Marquette Player Quotes
Player Quotes
Syracuse versus Marquette
January 23, 2010
Syracuse, N.Y. –Carrier Dome
Rick Jackson, Junior, Forward
What was going on at the beginning of the game when you guys couldn’t get possession of the ball?
“Little guys have a tendency to reach. They don’t body up and we have been playing against a lot of big teams lately that try and body up and block our shots. We talked about just going up for the basket and keep dribbling to a minimum and it seemed to work out for us toward the end.”
How effective have you guys been at blocking shots and making the opposing team change shots?
“We have been trying to block and change shots. When little guys come in they have a tendency to resist coming into the paint and they just throw it up so I try and get some blocked shots going so we don’t have to worry guys coming in and shooting lay-ups. They tend to stay on the outside near the three-point line once we have blocked a couple shots.”
Scoop Jardine, Sophomore, Guard
How nerve racking is it towards the end of the game when the score gets close? How do you keep yourself calm and put together in that situation?
“It’s not nerves really. This is what we play basketball for. It is about the pressure. I like pressure and I know a lot of the team likes pressure too, but it just comes with the game of basketball.”
Did you know your teammate Rick Jackson had seven blocks today?
“He did? Wow! I know he could have even more if we were a man-to-man team because he is great at blocking shots. I am very happy for him because I used to see that a lot from him in high school.”
How do you think you guys did rebounding tonight? Do you think it was because they are such a tiny team?
“They are a tiny team, but there are a lot of long rebounds because they shot so many three’s. It is hard to play a team like that because they get in the lane and look for throw outs and if we are out of position than they can get the rebounds.”
Kris Joseph, Sophomore, Forward
You guys did a great job putting up lay-ups tonight. Is that a big goal going into every game?
“If there is a mismatch down low we are going to exploit it. For every good basketball team they are going to realize that there is always a mismatch with Arinze down low. I do not think there is anyone in this league that can guard him because he is so big and agile. We also have Rick who is a huge force down low. Having those two is always going to work to our advantage both now and in the post season.”
How do you think your defense was today?
“We were very motivated today. It was our first game back from being on the road, the students were back and all of our fans were here. We also made some great defensive stops which make us want to play better defense for the whole game.”
With the biggest crowd thus far in college basketball being here at Dome today, how does it feel to play in front of 29,000 plus fans?
“29,000 plus today? That’s awesome. It is definitely fun to go out there and see the student section back and all of the fans. We have great fans here in Syracuse. Our fans are die-hard fans and I think them being here and being so loud helps us a lot. I think it scares a lot of teams. Most teams aren’t used to all the fans roaring like that so it really helps us out.”
