SU Player Quotes vs. Davidson
Syracuse vs. Davidson
Syracuse Player Quotes
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
December 18, 2005
Junior Forward Demetris Nichols
On making adjustments…
“I had four turnovers in the first half and Coach won’t accept that. In the second half, we tried to take care of the ball in traffic.”
On the play of Gerry McNamara…
“He played great. Guys found him and he knocked down the shots. I’m happy for him. Whatever they came at us with, we adjusted to it very fast. G-Mac was hot, and he played a great game.”
On his confidence level…
“I’m feeling good right now. I think all of the hard work is paying off. I feel good.”
Sophomore Guard Josh Wright
On how to improve his game…
“I’m just playing and trying to get a lot of confidence going. Each game gives me a lot of experience. I’m just doing my thing right now. Basically, we’re breaking everything down and taking it one step at a time. We’re working on everything, taking everything and polishing it – we’re working really hard.”
On the impact of having the student home for Winter Break…
“That’s big for us, having the student section there. In a game like this, we have to bring our own energy, and I think that’s what we did tonight.”
On what his role will be in BIG EAST Conference play…
“We bring different things to the table. Having the speed and quickness that I have, I know no one has the same thing I have. I know I’m going to be able to get to the ball and I know I’m going to be able to get those long rebounds. It’s all strategy. We just play. We’re not 6’10”, we’re not 6’5”, we’re not 6’3”. We just play, and the harder we play, the better we’ll be able to do.”
Freshman Guard Eric Devendorf
On the double scoring-threat of Gerry McNamara and Demetris Nichols…
“It’s just an incredible performance by both of them. Gerry had 38 (points) and Demetris had 26. That’s just a great performance by both of them. (Gerry) is a great player, and great players do great things. Hopefully they keep it up. Gerry is one of the best players in the country as far as moving without the ball. When he gets open looks he’s going to knock them down and today he knocked eight of them down.”
On the play of Davidson…
“I think this is a great win. Davidson played, I don’t know how many top 25 teams they play, but they play a lot and they’re in the tournament every year, so this is a great win for us.”
On coming on strong in the second half…
“Maybe we came out a little rusty in the first half, but the second half we came out and shot some buckets and played good defense. I just got more shots in the second half – I made my shots. In the first half, I only took one shot, but I’m not worried about that. My shots are going to come, so I’m just going to keep going out and trying to contribute.”
On the upcoming game against Illinois-Chicago…
“They beat Georgia Tech and Northwestern, so it’s going to be another tough team to play against. We have to get ready. I’m anxious for the game, but I’m anxious to go home, too, and see my mother. I want to go home with a win – that makes it even better.”
On his role on the team…
“I’m very comfortable. Just because I don’t score points…I’m a freshman. I’m going to go in there and contribute. Gerry and Demetris are the two top scorers on our team and they’re going to score points every game. I’m looking to go in there and chip in nine or ten points, and hopefully that helps us get a victory.”
Senior Guard Gerry McNamara
On what the strategy was going into the game…
“They were a good team and we expected them to play well. I thought we did a pretty good job on defense at times. Demetris did a great job on Brendan Winters. He’s a tough player. That was a lot of what we did. If we play good defense and get after people, we’re going to be pretty successful, and during stretches of this game we did that.”
On feeling it before a big game…
“Coach Hopkins, he sees it in my eyes before games. Today, I just felt right. It was one of those games where you feel like everything is going to go your way. I came in and the rest is history. I wanted to play a good game – I had family and friends here.”
On how this game compares to 2004’s performance with nine three’s against BYU…
“It doesn’t compare. That was the NCAA tournament and I was shooting to survive so we could go on. Today, we had a lead and I was hot…Every time I shoot the ball well, people are going to think of the BYU game and how well I shot. The BYU game was to survive, and this was just us trying to get a win.”
On having just two days off between games…
“It’s definitely good to play two games back-to-back instead of waiting a week between every game. We have to prepare for Illinois-Chicago. We know they’re a tough team, and we have to be prepared. The next two days are our days to improve, and hopefully we’re ready.”
On the play of Demetris Nichols…
“That’s pretty impressive for him to play that well defensively and to play that well offensively. I’d say that was his best game of the year on both ends. He did a great job of not playing one or the other. He was ready for the challenge. I told him, he’s a good player. Demetris did a good job out there.”
On his 38-point performance…
“I’ve been saying it all year – if I get good looks, I’m going to knock them down. I got a couple looks tonight. If I’m open, I’m going to make them and I got open tonight. If I’m open, at least 60-70 percent of them are going in. It just felt right. Every shooter goes through it. When you’re shooting that way, you have to keep shooting, and the strange thing is, your teammates realize you’re shooting that way. They did a good job of finding me, and I knocked the shots down.”
On the play of Matt Gorman…
“Matt played a great game. He did a great job on the boards for us, and he was active. He brought energy, and that’s what we need. We expect Matt to produce, and he expects that from himself. He’s waited his turn a long time, and when he gets in there and plays well, it means a lot to me. I’ve been with him every step of the way, and for him to get out there and play as well as he is, it’s a great thing.”
