Player Quotes
Selection Sunday
March 14, 2010
Melo Center Hall of Fame
Wes Johnson, Junior, Forward
On getting the number one seed:
"It felt good to see that, there was a lot of preparation. I was hoping we would be, but getting the clarification and seeing it felt good."
On whether he is full-strength:
"I am. My eye has a little bit of a scratch on it, but other than that, I'm good."
On whether he saw Syracuse's first round game against Vermont in 2005:
"I didn't, I just heard about it from Coach. I just know he's very anxious and ready to play this game. I'm ready to play Friday -- it's my first tournament, number one seed and a lot of hype coming behind it. I'm just ready to play."
On whether there was disappointment that Syracuse is not in the South bracket:
"My family is down there, so it would have been good to see them. Unfortunately I can't go back home, but hopefully they can come up to some of the games I have either up here (in Buffalo) or if we advance even further, hopefully they can fly out."
Andy Rautins, Senior, Guard
On Arinze Onuaku's injury:
"We don't necessarily know what's going to go on with (Arinze Onuaku) right now. We're taking it day-by-day, but I think we're more than well prepared to play without him as much as we wouldn't like to. Time and again, we fought adversity this season and played with guys being hurt, so we have more than enough talent to make up for it. It's just about getting out there and recovering and helping each other on defense and on rebounds."
On getting to play Vermont:
"When I saw the name pop up, it fired me up a little bit. I think everyone around Syracuse took that loss to heart and I was as much a part of that team in spirit back then as I am now. It's going to be a big game and we're really looking forward to it, especially playing in Buffalo."
On Syracuse's loss to Vermont in the first round of the 2005 tournament:
"That was the year before I came in. I hadn't commited yet, but everyone in Syracuse was miserable after that loss. It's definitely going to be a little bit of a payback game for us. We're not taking anybody lightly -- we're going to come out and have a great week of practice, get good preparation in and be well prepared for this game."
On possibly starting Kris Joseph for Arinze Onuaku:
"Like we mentioned all year we've had seven starters out there pretty much. We just have to get in great shape this week and be prepared to play some longer minutes. You never know, it's day-to-day with (Arinze Onuaku) we're hoping for the best, but I think we're more than capable of getting out there and covering for him."
On whether he's looking forward to playing in Buffalo:
"Absolutely. I think Syracuse has a good following wherever we go. 'Cuse nation is pretty strong in all the away arenas, but to play within the state of New York is a pretty big advantage. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing a lot of orange there."
Scoop Jardine, Sophomore, Guard
On the team’s reaction when Syracuse’s opponent was announced:
“We were psyched. Number one, Kris Joseph’s brother plays for Vermont and he actually called that game. Number two, we owe Vermont (from the first-round loss in 2005). I remember I was a junior in high school watching Vermont upset Syracuse.”
On potentially not having Arinze Onuaku in the lineup on Friday:
“Arinze is going to be with us no matter what. His leadership, on and off the court, is going to be with us. Hopefully we’ll have him back. Of course it’s a big blow, Arinze is one of the best players on the team. He’s a vocal leader on this team and if we don’t have him, we still have to go play. We have guys who can step up – guys like Dashonte (Riley) and Kris Joseph can also fill that role. We just have to go play basketball.”
On what it means to be a number one seed:
“It means a lot. It’s an honor to be a number one seed. Not many teams get a chance to be a number one seed.”
Brandon Triche, Freshman, Guard
On the teams Syracuse could face in the second round if it defeats Vermont:
“I’ve watched them play a few times but I haven’t looked at them very closely.”
On playing for a state high school championship the last two years and now playing on a number-one seeded team:
“It’s great. Last year and the year before that, going to Glens Falls (for the state finals) was you wanted to do. After losing my freshman and sophomore years, we just wanted to get there. Coming into this season, we weren’t imagining being a number one seed. All we wanted to do was just get into the tournament. For us to be a number one seed at the beginning of the season was unheard of.”
Arinze Onuako, Senior, Forward
On his situation at this point:
“I’m getting treatment.”
On what part of his leg is injured:
“It is the quad area.”
On whether it's the same injury he had:
“No, it is not the same injury.”
On whether he is upset that he may not be able to play:
“I am trying to be positive. We are taking it day-by-
day and it has been getting better so I am hoping for the best.”
On whether he is the type of player to say he is ready to practice:
“I think it is more between the doctor, trainer, me and coach. It is more of a joint decision.”
Kris Joseph, Sophomore, Forward
On whether Gerry McNamara has said anything to the team about Syracuse's 2005 loss to Vermont:
“We spoke about it yesterday after practice. He was saying that we might play Vermont. He still has a nasty taste in his mouth and I can understand why, but it is revenge time. I wasn’t around, but I could sense how angry Gerry was when he was telling me the story, so now it is payback time.”
On what kind of player his brother Maurice is, who is a senior guard for Vermont:
“He is a shooter. I know his game so well that I can close my eyes and guard him. He can drive to the basket, but he is really an excellent shooter.”
On whether he thinks Vermont will play man-to-man defense and if Maurice will guard him:
“No, he knows better. He will probably be guarding someone like Andy (Rautins). I wish we played man for a few possessions because I would guard him full court.”
On whether he will talk to his brother in the next few days:
“We are going to talk a lot. We will talk, text, tweet until we get to Buffalo. “
On whether he thinks there will be a lot of Syracuse fans in Buffalo:
“Yes, it is going to be orange out there. It is going to be to our advantage out there. I know the stadium where we will be playing holds a lot more fans than what Vermont is used to, so I think that will play a part on their performance. We are used to playing in front of a large crowd and I think it will feel like a home game with all the orange we are going to see.”
Rick Jackson, Junior, Forward
On his thoughts on the teams seeding:
“I’m glad that we’re in this thing, it feels great to have a number one seed. There were people talking about that we might not get it because of our losses but the voters saw a lot of good things in us and they gave us the number one seed. We’re happy to have that.”
On his thoughts on Syracuse being the number four overall number one seed:
“We’re just happy to be in the tournament. We’re going to play whoever we have to play hard to get where we need to be, final four, a championship. If people feel we were bumped down a couple spots we’re just going to deal with it, there is nothing we can do to change it but try and win a championship.”
On what people were saying about the match-up against Vermont:
“Syracuse lost to Vermont in 2005. Right now we have a totally different team, we’ll be prepared to play them and we’re going to do a good job in this tournament.”
On how he has to step up with Arinze Onuaku potentially out:
“Usually Arinze and I are in there battling for the boards, but now I have to step it up and go a little harder. I have to stay out of foul trouble and step it up a notch.”
