Syracuse Player Quotes - 2004 Media Day
Senior forward Hakim Warrick:
On his leadership role:
“Josh, Craig and me, being seniors, really have to be there, especially for the young guys like Josh (Wright) and DayShawn (Wright). If we see that they’re having trouble with plays, we want to guide them and try to make the transition (from high school) as easy as possible for them.”
On junior guard Billy Edelin:
“It’s good seeing him. I really wish he could be out there for us when we take the floor for the first couple of games. The team is 100% behind him and can’t wait to get him out there on the floor with us.”
On the Coaches vs. Cancer Tournament:
“It’s good for us to be part of that tournament. We realize that Coach Boeheim is active in Coaches vs. Cancer. It’s good for us to get that kind of tough competition before a non-league schedule.”
On the combination of himself and junior guard Gerry McNamera:
“We definitely realize that a lot of teams are going to key on us. I think it’s our job to go out there and make our teammates better. They’re going to go out there and help us out. This is not a two man team. We have a lot of depth this year and I really think we’re going to make a long run in the (NCAA) tournament.”
Sophomore forward Terrence Roberts:
On the play of the sophomores:
“I think we’re all ready to come in here and contribute. We worked hard this off-season. All summer long everyone kept active, played in tournaments and was in the weight room getting prepared.”
On expectations of the team:
“We really try to block that out. We just want to come out here and get things started off on a good note. We want to win games and get things started from there.”
On the freshmen:
“I think we can really help them. Josh (Wright) and DayShawn (Wright) are two very good players. Not only can we help them, but they can help us.”
Senior guard Josh Pace
On senior forward Hakim Warrick:
“Hakim coming back helps us a lot. I think that if he hadn’t come back we would have had someone to step up, but I’m sure that they wouldn’t have done what Hakim is capable of doing. It’s good that he came back, it will make us a better team.”
On Coach Boeheim’s expectations for the seniors:
“We’ve been here for four years. We have a little experience under our belts with the Championship and NCAA Tournament experience. We are just going to depend on our veteran guys and hopefully everyone else can step up to the plate.”
On the excitement surrounding the team:
“We feel the excitement. We just have to take it one day at a time and not get ahead of ourselves. We’re just going to go out and play.”
Senior center Craig Forth:
On team experience:
“Obviously when you have a team that’s really experienced it’s easier to be successful because you just know what to do in certain situations. You can’t rely on that as everything in a season, so we’re going to have to put in our work and do everything we did last season and the season before.”
On the momentum from the end of last season carrying over:
“I really don’t think that it does. We don’t harp on last season. We focus on what we want to see happen this season and that’s what we’re going to be focusing on; what we want to see happen this season.”
Junior guard Gerry McNamara:
On freshman Josh Wright:
“He’s a speed demon. He’s passionate about the game. Anytime you’ve got guys who have heart and who care about the team, it makes it work that much better.”
On Hakim Warrick:
“It’s obvious how important Hakim is to our success. In our eyes, he’s the best player in the country, so having him back, you can’t beat that. It makes it a lot easier to win games.”
Freshman guard Josh Wright:
On playing college basketball close to his home in Utica, NY.:
“Staying close to home wasn’t really the issue. It was about putting myself in the best situation. I felt Syracuse was the best situation for me, so that’s why I came.”
On playing with junior guard Gerry McNamara and senior forward Hakim Warrick:
“It’s an honor. I feel I can make those guys look even better this year. That’s the way I’m going into the season looking at it.”
On possibly starting as a freshman:
“I just have to play my game, not try to do too much, not hold anything back, and just play. It’s all about playing to the best of my ability.”
On adjusting to college basketball:
“Everything is going to be an adjustment for me because playing at the college level is something new. The guys on the team have prepared me a little bit during preseason.”
