Coach Boeheim Quotes
Syracuse vs. Villanova
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Carrier Dome/Syracuse, N.Y.
Opening statement:
"I'd like to thank the fans. The fans were unbelievable today. Obviously, when that many fans come we like to play well. I'm really happy for our guys that they were able to go out there and play the way that they could. We started a little bit slow. I thought that defensively we really started to pick it up after the first 10 minutes. We got on the boards for the last 10 minutes of the half and the first 10 minutes of the second half. We moved the ball very, very unselfishly, as we have been. We got the ball to the right people. Rick [Jackson] finished inside.
“The first half I thought Kris [Joseph] and Scoop [Jardine] were huge. They got us back into the game. I've said all year long that those two guys are just like starters and they played just like starters. We all know that Villanova is a difficult team for us to play because of [Scottie] Reynolds and [Corey] Fisher -- two very difficult guys to stop. I thought we did a better job on those guys tonight than we have. It was just a tremendous effort really from the start. After the first couple minutes we really played well on both ends of the court – a tremendous effort."
Was this crowd different from other crowds?
"They were really into the game right from the beginning. They were really into the game against Louisville, too. The crowd doesn't score any points. We have to come to play; it's on us. We've got to play. The crowd doesn't score any buckets, block any shots, or get any rebounds. We've got to play and we played tonight."
On the team's balanced scoring:
"That's the way we want it. We try to get a balance. Wes [Johnson] had great looks tonight. His hand is better, but he hasn't been shooting as much or feeling as comfortable shooting the ball, but he got great looks tonight. I just thought that the big guys were really good and physical inside. Andy [Rautins] was huge for us tonight. He just played tremendous.”
On Arinze's Onuaku’s play:
"He's got to be active. He didn't play that much either, he only played 21 minutes. I thought he was terrific. Kris [Joseph] was so good that when we got Onuaku out we just kept playing. We were spreading them out; we wanted to use the clock. We had our better ball-handlers back there. Rick Jackson played tremendous. He has really played well the last few games."
On reflecting on the success of the team:
"We still have a ways to go. We want to keep playing. St. John's, I've seen them the past few games and they can beat anybody in this league and we know that. We have a very difficult last game of the year at Louisville. We're not concerned about anything except St. John's. Whatever happens [regarding the rankings] happens and all the other stuff. This team has never thought for a minute this year whether we are ranked or not ranked or where our ranking is. They have just played basketball all year. I just told them in there that they need to have a very short celebration, a very short one. By the time they leave the locker room I hope that they're ready to come back Tuesday to play St. John's."
On Rick Jackson's play the last few games:
"He's got people looking for him, he's moving the ball. I think people are concerned about Wesley [Johnson] and Andy [Rautins] and he's got to take advantage of those opportunities and he is. He's done a great job finishing around the basket. He's got that little hook down. He has worked hard on it. That's what it has taken for us to get better, those two big guys inside are huge for us. I think we are getting better. I think we can still get better as a team. I would anticipate us being a little better these last two weeks."
On Scoop Jardine’s play tonight:
"He was tremendous. He played well right off the bat. He actually misfired on a couple drives where I thought he could have finished better. He was aggressive. He played with a lot of confidence. I thought he was really looking to score tonight, probably a little bit more than he should be."
On the whole day's experience:
"Our fans were great. It's unbelievable to come in here and walk around the Carrier Dome and see so many people there with towels. Our fans have always supported us. I think they like this team a little better, maybe because we're 27-2."
