bleedCrimson.net: You had a big win against Idaho on Saturday afternoon and really persevered through the end of that first half and then played maybe the best second half you've played this season.
Tamara Inoue: I think you said it best, it's the first time we've put a second half together. And we know as a team and as a staff that that's been our problem. We push and we motivate as much as we can but at the end of the day the kids go out and execute it and they finally did and we couldn't be prouder. The challenge now is, remember this and let's do it the rest of the season.

bc.net: What was the biggest difference in your mind in that second half against Idaho versus the other second halves you've had?
TI: I think our defense really stepped up and we really go them frustrated and then I think that built confidence for us offensively and we executed our plays that coach was calling and actually knocking them down. That helps.  Continue Reading This Post >>

bleedCrimson.net: How is the team doing in preparation for the game against New Mexico on Friday?
Mark Trakh: The team is doing great. I think we had a great week of practice, the team is up and ready to go. We're looking forward to playing the Lobos at our place tomorrow night. I know they're going to be ready. Coach Sanchez is a great coach and does a great job. I know they'll be ready but we're going to be ready too. It was a close game, a one-point game up there in Albuquerque. Hopefully it'll be a close game here and we put in a few different wrinkles as I'm sure New Mexico has. We're looking forward to the game. The kids are excited, I think the community is excited and so we're ready to go.

bc.net: Looking back at the Utah game, it was a tough shooting night but what were some of the things that you were able to take away from that game?
MT: We had just played a tough Santa Barbara team, who by the way two nights later beat UTEP which was UTEP's first loss of the season so it was a pretty good Santa Barbara team that we beat that night. Anyway, we had to leave at 3:30 the next morning to go to the airport and leave for Utah and travel, the kids were tired and we couldn't practice that day. I'm not making excuses but it was real tough getting up at three and traveling there and we couldn't practice. The next day we had a shoot-around and then you're playing a Pac 12 team that's got two kids that started on the Canadian National team that are pretty good. I'm not making excuses for our kids but it was a real tough trip. That basically, we just took that game and we don't mention it. I told the kids, "Forget about it, we're not even going to mention it." It's just a throwaway game as far as we're concerned and we just move on to the University of New Mexico. That wasn't who we are and I told the kids that we aren't going to let that loss define our team or who we are. It happens, it happens to everybody, it happened to us, there were circumstances beyond our control for not getting our kids ready but hey, we're on to New Mexico, we're improving, we're getting better. We've got three home games in a row here and it's just up to us now to play as well as we can.  Continue Reading This Post >>

bleedCrimson.net: Your thoughts on the victory over UCSB on Monday night?
Mark Trakh: I was real proud of the kids. Santa Barbara is a good team, they'd lost a couple close games at the buzzer. They beat Pepperdine 55-44 and right now Pepperdine is up at the half at USC 42-35. It shows that we're getting better. I thought it was 40 minutes of focused basketball defensively. We did a good job defensively, they have some good offensive players and we did a good job. I just feel that if you look at the team, they're playing together, they're playing hard. The team chemistry is good. The kids are playing hard and having fun. We'd like a few more wins but you lose on a last second loss to Southern Utah, you lose in overtime to UTEP, we lost a one-point game to New Mexico, we're right there with four or five wins if we could have won those games. We're not playing badly, we've been competitive in all our games except the game against UTEP at UTEP. I think we're headed in the right direction. We play Utah tonight, I don't know what the outcome of this game is going to be but we're going to play hard. I think we're okay. I think we're moving in the right direction and I like where we are and I like the fact that our team chemistry is good and we're playing hard and getting in the gym and we're learning everyday. I don't look at it as we're having a bad year, we're doing okay right now. The kids are up, the coaching staff is up and we're just going to move forward.  Continue Reading This Post >>

bleedCrimson.net: Your thoughts on the last couple of weeks of play?
Mark Trakh: If you look at the overtime loss to UTEP at home, the loss at the buzzer against Southern Utah, we were up by one and they hit a shot at the buzzer to win the game, then the UNM game, we could be 4-4 really easily right now instead of 1-7. All we can look at is stepping forward and keeping on improving and keeping coaching the kids up. I think the environment is still great, the chemistry is still great, the kids are working hard, they're trying to do everything we ask them to do. I think eventually, we win that first close game, I think it might get us going. We're still working hard and we're still trying to do what we need to do. The kids are very receptive and are really doing everything they need to do. Hopefully we can get a couple of "W's" before conference starts.

bc.net: You've had a couple tough games this season, the game at UTEP being one, but then you bounce back and play a pretty good game against UNM and take them down to the buzzer. Your team has been able to put those bad losses behind them and keep moving forward.
MT: You know, we've only had one bad loss and that was UTEP and then our defense held them to 63 points and 23 at halftime, we just couldn't score at them. UTEP is undefeated and UTEP beat an undefeated University of Denver team 89-49 at their place so it's not like UTEP's not doing it to other people. I think you could question why did the game at our place go into overtime, so you could look at it both ways. It's a bad loss but they are extremely talented too and there's some good things that we take out of the game. We played some people tough, we played some people to 17 point games which were closer than that. There's not a matter of putting anything behind us, it's a matter of going on to the next game and taking positives out of the game we just played.   Continue Reading This Post >>

bleedCrimson.net: How have your practices been going since the exhibition game and what are some things you've been working on in preparation for the season opener with Houston on Friday night?
Mark Trakh: Practices have been going well, we've got a good group of kids that are working hard. We've worked on some things but we've still got a long long way to go. Hopefully we can go into Houston and compete.

bc.net: What are some things specifically that you saw from the exhibition game that you were pleased with?
MT: That would have been an easy game to lose, we were nine down to a D2 school at our place, they're playing great. Sometimes those are the hardest games to win but we came back, won the game, kids made some big shots. We've got a ton of stuff to work on, they are only a D2 school but it's better than losing to a D2 school. We came back from nine points down, I think they know that's in them now but we've got to get a lot better if we want to compete with quality D1 schools for sure.  Continue Reading This Post >>

bleedCrimson.net: What attracted you to New Mexico State?
Mark Trakh: When I went down there, it was a couple weeks ago, number one I really felt confident about Dr. Boston and Maria Roth. I felt that the administrative support was really really good and I liked what they had to say and I like the fact that they want a strong women's basketball program. The more I thought about it, there's community support there. You can win in a lot of places but you have to have two things. You've gotta have administrative support and community support because if you don't have any support it doesn't matter where you are. I felt like there was administrative support and community support

The facilities are excellent, the Pan American Center, the weight room, the practice facility. This is a place where we can really build something. I think you've gotta sell what you have there. The climate, they kept telling me when I was there that there are 365 days of sun. I just think you've gotta find all the positives of the university and really stress that. I think we're going to do that and we're going to hit the recruiting trail really hard and see if we can bring some quality student athletes to the university.  Continue Reading This Post >>