Student-Athlete Quotes
Student Athlete Quotes
Men’s Basketball Media Day
Carmelo K. Anthony Center – Syracuse, N.Y.
October 18, 2013
C.J. Fair, Senior, Forward
How excited are you for the beginning of a new season?
“This time of the year is when basketball season starts and everyone gets excited. I am excited for another year.”
How much has starting practice earlier helped you with the new players? Coach (Boeheim) said you guys were a lot more ahead of schedule than you thought?
“We had our Canada trip, so we have been practicing since the summer. We got the freshman involved a lot -- gave them a chance to get to know what to expect from college basketball. In our practices it was good to build team chemistry and get started back up.”
Coach said it is vital to have that senior leadership. Do you and Baye (Moussa Keita) feel that this is your team and your time to lead?
“Yeah, I feel like this year Baye and I are two of the leaders of this team. We have to make sure we keep the team in order.
Do you approach things differently when you know you are the guy most teams’ scouting reports are geared to? Do you change your approach at all?
“No, I prepare like I usually do before a game. I know teams are going to focus in on me, but we have other guys on the team that can lead when they are showing me too much attention.”
What do you feel are the strengths of the team and what kind of squad is it going to be this year?
“We are going to be a very good team. It is going to be different star-wise because we are deep at the forward position. We are still going to have our same zone defense, but I think you are going to see a lot of new faces.”
Do you feel any pressure when you hear you are the preseason favorite in the Player of the Year for the ACC?
“No, there is no pressure because this is an achievement I have set for myself.”
Why did you want to come back to school after last season?
“Knowing we were going to be going into an elite conference and the excitement -- it was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Do you think Rakeem (Christmas) and DaJuan (Coleman) can be contributors on offense this year?
“Yeah, you can tell they worked on their game a lot from the previous year. Rakeem has got a lot more confidence in his offensive game. He has been looking tremendous in practice.”
Jerami Grant, Sophomore, Forward
With having so many young guys on the team how does having the Canada trip and the extra practices help?
“It definitely helps for everyone, especially the freshman.”
Has it been tough to get over your injury (hand) and work back into things?
“It has not been that tough. I have been doing the same things as before. I am back now.”
What are you looking forward to the most about the new conference?
“The level of competition and playing against historical teams like Duke and North Carolina. I definitely want to play against them and let everyone see how good our team is this year.”
What are the strengths of this team and what kind of group is this going to be?
“We are a lot better than we were in Canada. We were not at full strength in Canada, C.J. (Fair) wasn’t at full strength the whole time. The freshmen have also been coming around. Our expectations are just as high as last year if not higher.”
With C.J. winning preseason player, what are your expectations for him and has the team rallied around him?
“We definitely expect C.J. to win ACC Player of the Year. He definitely deserves it. He works hard in practice every day.”
What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge in this conference?
“Getting used to the two different styles of play. The ACC and BIG EAST are two completely different styles of play.”
DaJuan Coleman, Sophomore, Forward
How important would it be for the team, for you to get inside baskets?
“Definitely. This year we definitely came back bigger and stronger. Definitely more offensive minded. Just can’t wait for the season to start.”
You look to be in better shape. What were you doing over the offseason?
“I mean everything. Just working out, lifting weights, running. Everything.”
Fab Melo made a big jump from his freshman to sophomore year. Do you think you can do something similar to that?
“I don’t want to be compared to him. I just want to be my own player. I think I can make a big jump. It depends on how the season starts.”
You got injured at the end of last season. How is your knee feeling now?
“It’s good. I think I was close to 100-percent towards the end of last year. It’s definitely 100-percent now.”
Baye (Moussa Keita) came on strong last year when you were injured. What are your expectations for yourself coming into this season now that you are healthy?
“Get in there and rebound. If we need a basket down low, I think I can step in and do that. Just be a team player and win.”
What are you looking forward to most about joining the ACC?
“Just visiting all these colleges like Duke and North Carolina. I can’t wait to play those two teams. It is going to be real fun.”
What has the extra few days of practice and starting practice earlier done for the team?
“It helped us a lot. Definitely working out before Canada I think that helped us a lot. It definitely helped the freshman just to get them going. I think it definitely helped our team out a lot.”
