Student-Athlete Quotes
Syracuse Basketball vs. Hampton
November 16, 2014
Player Post-Game Quotes
Michael Gbinije, Junior, Forward
Can you talk about your role in the offense?
“My role can vary every game. I obviously have to be aggressive and look for my shot and try to get others involved at the same time. Just continue to take care of the ball and try to make the right reads.”
Do you feel like you can do more out of that point-guard role offensively?
“I did feel a whole lot more aggressive in the second half. It is two different responsibilities with two different positions and I’m kind of happy to play both.”
Is it tough to go back and forth between the two different positions?
“I think it comes easy for me, but playing the forward spot, that felt a little weird, but other than that I felt comfortable out there.”
Rakeem Christmas, Senior, Forward
Are you looking forward to playing at Madison Square Garden?
“We like playing at MSG, it’s a great atmosphere, a lot of history there and a lot of support. A lot of people come to support us out there. I just can’t wait to go out there and play.”
Can you talk about playing two good teams at Madison Square Garden?
“We look forward to going there and playing every game. We go out there to play hard every game; we don’t look at anyone any differently. If you look at someone differently you can lose a game so we just have to give it our all and we’ll be fine. We’re going to have fun playing out there and we just can’t wait.”
This game is a little bit closer than some people might have thought it was going to be. Can you talk about that?
“They made a lot of shots and took a lot of shots too so we just have to buckle down on defense and we’ll be fine.”
What do you think Hampton did well against the zone?
“They were digging in, they were getting the ball in the high post and once they got the ball in the high post they were getting a lot of open shots.”
Were you at all surprised by the physicality of the game?
“No, we knew it was going to be a physical game. The referees let everything play through. When you’re playing games like this you just have to be active and physical just like them.”
You had nine points and nine rebounds in the first half. What’s motivating you to come out and do well early?
“Coach wanted me to get the ball and assert myself early. Coach Hopkins said I need to go out and like I said, I need to assert myself in the beginning and that’s what I try to do.”
Tyler Roberson, Sophomore, Forward
How do you feel about the frontcourt with yourself, BJ (Johnson) and Chris (McCullough) as a unit?
“I think we’ve been doing really well. Chris has been doing well; BJ’s been doing really well. I think I make some good things (happen). It’s good going into these next couple games for our confidence.”
What do you think your biggest contribution to the offense is?
“I think I can do a lot of things like whatever Coach asks me to do. I think he knows what I can do pretty well and he’ll put me out there to use those assets on the court.”
Kaleb Joseph, Freshman, Guard
What do you think Michael Gbinije can do when he’s over on the wing?
“From the wing he can score with the best of them. He’s really aggressive; he’s a strong guard, he can handle the ball and get in the lanes. And we need him to be aggressive and he made big shots tonight and that’s all we needed him to do.”
How important is it to have a guy in the high post that can score?
“That’s huge especially against teams that are playing zone. Tyler (Roberson) came in and he hit three to four mid-range jumpers and honestly that’s a shot we want him taking. When everybody is aggressive we’re a really hard team to beat.”
How do you feel about your performance today?
“I thought it was good; I came in, made plays for the guys, just got in the lanes. I didn’t need to score really, I needed to get in the lane and create opportunities for guys to score and I think Coach was happy with that.”
November 16, 2014
Player Post-Game Quotes
Michael Gbinije, Junior, Forward
Can you talk about your role in the offense?
“My role can vary every game. I obviously have to be aggressive and look for my shot and try to get others involved at the same time. Just continue to take care of the ball and try to make the right reads.”
Do you feel like you can do more out of that point-guard role offensively?
“I did feel a whole lot more aggressive in the second half. It is two different responsibilities with two different positions and I’m kind of happy to play both.”
Is it tough to go back and forth between the two different positions?
“I think it comes easy for me, but playing the forward spot, that felt a little weird, but other than that I felt comfortable out there.”
Rakeem Christmas, Senior, Forward
Are you looking forward to playing at Madison Square Garden?
“We like playing at MSG, it’s a great atmosphere, a lot of history there and a lot of support. A lot of people come to support us out there. I just can’t wait to go out there and play.”
Can you talk about playing two good teams at Madison Square Garden?
“We look forward to going there and playing every game. We go out there to play hard every game; we don’t look at anyone any differently. If you look at someone differently you can lose a game so we just have to give it our all and we’ll be fine. We’re going to have fun playing out there and we just can’t wait.”
This game is a little bit closer than some people might have thought it was going to be. Can you talk about that?
“They made a lot of shots and took a lot of shots too so we just have to buckle down on defense and we’ll be fine.”
What do you think Hampton did well against the zone?
“They were digging in, they were getting the ball in the high post and once they got the ball in the high post they were getting a lot of open shots.”
Were you at all surprised by the physicality of the game?
“No, we knew it was going to be a physical game. The referees let everything play through. When you’re playing games like this you just have to be active and physical just like them.”
You had nine points and nine rebounds in the first half. What’s motivating you to come out and do well early?
“Coach wanted me to get the ball and assert myself early. Coach Hopkins said I need to go out and like I said, I need to assert myself in the beginning and that’s what I try to do.”
Tyler Roberson, Sophomore, Forward
How do you feel about the frontcourt with yourself, BJ (Johnson) and Chris (McCullough) as a unit?
“I think we’ve been doing really well. Chris has been doing well; BJ’s been doing really well. I think I make some good things (happen). It’s good going into these next couple games for our confidence.”
What do you think your biggest contribution to the offense is?
“I think I can do a lot of things like whatever Coach asks me to do. I think he knows what I can do pretty well and he’ll put me out there to use those assets on the court.”
Kaleb Joseph, Freshman, Guard
What do you think Michael Gbinije can do when he’s over on the wing?
“From the wing he can score with the best of them. He’s really aggressive; he’s a strong guard, he can handle the ball and get in the lanes. And we need him to be aggressive and he made big shots tonight and that’s all we needed him to do.”
How important is it to have a guy in the high post that can score?
“That’s huge especially against teams that are playing zone. Tyler (Roberson) came in and he hit three to four mid-range jumpers and honestly that’s a shot we want him taking. When everybody is aggressive we’re a really hard team to beat.”
How do you feel about your performance today?
“I thought it was good; I came in, made plays for the guys, just got in the lanes. I didn’t need to score really, I needed to get in the lane and create opportunities for guys to score and I think Coach was happy with that.”
