Orangemen to Dance in Dayton
3/11/2001 3:24:39 PM | Men's Basketball
Below read Boeheim's quotes along with the words of SU point guard Allen Griffin and forward Damone Brown.
Jim Boeheim
His thoughts on selection Sunday:"Obviously we are happy to be in the tournament again this year. I'm happy for Allen (Griffin) and Damone (Brown). The reason we're here is because of their leadership. They've been tremendous all year."
On the extra day of rest because SU will play on Friday:
"I think the extra day will be good for us. We had four games in six days in New York. They were tough games. We played three overtimes in that stretch. With an off week from school the rest will help us."
On the status of Preston Shumpert and Billy Celuck:
"Preston shot around today and we expect him to practice tomorrow. We think he'll be at 100 percent in a couple of days. Billy Celuck will get an X-ray tomorrow, we're hoping he'll be able to play without anything (he's been using a protective pad) on his hand."
On the University of Hawaii:
"They are playing very well at the end of the year. We'll get some tapes on them tomorrow. They shoot the ball well. They are good defensively. They play physical. They played us tough in the first round in Utah a few years ago (1993-94, SU 92, Hawaii 78)."
Player Quotes
Allen Griffin, guard
On playing the NCAA tournament:"It is very emotional for me because of the year that this team has had. We've had a great year. We've played very well together. We've been friends the whole way and that's how we'll continue to play to keep that bond together."
On the possibility of time off being a negative factor:
"We had weeks off during the season and we bounced back and got wins. I credit everything to our team and our team's ability to find ways to win. As long as we keep finding ways to win everything is going to be okay."
Damone Brown, forward
On playing in the NCAA tournament:"We're excited. We're ready to go. We have to go out there like it is our last game. We want to win our last game hopefully we can go all the way."
On playing in this year's tournament compared to previous years:
"It gets more exciting every year. This year is especially exciting because it is my last year. We just want to play our best basketball and go far. It helps having experience here and knowing what it takes to win. Hopefully having been there for three years will help."
