Student-Athlete Quotes - Cornell
Syracuse Men’s Basketball
Syracuse vs. Cornell
November 8, 2013
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Student-Athlete Quotes
Trevor Cooney, Guard, Redshirt Sophomore
What’s more fun, when you hit four in a row or when you jam one?
“Hit three or four in a row. That’s when you know the game’s really coming to you and you’re really in the flow.”
Talk about your overall game. You had four steals, can you talk about your defensive play?
“In the second half, that was the big, it was what we wanted to do. Our defense was not good in the first half. We came out really lazy, not moving. In the second half it was totally different, that was what won the game for us.”
Is it just a matter of knowing you’re going to get big minutes and consistent minutes? You don’t have to worry you’ll come out if you miss one?
“Yeah, that’s a little bit of it. Knowing that you don’t have to look over your shoulder is big, knowing that your responsibility is a little bigger. All you can do is just step up to the plate.”
How does it feel with the crowd behind you?
“It felt really good. A crowd for our first game was awesome. It felt good to have them behind you and the team.”
C.J. Fair, Forward, Senior
Was this game an early season message to you guys, that this could happen any night, any game and you have to come out firing?
“Yes, definitely. You have to take these opponents and know that nobody is going to give you the game. You just have to have that mindset.”
Coach said that you were rushing some things, did you feel like you were rushing?
“I can see where he is coming from. I thought I was taking shots I normally make. I couldn’t find a basket from that distance so he wanted me to drive more.”
How did the top of the zone look like it was shifting? In the first half their shooters (Cornell) were getting some open looks, did it look like the guys up top were slow?
“It wasn’t in the first half. A lot of blame was on the forwards for not coming up. There was one guy, number 3 (Nolan Cressler), he was torching us. We were a little step slow in all the positions, in our reaction times. The second half I think we had a little pep in our step, we were bouncing.”
Coach said that the hardest thing in college basketball is to get the back court ready. You played multiple years with Brandon (Triche) so how hard is it for you as a player to get used to the back court now with the new members?
“I don’t think it is a hard transition for me. It is different. I know how Brandon plays, and Trevor (Cooney) wasn’t on the court a lot last year, so I didn’t really get a lot of time with him. I know that if I’m with Trevor and I get double-teamed, I know he’s always moving so I know I can find him open. Tyler (Ennis), he’s crafty, so he knows when to give me the ball and I know how to feed off him.”
Michael Gbinije, Guard, Sophomore
Can you take us through those two plays, back-to-back when you fed Trevor (Cooney) and just what it was like getting those two three’s from him?
“He was just ready. He always finds an open spot. When I’m coming down I look for him because I know he’s going to be open.”
Is it good that Cornell made a lot of three’s to teach some guys that you have to go out there and guard them?
“Yes, we learned some valuable lessons. We have to come out the whole time, we can’t just come out the second half because that could beat us down the road. They were a great shooting team. A lot of teams are going to try to beat us by shooting so this was a good test. Now we can go figure out how to stop them.”
Syracuse vs. Cornell
November 8, 2013
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Student-Athlete Quotes
Trevor Cooney, Guard, Redshirt Sophomore
What’s more fun, when you hit four in a row or when you jam one?
“Hit three or four in a row. That’s when you know the game’s really coming to you and you’re really in the flow.”
Talk about your overall game. You had four steals, can you talk about your defensive play?
“In the second half, that was the big, it was what we wanted to do. Our defense was not good in the first half. We came out really lazy, not moving. In the second half it was totally different, that was what won the game for us.”
Is it just a matter of knowing you’re going to get big minutes and consistent minutes? You don’t have to worry you’ll come out if you miss one?
“Yeah, that’s a little bit of it. Knowing that you don’t have to look over your shoulder is big, knowing that your responsibility is a little bigger. All you can do is just step up to the plate.”
How does it feel with the crowd behind you?
“It felt really good. A crowd for our first game was awesome. It felt good to have them behind you and the team.”
C.J. Fair, Forward, Senior
Was this game an early season message to you guys, that this could happen any night, any game and you have to come out firing?
“Yes, definitely. You have to take these opponents and know that nobody is going to give you the game. You just have to have that mindset.”
Coach said that you were rushing some things, did you feel like you were rushing?
“I can see where he is coming from. I thought I was taking shots I normally make. I couldn’t find a basket from that distance so he wanted me to drive more.”
How did the top of the zone look like it was shifting? In the first half their shooters (Cornell) were getting some open looks, did it look like the guys up top were slow?
“It wasn’t in the first half. A lot of blame was on the forwards for not coming up. There was one guy, number 3 (Nolan Cressler), he was torching us. We were a little step slow in all the positions, in our reaction times. The second half I think we had a little pep in our step, we were bouncing.”
Coach said that the hardest thing in college basketball is to get the back court ready. You played multiple years with Brandon (Triche) so how hard is it for you as a player to get used to the back court now with the new members?
“I don’t think it is a hard transition for me. It is different. I know how Brandon plays, and Trevor (Cooney) wasn’t on the court a lot last year, so I didn’t really get a lot of time with him. I know that if I’m with Trevor and I get double-teamed, I know he’s always moving so I know I can find him open. Tyler (Ennis), he’s crafty, so he knows when to give me the ball and I know how to feed off him.”
Michael Gbinije, Guard, Sophomore
Can you take us through those two plays, back-to-back when you fed Trevor (Cooney) and just what it was like getting those two three’s from him?
“He was just ready. He always finds an open spot. When I’m coming down I look for him because I know he’s going to be open.”
Is it good that Cornell made a lot of three’s to teach some guys that you have to go out there and guard them?
“Yes, we learned some valuable lessons. We have to come out the whole time, we can’t just come out the second half because that could beat us down the road. They were a great shooting team. A lot of teams are going to try to beat us by shooting so this was a good test. Now we can go figure out how to stop them.”
