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Syracuse Player Quotes
Syracuse Player Quotes
February 5, 2005
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Craig Forth
“We got the ball down to Hak and he went to work with it.”
“We’re going to have a short come-back time. I think we’re going to have to come in tomorrow, prepare. I was dead on offense. I couldn’t get anything to fall, I wasn’t in the right place. We were running a play wrong or we just couldn’t get what we needed off of a play. Stuff wasn’t working in the first half.
That just shows how resilient we are – being able to go out there today and hold together and pull through in a tough spot. We did what we had to do.”
On the crowd and Game Day:
“There’s a lot more butterflies in my stomach, I’ll tell you that much, but it’s a lot more fun.”
On a quick turn-around after such an emotional game:
“We’re coming against a huge team on Monday and there’s going to be a lot of emotion in that one, too. I’m already getting hyped up for that one. We talked about it in our after-the-game meeting and I’m thinking about it now, so we’ll be ready.”
On if Gerry’s clutch shooting was a defining moment in his career:
“I would say Gerry’s always been pretty good in defining moments with his three-point shooting. He’s struggled a little bit this year, but he said, ‘I want to get them to count tonight.’”
Billy Edelin
“I guess we just have to wait and see. Just keep on plugging, keep working hard in practice. We have confidence in our guys so if we have confidence in everyone, eventually we’ll make the plays.”
On Louie’s shot selection:
“Even the shots that he missed, they were shots that we know he can make. I see him make them in practice all the time and he’s made them in games before, so he’s got to take those shots. He didn’t get discouraged. When he missed he would make big plays. He got some loose balls they were keepers, so he did some good things.”
On man defense:
“Just like the press, it changes the tempo. I think people are so used to the 2-3, sometimes when you change it up it just gives them a different look. We were focusing on their three-point shooters – they have three good ones – but they got the ball inside and made some tough plays.”
On the final shot:
“That’s when it’s over, after you take those shots, because you can make one of those at any time. I paid attention, I didn’t turn my head.”
On the late game rally:
When you have good players and you’re well coached, you always have a chance to win the ballgame as long as the team doesn’t give up. We realized we were still in that game, especially at home with the big crowd, so we just tried to find a way to pull it out.
On if the crowd and Game Day affected his playing:
“I think we weren’t just relaxed and playing our basketball, especially in the first half. In the second half, it was a dogfight, but I think in the first half, at least initially, that’s what happened. You could tell they were waiting to get excited and then Hakim got that dunk and we had that press and a couple of steals. I think that really got them going. They were itching to get going, as you could see. They were great tonight for us.”
On the short turn-around before UConn:
“That’s how it is in the NCAA tournament and in the Big East Tournament. You play good teams every night and everyone wants to come and play their best ball against us, so this will be a good test, something to look back to later on in the year.”
Hakim Warrick
“We knew we had the opportunity to win. We got it going in the second half and hit a couple of free throws. In the first half they fouled me a couple of times, but I wasn’t getting the calls so I tried to get aggressive. It’s really frustrating. It did the job, though.”
On Coach Boeheim’s halftime advice:
“He told me to be aggressive. He told me even if I make the tough shots, it’s not going to help us because it’s up to me to get their big man in foul trouble. So I went out there, got a couple of fouls and just tried to go out there and be aggressive and play to my tempo.”
“I’m sure it’s going to be another big crowd on Monday, Big Monday and UConn coming in. So I’ll definitely go out there and relax, come out there just like in practice. We definitely have to be a lot better, at least on the offensive end. We played pretty good on the defensive end, especially in the first half. You know, 26 points, that’s all we can ask for. We need to be more aggressive. I think we did a much better job in the second half of moving the ball.”
On having only two days before UConn:
“You can’t do anything about it. You just have to go out there and play. It’s going to be like a tournament. Most of the guys have played AAU basketball which had four or three games in one day, so we just have to go out there and turn it right back around and be ready on Monday. You’ve got to put this right behind you and go focus on what’s next.
When we won the National Championship, we came back I think every time. A comeback like this, I think it shows almost how mature this team is and we can win these big games down the stretch. We showed a lot of composure in there.”
On the pressure of being one of two offensive options:
“Josh really carried us in that first half. He really stepped up. We just needed shot blocking and to be aggressive. I think Terrence was aggressive and Louie hit some shots for us. Those guys want to step up there and they stepped up. Craig is going to have games like that but he missed a couple of shots out there that he’s normally making. We expect him to come out and make those plays for us on Monday. Whenever we plays we expect him to go out there and make plays for us.”
Gerry McNamara
“It was an exciting second half. We just did a poor job on offense.”
On his quick second-half basket:
“I got a good look. It seems like, for some reason, I always get a shot backcourt to start the second half. I thought it was important to get out early and try to get hot, and I did. When the balls came I thought, uh-oh, this is the last thing I need, but they stayed with me until I sort of got back into that.”
On slapping the table following a made-shot:
“That was just frustration. I worked extremely hard this week to really stay in a rhythm because I hate going a week, especially after a loss. There’s good things about it and there’s bad things. I like to keep playing because you get a good rhythm. I worked extremely hard this week to keep my shot going and to come out and shoot that poorly in the first half, that frustrated me. I hope I didn’t hit anyone or hurt anyone. That was just me letting out frustration.”
“It was… I’ve never been a part of something…It was amazing. Hakim - We were just talking about it after the showers and he’s saying, ‘ You know, I got chills when they announced the attendance.’ I said, ‘I know. The sad thing was, we were down. We were on the sideline and coach was talking to us, because I got them, too. It’s funny how you hear things out of the side, even when you’re in an important situation. The fan-base and the excitement tonight was unlike anything I’ve ever been a part of.”
On if he’d like one more person to come on Monday:
“Yeah, why not? Keep it going! Why stop now? We should keep the record going. Every game should be Break the Record Night.”
“It’s strange that they got some 35-second violations. Notre Dame doesn’t really…that’s shot usually up pretty quickly. But we did some good things. We tried not to let the shooters shoot. I don’t know. It’s a little uncharacteristic out of some of their players, but sometimes that happens.”
“These types of games can make or break you. To be on ESPN and have a record-breaking crowd and lose would be a devastating thing. To be down and come back like that can be something that turns a season around. It was nice for us to win, especially at home. These last couple of games are going to be as hard as any I’ve been a part of. We’re just going to have to go out and take it one game at a time. Getting wins at home is important at this stage.”
On if it’s hard playing games so close together:
“A little bit because it’s already going on midnight. That’s the thing about it – We have to get to bed because we have practice tomorrow. You just have to stay on top of it. Take care of your body, sleep and try to be ready for Monday night. UConn is a very good team. We’ve had trouble with them in the past and we expect that trouble again. They’re just that type of team. We’re going to try our best to get prepared for Monday night and hope for another win.”
