Hopkins Cornell Quotes
Syracuse Men’s Basketball
Syracuse vs. Cornell
December 19, 2015
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Designate Mike Hopkins
Opening statement:
“We’ve been focusing on defense and in the first half I thought our defense was really, really good. We’ve had some defensive goals -- under 40 percent from the field, under 30 percent from the three-point line -- and we accomplished that. Our offense was struggling, Guys got some open shots and we didn’t knock it down, but thanks to DaJuan Coleman and Tyler Roberson and Tyler Lydon in the first half, we did a great job getting second-chance baskets. Our bigger guys did a good job of keeping us in there, getting some put backs and some momentum.
“I thought in the second half, after the first play where they got the three, our guys really stepped up and it was some of our best defense of the year. We did a good job keeping it, for the most part, out of the high post, getting to their shooters. Tyler Lydon and Roberson made a couple of incredible defensive plays. I thought the tides shifted when Tyler Lydon made a great blocked shot where they had a layup and then Tyler Roberson took two layups away from them where we got baskets on the other end. That was, I thought, the difference in the game. We’ve been focusing on our rebounding and the guys did a great job at that. Malachi (Richardson) had a career night with eight rebounds. That’s what he has to do for us.
“At the end, as a coach, you are obviously striving for perfection. We have to get a lot better. Even though we did make a couple great plays, there were a lot of plays that we still have to finish and make – the hustle plays, the loose balls – those types of plays. It was a good start for the guys to get a good defensive game and we’ve just got to build on that and get better.”
Michael Gbinije was more of a distributor today than a scorer, what did you see from him in that part?
“In the first half, Cornell did a great job every time we ran a ball screen for Michael, they doubled him, they took the ball out of his hands. In the second half we tried to run him more without ball screens, along the baseline where teams couldn’t get the double team on him. The one thing that I’ve learned as you go further in this, as a guy becomes a lead status, their (the opponent's) whole game plans are designed to stop them and so that’s why it’s so important for the Malachi’s (Richardson) and the Trevor’s (Cooney) and the Tyler Lydon’s and the (Tyler) Roberson’s and the (Frank) Howard’s and the (Kaleb) Joseph’s and the (Chinoso) Obokoh’s, I think that’s the key. You’ve got to have those guys stepping up and making plays. I thought we were extremely unselfish tonight trying to help each other. Michael Gbinije almost has a triple double, seven rebounds and eight assists. Kaleb Joseph came in the game, three assists and two steals in seven minutes, I thought that was a huge boost for us and we got the win.”
Will we see Trevor Cooney getting more shots with Michael Gbinije distributing like that?
“What was happening was we ran a play where you see like a wheel along the baseline where you’re taking that away and it opens up space so if he’s coming off the baseline, he gets it and you have two of your top shooters there. It opens up that middle lane. It was a really good play for us and that will open up as you said for Trevor – they run at Michael, he passes it out and Trevor made them pay. Trevor was a big defibrillator boost in that second half.”
How nice was it to see your team’s response to Cornell?
“The one thing I’m learning is that it’s one play at a time. This game has so many highs and lows. You have to keep your guys positive and fighting. Keep doing what you do and do it better. That's where I thought those guys responded. Cornell came out and ran a great play, that little loop play. We didn’t bump them quick enough, and they hit the three and then a layup. We responded extremely well doing what we do and that’s the most important thing.”
Will we see the lineup with Tyler Roberson and Tyler Lydon more often?
“You’ll see that lineup. Tyler Lydon is a main piece to this puzzle. He is a great player. He does so many things for us. He is averaging more than 30 minutes a game. He’s going to be in the game a lot. It’s one of our best combination offensive and defensive lineups.”
What did you guys do better defensively in this game?
“Teams were getting the ball in the high post too easily on us. The guards I thought really did a good job. It’s all about angles, so when the ball is being passed, if the guard is high, it’s an easy angle to the high post. If you saw Trevor (Cooney) and Mike (Gbinije), they looked like a hockey goalie. Their hands were moving up and down. They were really working at it. What you are trying to do is teams are going to get it there if they work hard enough, but you can't just make it simple. You get a steal or deflection and it makes the guy think about it. I thought they did a great job there. Malachi (Richardson) had eight rebounds and was battling down there. Our best offense is when we are playing good defense and we rebound. We are out in transition and with our shooters it’s hard to defend us.”
