Coach Boeheim Quotes
Sunday, Dec. 30, 2003
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
"We are obviously in a situation now where the guys who are ready to play are going to play and the other guys are going to sit there and watch until they do something in practice or we get some indication that they are more ready to play. I am very disappointed in our inside play tonight. We are getting seven or eight opportunities where Billy (Edelin) or Josh (Pace) are getting in the lane and the centers are coming over to help and we can’t get the offensive rebound with a six-foot-one guy standing next to us. That is disappointing. I can’t tell you how discouraging it is for our big guys not to be better in there at this stage in the year. Defensively they are going against guys like Haddix (Siena), a 6-6 kids here and the guy is spinning on us and going by us and making plays in the lane. That is just not acceptable if we are going to be playing man-to-man. I think the other guys did a pretty good job of playing man-to-man. Then they go to a post guy who is averaging five points a game and he is going by us. That is a concern right now. I thought we did play better defense in the second half. Billy was the difference in the game. People are watching Gerry (McNamara) and Hak (Warrick) and Billy is getting an opportunity to get to the lane and when he gets in there he is as good a finisher as any guard. Josh got some great opportunities today, but he just missed shots he normally makes. I think, overall, that we have to get some other guys ready in practices. But, if they are not ready, they are not going out there. If we have to play six guys, then we will play six guys. That is what it will be. It is discouraging after 10 weeks for our guys not to be a higher level of readiness and that speaks to the inside guys and to the younger players."
"I think Canisius is a good basketball team. I watched a lot of tape on them and they outplayed Marquette for the whole game. The games they have lost have been to good teams and they have been right in the game all the way. I think they will be a very good team to contend with. They shoot the ball very well. They handle the ball well. Tonight they did a good job battling us on the boards. We did not have any advantage there. Hak and Billy were just a little too good for them offensively. We stayed in the press a little too long, probably, in the first half. I had a little too much confidence that we were going to be able to get a blocked shot back there and that was misplaced confidence on my part. The second half we played better defensively and Billy had a great game."
On whether or not Billy Edelin has the green light to back his defender down if it is a smaller guard:
"When we are in different offensive sets. It depends on what we are in. If we are in one or two things that we run, he has the ball and he can go wherever he sees. He does not back down too many guys, he just goes by them, usually, and gets an angle. People are concerned about Hakim and they kind of let Billy get going and get his shot. A lot of teams will not do that. A lot of teams will come over and he will have to find open people. He has a way of getting his shot up there even against big players. He has great use of his body. People are worried about Gerry and staying out on him and people are worried about Hakim and that opens up lanes. Gerry had a lot of opportunities tonight. I’d like to see him get those 15 looks every game because he is going to have some big games. I like the way Billy, Josh and Hakim are looking for Gerry and finding him, even if he is opposite, they are looking for him over there. That is big. That is good for us. I think that is something that is going to be very positive for us as we go forward."
On the defensive improvement in the second half:
"We just did not press. They got too much off our press. We did a little better job man-to-man. We stayed home a little bit better and kept people in front of us a little bit better. That was probably most of it."
On Billy Edelin’s passing and seeming more comfortable in the point guard role:
"Well first of all, he has only played about 20-some games of college basketball. He sat out a whole year and then missed 12 games last year. He is still really in his freshman year almost, you could say, at least the end of it. And, last year he only played 18 to 20 minutes a game. I think he is getting better and more comfortable in terms of what the game is about. He still has some upside. He is looking to shoot the ball a little more and he is working on his shooting."
On the team’s progress through 10 games:
"Right now we have a long ways to go. We couldn’t wait any longer to start playing good teams. There is nobody left to play except good teams and we are going to struggle, we are going to have our ups and downs. We are not anywhere near where we have to be to be a good basketball team. It is pretty obvious. I don’t think you have to know a lot about basketball to see that. We have a lot of weaknesses. We are going to have a lot of work ahead of us just to be respectable. I think we can get there, but after 10 games you should be much closer to where you need to be. We are miles from that."
On what concerns him most:
"Everything."
On whether or not he is worried about Gerry having to work too hard to get his shots:
"Not tonight he didn’t. He got some pretty good looks tonight. Some games he is going to have to work a lot harder than this. Some teams are going to play him a lot tougher than this as we have seen already this year. Every night is going to be tough for him. He is going to have to work every night to get his shots. That is what people are going to good shooters. He is just going to have to play through that and our other guys have to take advantage when people concentrate their defense on Gerry and take advantage of the openings."
Closing statement:
"We have a lot of work ahead of us. It is pretty obvious to me."
