Coach Boeheim Quotes vs. Saint Rose
Syracuse vs. Saint Rose
November 8, 2011
Coach Boeheim Quotes
Opening Statement
“One thing that happens when you play a smaller team is that you get spread out and become stationary. I thought they did a great job of getting us spread out, and then rebounding was a problem. We did not rebound because we were so spread out. We started out aggressively the first few minutes. I thought we got off to a good start, but then we left them open for a few shots that they made and we lost some of our defensive aggressiveness. They took good shots and knocked them down. It’s a good game for us to play because I think our players have to realize that when you leave people open, they’re going to make shots. And they’re a good team; they’re going to win a lot of games, as they always do. But I thought it was a good lesson for our players to understand that they have to rebound and defend. In the second half, we were a little more aggressive defensively. We got the ball inside a little bit better, and I thought the difference in pressure was good. We forced some turnovers, but that’s not going to be there all the time. Against some teams we’re not going to be able to force turnovers like we did tonight, so that’s not going to be there all the time. But again, in the first half, overall we just had a couple minutes that we didn’t play the way we have to play. And I hope that’s a good lesson for these guys.”
What did you think of Brandon Triche’s performance tonight?
“I think he was in a couple situations where he was in between, and there were a couple times where he didn’t finish and a couple times where he did finish. He just needs to be more consistent.”
Were the forced turnovers from the pressure defense what turned the game around?
“Yeah, it was. We worked on it hard this year. But I don’t think it’s an answer for us; I think it’s something that can be effective sometimes. But it will not be effective against some teams because those teams will be able to handle it. It was effective tonight though. We worked on it hard, and we hope it’s something we can use throughout the year. The press was good. I think Michael did a good job in it, and I think everybody did. I think we got more aggressive. We had a couple good looks and offensive plays in the second half, and fortunately we knocked down the threes both times we made a good play. We had C.J. open in the corner and Michael open in the corner, and they hit them. Those were big shots that got us going, and then we got into the press, but again, that’s not something we can rely on.”
Talk about Fab Melo’s ability to refrain from picking up a second early foul.
“I think he understands what he shouldn’t do. And that first foul was silly because we aren’t screening out that far trying to get a shot. I thought he was much better in what he needs to do. I thought Baye Keita was really good tonight. He got a lot of rebounds, so I thought Baye had a really good stretch in the first half. So we got decent play out of the center spot and got a couple buckets down there.”
Were you surprised that the press confused Saint Rose as much as it did?
“Well tonight the press worked, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s good to have a press, but it’s not something you want to rely on.”
Does the depth of this team enable you to utilize the press more often?
“I honestly don’t think that depth has anything to do with it. It’s just a matter of whether it’s effective. If it’s effective, we use it. If it’s not effective, you can still only put five out there, so depth doesn’t have much to do with it.”
What are your impressions of the freshmen after having seen them play a couple games now?
“I think they’re good; I think they know what they’re doing. They’re making mistakes, but they’re learning. They were out of position in some help situations, but they need to learn. Overall, in these two games, we’ve played a lot of man-to-man defense, which we didn’t do in these games last year. I think that’s helpful. And we’ve worked on and played some zone. I think it’s good to be able to play both. I think our freshmen have gotten a good look at what college is like, and I think they showed some good signs.”
November 8, 2011
Coach Boeheim Quotes
Opening Statement
“One thing that happens when you play a smaller team is that you get spread out and become stationary. I thought they did a great job of getting us spread out, and then rebounding was a problem. We did not rebound because we were so spread out. We started out aggressively the first few minutes. I thought we got off to a good start, but then we left them open for a few shots that they made and we lost some of our defensive aggressiveness. They took good shots and knocked them down. It’s a good game for us to play because I think our players have to realize that when you leave people open, they’re going to make shots. And they’re a good team; they’re going to win a lot of games, as they always do. But I thought it was a good lesson for our players to understand that they have to rebound and defend. In the second half, we were a little more aggressive defensively. We got the ball inside a little bit better, and I thought the difference in pressure was good. We forced some turnovers, but that’s not going to be there all the time. Against some teams we’re not going to be able to force turnovers like we did tonight, so that’s not going to be there all the time. But again, in the first half, overall we just had a couple minutes that we didn’t play the way we have to play. And I hope that’s a good lesson for these guys.”
What did you think of Brandon Triche’s performance tonight?
“I think he was in a couple situations where he was in between, and there were a couple times where he didn’t finish and a couple times where he did finish. He just needs to be more consistent.”
Were the forced turnovers from the pressure defense what turned the game around?
“Yeah, it was. We worked on it hard this year. But I don’t think it’s an answer for us; I think it’s something that can be effective sometimes. But it will not be effective against some teams because those teams will be able to handle it. It was effective tonight though. We worked on it hard, and we hope it’s something we can use throughout the year. The press was good. I think Michael did a good job in it, and I think everybody did. I think we got more aggressive. We had a couple good looks and offensive plays in the second half, and fortunately we knocked down the threes both times we made a good play. We had C.J. open in the corner and Michael open in the corner, and they hit them. Those were big shots that got us going, and then we got into the press, but again, that’s not something we can rely on.”
Talk about Fab Melo’s ability to refrain from picking up a second early foul.
“I think he understands what he shouldn’t do. And that first foul was silly because we aren’t screening out that far trying to get a shot. I thought he was much better in what he needs to do. I thought Baye Keita was really good tonight. He got a lot of rebounds, so I thought Baye had a really good stretch in the first half. So we got decent play out of the center spot and got a couple buckets down there.”
Were you surprised that the press confused Saint Rose as much as it did?
“Well tonight the press worked, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn’t. It’s good to have a press, but it’s not something you want to rely on.”
Does the depth of this team enable you to utilize the press more often?
“I honestly don’t think that depth has anything to do with it. It’s just a matter of whether it’s effective. If it’s effective, we use it. If it’s not effective, you can still only put five out there, so depth doesn’t have much to do with it.”
What are your impressions of the freshmen after having seen them play a couple games now?
“I think they’re good; I think they know what they’re doing. They’re making mistakes, but they’re learning. They were out of position in some help situations, but they need to learn. Overall, in these two games, we’ve played a lot of man-to-man defense, which we didn’t do in these games last year. I think that’s helpful. And we’ve worked on and played some zone. I think it’s good to be able to play both. I think our freshmen have gotten a good look at what college is like, and I think they showed some good signs.”
