Head Coach Jim Boeheim Quotes - Clemson
Syracuse Men's Basketball
Syracuse vs. Clemson
February 9, 2014
Carrier Dome, Syracuse N.Y.
Head Coach Jim Boeheim Quotes
Opening Statement;
“Offensively, Clemson is very good. Defensively, we got the shots we needed to get and C.J. [Fair] got off to a really good start and got us going. They were very patient which is what they are going to do for the most part. I thought our defense was good, our patience was good, we didn’t rebound a couple times that we needed to but I thought overall we did a good job on both ends of the court.”
Can you talk about Grant and the job he did in the middle?
“He has practiced in there a couple of times this year, he’s pretty long and I think we can get by with him in there.”
You mentioned your offense’s patience, how hard is it to maintain that patience going up against a defensive team like Clemson?
“You have to be patient. You have to be sure you get a good shot. They’re going to take 30 seconds. You don’t want to come down and run into something, if we can get something in the break or a transition shot, a good one, we will take that. We aren’t going to try and do anything too fast.”
Does it help to play from ahead against a team like Clemson?
“You really don’t want to be behind in a slow game where there isn’t going to be a lot of points scored. A six- or eight-point lead can be a pretty substantial lead in a game like this. In the last six minutes they took 35 seconds on the shot clock and we really didn’t need to hold the ball that much because they were already holding it to get a shot. You always want to be ahead, but you really want to be ahead if it’s going to be a slow game, a grind it out game where they are going to take a lot of time to get shots. “
What are you taking away from C.J. Fair this season?
“He’s played great. I think this was his most efficient game of the year, some people may not think it’s his best game, but it was his most efficient. I thought he was really good, he had a couple big shots, a couple jumpers, he hit the three, and down the stretch he got into the lane.”
What can you say about your upcoming game at Pittsburgh on Wednesday?
“Every game we have in this league is difficult – I don’t think there is any difference. Notre Dame is the toughest game we have had all year. Miami was maybe even harder in both games we have played them. We know it will be tough but we are ready. We know Pittsburgh is good at home and what is important is to play our best every night and this team is focused on that. We have avoided places where we could have slipped because they focus in the present and the game that is at hand. We make plays down the stretch. Rakeem (Christmas) got that tip, C.J. (Fair) made that layup, and Tyler (Ennis) made those two layups. We didn’t play great offensively in the second half but we made big plays when we had to, that’s what this team is all about. We are aware that these next coming games are hard and will keep working and getting better towards the end of the year.”
What are your thoughts on playing small when your forwards/centers are injured or in foul trouble?
"We don’t have any choice. Jerami (Grant) is long in the middle and C.J. (Fair) is good size, strong and physical, Michael (Gbinje) is physical but we are a little small. Jerami did a good job tonight; he is very quick in the middle. We have had situations where we have played small in other years and have had success in that because the opposing forwards walk and the quick guys pounce on him. That’s not going to hurt us as much as someone making threes towards the end. Hopefully Baye (Mousa Keita) will be ok, I hope it isn’t too bad and that we can get him back.”
What can you say on this team’s execution?
“They make good plays and your point guards have to make good plays down the stretch. We tried getting it to C.J. (Fair) but they were so focused on C.J. that it left other options open. Clemson is a good defensive team but were focused on Trevor (Cooney) and C.J, and Tyler was able to take advantage of that. He has done that all year. We run certain plays in certain situations and your point guard has to make plays in those situations. Tyler is very good in those situations.”
