Coach Boeheim Quotes
Press conference before the Final Four
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
Manley Field House, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Jim Boeheim
On handling a team this young:
“As you get older, you get a little bit more patient – especially when you have three-year-old twins and a four-year-old at home, you get some training 24-hours-a-day in patience. That probably has helped me with my patience. I’m more patient now, and better able to live with some of the mistakes that we’re going to make. Freshmen are going to make mistakes. Basketball players make mistakes. And the team that usually makes the fewest number of mistakes is going to have a good chance to win.”
On the team’s emotions involving the Final Four:
“They’re very excited about it, as they should be. It’s a little unexpected from preseason, but as we got into the season it was obvious that if you can go to Notre Dame and Michigan State and win, then you have a team that is capable of big things. As a coach, the first time you go it’s very important for you as a coach – it’s something you’ve always dreamed about, wanting to get to the Final Four. The second time, I was just really happy because I didn’t think our team was a team that, in 1996, would make the Final Four. They just willed themselves to it. This year, I think I’m more happy for the players because they are so young and they enjoy it so much. I’m happy to get there, and I’d like to win it, but a week after the season, I’ll be playing golf, whatever happens.”
On Texas and the other teams in the Final Four:
“Texas is very good. I picked them to win the national championship, and I hope I’m wrong for the first time in my life. But they are very good. (T.J.) Ford is the best point guard in the country and the player of the year. They’re big and physical. They’ve got all the answers like all the teams playing right now. There are four teams playing right now who can do something. They all have size, they have depth and good offense and good defense. The Final Four is a very solid Final Four. Some times there’s a team or two that get there and you think there might be other teams that are better; Kentucky was the clear No. 1 team, and Marquette didn’t beat them, they knocked them out. If they had squeezed out a one-point win, you might have said something, but there was no question who the best team was. Kansas had to go through Duke and Arizona to get here, and there was no question in my mind they were the best team in that region. I think it’s a great Final Four, and I think Texas is a very well-balanced basketball team.”
On Kueth Duany:
“When you have one senior it’s absolutely crucial that the players look up to him, which they all do. They respect him, and they even listen to him, which is very unusual for young players. He’s done a great job in terms of his play, and he’s done a great job off the court, telling these guys what to do. He’s a great example: he graduated in four years and he’s getting more course work done now. When you only have one senior, it’s important that he’s a guy that people respect, and everybody does.”
On the play of SU’s bench during the tournament:
“We wouldn’t be playing if it wasn’t for Josh (Pace), Billy (Edelin) and Jeremy (McNeil). Not only against Manhattan and definitely in the Oklahoma State game, but in the Auburn game as well – those guys really won those games. They were important in the Oklahoma game, although our starters played very well. Without any question, without those guys we wouldn’t be playing.”
On SU’s centers:
“Against Oklahoma State – (Jeremy) McNeil’s very good in that kind of situation, and they took it to him, and he handled it. That’s what he does best. I thought Craig (Forth) came back with a real good game (against Oklahoma), defensively, and made some good plays. I’ve said from the beginning of the year that we need those two guys to be in there and make plays for us to win. That doesn’t necessarily mean they have to score points, but they have to be there for us. If there’s an opportunity to score, they need to take advantage of it. Defensively and rebounding-wise, we need both those guys to have a chance to win.”
On Billy Edelin:
“It was a difficult adjustment for him to miss a year and a half and for us to try to fit him to the lineup, and for him to be able to come in there with the pressure of us being 11-1. There were times he struggled, but we felt we needed him, and he’s been the difference for us in several games. He’s comfortable now, and he’s really made a big difference in our team.”
On Carmelo Anthony:
“His year has been unbelievable. His first three games of the tournament he didn’t play as well as he can. It’s a tribute to him that he was able to keep playing through that and not let it stop him. He had a tremendous game against a very good defensive team in Oklahoma. His year has been truly spectacular. But he’s a guy that can get a lot better. To me, he’s just a young kid – a baby, almost. He’s just learning some of the things that he can do. He’s going to get a lot better.”
On T.J. Ford of Texas:
“He’s a great penetrator, he’s got great speed. He pushes the ball and he finds people. He’s got great will and determination. He’s a very talented kid. He’s got all the tools.”
