SU Player Quotes vs. Kent State
Syracuse Player Quotes
Syracuse vs. Kent State
December 30, 2005
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Junior Forward Terrence Roberts
On his plan of attack…
“When they’re out there taking three-point shots, I have to explode to the basket and set up obstacles down low. There were a lot of open looks tonight when I was getting it down low and I was dunking it in.”
On whether tonight’s game was a confidence booster…
“Definitely. They came in tonight and pushed hard, and teams that push hard make us play harder. That’s what it’s all about.”
On his goals for the rest of the season…
“Keep it up. I just want to keep playing as hard as I can, and try to win more games.”
On the play of the forwards and centers in tonight’s game…
“Other nights the big guys might not play out like they did tonight. We helped out with the guards a lot tonight, and I think that’s why we got a lot of looks. I was a lot more aggressive at putting the ball on the floor, trying to get to the basket. I was a lot more aggressive, and that took away a lot of their defense. Then they have to come down on me and leave other guys open for open shots. I think they did a great job finding me tonight, and I finished.”
On the play of freshman guard Eric Devendorf…
“That’s Eric’s big thing – he’s a great shooter and he can definitely finish around the basket. He’s a smart player and he’s going to get better every game. That’s what we need from him.”
On the upcoming BIG EAST schedule…
“We have some tough NCAA teams, so we have to come out ready to play, just like we did tonight.”
On his New Year’s Eve plans…
“Get ready for practice on Sunday.”
Junior Guard LouieMcCroskey
On having a positive outlook…
“When you’re not playing, you wonder why you’re not playing. In the last few games, that was my mindset, and I didn’t play well. For the past two games, my better attitude has been paying off. I think (the fans) appreciate guards who are playing hard. I try to play hard every time and be emotional out there. This is what you dream of doing. People don’t realize that – this is the chance that guys have been waiting for their whole lives. When things go wrong, guys are going to be upset. That’s where I was. Right now I’ve decided to…stop being down on myself and be supportive of my teammates. Tonight I had a good game, but it may not happen the next game. I have to keep the same mindset.”
On his versatility on the floor…
“I know I can play the one or two positions, and coach likes me to play the three out there. That helps me, because I might have to defend that, and I can exploit that if I get the chance.”
On how Kent State’s man-to-man defense helped set up shots…
“Just the fact that they were playing man, a lot of times that sets you up for a jump-shot. Guys went to the right spots and when they did, Terrence and Mookie (Darryl Watkins) got easy dunks and lay-ups.”
On the upcoming BIG EAST schedule…
“This is when your season really starts. Come tournament time, if you have some big wins on the road, or big wins period, they’re going to appreciate it. We have to change our mindset and go out there and play as hard as we can.”
Senior Guard Gerry McNamara
On balanced scoring…
“I think we did a pretty good job of finding each other and spreading the ball. Four or five guys in double figures, it’s pretty difficult to beat you. That was the case tonight – We played pretty well on defense. I thought toward the end we gave up some easy rebound buckets, but I thought we did a great job defensively. On offense, we have to do a better job of finding each other in the sets.”
On the play of Louie McCroske…
“He played so hard and so competitively. It was 100 percent, and I know you’re going to get 100 percent from Louie every time because he plays harder than anyone else. To see him be successful tonight and go out and be productive was a big help for us. It’s good to see that. I know Louie has struggled with coming out of the starting line-up, but we’re going to need him. We’re going to need him a lot. He does everything for us. I think he sets the tone for the whole game.”
On the play of Terrence Roberts…
“We expect that out of him. Coach said when he finishes, no one is going to be able to stop him. I think that’s the case – when he goes off and decides he’s going to get to the rim, he’s a great player. He did that tonight. He got the ball, he played aggressively – they just couldn’t stop him. Not many people can stop Terrence when he goes aggressively. We just have to get him to do it all the time and he’ll be really, really tough to stop.”
On what the mindset was coming into tonight’s game…
“The same as always. They play a lot like a BIG EAST team in that they’re physical, but we’re physical, too. If they push, you just have to push back, and that’s always the case. Any time you play a team, like Pittsburgh, you just have to push back. That’s the way they were tonight. They came at you tough, and you just had to push back.”