Last season you did really well, but now the team is different. What is the outlook on this season? What type of pressure are you facing getting back to the Final Four this season?
“We do miss a lot of players like Michael Carter-Williams. But also we have a great set of freshmen that came in. Tyler Ennis is real great. I think he is going to step in the shoes of Michael Carter-Williams. He is pretty good.”
How has Tyler Ennis impressed you during practice?
“He impressed me a lot. Even in Canada, the passes he makes. He is real smooth. He makes all the right plays. He impressed me a lot.”
Rakeem Christmas, Junior, Forward
What have you worked on this offseason? What is now a strength that was a weakness?
“I want to get the ball in the post instead of hesitating and just go up. I’ve been doing a lot of shooting. Just everything all around. Coming off the ball screens and just going up for rebounds.”
You guys have a lot of depth. How do you feel this depth really helps you guys going into the ACC?
“It helps us a lot. We all push each other. When someone is down or making a mistake, we push them to keep on going. If something happens, the other person comes in and contributes. It is a great feeling to have everybody behind us. We just come out and play hard.”
The team made it to the Final Four last year. How do you deal with pressure going into this season?
“We just want to come out and play hard. We don’t worry about what happened last year. We made it and we’re going to try to do it again this year. So we are going to come out and play hard and do our best with our 2-3 zone.”
What are some of the struggles you face coming into the college game from high school?
“High school I was just bullying people. I was always bigger than everyone. When you come to college, everyone is your size and they are just as athletic as you, so you got to get used to that. You got to play smart and you just have to be ready to come in and play hard. If you make a mistake, you just keep on playing.”
When a new big man gets here, what does the coach focus on getting him to do?
“Get in a position in the middle. Me, Baye and DaJuan, we are helping Chino (Chinonso Obokoh) a lot down there in the middle. When he doesn’t know what is going on we tell him where to go and he is getting used to it.”
How much do some of those older players help the younger players when they come in?
“It helps a lot. It helped me a lot. I had Kris (Joseph). I had Fab (Melo). They were here for a while. They told me everything I needed to do. I learned a lot from them. When the new players come in, we try to tell them all the things they should do and shouldn’t do. They have been doing fine since.”
What kind of things do they stress with you to try to develop offensively as big man?
“Keeping the ball up when you get down there. Not hesitate. Just go up. Just be big and just play strong.”
How big would it be for the team if you guys can become a steady presence in the offense?
“It would be a big presence. Last year it was a lot of guards and shooting guards more so. This year we wanted to come in just get the ball and go after it.”
Tyler Ennis, Freshman, Point Guard
What are your expectations coming in as a true freshman point guard?
“Not really any expectations. I am just going out there and playing, doing well and winning. The individuals will come as we win. I am just focusing on winning.”
Has Syracuse been everything that you expected it to be?
“Everything that they pitched to me during recruitment was true. The role that I pictured as a senior has happened. It is pretty much everything I expected and more. I am just going to take advantage of it as much as I can.”
Talk about your excitement level joining the ACC:
“I am really excited to be on the first team to start off the Duke rivalry and the new rivalries that come with the new conference. It is going to be history for me and something for me to remember.”
Which ACC venue are you the most excited about playing in?
“I obviously want to play at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. I really want to play at Miami. I have watched a lot of games. Virginia Tech has a nice gym, so I want to go there. I just want to go everywhere and experience everything and just enjoy it.”
How beneficial is it that you have the games under your belt and playing for the Canadian National team?
“I think it was really good and it gave me an idea of what I had to work on coming into the season. The difference in conditioning levels and the speed, but it just gave me a warm-up and hopefully going into the season we can carry the chemistry that we had in Canada over.”
How much more meshing is there as a team now and is it hard as a freshman?
“I don’t really look at myself as I freshman. I am just out there playing. The plays, after a few practices, I really got them down. I am still learning a couple. But pretty much learning where guys like the ball is what is most important right now. I learned the plays and I know what coach wants but getting the guys in spots where they’re comfortable is important.”
Have you found a real rhythm with anyone?
“I play with Trevor a lot in practice. With him being a shooter and me liking to push the ball out is going to be important. We’ve been changing the teams up a lot lately so I have chemistry with everybody.”
How has adding the extra practices helped with the freshman class?
