Opening Statement
“Good hard-fought win. Just one of those games we just try to say get the residue off you after two tough losses, two draining and physical losses. To be at home and find a way to win against a team that ran a 2-3 zone and had big size around the rim so you had to shoot your pull up or three balls. I thought Tyrone (Wallace) stepped up and led us late in the game making plays and getting to the free-throw line and facilitating the offense. I thought Kam (Rooks) did an exceptional job really being big and playing defense without fouling, keeping his hands high, keeping balls alive, rebounding the basketball. I thought he and Ivan (Rabb) did a really good job playing together. So it was good to see.”
On starting Kameron Rooks
“I feel like going into the season before we started—leaving Australia—I thought Kingsley (Okoroh) would be the guy at that position, but he was down for three and a half weeks and it slowed him up. Now he's just starting to get in form. I thought going into the season it would be Kam from practice. But what happens when you play a lot of smaller teams is it's so tough to get those guys into a flow, and we just got to a point we had to play them. If you have 500 pounds sitting on the bench, you have to play those guys. It's just one of those deals that they've got to be able to play together and be aggressive, because they're big.”
On if change to bigger starting lineup is permanent
“I don't know if it's permanent, but I like the way Kam is playing for the last month and a half. He's earned it. So it's not a case where it was just 'let's try something different' or what happened in Las Vegas. That's not the case. I've never been a guy to change his lineup like that. So this was an easy decision for me. It was hard taking Jabari (Bird) out of the lineup, but easy as far as putting Kam in.”
On if change was for defense
“Yes, defense and just a toughness around the rim. Sometimes I think it takes a physical toll on Ivan (Rabb) to bang and do all those things. And so now Ivan doesn't have to be that guy the whole time, and it'll keep him out of foul trouble as well. So he can guard a guy similar to him from a physical standpoint. He'll still have to guard bigger guys, that's just part of it, but I think it just helps us as a team having the presence around the rim.”
California Senior Tyrone Wallace
On his play down the stretch
“I'm a senior. Guys look to me to make plays. When the game is close you have to deliver, so I just tried to go out there, be aggressive and help my team win.”
On the team's defensive performance
“Defensively we always look to be aggressive. Anything in the paint should be hard for the other team. We went hard and played our principles. (Seattle) made some tough shots tonight and we have to get better on our ball screen coverage.”
On if Coach Martin looks to him to spark the team
“I think it's understood. In the second half when the game is tight, the best players have to make plays, so that's what I try to do. Coach tells me on the sideline to turn it up.”
On Kameron Rooks
“He played huge for us tonight. Kameron was the player of the game. He came in and I don't' even know if he played last game, but he came in when Coach called his number. He moved his feet well and guarded the other team really well. He did a good job not fouling, playing big, getting extra shots and putbacks. Kameron did really well.”
California Junior Jordan Mathews
On coming back after the Las Vegas Invitational
“Like coach said, nobody is going to give you a break. It doesn't matter what team, you just have to come with it every night. We learned two hard lessons in Vegas, but it was a good learning experience for us, and now we have to get back on the winning track.”
Seattle Head Coach Cameron Dollar
On the game
“They (Cal) are not only talented, but they are well coached. They make it hard on you to score. While I would bet he (Cuonzo Martin) early in the season at the Las Vegas Invitation was not pleased with their defensive output, I think they had a renewed effort tonight on defense. They do a great job of shutting down lanes, driving lanes, and contesting shots, and they made it really hard on us all night to score, but we kept fighting and gave ourselves chances to win. They are not only long, but they move well and you can see that they are committed to playing the right way. They make it really tough (to win), and they were really good at driving the ball to the basket. They earned a lot of those free throws that they had because they just kept coming and creating those situations that got them to the line.”
On what can be learned from the game
“It's early in the year, and I think that we really competed and played hard, so we just want to continue to get better. (Haas Pavilion) is a great venue, a fun venue for the guys to play in, and I hope they got confidence off playing in this situation, in this environment, and I know they will just keep getting better.”
