SU Player Quotes vs. Siena (11/25)
Senior Gerry McNamara on his shooting performance:
“Tonight, I got better looks than I have been getting. When I get open looks, my percentage is definitely going to go up. The more open look I get, the more I’m going to be able to hit.”
“I felt great shooting the ball all year. A lot of times I’ve had tough games where three or four rattled out on me. I’m taking 19 shots and 12 are decent shots, seven are bad shots. It just felt good to get in a rhythm and find some spots on the floor where I don’t really have anyone around me. Our big guys did a great job of finding me and so did Josh Wright. Andy (Rautins) hit me on one. Everyone followed each other tonight. On the offensive end we improved, but on defense we’re still shaky.”
McNamara on bouncing back from the Bucknell game:
“It’s important to win games. It’s important to just win. Coming off of a loss at home is tough. Anytime you can pick a win up the next game, it’s important for the team, the chemistry, and everything you’re trying to do. This is a big win for us. We feel good about ourselves. We’ll take a day off and take it from there.”
McNamara on his alley-oop to Terrence Roberts:
“I’ve thrown a lot of alley-oops. Most of the time they are good passes. At Bucknell, I just let it sail. I pretty much lost it. I didn’t throw a good pass, that wasn’t Terrence’s fault. Tonight I put it up there and he went and got it. I’m used to just throwing it up. Hakim (Warrick) did it with me for three years. Terrence is right on that level that Hakim was athletically. He’s going to make plays and if I put it up, he’ll finish it.”
McNamara on Eric Devendorf’s performance:
“I thought he played well. I thought he was aggressive. He ran the floor at certain times, other times he didn’t. When he gets into a rhythm and he’s shooting the ball, he’s a great player, but we have to get him to run up and down the floor. I think that’s important. Anytime we get up and down the floor, we’re going to be tough. He just has to learn that there’s 40 minutes. I think when he does and he plays 40 minutes, he’s going to be fun to watch.”
Junior Terence Roberts on bouncing back from the Bucknell game:
“Those two days were the longest days ever. We came in, we had the slow start, but we finished the game strong. We got a win and that’s key.”
Roberts on the team’s defensive play:
“Basically, I think we have to be more active in the back of the zone. We have to be aware. We have to be able to adjust in certain situations defensively during the game. I think we struggled with that the last two or three games. That’s kind of been our downfall. I think we were very good in the Texas Tech game with that. We kept that ball out of the middle.”
Freshman Andy Rautins on adjusting to the collegiate game:
“I’m getting used to playing in the back of the zone. I just have to get used to that. I have to get better defensively. Things are going to go well for me I think.”
Rautins on the team’s play:
“I think we moved the ball well tonight, we just have to dig down defensively. Our offense is going to come. We had fresh legs tonight. Everyone was running. It was good, but our defense has to be better.”
Rautins on Gerry McNamara’s performance:
“It’s great for him. I always look for him when he’s open, but at the same time, you have to take the open shots yourself. It’s in the back of your mind to look for Gerry.”
Freshman Eric Devendorf on his first start:
“It was exciting. Coach told me earlier in the week that I was starting, so I was already excited earlier in the week. I just have to keep going out there and playing my game. If I start or I don’t start, I have to keep contributing like I am.”
Devendorf on adjusting to the collegiate game:
“Sometimes I feel like I’m the new guy on the team so I feel I have to work my way into it. I just have to go out there and play my game and I think it will all come to me. We’re doing well as a team, so I’m just going to play my role. I’m not going to force any shots.”
Devendorf on the team’s slow start:
“I don’t really know. That’s just something we have to work on. We have to come out prepared, and I guess we just have to work on that. Wednesday against Manhattan, we’ll be prepared.”
Devendorf on bouncing back from the Bucknell game:
“This is a confidence booster. We lost to Bucknell and obviously we weren’t supposed to lose that game. We just have to go out there and play like we know how to play like we did against Texas Tech. That’s how we can really play. If we play like that we’re going to be a really good team.”
