAP, JR.: A little bit, and then I think for the most part I just didn't want to let my teammates down. I wanted to come in and just give it all I had, kind of like Isaiah Pope said. Just give it all I had.

This could be our last time together, so I'm just trying to go out there and do whatever it is I could do. And luckily I was able to score the six points.

Q. How is the hand feeling now?

DONAVAN YAP, JR.: It's feeling good. A little sore, but it's nothing.

Q. Coach, you guys played Wyoming two times in this past week. Do you feel like that was a benefit to your guys' game that you guys played them?

JUSTIN HUTSON: I think you always -- if you have the right mindset, that's just human nature. When they come in and beat you that bad, human nature, they may let down and human nature we're going to be upset, but at the end of the year, it doesn't always happen that way.

The difference was it happened at the end of the year where our guys could have packed it in. You know they were ready. I mean, we played them. They beat us on a last-second shot at Wyoming, so they knew we were going to come ready.

It just happened with the guys on the floor. The guys on the floor continued to fight, and we came up on the winning end this time.

Q. Six offensive rebounds, nine second-chance points. None of them bigger than Leo's putback to take the lead at the end. Just what does that say about your team's fight and the willingness to win?

JUSTIN HUTSON: It says a lot because we're not a big offensive rebounding team, so it says I'm going to do what it takes at the end of this game to make a play because that's not one of our strengths.

Q. Five players in double figures tonight. Just what did you like most about the way you guys were able to spread the ball and get offense from everywhere?

JUSTIN HUTSON: That is one of our strengths when we play right. We don't have any selfish guys on the team. They all are playing to win, but sometimes we get passive. Sometimes we get a little over-aggressive. I just thought we continued to move the ball, and we played right, and we had some guys step up that are sitting next to me and a few others that just made some big shots and continued to play.

Q. My last question is, kind of going along with what we've already asked about how you're prepping for USU tomorrow, are there any specific players that you're looking out for, any of the three of you that you are worried about?

JUSTIN HUTSON: That whole team.

ISAIAH POPE: Yeah.

JUSTIN HUTSON: That whole team. The ones on the bench, the coaches, everybody. That whole team. They'll be ready. They'll be ready. So will we.

ISAIAH POPE: Yes, sir.

DONAVAN YAP, JR.: Yep.