Have you found a way to get Tyler Roberson going like he did today?
“The coaching staff challenged him to get 15 rebounds. It’s funny because when Tyler focuses on rebounds he seems to score. There were a couple possessions where he had it and bobbled it. He could have had 20 and 12. We need him. Those two blocks, not many people on the planet could make. Those are the plays we need. Those are the plays Jerami Grant made, Wesley Johnson with the blocks from behind. Those are body shots to the opposing team and Roberson made those today.
What have you learned about yourself as a head coach?
“It's a 40-minute game and there are going to be runs. You have to relax and coach your team possession by possession. Some people need to be built up. Some people need to be yelled at or plugged in. That’s what coaching is. Emotionally, there are the highs and lows and you learn your stomach goes high and low. For the most part, it’s being under control in stressful situations. It’s not about me. It’s about getting our players and coaches to perform at the highest level.”
How different is it from being an assistant?
“It's the responsibility. You have Derrick Coleman and Pearl (Washington) out there and you want to represent them. There’s emotion when teams make runs and you have to find ways to get that momentum back. That's one thing as a head coach, you feel momentum and the crowd. It’s an incredible experience and I’m extremely blessed and grateful to have this opportunity.”
What’s different in feeling the momentum as head coach versus as an assistant?
“It’s just being the head coach. Someone said being the head coach -- from the top down is a reflection of you from the coaching staff to your players. It’s a bigger responsibility. When someone tells you a player needs to go in and you’re making that decision it’s right or wrong. That’s part of the deal. You just feel it different.”
Can you say something about what it was like to see Pearl Washington out there today?
“He’s an incredible guy. He’s the reason I fell in love with Syracuse like a lot of people. He’s going through a lot right now, and he means a lot to our program, community and university as do all alumni. When you see one of your guys struggle, you say your prayers and it means a lot. You realize life is short and you have to have those moments to make people smile and make a difference in their lives. That's what we try to teach all our players.”
Syracuse vs. Cornell
December 19, 2015
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Designate Mike Hopkins
Opening statement:
“We’ve been focusing on defense and in the first half I thought our defense was really, really good. We’ve had some defensive goals -- under 40 percent from the field, under 30 percent from the three-point line -- and we accomplished that. Our offense was struggling, Guys got some open shots and we didn’t knock it down, but thanks to DaJuan Coleman and Tyler Roberson and Tyler Lydon in the first half, we did a great job getting second-chance baskets. Our bigger guys did a good job of keeping us in there, getting some put backs and some momentum.
“I thought in the second half, after the first play where they got the three, our guys really stepped up and it was some of our best defense of the year. We did a good job keeping it, for the most part, out of the high post, getting to their shooters. Tyler Lydon and Roberson made a couple of incredible defensive plays. I thought the tides shifted when Tyler Lydon made a great blocked shot where they had a layup and then Tyler Roberson took two layups away from them where we got baskets on the other end. That was, I thought, the difference in the game. We’ve been focusing on our rebounding and the guys did a great job at that. Malachi (Richardson) had a career night with eight rebounds. That’s what he has to do for us.
“At the end, as a coach, you are obviously striving for perfection. We have to get a lot better. Even though we did make a couple great plays, there were a lot of plays that we still have to finish and make – the hustle plays, the loose balls – those types of plays. It was a good start for the guys to get a good defensive game and we’ve just got to build on that and get better.”
Michael Gbinije was more of a distributor today than a scorer, what did you see from him in that part?
“In the first half, Cornell did a great job every time we ran a ball screen for Michael, they doubled him, they took the ball out of his hands. In the second half we tried to run him more without ball screens, along the baseline where teams couldn’t get the double team on him. The one thing that I’ve learned as you go further in this, as a guy becomes a lead status, their (the opponent's) whole game plans are designed to stop them and so that’s why it’s so important for the Malachi’s (Richardson) and the Trevor’s (Cooney) and the Tyler Lydon’s and the (Tyler) Roberson’s and the (Frank) Howard’s and the (Kaleb) Joseph’s and the (Chinoso) Obokoh’s, I think that’s the key. You’ve got to have those guys stepping up and making plays. I thought we were extremely unselfish tonight trying to help each other. Michael Gbinije almost has a triple double, seven rebounds and eight assists. Kaleb Joseph came in the game, three assists and two steals in seven minutes, I thought that was a huge boost for us and we got the win.”
