Full video available above. Full transcript available at CalBears.com. Here are pertinent questions for Cuonzo Martin, Sam Singer and Jordan Mathews.
Cuonzo Martin
Q. How difficult has this week been for you and your team and your coaching staff given all the different factors that have come up, and does it leave the future cloudy for -- you don't know about a couple of are freshmen, whether they will be back, your own situation, how do you look forward from here at this point with any clarity?
COACH MARTIN: Well for me, I'm fine. My situation will be what I determine it will be, so I am fine.
But as far as our team, our team's fine. If you talking about Ivan and Jaylen, there's plenty of time to talk about that whatever they decide to do what they want to do.
But I just think what happens when you have a level of momentum, you're going into something, and you hit a bump in the road. And then with the situation that took place with one of our coaches. Then all of a sudden, Tyrone goes down, and then Jabari Bird.
I mean, it's tough for young guys to overcome, but for us as a staff, as men, this is life. And like Jordan said, you deal with these things all the time. I would rather deal with them now rather than 15, 20 years down the road. So, it's part of it. It's no big deal. We still have to lace them up and play the game. I think Hawaii won the game tonight. Obviously, a lot of factors, you can say this or that, but they won the game.
Q. Given where you guys were at the start of the season, the expectations, do you feel like this is an opportunity lost because like you alluded to, that there could be some personnel changes going forward. Are you going to lament that this was something that you guys couldn't turn into something bigger?
COACH MARTIN: Personnel changes? I'm not sure what you mean there. But, you mean in players?
Q. Right.
COACH MARTIN: Well, you always recruit. I like the guys we have returning. Obviously, you want to add pieces, but you always recruit. That's part of your job as a coach. Just kind of move from there. Just got to plug the right pieces in and make the right decision.
But, again, it's hard to -- Roger, Stephen Domingo, and Brandon hadn't played a lot and all of a sudden you're playing a lot of minutes against an experienced team. That's not an easy thing to do. I don't think it takes away from their ability to play the game. I think it has more to do with just not having the reps under their belt.
Jordan Mathews and Sam Singer
Q. Sam, with Jaylen getting in foul trouble so early and then really never got in any kind of rhythm, how much did that affect the game in terms of you guys establishing your offense?
SAM SINGER: Definitely affected us. You got to guard him. He averaged 15 points a game this year. And so every time he's on the floor his presence alone just forces the defense to guard him. So not having him out there allowed them to collapse a little bit more on Ivan and made it tough on our bigs and they forced us to hit outside shots.
Q. Jordan, could you address just how disappointing the end of this season is, considering what you guys achieved this year and sort of what your expectations must have been.
JORDAN MATHEWS: It's always disappointing to lose, but it doesn't take away from a great season. 23 wins, grew a lot with these guys. So of course you're disappointed, but you win ball games, you lose ball games. Life goes on. We had a great season.