Coach Boeheim Quotes vs. Georgetown
Coach Boeheim Press Conference Quotes
Syracuse vs. Georgetown
February 26, 2007
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Opening Statement:
“I think this game is a culmination, we knew five games ago that we had to win and play well. This team, the seniors, deserve a lot of credit, five or six games ago people were booing them right here in Syracuse and that’s tough to take. The seniors had to make up their minds that they were going to do something about it and they did. They have been great, they have been great in practice, and they have been great in games. We have had to win in the road, we have won here. I think Georgetown, coming in with 11 straight wins has been playing the best of anybody in our conference, but maybe as well as anybody in the country and our defense was the difference. We really moved and played the best we’ve played all year, we’re one of the top five in field goal percentage defense anywhere in the country so our defense has been pretty good this year, but it was really good today. We were making a lot of mistakes on offense, we were making a lot of bad decisions and bad shots but we finally got under control. We got Andy (Rautins) a couple good shots and Demetris (Nichols) got a couple good shots and they make them when they get good ones, they just weren’t getting good ones for a while. Georgetown is a rivalry and a great basketball team, 11 straight wins and the big game they had Saturday, we probably caught them a little bit down but I’m not so sure of that, I just think we played well today.”
“When we got moving the ball we played as well as you can play for that stretch there it was a one point game. The seniors have done it; they’ve really matured and decided this is what we’re going to do. It doesn’t matter what we did earlier, Georgetown wasn’t playing well earlier in the year either. We let a couple games get away early in the year and in the conference, there is nothing you can do about that now. We played one of our best games at Louisville all year for 35 minutes and we just didn’t finish it, but Louisville has gone on to prove they are a very good team. We have one very, very tough game left at Villanova and then the tournament, I’d like to keep working hard, try to get better and see what can happen. We’ve come a long way in two weeks, a long way. I’m really proud of this team, I don’t think we’ve had any team that has been in quite as bad a position and make this kind of a stretch, not that I can remember anyway. They deserve a lot of credit, and the seniors certainly deserve a ton of credit.”
On Terrence Roberts’ injury:
“He is hobbling, but he makes plays for us. He has been a great leadership guy and obviously Paul (Harris) is getting more minutes and taking advantage of it. He had a great first half; he started to play a little bit like a freshman the second half making some freshman mistakes. Paul has been really good the last five or six games and Terrence and him together give us a great punch there. Andy has really come on in both ends of the court, his defense is getting better, he is not just a shooter but any stretch of the imagination, he is making good plays on both ends of the court. We were good and active, we forced a lot of turnovers tonight, Mookie (Darryl Watkins) didn’t have a great stat to the game, but he has been good for us all the way down the stretch. Demetris when he gets his good looks he is shooting as well as anybody in the country, we’ve just got to get him better looks.
On Demetris’ shooting:
“We had to get him better shots, we just had to get him better shots that’s all, once he makes a couple then he can make the tough ones but you don’t want him taking all tough shots. Georgetown is leading the nation in defense, or close to it, they are a tremendous defensive team and for us to play that well, I don’t know how many teams have scored over 70 points on them this year, but not too many I’m sure, and not too many lately.”
On Eric Devendorf:
“He is making some mistakes, but he is making good plays. He is going to make some bad plays but 11 (points) and 11 (assists), that’s pretty good. He is evolving and developing into, I wouldn’t say a steady point guard, but a good point guard.”
On the difference in the second half:
“I think the fans were great. Sometimes I have to talk to them a little bit but the fans have been great and were great tonight. Our fans are a little bit like players, they get up for the big games but you can’t get them to get up for the little games. I have to do a better job of coaching them. We hung in there, then slowly we got going. Once we got some good looks I think we’re going to make those shots. We just didn’t get enough good looks early but again Georgetown is a tremendous defensive team, you get them down 20, they won 11 straight games and probably by a comfortable average of at least double-digits I’m sure. We haven’t played great at home, we played really well against Villanova but that’s about it, this is by far the best game we’ve played at home this year and we needed it.”
On Paul Harris’ technical foul:
“He said he didn’t saying anything, I think he got the technical because they gave (Georgetown Head Coach) John (Thompson) one and they just looking to get one back at us. He said he didn’t say anything and I believe he didn’t, that was a bad technical.”
On his motivation:
“Coaches don’t get anybody up for a game, you read too many books, coaches prepare their team to go out and I do the same thing every game. You think I want to do something different for Wichita State then I did for tonight? No, I didn’t. Players react differently and they get more emotional and our backs have been to the wall for a while, our players know that, nobody had to tell them, they understand that. It is interesting to me that they’re still talking about teams like Connecticut and teams that don’t have a chance to get in, and saying we didn’t have a chance four games ago. We were 8- 5 and we didn’t have a chance? We’re 8- 5 in the BIG EAST and we didn’t have a chance? We beat Marquette at Marquette and they’re in the tournament, we beat Villanova by 11 points and they’re in the tournament and Syracuse doesn’t have a chance to be in the tournament? I don’t mind if they say we’re on the bubble, but when they say we don’t have a chance, that’s just absolutely absurd, people like that should lose all credibility."
"We go out and beat Providence, they lost once at home in the league to Villanova and we beat them and they say, well they’ve got to beat Georgetown. That’s like saying if you’re in the ACC you’ve got to beat Carolina and Duke to get in the tournament, you’ve got to beat Ohio State if you’re in the Big 10 to get in the tournament? In my mind we deserved to be in the tournament before tonight. If we’re 9-6 in the BIG EAST that should be good enough to get into the NCAA tournament."
"We’re just going to keep playing, just play basketball, try and get better, and I think we can get better. We’re still figuring out what to do, we do have a two guard playing a one that is learning how to play there and is doing a good job but can get better at it. I think Andy is getting better, we have two sophomores playing in the backcourt that have never really been in the positions they’re in and they’re working their way through it. Not that many teams have two sophomore guards that are playing that much that are playing that well at this stage of the year. These guys are doing a good job, they’re still learning. Josh (Wright) has been really sick, he is back in practice now, I’m hoping he can get back because we need him, I’m hoping Matt (Gorman) can still help us. Mookie is learning how to stay out of foul trouble he has done a tremendous job of that and I’m just hopeful that Terrence can be a little better, we’re going to need him at a little bit better speed. He’s really been playing with (his injury) through the whole BIG EAST, he’s been hurting since Drexel so its nothing new but hopefully he has a few days this week to rest and get ready for Villanova.”
On their backs being against the wall:
“I didn’t say anything to the players, the players know they’ve got to win all I’ve told them is that we’ve got to go out and win. We’ve got to win games, same thing I’ve said to everybody, we’ve got to go out and win games, talking isn’t going to do anything. Years we’ve been close we didn’t get in, you’ve got to win games and win your way in. There are going to be at least 10 or 12 teams, at least, out of the tournament that anybody could make a really good case that they should be in, there is no doubt in my mind. You look at the standings, I looked at the standings and picked 80 teams, I can usually pick about 66 but I picked about 76 to 80 that have a legitimate shot of being in the tournament. DePaul has some great wins, they win a couple games and get to New York and win, I mean Providence wins these last two games and gets to New York and plays well, there are a lot of teams. The BIG EAST tournament saved us last year and it is very capable of saving someone this year, that’s the way it is. College basketball all you have to do is really study all the teams that are 18 and 8, 19 and 8, 20 and 9, and there are an awful lot of them, I’m glad we’re 21-8.”