Will we see Trevor Cooney getting more shots with Michael Gbinije distributing like that?
“What was happening was we ran a play where you see like a wheel along the baseline where you’re taking that away and it opens up space so if he’s coming off the baseline, he gets it and you have two of your top shooters there. It opens up that middle lane. It was a really good play for us and that will open up as you said for Trevor – they run at Michael, he passes it out and Trevor made them pay. Trevor was a big defibrillator boost in that second half.”
How nice was it to see your team’s response to Cornell?
“The one thing I’m learning is that it’s one play at a time. This game has so many highs and lows. You have to keep your guys positive and fighting. Keep doing what you do and do it better. That's where I thought those guys responded. Cornell came out and ran a great play, that little loop play. We didn’t bump them quick enough, and they hit the three and then a layup. We responded extremely well doing what we do and that’s the most important thing.”
Will we see the lineup with Tyler Roberson and Tyler Lydon more often?
“You’ll see that lineup. Tyler Lydon is a main piece to this puzzle. He is a great player. He does so many things for us. He is averaging more than 30 minutes a game. He’s going to be in the game a lot. It’s one of our best combination offensive and defensive lineups.”
What did you guys do better defensively in this game?
“Teams were getting the ball in the high post too easily on us. The guards I thought really did a good job. It’s all about angles, so when the ball is being passed, if the guard is high, it’s an easy angle to the high post. If you saw Trevor (Cooney) and Mike (Gbinije), they looked like a hockey goalie. Their hands were moving up and down. They were really working at it. What you are trying to do is teams are going to get it there if they work hard enough, but you can't just make it simple. You get a steal or deflection and it makes the guy think about it. I thought they did a great job there. Malachi (Richardson) had eight rebounds and was battling down there. Our best offense is when we are playing good defense and we rebound. We are out in transition and with our shooters it’s hard to defend us.”
Have you found a way to get Tyler Roberson going like he did today?
“The coaching staff challenged him to get 15 rebounds. It’s funny because when Tyler focuses on rebounds he seems to score. There were a couple possessions where he had it and bobbled it. He could have had 20 and 12. We need him. Those two blocks, not many people on the planet could make. Those are the plays we need. Those are the plays Jerami Grant made, Wesley Johnson with the blocks from behind. Those are body shots to the opposing team and Roberson made those today.
What have you learned about yourself as a head coach?
“It's a 40-minute game and there are going to be runs. You have to relax and coach your team possession by possession. Some people need to be built up. Some people need to be yelled at or plugged in. That’s what coaching is. Emotionally, there are the highs and lows and you learn your stomach goes high and low. For the most part, it’s being under control in stressful situations. It’s not about me. It’s about getting our players and coaches to perform at the highest level.”
How different is it from being an assistant?
“It's the responsibility. You have Derrick Coleman and Pearl (Washington) out there and you want to represent them. There’s emotion when teams make runs and you have to find ways to get that momentum back. That's one thing as a head coach, you feel momentum and the crowd. It’s an incredible experience and I’m extremely blessed and grateful to have this opportunity.”
What’s different in feeling the momentum as head coach versus as an assistant?
“It’s just being the head coach. Someone said being the head coach -- from the top down is a reflection of you from the coaching staff to your players. It’s a bigger responsibility. When someone tells you a player needs to go in and you’re making that decision it’s right or wrong. That’s part of the deal. You just feel it different.”
Can you say something about what it was like to see Pearl Washington out there today?
“He’s an incredible guy. He’s the reason I fell in love with Syracuse like a lot of people. He’s going through a lot right now, and he means a lot to our program, community and university as do all alumni. When you see one of your guys struggle, you say your prayers and it means a lot. You realize life is short and you have to have those moments to make people smile and make a difference in their lives. That's what we try to teach all our players.”