“It helps us a lot. We have different classes of guys. We have some seniors, juniors, and a lot of freshman so being able to practice earlier along with the Canada trip is going to help us a lot getting everyone comfortable.”
Trevor Cooney, Sophomore, Guard
When you get in the game is there a particular shot you look for?
“I just look to get into the flow of the game. That’s the only thing that anyone can really do. I mean, if I can get an open three early then that’s perfect. It’s just getting into a rhythm and making the right plays and taking the right shots.”
What do you expect out of yourself?
“I definitely worked on being an all-around player because if I can get to the basket or come off the dribble and set my teammates up then the open three is going to be there for me. But I mean just coming in and making the right plays and whatever the defense does I am going to do the opposite.”
Are you guys worried about your transition from the BIG EAST to the ACC?
“We’re going to have to prepare for new teams, but they are going to have to prepare for us too. They are going to have to prepare for our 2-3 as we prepare for their man-to-man or whatever zone they play against us. It’s going to be tough but teams have to prepare for us.”
What are your expectations about UNC, Duke?
“I think that’s going to be just as big as our Georgetown games were. I think that’s going to take the place of those games and it’s going to be a good rivalry for our school, our student body and our fans. Those two coaches going head-to head. They are by far the best two coaches in college basketball. It’s definitely going to be a huge game.”
Do you feel that you and Tyler have meshed well?
“He is really fun to play with. He is similar to playing with Mike (Carter-Williams). He’s a guy who is always coming down the floor with his head up and looking to make the right play no matter what it is. Guys like that are fun to play with because they find the open man or hit the big guy with an alley-oop or kick out to open guards for an open three. He doesn’t play like a freshman. In the games in Canada, he didn’t have too many turnovers, or come down, or get frustrated. He just took the flow of the game and we went under that. He just makes things so much easier for everyone else.”
How has Gerry McNamara been a mentor to you?
“He has been unbelievable. He is a great coach on the floor and a great friend off the floor. He has been someone that you can just turn to for anything. Like the rest of our coaches, everyone has played here, so you can ask them any question because they have been through the same games that we have gone through and everything. It’s great to have that being a guard and looking up to him as a kid. Having him help me with my game has been unbelievable."
Men’s Basketball Media Day
Carmelo K. Anthony Center – Syracuse, N.Y.
October 18, 2013
C.J. Fair, Senior, Forward
How excited are you for the beginning of a new season?
“This time of the year is when basketball season starts and everyone gets excited. I am excited for another year.”
How much has starting practice earlier helped you with the new players? Coach (Boeheim) said you guys were a lot more ahead of schedule than you thought?
“We had our Canada trip, so we have been practicing since the summer. We got the freshman involved a lot -- gave them a chance to get to know what to expect from college basketball. In our practices it was good to build team chemistry and get started back up.”
Coach said it is vital to have that senior leadership. Do you and Baye (Moussa Keita) feel that this is your team and your time to lead?
“Yeah, I feel like this year Baye and I are two of the leaders of this team. We have to make sure we keep the team in order.
Do you approach things differently when you know you are the guy most teams’ scouting reports are geared to? Do you change your approach at all?
“No, I prepare like I usually do before a game. I know teams are going to focus in on me, but we have other guys on the team that can lead when they are showing me too much attention.”
What do you feel are the strengths of the team and what kind of squad is it going to be this year?
“We are going to be a very good team. It is going to be different star-wise because we are deep at the forward position. We are still going to have our same zone defense, but I think you are going to see a lot of new faces.”
Do you feel any pressure when you hear you are the preseason favorite in the Player of the Year for the ACC?
“No, there is no pressure because this is an achievement I have set for myself.”
Why did you want to come back to school after last season?
“Knowing we were going to be going into an elite conference and the excitement -- it was something I wanted to be a part of.”
Do you think Rakeem (Christmas) and DaJuan (Coleman) can be contributors on offense this year?
“Yeah, you can tell they worked on their game a lot from the previous year. Rakeem has got a lot more confidence in his offensive game. He has been looking tremendous in practice.”
Jerami Grant, Sophomore, Forward
With having so many young guys on the team how does having the Canada trip and the extra practices help?
“It definitely helps for everyone, especially the freshman.”
Has it been tough to get over your injury (hand) and work back into things?
“It has not been that tough. I have been doing the same things as before. I am back now.”
