Coach Boeheim Quotes
Syracuse vs. Drexel
December 19, 2006
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Opening Statement:
“Drexel played as well as they looked in the tapes, and everything we saw. We are fragile right now. We are relying so much on Demetris (Nichols) and that isn’t going to work. I thought Mookie (Darryl Watkins) did a good job tonight. We got to find another option I think in certain games, we play good teams, we are going to need to score points we’re not going to stop people as good as Drexel is and as good as the teams we are going to be playing. We got to be more consistent on offense. We made 11 turnovers the first half and seven in the second. We just can’t afford to do that, but I think Drexel played very, very well, and that’s college basketball. Everybody’s good and if you don’t play well you are going to be in trouble. I thought they played very well, and we just didn’t play well in the second half. We seem to have more sickness and bangs and bruises than we have ever had at this stage of the year, but that’s just something you need to be able to overcome and we weren’t able overcome it tonight. Now we just have to go back to work and try to get ready for Hofstra which is another team just as good as Drexel. We set our schedule up to play good teams and that is what we are doing and we are just going to have to get better.”
On the play of Drexel’s Frank Elgar:
“I thought he played well. He got in the zone and he got in the creases and he’s real good down there. They did a good job of finding him and getting him the ball. The first half we were much better defensively. We just did a really good job defensively. He’s still got some points, but we gave up inside and outside in the second half.”
On relying on Demetris Nichols:
“We got to be more balanced. We can’t turn the ball over. We missed eight layups in the second half. We can’t do that. We aren’t good enough and nobody is good enough in college basketball anymore to do that. You got to be able to battle every night out and if you miss eight lay-ups and turn the ball over 18 times you are going to lose. It’s as simple as that. Teams are good. If you don’t play well you are going to get beat”
On Josh Wright in half court offense:
“We all got impatient when we were down. I thought he did a good job in the first half of getting the ball to people. He got a little impatient when we were down, but he did a good job. We made some real bad turnovers again. Everybody made one or two. Andy (Rautins) made one or two, Demetris (Nichols) made one, Matt (Gorman) made one, Paul (Harris) made one or two. Drexel is a good defensive team. They get up on you, but we just made some really bad turnovers.”
On Carmelo Anthony:
“I’m concerned about Syracuse right now –that’s all I’m concerned about.”
