Student-Athlete Quotes - Pittsburgh
Syracuse Men’s Basketball
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh
January 7, 2017
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
John Gillon, Grad., G
How does it feel to have coach’s trust?
“It gives you a certain confidence that coach has trust in you. You just go out and play hard because you don’t want to let him down. ”
Would it be an overstatement when I say this is looking good?
“We are still 10-6. At the end of the day, it is good that we got the win. But we still have to have the same approach going into every game – that same hunger or we will start losing again.”
You started attacking defenses more the last two games, was that a personal decision?
“Just being more aggressive, smarter with my aggression I think. Being aggressive blindly isn’t good, but when I’m getting in there and my teammates are hitting shots, it opens up so much more for me.”
Tyler Roberson, Sr., F
You have had extended minutes the last few games, what has that done for you?
“It’s done a lot. Even when I wasn’t playing I tried to watch the game, see what’s going on and come to practice and play hard. You can go from playing however many minutes I was playing to playing this amount of minutes so it’s all about working hard and waiting for your opportunity.”
Has coach told you what to do to stay on the floor??
“Mostly just play with energy, like I have been trying to do – rebound, block shots and score when I have the chance.”
What was the difference with the defense today?
“We’ve been active and bothering shooters. They haven’t been comfortable stepping in to their shots. When they do attack, Tyler (Lydon) has been doing a really good job of giving them a difficult time finishing down there.”
Tyler Lydon, So., F
How does Tyler Roberson affect the way you guys play defense?
“He obviously showed it today that he is a great player. He brought a ton of energy. You look over your shoulder and (it) motivates you to do something too, because he is taking care of business down there.”
Do you have more confidence guarding the person at the high post knowing that he is down there?
“Absolutely, knowing that you have a shot blocker and someone that plays as aggressively as they can, (it) takes some stress off of my back. I can go out there and play harder on the high post. I know that he has that area covered.”
Andrew White III, Gr., G
This matchup seemed pretty difficult and you made it seem pretty manageable. What happened?
“You never know what this team can do until you see us flying with energy, I think that’s what we got a little taste of tonight. So, it’s just encouraging to see everybody playing to what their capabilities are. Tyus (Battle) got going early, he was kind of our early bird for us. Then, John (Gillon) started to get going. Then, later on I hit a couple shots. Then Rob(erson) came in and gave us energy rebounding. Now, everybody’s cooking. And at that point, what’s you scouting report? Who are you going to guard? You know, when you do things like that, it gives an opportunity to look really good as a team and I just have fun sharing the wealth with all my teammates.”
Has your defensive effort changed from the beginning of the season to these last few games?
“My rebounding effort is what has changed. I feel like, going back to last year, when I’m engaged on the boards, I think that’s when I have my best defensive and all-around games. Because that’s kind of what gets me going and in the flow of the game. I just try to live on the glass. I think I had three or four rebounds before I scored a point. At that point, when you’re flying to the glass, that means you’re flying around and that’s the point of the zone. So, I think that’s what sparked my individual defense in the back of the zone.
"And then, I’m just trying to learn personnel a little better, do things like that, so I can help and talk to my teammates. So when you’re running around and you’re talking, your juices get flowing and that kind of helps your individual defense. (I’m) just trying to be a sparkplug for my team as much as possible to make sure that they’re hopped up and ready to go, as well”
Tyus Battle, Fr., G
What are some things that you feel like you’re doing now that weren’t being done before?
“Energy on the defensive end, which leads to easy offense. I think we went on a 20-point run, or something like that, and that was all due to our defense. We stopped the key guys we had to stop and got it out in transition.”
Four guys in double-figures today. What do you think led to that offensive outburst, especially in the first half?
“Definitely our defense. We got steals, blocked shots – I think Rob(erson) had six blocks. When you play defense it makes things so tough on their offense.”
Just talk about how John (Gillon) has stepped into his role here in the last few games.
“John’s been doing a great job – getting to the basket, especially. I think when you create that penetration the defense has to converge on him, which leaves us shooters open or lobs to the bigs today, which you saw. So, that makes the defense have to work.”