What are you looking forward to the most about the new conference?
“The level of competition and playing against historical teams like Duke and North Carolina. I definitely want to play against them and let everyone see how good our team is this year.”
What are the strengths of this team and what kind of group is this going to be?
“We are a lot better than we were in Canada. We were not at full strength in Canada, C.J. (Fair) wasn’t at full strength the whole time. The freshmen have also been coming around. Our expectations are just as high as last year if not higher.”
With C.J. winning preseason player, what are your expectations for him and has the team rallied around him?
“We definitely expect C.J. to win ACC Player of the Year. He definitely deserves it. He works hard in practice every day.”
What do you think is going to be the biggest challenge in this conference?
“Getting used to the two different styles of play. The ACC and BIG EAST are two completely different styles of play.”
DaJuan Coleman, Sophomore, Forward
How important would it be for the team, for you to get inside baskets?
“Definitely. This year we definitely came back bigger and stronger. Definitely more offensive minded. Just can’t wait for the season to start.”
You look to be in better shape. What were you doing over the offseason?
“I mean everything. Just working out, lifting weights, running. Everything.”
Fab Melo made a big jump from his freshman to sophomore year. Do you think you can do something similar to that?
“I don’t want to be compared to him. I just want to be my own player. I think I can make a big jump. It depends on how the season starts.”
You got injured at the end of last season. How is your knee feeling now?
“It’s good. I think I was close to 100-percent towards the end of last year. It’s definitely 100-percent now.”
Baye (Moussa Keita) came on strong last year when you were injured. What are your expectations for yourself coming into this season now that you are healthy?
“Get in there and rebound. If we need a basket down low, I think I can step in and do that. Just be a team player and win.”
What are you looking forward to most about joining the ACC?
“Just visiting all these colleges like Duke and North Carolina. I can’t wait to play those two teams. It is going to be real fun.”
What has the extra few days of practice and starting practice earlier done for the team?
“It helped us a lot. Definitely working out before Canada I think that helped us a lot. It definitely helped the freshman just to get them going. I think it definitely helped our team out a lot.”
Last season you did really well, but now the team is different. What is the outlook on this season? What type of pressure are you facing getting back to the Final Four this season?
“We do miss a lot of players like Michael Carter-Williams. But also we have a great set of freshmen that came in. Tyler Ennis is real great. I think he is going to step in the shoes of Michael Carter-Williams. He is pretty good.”
How has Tyler Ennis impressed you during practice?
“He impressed me a lot. Even in Canada, the passes he makes. He is real smooth. He makes all the right plays. He impressed me a lot.”
Rakeem Christmas, Junior, Forward
What have you worked on this offseason? What is now a strength that was a weakness?
“I want to get the ball in the post instead of hesitating and just go up. I’ve been doing a lot of shooting. Just everything all around. Coming off the ball screens and just going up for rebounds.”
You guys have a lot of depth. How do you feel this depth really helps you guys going into the ACC?
“It helps us a lot. We all push each other. When someone is down or making a mistake, we push them to keep on going. If something happens, the other person comes in and contributes. It is a great feeling to have everybody behind us. We just come out and play hard.”
The team made it to the Final Four last year. How do you deal with pressure going into this season?
“We just want to come out and play hard. We don’t worry about what happened last year. We made it and we’re going to try to do it again this year. So we are going to come out and play hard and do our best with our 2-3 zone.”
What are some of the struggles you face coming into the college game from high school?
“High school I was just bullying people. I was always bigger than everyone. When you come to college, everyone is your size and they are just as athletic as you, so you got to get used to that. You got to play smart and you just have to be ready to come in and play hard. If you make a mistake, you just keep on playing.”
When a new big man gets here, what does the coach focus on getting him to do?
“Get in a position in the middle. Me, Baye and DaJuan, we are helping Chino (Chinonso Obokoh) a lot down there in the middle. When he doesn’t know what is going on we tell him where to go and he is getting used to it.”
How much do some of those older players help the younger players when they come in?
“It helps a lot. It helped me a lot. I had Kris (Joseph). I had Fab (Melo). They were here for a while. They told me everything I needed to do. I learned a lot from them. When the new players come in, we try to tell them all the things they should do and shouldn’t do. They have been doing fine since.”
What kind of things do they stress with you to try to develop offensively as big man?
