Jan. 7, 2002

Santa Clara Assistant Coach Jeff Dow
Opening remarks
"First of all, we're extremely pleased with the way we've played up to this point and our record. If you asked us before the season started if we could be 10-3 at this point would we take it and we gladly would have. We're happy with some of the big wins we have, particularly two wins over teams that were ranked at the time, in Utah and on the road against the University of Washington, and also against Temple, an NIT team from last season that is a potential postseason team as well. We certainly think the league is going to be tough, but we feel we've prepared ourselves with how we've played and the type of schedule we've played up to this point."

On the conference race
"I don't know if I'd be picking us at this point. If I'm not mistaken, we were picked to finish fifth in the preseason poll. As much as anything else, it speaks to the depth and balance of the league as a whole and it shows the improvement that teams have made through the years and not to be redundant, but parity has come to the WCC. I don't know if anybody can pick anybody else as a clear-cut favorite. I think that any number of teams are capable of winning the league. I don't know that you're going to see anybody run away with it, with a 12-2 record. I think what's going to be important is that you take care of business at home and the hopefully get some splits on the road."

Pepperdine Head Coach Mark Trakh
On the conference race
"It's hard to bet against Santa Clara. There's a lot of teams that are playing well, but they are playing really well. It's going to be a strong conference. Anybody can beat anybody night in and night out, but right now I'd have to pick Santa Clara."

On SCU picked to finish fifth in the conference by league coaches
"I'm not surprised at how well they're doing, they were my top pick going in."

San Francisco Head Coach Mary Hile-Nepfel
On the conference race
"Santa Clara's had a really good start. I think Pepperdine's played well as of late. Loyola has some experience, you can't count them out. Hopefully USF is going to finish in the top half."

Gonzaga Head Coach Kelly Graves
On the conference race
"Saint Mary's is good. Pepperdine on paper is loaded as well, they're really starting to play good basketball. But that darn (Chris) Denker down at Santa Clara always seems to get his teams to play hard. They're so balanced, they have so many kids that can shoot the ball. LMU is coming off such a great year and they've played a good schedule, so they're battle tested. One of those four will probably emerge. A 10-4 record might do it this season."

On opening weekend at Santa Clara
"The schedule gods were really good to us, they gave us the two hottest teams on the road on opening weekend! San Diego and Santa Clara both work really hard, I'm not sure we have two other teams that work hard on a game in and game out basis. You just have to be ready to battle them on every possession. We get right into the fire against two very good teams."

San Diego Head Coach Kathy Marpe
On the conference race
"Santa Clara is doing well. They've loss to Stanford, but everybody else they've either been right in the game or have beaten soundly. They've been playing more consistent and better."

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