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| Matt Woodley |
Chat with Men's Basketball Assistant Coach Matt Woodley at 4:30 PM on Thursday, March 6
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| Moderator: Good afternoon and welcome Washington State Cougar basketball fans to this afternoon's online chat with assistant coach Matt Woodley. The Cougars conclude the regular season against Washington this Saturday at Friel Court with tip-off time at 4:30 p.m. Coach Woodley, I know the team just concluded its practice in preparation for Washington, so thanks for taking time out of your schedule to join us today. |
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Matt Woodley: Thanks for having me. |
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| Moderator: Okay, let's get to some questions. |
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| Justin(Walla Walla): Coach Woodley,a two part question, with senior day coming up against washington..what are your thoughts about the guys and what will be going through your mind watching Kyle,Derrick,and Robbie playing their last game at Friel? Also what have been a couple keys to beating the huskies during this six game streak over them? Go Cougs! |
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Matt Woodley: It will be a sad time for me personally because I've gotten so close to those three guys. They have meant so much to our program. It will be emotional for us as a coaching staff and for me in particular. As far as beating Washington six times in a row, those six wins could have easily gone the other way. |
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| Anne (Tacoma): Coach Matt-- You're a stud. I love your passion during the games. Are the players psyched for Saturday's game? Is the rivalry as huge to them as it is to all of the Cougar faithful? Please get this victory --- what a great lead-in to the tournaments. |
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Matt Woodley: Absolutely, the players are psyched for Saturday's game. It is definitely as important to them as it is to the Cougar faithful because these kids have been here at Washington State for a few years now and understand the significance of the rivalry. |
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| L.B. Tartaglia, Sun Valley, Idaho: Coach Woodley,
Many teams in the league and around the country appear to have improved steadily throughout this season in taking both their individual, as well as collective play to the next level. Would you consider the Cougars to be included in this group, particularly over the second half of this season? |
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Matt Woodley: I think we have drastically improved throughout the season. In particular, during the second half of the season we feel we have played some high-quality basketball at different times. We have had very good individual performances from a number of different guys throughout Pac-10 play. |
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| Lloyd (Truth or Consequences, NM): Coach Woodley, how excited are you to reconnect with Dick Bennett this weekend and at the Pac-10 tournament? |
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Matt Woodley: For me, personally, it is always great to reconnect with Coach Bennett. As a young coach, he is my coaching idol. Anytime you can pick his brain and talk basketball with Coach Bennett, who I consider to be a hall of fame coach, it's truly an honor. |
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| Brian (Lake Isabella, Ca): Coach, how is the character of the recruits that we have coming in next year? |
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Matt Woodley: They are all very high-quality and high-character individuals. That is the most important part of recruiting in our program. |
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| Patrick (Moscow): How do you intend to avoid the second-half let-down that occurred at Stanford? |
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Matt Woodley: To avoid what happened last Saturday, we have to avoid our late game breakdowns, which include offensive rebounds, turnovers and poor shot selection. If we do those things then the other team has to beat us instead of us beating ourselves. |
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| Kevin(Pullman): What seed is the team aiming for in the NCAA tournament? |
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Matt Woodley: I think we are playing for anywhere from a four seed to a seven seed pending on what happens with the Washington game this Saturday and how we do in the Pac-10 Tournament. The Pac-10 Conference is the best league in the country this year, so hopefully the NCAA selection committee will reward the teams in our league that have been consistent throughout Pac-10 play. |
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| Bach (Stevens Point, Wis.): Matt - Who is the best shooter on the coaching staff. You, Tony, Ben or Ron. I say it's Coach Johnson, an all-state selection from SPASH. Man, he was lights out back in the day. |
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Matt Woodley: Hey Erich, we all know who the best shooter on the staff is and so do you. But I'm a close second and Coach Johnson is a distant last. LOL |
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| Don ( Pullman): Can you tell me a little about Hartuhn from Oregon. If you could compare him to one player in the Pac-10 who would it be? |
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Matt Woodley: Michael is an excellent shooter and scorer. He has good size and good athletic ability that the guard position requires in our system. I don't think there is one player in particular in the Pac-10 that he is like. He is unique and we are very excited that he will be a Cougar next year. |
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| Raleigh: Of the incoming recruiting class, who do you think will contribute the quickest next season. |
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Matt Woodley: I think they will all contribute in some capacity because they are all very talented players. If you had to pin me down I would have to say that the one guy that will probably play the quickest will be Klay Thompson. |
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| Moderator: Okay, that's all the time we have. Matt, thank you for joining us today. |
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Matt Woodley: Thank you once again for having me. To all of the fans, I'm sorry I didn't get to all of your questions but I hope to see you at Friel Court this Saturday afternoon. I believe it may be one of the most emotional games played at Beasley Coliseum in a long time. I think we owe it to Robbie, Derrick, and Kyle to express our appreciation for all they have done for the program. |
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| Moderator: Thank you to everyone for your questions. Remember, to get all the information about Washington State University Athletics, go no further than wsucougars.com, the official website of Cougar Athletics. Please check back to wsucougars.com for future online chats. Go Cougs! |
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