Kutztown Player Quotes
Syracuse Student-Athlete Quotes
Syracuse vs. Kutztown
November 2, 2010
Carrier Dome – Syracuse, N.Y.
Scoop Jardine, Junior, Guard
What is the concept behind your pregame warm-up t-shirts?
“It’s something we came up with on twitter saying ‘Ooh yea that’s hot.’ They’re pretty nice shirts. The unfinished business refers to everything. From beating LeMoyne to everything else. We caught a bad break last year and want to come back to redeem ourselves."
How disappointing was last year's finish to the season?
“It was tough. We kind of underachieved. I thought we could have done a lot of damage. We did do some damage, but losing Arinze Onuaku meant we lost a great inside force. But I’m not dwelling on last year.”
How did you think the freshman played?
“They were great. Everyone did a great job. C.J. Fair impressed me a lot. Dion (Waiters) got out there and had to get some butterflies out at first. He is going to be a great player at Syracuse. Fab Melo gave us a lot. The bottom line is we just have to get it done on the defensive end.”
Kris Joseph, Junior, Forward
Talk about seeing the five reserves start the second half?
“They came out with some good energy in the first half. They’re mainly younger guys, a lot of freshmen and guys who didn’t get too much exposure last year. It was nice for them to get out there to start the second half and get a better feel for what the game is like. We got to see a little bit of what they could do.”
What do you think about the team’s depth after today’s result?
“Every year I feel like we have seven guys who get the bulk of the time. But we also have guys eight, nine, and 10 -- guys who are just as good. I think you can already see the kind of improvement players like James Southerland have made. So I think Coach (Boehiem) just really wants to get them into the game, even for eight minutes, just to see what they can do."
How important are the young guys in making up for the loss of Andy Rautins?
“They definitely are going to play a big part in filling in for who we lost from last year’s team.”
Fab Melo, Freshman, Center
Did that first bucket make the butterflies go away?
“Definitely. After my first dunk I was thinking “I’m in the right place, I’m in the Dome.’”
How much different was your first college game than high school?
“It was a lot different, the other team wasn’t that tall, but it was different. I think as we start playing BIG EAST teams it will get harder. I think I’m ready for it though.”
What was it like running the fast break on your breakaway dunk?
“It was really good. I had a ton of butterflies as I went to the hoop. And then I had that block early on which helped too. The guy came at me and I just managed to block it.”
Rick Jackson, Senior, Forward
What did it feel like to get back out on the court?
“It felt great. I think we played a great game tonight and the second group who started the second half got some momentum going for us. I think we have a great group of guys who are just learning. I don’t think we can help but to just get better.”
What do you think of the team’s depth?
“It’s really good this year. You never know what can happen. Guys can get hurt or into foul trouble, and the other guys just have to be ready to play. I think Coach (Boehiem) is just trying to get those guys ready to play. Just like we saw last year when one of our guys went down and we had to bring in someone that didn’t really have that much experience. I think it’s a great job to get those other guys ready to play.”
How is the chemistry between you and Fab Melo?
“It’s great. Fab is willing to learn and he listens. I think he is a great big guy. Seven-foot and mobile. He is definitely going to get better. On his breakaway dunk, I was a little worried that his legs were going to give out. But I knew that he was going to dunk it. He did a good job tonight.”
