Syracuse vs. Tulane Coach Boeheim Quotes
Syracuse vs. Tulane
Dec. 22, 2011
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Coach Boeheim Quotes
Opening Statement:
“I thought offensively we had a very, very good first half. Offensively and defensively, I thought Tulane really moved the ball. They did a lot of good things. We executed very well the first half and took control of the game. The second half was really just trading baskets, which sometimes happens when you get that kind of lead. We played very well in the first half. Now we get a break here. We need to come back and get ready for the BIG EAST.”
Why does this team seem so prone to going on long runs, like the 19-0 to conclude the first half tonight?
“I think it is the game. That is just the game of basketball, not this team. Every game of basketball is pretty much a game of runs. You get a run, and that is what I pretty much think it has always been.”
What did you think of Michael Carter-Williams’ contributions tonight?
“He was given an opportunity and tonight I thought he did a good job with putting the ball in the basket and making good decisions. His defense was good.”
What sparked the 19-0 run to end the first half?
“We executed well. We got good shots. We shared the ball—we had three or four really good extra-pass plays where everybody hit a three. James Southerland had one or two and Kris Joseph got one. Then Brandon Triche got one at the end. It was just good ball movement and getting the ball to the open man. Guys made shots.”
After another solid night out of Dion Waiters. What are your thoughts on him?
“I think he has played well. I think his defense has improved. He is a very, very talented offensive player and he has played well all year."
What are your thoughts on your upcoming opponent Seton Hall?
“They are playing great. They are in the top-10 or 15 in the RPI. They came in here and beat us last year. They have a very good team and it will be a challenge opening the BIG EAST.
Herb Pope is having a great year. He is one of the best big guys in the country right now. They have good senior leadership between him and Jordan Theodore. They have a good team—a really good team.”
How did you feel about James Southerland’s play tonight?
“I think he had a really good first half defensively. The second half he was not as active as he was in the first half. I think there is a little bit of a natural let down when you have that kind of lead sometimes.”
Is the team hitting the boards as well as you would like?
“We are not a great rebounding team. It is what it is. We would like to get better and hopefully we will get a little bit better.”
What are your overall thoughts on the team in nonconference play this season?
“I think we have done what we had to do. It is nice to get to this point and not have a loss. We had two or three games that could have gone the other way very easily. We played well down the stretch in those games, which is great. I think we were able to get a lot of guys minutes so everybody is comfortable on the basketball court right now. Obviously, once conference play starts, competition steps way up. I think we are prepared for that.”
What do you think of Matt Tomaszewski’s shooting performance?
“The kid can shoot, can’t he?”
How has your relationship with Fab Melo evolved during his time here?
“He has worked hard and he has gotten better. He has improved, which is the goal for every big guy. We want them to come in and really get better as we go along.
I think our players, as a rule, have all improved over the years. I think he has shown great improvement, but I think all of our guys have. That is really the key in college basketball, to come in and play at a certain level and then get better. We have a lot of good players. Some nights some guys will play a little bit better than others but we have good players. When you play nine or ten guys, there is always going to be conflict over who plays when. That is just the way it works out some times.”
The team has now gone undefeated in nonconference play for three straight years. What has been the key to having that kind of success?
“We have good players and they have played well when they needed to. Most of the good teams are at that point, so it is nothing really unusual. There are a lot of good teams and usually at this point there are a lot of teams who are 10-2, 10-1 or something like that. It is not unusual.”
Is Brandon Triche’s thumb affecting his performance?
“I think it still bothers him. I thought he had a real good first half and we wanted to play Carter-Williams a little bit more, get him some time in the second half. But Brandon was very good in the first half—he got in the right spots and played well.”
How about Dion Waiter’s health?
“His (thumb) is bothering him but hopefully we can get everybody healthy going into the BIG EAST.”
Dec. 22, 2011
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Coach Boeheim Quotes
Opening Statement:
“I thought offensively we had a very, very good first half. Offensively and defensively, I thought Tulane really moved the ball. They did a lot of good things. We executed very well the first half and took control of the game. The second half was really just trading baskets, which sometimes happens when you get that kind of lead. We played very well in the first half. Now we get a break here. We need to come back and get ready for the BIG EAST.”
Why does this team seem so prone to going on long runs, like the 19-0 to conclude the first half tonight?
“I think it is the game. That is just the game of basketball, not this team. Every game of basketball is pretty much a game of runs. You get a run, and that is what I pretty much think it has always been.”
What did you think of Michael Carter-Williams’ contributions tonight?
“He was given an opportunity and tonight I thought he did a good job with putting the ball in the basket and making good decisions. His defense was good.”
What sparked the 19-0 run to end the first half?
“We executed well. We got good shots. We shared the ball—we had three or four really good extra-pass plays where everybody hit a three. James Southerland had one or two and Kris Joseph got one. Then Brandon Triche got one at the end. It was just good ball movement and getting the ball to the open man. Guys made shots.”
After another solid night out of Dion Waiters. What are your thoughts on him?
“I think he has played well. I think his defense has improved. He is a very, very talented offensive player and he has played well all year."
What are your thoughts on your upcoming opponent Seton Hall?
“They are playing great. They are in the top-10 or 15 in the RPI. They came in here and beat us last year. They have a very good team and it will be a challenge opening the BIG EAST.
Herb Pope is having a great year. He is one of the best big guys in the country right now. They have good senior leadership between him and Jordan Theodore. They have a good team—a really good team.”
How did you feel about James Southerland’s play tonight?
“I think he had a really good first half defensively. The second half he was not as active as he was in the first half. I think there is a little bit of a natural let down when you have that kind of lead sometimes.”
Is the team hitting the boards as well as you would like?
“We are not a great rebounding team. It is what it is. We would like to get better and hopefully we will get a little bit better.”
What are your overall thoughts on the team in nonconference play this season?
“I think we have done what we had to do. It is nice to get to this point and not have a loss. We had two or three games that could have gone the other way very easily. We played well down the stretch in those games, which is great. I think we were able to get a lot of guys minutes so everybody is comfortable on the basketball court right now. Obviously, once conference play starts, competition steps way up. I think we are prepared for that.”
What do you think of Matt Tomaszewski’s shooting performance?
“The kid can shoot, can’t he?”
How has your relationship with Fab Melo evolved during his time here?
“He has worked hard and he has gotten better. He has improved, which is the goal for every big guy. We want them to come in and really get better as we go along.
I think our players, as a rule, have all improved over the years. I think he has shown great improvement, but I think all of our guys have. That is really the key in college basketball, to come in and play at a certain level and then get better. We have a lot of good players. Some nights some guys will play a little bit better than others but we have good players. When you play nine or ten guys, there is always going to be conflict over who plays when. That is just the way it works out some times.”
The team has now gone undefeated in nonconference play for three straight years. What has been the key to having that kind of success?
“We have good players and they have played well when they needed to. Most of the good teams are at that point, so it is nothing really unusual. There are a lot of good teams and usually at this point there are a lot of teams who are 10-2, 10-1 or something like that. It is not unusual.”
Is Brandon Triche’s thumb affecting his performance?
“I think it still bothers him. I thought he had a real good first half and we wanted to play Carter-Williams a little bit more, get him some time in the second half. But Brandon was very good in the first half—he got in the right spots and played well.”
How about Dion Waiter’s health?
“His (thumb) is bothering him but hopefully we can get everybody healthy going into the BIG EAST.”
