Coach Boeheim Quotes vs. Baylor
Coach Boeheim Post-Game Quotes
Syracuse vs. Baylor
December 16, 2006
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, NY
Opening Statement:
“In the second half we did a better job on the boards. I thought Josh did a really nice job getting the ball to our shooters to start the second half, we got a couple wide open looks and I thought our big guys were more active inside. I thought we moved a lot better inside and I thought even Matty (Gorman) coming in was more active than he’s been, so I thought those were all positives. But, we’ve still got a lot of work to do and we’ve got a tough game Tuesday, Drexel is coming off a big win and we need to get ready and have two good days of practice to get ready for that game.”
On center Darryl Watkins facing a big man:
“Well, I think he’s moved better, I still don’t think we’re doing as good a job as we can of getting him the ball, but I think he’s moving better and that’s something we’ve got to continue to work on. We were smart tonight, Demetris (Nichols) had a mismatch inside and we got Bruce in foul trouble. Bruce is a real good player and to get him out of there, I think was a big key early in the game.”
On forward Demetris Nichols being guarded by a smaller player:
“I think it is very rare that a small guy is on him, I don’t think that’ll happen more than once or twice a year, if that. This team just happens to have a small team, they play three small guys, that’s their best team. But I don’t think that he’s going to get that many situations where that happens.”
On the way Nichols is playing:
“He is playing well, I think he’s played well all year. I think he’s playing with a lot of confidence and guys are looking for him. He’s putting the ball on the floor now, that he didn’t do in his first three years and pulling up and making shots off the dribble. I think that is all part of the process to get better and he’s getting better, and he has gotten better every year. He still is capable of playing at an even higher level but he is playing at a very high level now. I think our seniors are playing well and that is the key. They have to play like they played tonight. The other guys can just fit in and do what they can do and we’ll be fine. Eric (Devendorf) isn’t going to miss that many shots again. Josh Wright missed a couple wide opens shots and the whole key is for those guys to play well.”
On Baylor’s Tweety Carter:
“He can shoot, I didn’t notice it until the end of the game. I knew there was a little guy making a lot of shots, but I wasn’t sure which one it was. We were concentrating a little too much on the other guys, he’s a really good shooter and he shot it well.”
On guard Paul Harris’ play:
“He did what he can do, what he does best: get the ball and get to the basket, rebound it and that’s how he’s got to play. If he plays like that, he’s a very effective player and he’s having a very solid year. People want too much from him, he’s probably having a better year than 95 percent of the freshman in the country and he’s just got to play his game.”
On the change in starting lineups:
“Well, we’ve got a lot of work to do and we’re playing a lot of guys and starting is vastly overrated. We’re trying to play eight, nine guys and trying to see what combinations work and get guys as much experience as we can at this stage. We’ve still got a lot of work to do and we need everyone on our roster to be able to contribute, so I don’t think starting is an issue. It’s trying to get everyone game experience and get them ready to play.”
On improvements:
“Well, we rebounded better tonight and that’s a good sign, our turnovers were better, and that’s another area we can work on. At this stage of the season, there is still a lot of work that can be done. I think we can get better, that’s the good news. I think we’re a long ways from where we are satisfied with what we are doing. We’ve got a couple good weeks ahead of us. We’ve got some tough games ahead of us.”
