Student-Athlete Quotes - BU
Syracuse Men's Basketball
Syracuse vs. Boston University
Saturday, December 9, 2016
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Taurean Thompson, Fr., F
What do you feel is your best asset?
“Versatility offensively, especially how I post. I can shoot it, drive it. I feel like I have a good knack for it, offensively.”
How do you look as a big man?
“I get that I don't have the shooter look but I am a shooter.”
Can you describe the feeling of today’s game?
“Coach (Boeheim) told me I was going to start (the second half), so I didn't want to let up. I wanted to step up to the plate and keep going. Put my foot on the pedal and keep trying to beat them.”
How do you establish yourself as a force on the glass?
“I just try to impact the game in every aspect of the game... rebounds, blocks, and defense. Everywhere. I try to keep pushing.”
How did it feel to hit your first 3-pointer?
“It felt good. I was just emotion. I was just flowing, and I knew it was going to go in before it went in.”
Andrew White III, Gr. Student, G
Do you feel that the team needs to be humbled because of the high expectations of the season?
“I can see how earlier when we went 4-0 and that margin of 30 to 40 points, but I’ve been around basketball long enough to look past those points. The moments are intense. It’s just a different feeling from neutral court to playing on the road, so what you get in those early games is different than what it is. So, for guys who are new to college basketball, like our freshmen, it’s good for them to see. I knew we were a little ways away. I didn't anticipate losing because that's something you shouldn't do, but as a leader, I knew we still had work to be done and I think that was good for everybody, including myself, to see what’s around the country and who we are going to have to compete with.”
What was the key to opening up in the second half?
“We were really just trying to get some rhythm defensively because we had well-documented offensive struggles, but what feeds into that is our defense. If we defend well, we have the opportunity to get turnovers, get run outs and get some easy baskets, so that has been our emphasis all week – trying to pick up our pace a little bit and be more in tune on the defensive end so that we can get out, get running, gets some transitions and easy baskets.”
What has the team worked on defensively?
“We have done a lot of situations where we are just drilling the offensive sets the teams are running so that we can get rotations right. We’re putting in different line ups so that everyone is more familiar with each other, just so that we can familiarize ourselves with what we're doing. The zone has simple principles to it but when you have guys running all over, and not designated to a person, you have to make sure you’re in the right area. That's something all of our newcomers and young guys are still picking up, and a lot of us are playing big minutes so were learning on the fly. There’s no excuse, but it is a difficult defense to play and you really have to be high IQ and thinking ahead to be in the right spot.”
John Gillon, Gr. Student, G
You were putting in extra work in the gym after having two consecutive scoreless games. What was that like?
“I did. I haven’t been having a lot going on for me lately, and the only way I can escape from it is to be in the gym. I was trying to not think about everything that’s been going on, and just get some work in.”
Were you surprised with how much space you had on the perimeter today?
“I normally have about that much space on threes, but I did take a step back sometimes. I was trying to take more shots and apply the work that I’ve been putting in.”
You haven’t scored the past two games, what was the difference today and how do you explain the lack of consistency?
“I had a lot going on, I wasn’t in my right mindset and I wasn’t ready to play. That’s what happens when you’re not ready to play. You get bad results and Coach can’t leave me out there. It wasn’t a lot of minutes, but in those minutes I should be able to do something. I need to be ready to play.”
Tyus Battle, Fr, G
There were stretches today where everything seemed to be clicking. What was working there when everything was going well?
“We got some easy shots, that’s the main thing. We got some easy threes and Taurean (Thompson) was knocking down his jump shots. That opened everything up. He and John Gillon had huge games tonight. They had to worry about so many people on offense, and that’s what got us the big lead.”
You have some tougher competition coming up. How can you translate a game like this into tougher games?
“Today was a step forward in the right direction. We took three tough losses, so we’re trying to get back on track and play our own game. It starts on defense. We had a couple defensive breakdowns on Cedric Hankerson. He took way too many .threes today. I think we got a lot of turnovers, which leads us in the right direction.”
Coach Boeheim said this team can’t get steals Why do you think he’s saying that?
“We have a lot to learn in the zone, and we’re not always in the right position. We have a lot of new guys that still need to learn certain areas in the zone, but as time goes on, we’re going to get more comfortable with it. I think we have been doing a better job with it in the last few games. Even though we lost to UConn, we held them to 52 points. It was our offense that lost that game. As the season goes on, we’ll learn even more on defense.”
