Syracuse Student-Athlete Quotes
Syracuse Men’s Basketball
Long Beach State at Syracuse
December 6, 2012
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Student-Athlete Quotes
Trevor Cooney, Redshirt Freshman, Guard
Are you feeling better after missing time at the beginning of the year due to a tonsillectomy?
“I’m definitely feeling a lot better. I think it was just knocking the rust off of sitting out all last year and just getting into a nice groove and I feel like I am.”
Is it hard to adjust to shooting in the Carrier Dome after practicing in the Melo Center?
“Not really. This is your home floor. So you already have the mindset coming into the game that this is your place and you’re really comfortable here.”
It seems like everyone was stepping up tonight. How much does that help everyone’s confidence?
“Without a doubt (it helps). We had a lot of guys in double digits today, which is good. It’s good for us. The guys coming off the bench are playing hard and playing good defense and making shots and that’s only going to make our team that much better.”
You’ve now had two consecutive games with two or more threes made. How do you feel about your performances these last two games?
“A lot better. I’m coming out here and just playing hard. I’m not really worrying about making shots or anything like that. I’m just concentrating on being active on defense and the shots will fall.”
Michael Carter-Williams, Sophomore, Guard
Do you feel like you guys are hitting your stride defensively? You caused a lot of turnovers again tonight, and held Long Beach State under 30 percent shooting.
“We just went out there and played our game really. We try to force that many turnovers and try not to turn over the ball and just go out there and play Syracuse basketball”
What is the big key for you guys in the press that allows you to jump out early? And do you wish that this team would press more?
“I think when we go in the press, it gives us energy and it makes us more comfortable on offense because we get easy layups. Like I said, it just gets us going.”
Do you think this year’s team has more depth than last year’s team?
“That’s a tough thing to say. Our team was pretty deep last year – I’d probably say as deep as last year.”
C.J. Fair, Junior, Forward
Did you feel like you weren’t really yourself on the court the past few games?
“I felt like myself. I just think that what was different today was I got a couple easy points early. I’m basically playing the same amount of minutes I played the last few games, but I got a couple easy points early that got me going. I was being aggressive and I think that being on the offensive glass helped me a lot.”
Did you tell yourself that you would get on the glass today?
“Actually, I did. I told myself I’m going to go for every rebound, because I know that there’s going to be opportunities. The main reason was because Michael [Carter-Williams] was leading us in rebounding and I wasn’t going to let that happen. I didn’t like that (laughing).”
Do you feel confident in yourself? You’ve kind of been in the background the last couple games, has it been frustrating for you?
“It’s not really frustrating. It’s just learning about yourself and your team. As far as me personally, just learning how to go out there and produce in the five, six minute span I’m out there at a time.”
Long Beach State at Syracuse
December 6, 2012
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Student-Athlete Quotes
Trevor Cooney, Redshirt Freshman, Guard
Are you feeling better after missing time at the beginning of the year due to a tonsillectomy?
“I’m definitely feeling a lot better. I think it was just knocking the rust off of sitting out all last year and just getting into a nice groove and I feel like I am.”
Is it hard to adjust to shooting in the Carrier Dome after practicing in the Melo Center?
“Not really. This is your home floor. So you already have the mindset coming into the game that this is your place and you’re really comfortable here.”
It seems like everyone was stepping up tonight. How much does that help everyone’s confidence?
“Without a doubt (it helps). We had a lot of guys in double digits today, which is good. It’s good for us. The guys coming off the bench are playing hard and playing good defense and making shots and that’s only going to make our team that much better.”
You’ve now had two consecutive games with two or more threes made. How do you feel about your performances these last two games?
“A lot better. I’m coming out here and just playing hard. I’m not really worrying about making shots or anything like that. I’m just concentrating on being active on defense and the shots will fall.”
Michael Carter-Williams, Sophomore, Guard
Do you feel like you guys are hitting your stride defensively? You caused a lot of turnovers again tonight, and held Long Beach State under 30 percent shooting.
“We just went out there and played our game really. We try to force that many turnovers and try not to turn over the ball and just go out there and play Syracuse basketball”
What is the big key for you guys in the press that allows you to jump out early? And do you wish that this team would press more?
“I think when we go in the press, it gives us energy and it makes us more comfortable on offense because we get easy layups. Like I said, it just gets us going.”
Do you think this year’s team has more depth than last year’s team?
“That’s a tough thing to say. Our team was pretty deep last year – I’d probably say as deep as last year.”
C.J. Fair, Junior, Forward
Did you feel like you weren’t really yourself on the court the past few games?
“I felt like myself. I just think that what was different today was I got a couple easy points early. I’m basically playing the same amount of minutes I played the last few games, but I got a couple easy points early that got me going. I was being aggressive and I think that being on the offensive glass helped me a lot.”
Did you tell yourself that you would get on the glass today?
“Actually, I did. I told myself I’m going to go for every rebound, because I know that there’s going to be opportunities. The main reason was because Michael [Carter-Williams] was leading us in rebounding and I wasn’t going to let that happen. I didn’t like that (laughing).”
Do you feel confident in yourself? You’ve kind of been in the background the last couple games, has it been frustrating for you?
“It’s not really frustrating. It’s just learning about yourself and your team. As far as me personally, just learning how to go out there and produce in the five, six minute span I’m out there at a time.”