“Keeping the ball up when you get down there. Not hesitate. Just go up. Just be big and just play strong.”
How big would it be for the team if you guys can become a steady presence in the offense?
“It would be a big presence. Last year it was a lot of guards and shooting guards more so. This year we wanted to come in just get the ball and go after it.”
Tyler Ennis, Freshman, Point Guard
What are your expectations coming in as a true freshman point guard?
“Not really any expectations. I am just going out there and playing, doing well and winning. The individuals will come as we win. I am just focusing on winning.”
Has Syracuse been everything that you expected it to be?
“Everything that they pitched to me during recruitment was true. The role that I pictured as a senior has happened. It is pretty much everything I expected and more. I am just going to take advantage of it as much as I can.”
Talk about your excitement level joining the ACC:
“I am really excited to be on the first team to start off the Duke rivalry and the new rivalries that come with the new conference. It is going to be history for me and something for me to remember.”
Which ACC venue are you the most excited about playing in?
“I obviously want to play at the Cameron Indoor Stadium. I really want to play at Miami. I have watched a lot of games. Virginia Tech has a nice gym, so I want to go there. I just want to go everywhere and experience everything and just enjoy it.”
How beneficial is it that you have the games under your belt and playing for the Canadian National team?
“I think it was really good and it gave me an idea of what I had to work on coming into the season. The difference in conditioning levels and the speed, but it just gave me a warm-up and hopefully going into the season we can carry the chemistry that we had in Canada over.”
How much more meshing is there as a team now and is it hard as a freshman?
“I don’t really look at myself as I freshman. I am just out there playing. The plays, after a few practices, I really got them down. I am still learning a couple. But pretty much learning where guys like the ball is what is most important right now. I learned the plays and I know what coach wants but getting the guys in spots where they’re comfortable is important.”
Have you found a real rhythm with anyone?
“I play with Trevor a lot in practice. With him being a shooter and me liking to push the ball out is going to be important. We’ve been changing the teams up a lot lately so I have chemistry with everybody.”
How has adding the extra practices helped with the freshman class?
“It helps us a lot. We have different classes of guys. We have some seniors, juniors, and a lot of freshman so being able to practice earlier along with the Canada trip is going to help us a lot getting everyone comfortable.”
Trevor Cooney, Sophomore, Guard
When you get in the game is there a particular shot you look for?
“I just look to get into the flow of the game. That’s the only thing that anyone can really do. I mean, if I can get an open three early then that’s perfect. It’s just getting into a rhythm and making the right plays and taking the right shots.”
What do you expect out of yourself?
“I definitely worked on being an all-around player because if I can get to the basket or come off the dribble and set my teammates up then the open three is going to be there for me. But I mean just coming in and making the right plays and whatever the defense does I am going to do the opposite.”
Are you guys worried about your transition from the BIG EAST to the ACC?
“We’re going to have to prepare for new teams, but they are going to have to prepare for us too. They are going to have to prepare for our 2-3 as we prepare for their man-to-man or whatever zone they play against us. It’s going to be tough but teams have to prepare for us.”
What are your expectations about UNC, Duke?
“I think that’s going to be just as big as our Georgetown games were. I think that’s going to take the place of those games and it’s going to be a good rivalry for our school, our student body and our fans. Those two coaches going head-to head. They are by far the best two coaches in college basketball. It’s definitely going to be a huge game.”
Do you feel that you and Tyler have meshed well?
“He is really fun to play with. He is similar to playing with Mike (Carter-Williams). He’s a guy who is always coming down the floor with his head up and looking to make the right play no matter what it is. Guys like that are fun to play with because they find the open man or hit the big guy with an alley-oop or kick out to open guards for an open three. He doesn’t play like a freshman. In the games in Canada, he didn’t have too many turnovers, or come down, or get frustrated. He just took the flow of the game and we went under that. He just makes things so much easier for everyone else.”
How has Gerry McNamara been a mentor to you?
“He has been unbelievable. He is a great coach on the floor and a great friend off the floor. He has been someone that you can just turn to for anything. Like the rest of our coaches, everyone has played here, so you can ask them any question because they have been through the same games that we have gone through and everything. It’s great to have that being a guard and looking up to him as a kid. Having him help me with my game has been unbelievable."
