Player Quotes Morgan State
Syracuse vs. Morgan State
December 20, 2010
Syracuse, N.Y. – Carrier Dome
Student-Athlete Quotes
James Southerland, Sophomore, Forward
You struggled earlier in the year and tonight you took advantage of the opportunity.
“I know in the season I was shooting 2-for-18. I just stayed focused and made sure I was hitting my shots.”
Eighteen points is a career high. Did you feel good coming into the game?
“Definitely. I felt like I was more focused because I knew I was needed. I basically stayed focused because you never know when Coach (Boeheim) is going to put you in the game. I just took advantage of it.”
What does a game like this do for your confidence and for the future, hopefully for you to get more playing time?
“It does a lot. It gives me a little more of a role on the team. My teammates being out there looking for me makes me feel like I’m part of the flow.”
You had a few blocks and some rebounds. Talk about your play at the defensive end.
“My coach always said I’m offensive inclined and it’s always about what’s on the defensive end. He wants me to be tough defensively, stay active and always crash the boards and rebound, and block a lot of shots.”
Dion Waiters, Freshmen, Guard
What’s more fun, the shots or the assists?
“I like all of it. I just like to get the crowd involved and get my teammates involved, seeing them happy. I know I can score if I want to, but this is better. Everybody’s happy and everybody is sharing the ball. We had 34 assists on 39 shots, so that was a big thing tonight.”
How much fun is a game like this?
“It’s awesome. Having the walk-ons come in and do their thing is really exciting. Seeing them get a chance to play and score. The hype was awesome.”
You’ve been going off the dribble the last couple of games, are you trying to be more aggressive?
“No, I know I can do it, I just like to have fun and move the ball around. I take the open shot if I’m open and try to be unselfish.”
Fab Melo, Freshmen, Center
How did you feel about tonight’s game?
“I felt good today. I played better and kept my leg warm so I could run better.”
It seems like from the beginning of the game today, you were aggressive. You were trying to call for the ball, you wanted it and were active inside.
“I warmed up really well in the beginning and that’s why I was aggressive and running the court.”
It seems like some of the more difficult things for you have been on the defensive end. Learning where to be and where not to be and how to position yourself. Is it true?
“Yes. Playing the middle of the zone is not easy. You have to move a lot. You have to have good footwork and that’s been my problem. I have to move a lot.”
How do you feel like it’s coming along?
“I feel like it’s been getting better. Everyday I’ve been getting better in practice and in games.”
How do you gauge where you are in terms of your physical ability. In terms of your leg? Are you close to being 100%?
“Very close, very close. I’ve been working with Brad (Pike), the trainer. I’ve been getting better every day.”
Are you pretty confident the way you’ve made progress in the last couple of weeks?
“Yes. I’m pretty confident. I will have one more game and I’m sure I’ll get better and I’ll be ready for the BIG EAST.”
Rick Jackson, Senior, Forward
Fab Melo had a nice pass to you -- that’s not an easy pass either.
“It’s not but it is something he can do. He’s seven foot and keeps it high and does a good job finding me down there when I’m posting up.”
I understand Coach Boeheim was really glad you chose to rebound so quickly. Is that your style of game that you’re trying to get more consistent with as BIG EAST play comes around?
“I’m always trying to get rebounds because our team was sucked in so well and we were able to get out and run and get open shots and do a great job.”
You shift to Drexel now. Are you guys ready for a tough test?
“Yeah, Drexel is a good team, good mid-major team, very physical. A team that is going to be like tonight who’s going to bang you and ride you around and we just have to play tough.”
Scoop (Jardine) was saying that you really can’t lose to them because you’re going to have to sit on it over Christmas break (as natives of Philadelphia). How do you make sure you don’t overlook them?
“You don’t overlook a team like this, especially going into break. You want to finish on a good note and I think we are going to go out there and play like we played tonight and we just have to keep it up.
Did you develop any chemistry out there with the freshmen centers?
“Fab (Melo) got going early, he got a couple of and-ones and plays that build your confidence up. Baye (Moussa Keita) was active and getting rebounds and he had a few and-ones himself. They have come a long way. I think they did a great job tonight.
