Syracuse vs. Bucknell Player Quotes
Syracuse vs. Bucknell
Dec. 20, 2011
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Kris Joseph, Senior, Forward
Coach said that you and Scoop have to show up every night -- is there a lot of pressure to?
“That’s not pressure. That is what we have to do. We are at a time in our careers where both of us have been here for long enough and we are like grandparents out there.
“We need to perform well for our team not necessarily in points per game, but just being there offensively and making plays for our teammates. If Scoop and I are doing that every night then I think we are going to be very successful.”
How are Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams playing?
"Rakeem and Michael are very capable freshman -- highly talented out of high school as you all know. Rakeem just showed a little bit of what he can do. He really hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential and Michael can do the same thing.
“Michael showed tonight mentally that he can really run the offense and they both did a tremendous job for us tonight.”
Fab Melo, Sophomore, Center
Just how deep is this team right now, now that we have seen you through 12 games? When one guy falls, somebody else steps up?
“That’s our weapon. Everybody can step up and that’s a good thing.”
You almost had your first double-double today. How much have you improved since last year?
“I improved a lot since last year. I worked a lot and now it is paying off.”
Do you think that in this game in particular you really just dominated on both sides of the court and in the paint?
“I try to dominate. I don’t know if my coach will agree with that but I can do better, I am sure.”
Scoop Jardine, Senior, Guard
Coach Boeheim really didn’t criticize his team tonight -- are there any little things that you want to tweak before you get into the BIG EAST?
“We can get better on the defensive end and our offense can always get better. We only played one good game offensively this year, against N.C. State, and we made some shots and it was a tough win, but our offense can always get a lot better.
“Our defense can also get better because we are going to keep playing teams where we are going to have to adapt to how they play offensively. That’s one thing we have been doing in practice a lot defensively.”
Much has been made of your leadership off the floor -- those couple of games where you were on the bench and cheering them on. These last two games you have been really showing it on the floor, especially late in the game. Talk about what kind of different mindset it is for you when it’s on the floor.
“Well its more taking what the defense is giving me and leading by example. My game really blossoms when I am getting other guys the ball and being the unselfish player that I am. When I can play that way a lot of things are going to happen for me. Today I got it back. I got some guys some easy looks.”
Dec. 20, 2011
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Kris Joseph, Senior, Forward
Coach said that you and Scoop have to show up every night -- is there a lot of pressure to?
“That’s not pressure. That is what we have to do. We are at a time in our careers where both of us have been here for long enough and we are like grandparents out there.
“We need to perform well for our team not necessarily in points per game, but just being there offensively and making plays for our teammates. If Scoop and I are doing that every night then I think we are going to be very successful.”
How are Rakeem Christmas and Michael Carter-Williams playing?
"Rakeem and Michael are very capable freshman -- highly talented out of high school as you all know. Rakeem just showed a little bit of what he can do. He really hasn’t even scratched the surface of his potential and Michael can do the same thing.
“Michael showed tonight mentally that he can really run the offense and they both did a tremendous job for us tonight.”
Fab Melo, Sophomore, Center
Just how deep is this team right now, now that we have seen you through 12 games? When one guy falls, somebody else steps up?
“That’s our weapon. Everybody can step up and that’s a good thing.”
You almost had your first double-double today. How much have you improved since last year?
“I improved a lot since last year. I worked a lot and now it is paying off.”
Do you think that in this game in particular you really just dominated on both sides of the court and in the paint?
“I try to dominate. I don’t know if my coach will agree with that but I can do better, I am sure.”
Scoop Jardine, Senior, Guard
Coach Boeheim really didn’t criticize his team tonight -- are there any little things that you want to tweak before you get into the BIG EAST?
“We can get better on the defensive end and our offense can always get better. We only played one good game offensively this year, against N.C. State, and we made some shots and it was a tough win, but our offense can always get a lot better.
“Our defense can also get better because we are going to keep playing teams where we are going to have to adapt to how they play offensively. That’s one thing we have been doing in practice a lot defensively.”
Much has been made of your leadership off the floor -- those couple of games where you were on the bench and cheering them on. These last two games you have been really showing it on the floor, especially late in the game. Talk about what kind of different mindset it is for you when it’s on the floor.
“Well its more taking what the defense is giving me and leading by example. My game really blossoms when I am getting other guys the ball and being the unselfish player that I am. When I can play that way a lot of things are going to happen for me. Today I got it back. I got some guys some easy looks.”
