Player Quotes Vs. Saint Rose
Syracuse Player Quotes
Syracuse vs. Saint Rose
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
November 1, 2005
Junior Center Darryl Watkins
On the first exhibition game of the season:
“This was the first exhibition game, so we didn’t know what to expect. There were different combinations on the floor…The young guys tonight were just going through the learning experience that every freshman goes through coming into the college level. We saw a couple of mistakes there that they have to learn from. This being the first game, they still have to learn what they can and can not do.”
Freshman Guard Eric Devendorf
On adjusting to college basketball:
“It’s another level so it’s going to be a different pace. I’m just going to have to get used to it quickly and get ready for the Big East. This was the first exhibition game, so I had to get all of the jitters out. I think I’m going to be all right.”
On his own performance:
“I didn’t feel like I played the way I know I can play. I’m hard on myself. As a team, we were all right. We’re obviously going to have to go down and rebound better, but we can’t worry too much about this game.”
Sophomore Guard Josh Wright
On his role on the team:
“I have a lot of confidence in this team. Coach has confidence in this team and the guys around me have a lot of confidence in this team. I’m just trying to play like a leader and I’m trying to contribute any way that I can. I’m a year older and I’ve been in this situation before, so I felt a lot more comfortable out there. I think we played pretty well on the offensive end, but the defensive end we should have played a lot better. We’re going to go to practice tomorrow and come out Thursday night playing better defense.”
On the play of Gerry McNamara:
“Whenever you have a great shooter like Gerry in a situation where he’s wide open and I can distribute the ball, that’s the best time to give it to him. That makes us a much more dynamic team. I can push it, I can score, I can pass and Gerry can do those same things. It makes us a much better team.”
Senior Guard Gerry McNamara
On what positives to take away from this game:
“I liked the way we pushed it and I liked the way we got out. We had some guys who made shots. I think we have to make a better effort to make things happen. We have to get inside and make things happen.
On the play of Josh Wright:
“Josh is a great help. He’s a big point guard and we expect him to score for us. We weren’t surprised at all (to see him play well). I think he did a good job. He’s such a good passer and such a good play-maker that he’s going to find someone to give the ball to. He’s going to produce.”
On what areas to improve on:
“Defensively. It’s tough to come together defensively right away. That takes work. If we can get more possessions, we’re going to score more points. We threw the ball away too much.”
On the impact of junior forward Terrence Roberts:
“You can’t bring a fire like Terrence does. He’s so energetic – he’s an energizer bunny. He brings it every night and he dunks in a game where we’re up 30 points, and he’s screaming and banging his chest. You don’t get that if he goes down and if you don’t have him in the game, it’s obviously going to hurt you.
