.png)
Kris Joseph, who was born in Montreal, just completed his first year of college basketball at Syracuse.
4/23/2009 11:19:25 AM | Men's Basketball
Freshman forward Kris Joseph took an interesting path to Syracuse University. The 6-7 forward grew up in Montreal, Canada. He decided to spend a year going to high school in the United States and enrolled at Archbishop Carroll in Washington D.C. Former SU standouts Lawrence Moten (basketball) and Marvin Graves (football) also attended the school.
Joseph just completed his first season of intercollegiate play with the Orange. He saw court time in 34 of 38 contests for Coach Boeheim's squad. One of his more memorial appearances was in the six-overtime outing with Connecticut in the BIG EAST Conference Tournament. After Syracuse lost some of its front-line performers to foul problems, Joseph was thrust into the lineup and had to log minutes at center. It was a position he had yet to play at Syracuse, even in practice sessions.
Here are some of Joseph's thoughts on his first campaign with the SU basketball program. The interview was conducted right after he participated in a radio interview with a station in Montreal. The entire radio session was conducted in French.:
When did you learn to speak French?
“Probably in kindergarten, maybe before, because growing up in Montreal you have to be bilingual in order to get a job. So, I learned French at a very early age.”
What language was spoken at home?
“English, English is my first language because my parents are from Trinidad and Tobago so they don't speak any French really, but English was spoken at home.”
Where any of your classes in French?
“Yea, I went to French school my whole life. English class was kind of like French 1 in America, so really I had the upper-hand because my first language was English and everything else was in French.”
Recap your first year at SU. What surprised you the most about college basketball?
“I expected everyone to be strong but not as strong as they really were. I knew that the game would be a lot faster than it was in high school but it was unbelievably fast. I think that I wasn't totally prepared for the quickness and the physicality of the game at the college level.”
Which Syracuse players impressed you right off the bat?
“Jonny (Flynn) of course, and definitely Paul (Harris). I want to add in Wes (Johnson) too because he had an amazing bounce. It was crazy when I saw him dunk on a 6'8” guy with a 42-inch vertical, that was pretty amazing. But more so Jonny and Paul because I've been watching them on the TV since last year when I was watching all their games.”
Give us a couple of your season highlights.
“I had a nice reverse dunk against Oakland that I remember quite vividly, and I had a nice reverse lay-up against them too. Probably the biggest highlight was scoring in the Sweet 16, even though we lost. That was something I always dreamed about, scoring in the tournament.”
What was it like playing center in the overtime game against Connecticut at Madison Square Garden?
“Yea, that was crazy because I was probably sitting on the bench for three hours before my number was called. To go in at center when Thabeet (UConn's 7-3 center Hasheem Thabeet) was still in the game. Luckily he fouled out a couple of minutes later, but I didn't know what I was going to do if he got the ball down there against me."
Where does your head match up withThabeet's body?
“I think his elbow. It was pretty bad. I remember one thing -- they called a foul on him or something and I just snatched the ball from him to show him that I'm not intimidated by him. Deep down inside I probably was a little scared.”
Did things work out for you in that game?
“Yea, it did [work out]. I drew a charge in that game and I think I grabbed a couple rebounds, but it worked out well. The one thing that was confusing in that game was setting the flat screen for Jonny -- I'd never set that before in my life. He kept directing me left, right and it was a little confusing for me at first.”
On having to play the 5-spot on offense and defense:
“Setting ball screens for Jonny and Andy (Rautins) -- that was confusing for a while until I got the gist of it. In the sixth overtime it was just second nature. I caught on quick.”
Looking back on it, is that game still as remarkable as it seemed at the time?
“Yea, it definitely is, I mean, six overtimes! I had never heard of that ever in my life. To be a part of that, if you were a fan or a player, or referee -- it doesn't matter -- people doing the score, clock, that's just a historical moment in college basketball. They'll be talking about that for years. The next day it was an instant classic on ESPN Classic. That shows a lot.”
How has the adjustment been academically?
“I was good until we started hitting the road a lot (during the season). It was hard to keep doing the make-up work or trying to do extra work so I don't fall back as far behind. Now that the season is over I'm getting a hang of it again.”
What parts of your game do you want to work on during the offseason?
“I definitely want to get stronger. I don't want that to be an issue next year. I'm already working out every day since we've been back from Memphis (the NCAA tournament). I've been getting shots up. I want my teammates to be able to trust me with the ball in my hands and if the shot clock is dying, if the real game clock is dying down. I want them to trust me to pass me the ball and that I can knock down the shot.”
What are your summer plans?
“Oh I do. I'll be here working out, doing summer school, and just getting better. I'll be getting ready for next year, getting my mind right.”
What's been the best part of your Syracuse experience so far?
“Just the team atmosphere. I've never been on a team so funny in my life. Everyone is great -- the team chemistry is great. I really felt like we were all brothers on this team. No one thought that they were better than anyone else, everyone was just equals, and I think that's the way it's supposed to be on any type of team.”
Which player would fans be most surprised to know is funny?
“Sean Williams. I'm always clowning and Sean is always clowning on me. He's a lot funnier than he seems. He seems like a quiet tall guy but really when you get to know him and when he gets comfortable with you he's hilarious.”
Sunday, October 18
Sunday, October 18
Sunday, October 18
Sunday, October 18
