Player Quotes Villanova
Syracuse vs. Villanova
January 22, 2011
Syracuse, N.Y. – Carrier Dome
Student-Athlete Quotes
Brandon Triche, Sophomore, Guard
They (Villanva) seemed to always have an answer for you guys. How tough was that to do deal with and keep getting up from?
“Even when Kris Joseph went on his run, we kept on looking at the score and it was staying at 10points. They seemed to score every time and if they did not score, they got fouled. We had stops, but we weren’t able to capitalize on some of them. I think one of the times we even tipped the ball into their basket. So they really caught a lot of breaks. We just couldn’t find the one shot that would break the barrier for us.”
Coach Boehiem said that right now, you’re not a top-five team. What are your thoughts on that?
“I guess that is what this week shows. Pittsburgh is top-five, same with Villanova. We lost to two of the best teams in the BIG EAST. We’re capable of beating these teams. We just have to figure out as a team how we can get better and we will be fine.”
What do you learn from this game?
“That we probably are not as good as we think we are. Going into the game against anyone, we expect to win. But losing two BIG EAST games in a row, that’s really tough.”
Is it sometimes helpful to be humbled like this?
“It’s fine. Last year we slipped up a few times in March, this time it is in January. If we get this slide early, it gives us time to develop as a team. We need to go back to our fundamentals and become a better team.”
Kris Joseph, Junior, Forward
How did you feel physically in the game today?
“I feel fine. Everything went as I thought it would -- no pain or anything like that. I am back at 100 percent.”
You scored 23 points today. Are you happy with how you performed?
“We lost the game. I’m not happy at all.”
Was it frustrating to keep coming back and then having Villanova continually go on yet another run?
“That is frustrating. There were a couple key rebounds that we missed. I think we get those and maybe we can get a win here. What it comes down to is our defense. Our offense will take care of itself. Our defense has to be better than it was today.”
After you missed the last game, did it feel like everyone was just a little bit out of sync?
“Maybe in the first half, but in the second half I feel like we picked it up. Our game plan was to stop the guards from penetrating into the middle and we failed to accomplish that.”
Rick Jackson, Senior, Forward
What did you think of the team’s effort today?
“I feel like at the end we really put it out there, but the first half should have been better. We had moments of greatness but then we broke down. You cannot break down against a team like Villanova. We’re going to score points, but for us, it is all about defense.”
Are they a team that is kind of built to beat the zone with all their guards?
“Yeah, they are in a way. They really didn’t try to get the ball in the high post, but they wanted to dribble- drive a lot. They did a great job of that. We have to get better at our defense and just keep working.
You seemed to have your way in the low post. Are you frustrated that you did not get more touches?
“I’m not frustrated with that. I’m frustrated with our shot selection. All day, we could have had way better shots than what we had. I think we kind of settled for jumpers and that is what they wanted us to do. They were more aggressive than us today and it showed.”
