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Pastner: No more headbands

What are your initial reactions to this past weekend and how the team reacted without Richard (Jefferson)?

This was the first real weekend that we played without him, and it showed how much we relied on him. We struggled on the perimeter, but on the other hand, Luke (Walton), Ricky (Anderson) and Justin (Wessel) may not have scored much from that area in heavy amounts but they did a lot of other stuff. They rebounded, they defended well and Deon Luton from Washington, their leading scorer, was just 3-of-19. Besides the scoring part - Luke, Ricky and Justin did a good job of filling the shoes for Richard.

Did you think it would take Loren until Pac-10 season to get his timing back with blocked shots and the like?

His shot blocking ability is unbelievable; his timing is incredible. I don't know if it just took him that long until the Pac-10, but he needed game experience. There is not a better shot blocker in the country. His timing for his size is unbelievable, just unbelievable.

Is Gilbert (Arenas) in the doghouse?

No, he is out of the doghouse. Him and Jason were late to a practice and Coach Olson disciplined them. John Ash came in and did a great job and so did Justin. And I think they learned from it, and it won't happen again.

How late were they?

They weren't that late, they were in the 15-20 minute range. It was nothing bad for being late, they had to take care of a class activity. But unfortunately they needed to be at practice on time, it was just one of those things. But they have learned from their mistake.

About the upcoming weekend trip, did you think that USC would be playing this well right now?

No, I mean they are good, real good. I knew they were athletic and then when they went down with some injuries and were only playing with a six man rotation and you say, 'Well, can they really last that long.' The bottom line is they are good. Defensively, they make you get out, and they don't let you run your offense because they are scrambling around. They have some great athletes and Coach Bibby has done a great job with them.

What about UCLA, going into Pauley Pavilion? It is always an experience.

That game is going to be jacked up. UCLA is coming off a win in Chapel Hill over UNC in the Dean Dome. They are going to be jacked up because they want to beat us, they need Pac-10 wins. We need to start off the road trip with a 'W' in order to stay atop the Pac-10 standings. And anytime you have an Arizona-UCLA game, you know it is going to be a big one.

Is this one of the toughest trips of your schedule - UCLA, USC, ASU and LSU, all on the road?

After these next two weeks we will know a lot about our team. This four game road trip is comparable to the Texas, UConn and Michigan State, but they are all on the road.

Are you still taking classes?

Yes, I am working on my Ph.D. The first student athlete I know at the University of Arizona, and I am thinking the first student athlete in college athletics, to start their Ph.D. in their four year time.

One more question - where do you think the headbands are now?

The headbands are in the trash. And let me tell this to the university, you will never see another Wildcat in a headband as long as Coach Olson is here.