.png)
Coach Boeheim Quotes
Rutgers at Syracuse
Sunday, March 9, 2003
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
On completing an undefeated season in the Dome:
"We're 17-0 in here, and with the schedule we've played -- no Syracuse team has ever done that in this building. That's an unbelievable accomplishment. The last part of our schedule has been the hardest of any team I've ever coached. I don't think you can give these guys enough credit for what they've done this year. To start out 0-1 and then go 23-3 with this schedule is a tremendous accomplishment for these guys."
On the play of Rutgers:
"I've thought all along, they're a very good team. I've seen them come out and play a number of times where they've played very well. They did everything they could to win. I think they're pretty darn good."
On freshman Carmelo Anthony:
"Without any doubt, you saw the Player of the Year in the Big East today. You saw him today. There is no other player who is the Player of the Year in the Big East. If you watched all year long, it's not even close."
On sophomore Josh Pace:
"I thought the difference in the game was Josh Pace - coming in, helping our press. His defense was outstanding. He made a couple of big shots. To come out and give that kind of an effort and play the way he played today is a tremendous accomplishment."
On Senior Kueth Duany:
"Kueth's done a tremendous job on this team as a senior - he stepped up. I was glad to see Kueth hit that big shot. We had control of the game, but that shot pretty much put it away. One thing I liked was he was aggressive today - he was trying to make things happen -- that's the kind of player we have to have out there in the tournament season."
On Sherman Douglas, whose jersey was retired in pre-game ceremonies:
"Sherman is the greatest competitor I've ever coached, and I've a coached a lot of them. He's an example of a guy who gives everything he's got every play. He's a tremendous individual, and seeing him mature into a guy that's as good as it gets - there's nobody better. For those of us who were here in the very beginning and saw him come in, we know how far he's come. Like I said many times, there's never been a guy as competitive as Sherman Douglas, and we've had some unbelievable competitors here, and have now. To stand above that group - the Stevie Thompsons, the Jason Harts, the Derrick Colemans - you've got to be pretty good."