Syracuse vs. Boston University
Saturday, December 9, 2016
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Taurean Thompson, Fr., F
What do you feel is your best asset?
“Versatility offensively, especially how I post. I can shoot it, drive it. I feel like I have a good knack for it, offensively.”
How do you look as a big man?
“I get that I don't have the shooter look but I am a shooter.”
Can you describe the feeling of today’s game?
“Coach (Boeheim) told me I was going to start (the second half), so I didn't want to let up. I wanted to step up to the plate and keep going. Put my foot on the pedal and keep trying to beat them.”
How do you establish yourself as a force on the glass?
“I just try to impact the game in every aspect of the game... rebounds, blocks, and defense. Everywhere. I try to keep pushing.”
How did it feel to hit your first 3-pointer?
“It felt good. I was just emotion. I was just flowing, and I knew it was going to go in before it went in.”
Andrew White III, Gr. Student, G
Do you feel that the team needs to be humbled because of the high expectations of the season?
“I can see how earlier when we went 4-0 and that margin of 30 to 40 points, but I’ve been around basketball long enough to look past those points. The moments are intense. It’s just a different feeling from neutral court to playing on the road, so what you get in those early games is different than what it is. So, for guys who are new to college basketball, like our freshmen, it’s good for them to see. I knew we were a little ways away. I didn't anticipate losing because that's something you shouldn't do, but as a leader, I knew we still had work to be done and I think that was good for everybody, including myself, to see what’s around the country and who we are going to have to compete with.”
What was the key to opening up in the second half?
“We were really just trying to get some rhythm defensively because we had well-documented offensive struggles, but what feeds into that is our defense. If we defend well, we have the opportunity to get turnovers, get run outs and get some easy baskets, so that has been our emphasis all week – trying to pick up our pace a little bit and be more in tune on the defensive end so that we can get out, get running, gets some transitions and easy baskets.”
What has the team worked on defensively?
“We have done a lot of situations where we are just drilling the offensive sets the teams are running so that we can get rotations right. We’re putting in different line ups so that everyone is more familiar with each other, just so that we can familiarize ourselves with what we're doing. The zone has simple principles to it but when you have guys running all over, and not designated to a person, you have to make sure you’re in the right area. That's something all of our newcomers and young guys are still picking up, and a lot of us are playing big minutes so were learning on the fly. There’s no excuse, but it is a difficult defense to play and you really have to be high IQ and thinking ahead to be in the right spot.”
John Gillon, Gr. Student, G
You were putting in extra work in the gym after having two consecutive scoreless games. What was that like?
“I did. I haven’t been having a lot going on for me lately, and the only way I can escape from it is to be in the gym. I was trying to not think about everything that’s been going on, and just get some work in.”
Were you surprised with how much space you had on the perimeter today?
“I normally have about that much space on threes, but I did take a step back sometimes. I was trying to take more shots and apply the work that I’ve been putting in.”
You haven’t scored the past two games, what was the difference today and how do you explain the lack of consistency?
“I had a lot going on, I wasn’t in my right mindset and I wasn’t ready to play. That’s what happens when you’re not ready to play. You get bad results and Coach can’t leave me out there. It wasn’t a lot of minutes, but in those minutes I should be able to do something. I need to be ready to play.”
Tyus Battle, Fr, G
There were stretches today where everything seemed to be clicking. What was working there when everything was going well?
“We got some easy shots, that’s the main thing. We got some easy threes and Taurean (Thompson) was knocking down his jump shots. That opened everything up. He and John Gillon had huge games tonight. They had to worry about so many people on offense, and that’s what got us the big lead.”
You have some tougher competition coming up. How can you translate a game like this into tougher games?
“Today was a step forward in the right direction. We took three tough losses, so we’re trying to get back on track and play our own game. It starts on defense. We had a couple defensive breakdowns on Cedric Hankerson. He took way too many .threes today. I think we got a lot of turnovers, which leads us in the right direction.”
Coach Boeheim said this team can’t get steals Why do you think he’s saying that?
“We have a lot to learn in the zone, and we’re not always in the right position. We have a lot of new guys that still need to learn certain areas in the zone, but as time goes on, we’re going to get more comfortable with it. I think we have been doing a better job with it in the last few games. Even though we lost to UConn, we held them to 52 points. It was our offense that lost that game. As the season goes on, we’ll learn even more on defense.”
