Syracuse Player Quotes
Press conference before the Final Four
Tuesday, April 1, 2003
Manley Field House, Syracuse, N.Y.
Freshman forward Carmelo Anthony
On Texas:
“We know Texas is one of the most physical teams in the country. We know they like to run and gun with T.J. (Ford). When he’s got the ball in his hands, we’ve got to try to contain him and keep him in front of us. It’s going to be hard because he’s one of the fastest players in college, but we’re going to try to keep him in front of us and make him turn the ball over a little bit.”
On SU’s bench:
“If it wasn’t for those three guys coming off the bench in the first three games, we probably wouldn’t be sitting in front of y’all today. Josh (Pace) came off the bench and did just a little bit of everything. Jeremy (McNeil), he’s a big force, and with Billy on the court, he can score at times, and he can just get everybody the ball when they want it.”
On what separates him from the other great players in the Final Four:
“I’ve got a good supporting cast. Everybody has one good player on their team, but we’ve got eight or nine great players.”
Sophomore center Craig Forth
On playing the East Regional semifinal and final in his hometown, Albany:
“It was great for me. I hadn’t been home since December, so first it was a great homecoming, and second I got the chance to do something that 90 percent of the players out there don’t get to do. Especially being able to do it this young in my career and to have the fan support that I have. It was great for me, I really enjoyed it.”
Freshman guard Gerry McNamara
On the team not being overly excited at getting to the Final Four:
“That’s great that we’re in the Final Four. But we’re not happy with just that. We are going there (New Orleans) for a reason, and that is to bring home a national championship.”
On the media touting experience as a prerequisite for success in the NCAA Tournament:
“Experience is important. But that's why we have Kueth (Duany). He’s been in those big situations. As young as we are, we still have that one guy who knows what it is about and can be a leader. I think that's what has carried us to this point.”
Senior guard Kueth Duany
On getting to the Final Four as a senior:
“I’ve had the most fun this year at Syracuse. All these guys are so strong mentally. We’ve been through our ups and downs throughout the year just like any team has. But we’ve come back from that. And that’s why we’re successful. This is the best team that I’ve been on in my years at Syracuse. These players have so much heart and dedication. Since day one, we’ve worked hard and it’s paying off.”
On the team not being overly excited after winning the East Regional:
“I think we celebrated enough. That was great, cutting down the nets in Albany and celebrating with the fans. We are on a mission. It is not to just go to the Final Four. We still have two games to go. You have to go in there with that mindset.”
On Coach Boeheim’s patience with a young team:
“Coach is a player’s coach. I think that is why he has been here so long. He has been able to change with the times and the players. He puts a system in play, but let’s the players make the plays and do the things they need to do to get the job done.”
On the play of junior center Jeremy McNeil in the NCAA Tournament:
“He is one of the top defensive players in the country. He just doesn’t get the notoriety he deserves. Him stepping up for us the way he has, has been big for us.”
On the prospect of winning a NCAA Championship for Coach Boeheim:
“We want it real bad. We want to win a national championship and we want to be the players to bring it to coach. You’re only here for four or five years. This is your only opportunity to do this. We’re on the national scene. This is what you come to college for. We are basketball players— we want to win.”
On going to the Final Four as a player after watching his older brother play for Wisconsin in the Final Four:
“When I went down there, with the ceremonies, the atmosphere and the games, I knew I had to get there. Going there as a fan is something I’ll never forget. But going there as a player is even better.”
On Duany Duany's Final Four experience and it's influence:
"We always talk about it – that’s one thing he always brags to me about was that Wisconsin trip. That's something that I had to experience."
On his role with refugees from Sudan:
"The refugees that are there in Syracuse, that community is growing. I just try to be a friend to them, and a lot of them have helped me through some tough times also. It's a family atmosphere. They still hold on to the culture, and that’s something I try to do also. We hold on to our culture and are friends amongst each other basically."
On his memories from Sudan:
"I have some pretty good memories when times were good. When I was young, things turned bad early. I left at the age of five. It was a tough situation and basically war has been going on ever since. So all my younger memories are basically family that is missing or that have died, and things like that."
On his decision to become an American citizen:
"It was mostly my mother's decision. We had been in the United States so long, and it's been so good to us. Our family has been educated and basketball was good to us. My mother just thought that it was right since America has been so good to us that we should become American citizens and honor the fact that we are American."
On how much the team has talked about going to the Final Four:
"We've talked about it since day one, ever since practice started. I knew we had the talent to get there and it's just managing that talent and everybody getting on the same page and playing unselfishly and just trying to win."
