Student-Athlete USF Quotes
Syracuse vs. USF
January 10, 2010
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Kris Joseph, Sophomore, Forward
What happened when you injured your right ankle?
“I stepped on someone’s foot. I was just running to my spot on the zone. I was trying to get back on defense. I do not know whose foot it was. I knew that I wasn’t going back into the game in the second half."
How does your foot feel right now?
“It’s alright. I will be fine. We have a couple of days before we go to Rutgers, so I will get treated and I should be alright. It’s not my jumping foot, so I’m cool.”
If you needed to play in the second half, could you?
“Yes, definitely. I would not let my team down with just an ankle injury. If they needed me I would have went back in the game.”
What do you think of the performance of the team with you out and Arinze Onuaku in foul trouble?
“That’s the way we are supposed to play. We are supposed to make basketball easy. The guards did a great job of penetrating and getting it to the base for a lot of easy shots. As long as we do that when everyone is healthy and out of foul trouble we will win a lot of games."
Wesley Johnson, Junior, Forward
How important is it to see the big guys finish down low?
“It is very important. We feed off that. We throw it and if they get doubled they throw it back out and we knock down shots. That is great. It is very important for them to make shots."
Are you looking forward to going on the road and playing Rutgers?
“I am very excited. It will be my second road game. I was watching the game last year and Johnny (Flynn) had that crazy dunk down there. I am looking forward to going down there. It is going to be a long stretch of road games.”
How do you feel about being the biggest rebounder tonight?
“Kris (Joseph) was out and I felt that I had to get on the boards a lot more. We were kind of small on the back end with Andy (Rautins) back there. I felt that I had to be more aggressive on the boards, both on offense and defense.”
Andy Rautins, Senior, Guard
How happy are you to have zero turnovers?
“That’s the way it should be. I don’t expect myself to turn the ball over as many times as I did last game. It is not a surprise to me, but definitely something we thought about cleaning up and we did that. I’m real proud of our guys tonight for that."
What is the atmosphere at Rutgers?
“It’s nuts! Everybody will tell you that. It’s a really tough place to play and they bring a lot of energy. In the past we have played pretty well there, so hopefully we can continue to do so.”
Do you think collecting some big wins away from home will help the team with its confidence?
“We want to keep our confidence high, especially going on the road. We know it is going to be a tough atmosphere to play in. West Virginia, Rutgers and Notre Dame are some of the toughest places to play on the road. We are looking forward to it. We like playing on the road. We are going to try to stay within ourselves and play team basketball.”
How much have you noticed an increased emphasis on you from opposing teams, defensively?
“I have noticed it. They will keep a guy on me at all times, so I don’t get a good look at the three. If they are going to do that then it is going to open things up for the big men. They had a good day today. If I draw attention, my teammates are going to get open and I try to focus on getting them the ball. Nobody is really concerned about individual statistics, so it doesn’t bother me at all.”
