Coach Hillsman Postgame Quotes
Syracuse vs. Providence
March 2, 2009
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Opening Statement:
“I want to start off by saying that I am happy to win a game at home. We have not won a game at home in a long time. To come home and win a basketball game was very important to us. We just wanted to come out and play as hard as we could. Before the game, I was talking to the team about just winning the basketball game. Just do whatever it takes to win. We just have not won at home in a while. It was good for us. We got out to a big lead and they cut the lead down but I never felt that we were totally that far out of sync. We missed some shots in the lane that we were making the first half. They made a few shots in the second half that they were not making the first half. It was just a tale of two halves. I think they played a better offensive half the second half and we played the better offensive half the first half. Other than that, I am just happy with the win. I am happy to be where we are. We always talk about just trying to make the post season and have a winning season. For us, for this program, it is important to have winning seasons. We want to be a program that is a program that wins games and has winning seasons, not a program that has .500 seasons. I think that overall this game has done a lot for us as far as winning the game and guaranteeing us a winning season. Hopefully we can put a few wins together in one of the post season tournaments.”
On the importance of the win:
“It was big for us, it really was. Just for us to get back on a winning track was huge for us. We lost a lot of close games. When you lose games like that it kind of saps your energy. It saps your team a little bit. I think they came out tonight and played really hard and aggressive and I give them all the credit.”
On improvements in the team’s play:
“We went pretty hard yesterday. I would say that we definitely shot the ball better. Defensively, we played one possession of zone defense the whole game. We were going to go down swinging. We are not going to sit back in the zone and let them come out and shoot 3-point shots. We are going to go after them. I think we did a very good job on man-to-man defense. I am very proud of my kids for making the adjustment from playing zone defense all season to playing man-to-man defense and just guarding them. I was just determined to not let them shoot wide open threes. We were just going to come out and attack them and be aggressive and not give them open shots. That was our goal to not give them open shots. It is so important for us to be aggressive, maintain our intensity and not give people open looks.”
On Chandrea Jones:
“Chandrea [Jones] has been big for our team. She is a big time player. When we first got her at Syracuse, we really wanted her to come here and score the basketball. During her two years here she has really done that. “
On the defensive play:
“We just took care of the ball. We only had eight turnovers the entire game. That was a big thing for us. We just took care of the basketball. Anytime you take care of the basketball like that down the stretch it is a good thing. We are definitely getting back to what we do well and that is crash the boards and be aggressive. We were just aggressive going to the glass.”
On 3-point shots:
“I told them we cannot be shooting 26 3-point shots. That is not our game. Tonight, we got it down to a reasonable number. Our magic number to shoot is 12 e-point shots a game, unless Erica [Morrow] takes 12 wide open ones. We did not want to get out there and start throwing all these 3-pointers and not be able to get to the rim.”
On the team’s effort:
“ I am not going to let our team not compete, no matter what it takes. If it means going full-tilt shoot around it does not matter to me. Effort is what we are talking about. We just want to play hard and compete every time out. We have to do that. That is going to be what Syracuse basketball is about. Just playing hard and competing every possession.”
On playing man-to-man defense instead of zone defense:
“Providence thought we were going to come out and play zone defense. I decided we are not going to play zone defense. We were not going to sit in the zone and have us watch Providence shoot 14 3-point shots. Those days are over. We are not ever going to submit to that ever again. That is how you lose basketball games. We figure if we can run people off the spot, then we have a chance to win basketball games. That was huge for us.”
On going into the BIG EAST Tournament with a win:
“I will take 1-0 going into it. We are going to go into it 1-0. It is good to go into it on a high note obviously. Obviously, we could have finished with the fifth or sixth seed and I would have taken it, but really, I just want to play. I do not know if sitting around would do me or my kids any justice. That would be one more night that I would not sleep. I would rather just get down there and play and win as many as possible. Pack five suits and stay the whole time. “