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh
January 7, 2017
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
John Gillon, Grad., G
How does it feel to have coach’s trust?
“It gives you a certain confidence that coach has trust in you. You just go out and play hard because you don’t want to let him down. ”
Would it be an overstatement when I say this is looking good?
“We are still 10-6. At the end of the day, it is good that we got the win. But we still have to have the same approach going into every game – that same hunger or we will start losing again.”
You started attacking defenses more the last two games, was that a personal decision?
“Just being more aggressive, smarter with my aggression I think. Being aggressive blindly isn’t good, but when I’m getting in there and my teammates are hitting shots, it opens up so much more for me.”
Tyler Roberson, Sr., F
You have had extended minutes the last few games, what has that done for you?
“It’s done a lot. Even when I wasn’t playing I tried to watch the game, see what’s going on and come to practice and play hard. You can go from playing however many minutes I was playing to playing this amount of minutes so it’s all about working hard and waiting for your opportunity.”
Has coach told you what to do to stay on the floor??
“Mostly just play with energy, like I have been trying to do – rebound, block shots and score when I have the chance.”
What was the difference with the defense today?
“We’ve been active and bothering shooters. They haven’t been comfortable stepping in to their shots. When they do attack, Tyler (Lydon) has been doing a really good job of giving them a difficult time finishing down there.”
Tyler Lydon, So., F
How does Tyler Roberson affect the way you guys play defense?
“He obviously showed it today that he is a great player. He brought a ton of energy. You look over your shoulder and (it) motivates you to do something too, because he is taking care of business down there.”
Do you have more confidence guarding the person at the high post knowing that he is down there?
“Absolutely, knowing that you have a shot blocker and someone that plays as aggressively as they can, (it) takes some stress off of my back. I can go out there and play harder on the high post. I know that he has that area covered.”
Andrew White III, Gr., G
This matchup seemed pretty difficult and you made it seem pretty manageable. What happened?
“You never know what this team can do until you see us flying with energy, I think that’s what we got a little taste of tonight. So, it’s just encouraging to see everybody playing to what their capabilities are. Tyus (Battle) got going early, he was kind of our early bird for us. Then, John (Gillon) started to get going. Then, later on I hit a couple shots. Then Rob(erson) came in and gave us energy rebounding. Now, everybody’s cooking. And at that point, what’s you scouting report? Who are you going to guard? You know, when you do things like that, it gives an opportunity to look really good as a team and I just have fun sharing the wealth with all my teammates.”
Has your defensive effort changed from the beginning of the season to these last few games?
“My rebounding effort is what has changed. I feel like, going back to last year, when I’m engaged on the boards, I think that’s when I have my best defensive and all-around games. Because that’s kind of what gets me going and in the flow of the game. I just try to live on the glass. I think I had three or four rebounds before I scored a point. At that point, when you’re flying to the glass, that means you’re flying around and that’s the point of the zone. So, I think that’s what sparked my individual defense in the back of the zone.
"And then, I’m just trying to learn personnel a little better, do things like that, so I can help and talk to my teammates. So when you’re running around and you’re talking, your juices get flowing and that kind of helps your individual defense. (I’m) just trying to be a sparkplug for my team as much as possible to make sure that they’re hopped up and ready to go, as well”
Tyus Battle, Fr., G
What are some things that you feel like you’re doing now that weren’t being done before?
“Energy on the defensive end, which leads to easy offense. I think we went on a 20-point run, or something like that, and that was all due to our defense. We stopped the key guys we had to stop and got it out in transition.”
Four guys in double-figures today. What do you think led to that offensive outburst, especially in the first half?
“Definitely our defense. We got steals, blocked shots – I think Rob(erson) had six blocks. When you play defense it makes things so tough on their offense.”
Just talk about how John (Gillon) has stepped into his role here in the last few games.
“John’s been doing a great job – getting to the basket, especially. I think when you create that penetration the defense has to converge on him, which leaves us shooters open or lobs to the bigs today, which you saw. So, that makes the defense have to work.”
