SU Player Quotes vs. Villanova
SU Player Quotes
Syracuse vs. Villanova
Syracuse vs. Villanova
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
March 5, 2006
Freshman Guard Eric Devendorf
On what mindset to take into the BIG EAST Tournament:
“We have Cincinnati Wednesday and we have a couple more practices, then we have to go down to New York and hopefully get some wins. It’s sudden death, so we approach every game like it’s our last.”
On if West Virginia’s tournament run last year is encouraging:
“I think we can look at that as a positive influence, but we’re not West Virginia. We just have to play Syracuse basketball. Go out and play hard….There’s a chance, but we have to play our hearts out. We have to go to New York and do that, so hopefully we can get it done.”
Junior Center Darryl Watkins
On the situation they face going into the tournament:
“It’s very tough. Our season depends on this BIG EAST Tournament, so we have to go in there, give our all and make sure we get to the championship. The teams that we have scheduled this year for the BIG EAST are really tough. To get to the championship, it’s going to be a tough run. I feel like we need to win the whole thing because we won it last year – we need to come back and win it again.”
On what he felt coming into today’s game:
“We came out with a lot of emotion because we knew how much this game meant to us. With it being Gerry’s last game in the Dome, we knew what it meant to him, too. We wanted to come out and let our emotions play, but also to play our game and try to get this win for him.”
On gaining confidence in the second half:
“We knew coming in what we needed to do, and it was working. After we got out of the slump, we saw that we had a chance to do something, so it boosted up our confidence and we started making a run for it. It was looking good, but we made some mistakes.”
On how the team is looking at the rest of the season:
“The mentality is, we need everyone – bench players, starters – to do everything they can to come out and help us get a win.”
Junior Forward Matt Gorman
On not being able to pull out a win for McNamara’s senior day:
“That’s the toughest thing for me to handle. I wanted to get Gerry a victory in his last home game, and we came up short, but with the effort we played with, you can’t say we didn’t try. We knew everything is on the line for us right now – it’s do or die. We came in with focus and with Gerry’s last home game, we knew it was going to be a big game. A lot of people were coming…there were just a few shots at the end that got by us. It was a really emotional day for me as well. It really sunk in today that he’s not going to be here next year. I came in with him, and then I red-shirted so I have another year, but it’s going to be a lot different once he’s not around.”
On how to attack the BIG EAST tournament:
“We know West Virginia was in a similar situation as us last year. They came into the BIG EAST tournament and did really well – they beat a lot of good teams, and that’s what we’re going to have to do. That’s how I always feel. I want to play, I want to win the game, but this is especially important for Gerry, to everybody.”
Senior Guard Gerry McNamara
On finding the positives in today’s loss:
“It’s tough. It’s tough to go out on a loss, but the fact is, this is my last game in the Dome and nothing is going to top that. It was emotional the whole game, every step of the way. At the end of the game I was so beat, I was so drained. I wanted to savor every moment. But at some point you think, we came out here fighting. We fought, we fought back and we played as hard as we could, and that makes us champions.”
On the emotions of hugging his parents on the court before tip-off:
“It really was. I didn’t expect it, but someone said before the game, “It might get emotional.” The ceremony, the signs, to see people yelling…it was just an overwhelming experience. It really was. It’s tough to deal with. I wasn’t letting (my mother) go. It was me not letting her go. I hugged my dad and then when I hugged her I didn’t let her go because I didn’t want to let my head up. That’s why I didn’t want the whole family out there. My mom asked me who I wanted out there – do I want Katie, do I want Timmy – and I said no, I want you two, because I don’t think I could do the whole family. If I did the whole family, I might start crying.”
On finding a second home in Syracuse:
“I’ve said it over and over, how easy it was for me to adapt to Syracuse. And for Syracuse to accept me the way that it has – the fans made it feel like home. People from Scranton are that way, and that has made my time here very special. There’s a relationship between the two now, because years down the road I’m going to still be coming to Syracuse games.”
On how to approach the rest of the season:
“A lot of teams don’t have a chance, and we still do. The loss to DePaul really hurt and we knew that. We thought we were going to win today, and we almost got one. Now we have to play well in the tournament. We’re keeping our heads up – we can’t be ashamed of what we’ve done. We’ve fought as hard as we could, and when you do that you have to be proud of yourself.”
On the play of Villanova:
“They come at you from different angles. Six-foot guys, 6-2, 6-3, can elevate, can shoot on 6-9, 6-10 guys, it’s pretty difficult. They’re fast, they’re tough and there’re as good as anyone. They made plays when it mattered, and that was the difference.”
On repairing confidence with this game:
“We always knew that we could play with teams, we just have to go out and do it. It was disappointing for me when we lose Thursday night to a team that probably shouldn’t beat us. And not only did they beat us, but they beat us by 40. It’s tough. We know what we have to do. We have to go down there and play as hard as we can. If we don’t, we’re sitting home with an early season. We don’t want that to be the case. At least we know what we have to do, and I think that’s the first step – to go down there and decide to do it.”
On playing Cincinnati in the first round of the BIG EAST:
“They got us here and we got us down there, and like Coach said, we’ll find out who the better team is. We have to go down there and leave it all on the floor like we did today, and hope for the best.”
On trying to pull out a storybook ending:
“I was hoping. I really was. To beat Villanova would be big for us and that’s no secret. I was really hoping. A call here and there, a rebound here and there, a loose ball here and there, you never know. It just didn’t work out. I think we were down seven and I had my hand on that ball and I thought, this is it. I couldn’t get it, and they went down and scored. A play like that can turn the game around, and we just didn’t make it.”
On his relationship with Coach Boeheim:
“Obviously Coach Boeheim means a lot to me, and I hope it’s the same that I mean to him. We just talked and exchanged pleasantries and what we thought of each other. It was a nice moment we had. Coach Boeheim isn’t the most outgoing, tell-you-how-he-feels-every-day kind of guy, and after four years we have a respect for each other that no one can ever take from us. I’m just happy to play for a coach who gave me the opportunity to be in the situation that I’m in and to thrive in it. I’m thankful for him, for that and for what he’s given me.”
On if he would ever return to Syracuse as a coach:
“I would hope so. I would hope they would accept me. If I had an opportunity to be a part of this program, I would jump at it. I love Syracuse and I would love to be in that situation. It’s a lot like Coach Hopkins. Coach Hop’s in a great situation. He loves this place more than anyone and that’s the way I feel. That’s the way Coach Boeheim feels, and that’s why they’re here. They have such pride and such respect for the people and the players at Syracuse that it gushes out of them. I hope it is a conversation that we do talk about. I would like to be a part of this place for a long time. Maybe down the road it could happen.”
On closing out his career at Syracuse:
“When you’re out on the court, it’s tough. It’s tough not to get emotional and I’m glad Coach took me out when he did because I’m not sure how much longer I could have held it together. I can’t say – I can’t put into words what they’ve meant to me, the people from Syracuse and Scranton and then the two together. It’s really a situation that no one has ever in any situation, in any college, has ever experienced. For me to be blessed like that, I’m just thankful. I’m thankful for everything I’ve received, for the fans that we’ve had, and the whole situation – I’m blessed.”
