Head Coach Jim Boeheim Quotes - Oakland
Syracuse Men’s Basketball
Syracuse vs. Oakland
November 20, 2017
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Jim Boeheim
Opening Statement:
“This is what we missed last year. Paschal (Chukwu) can control the middle of the court like that – it’s just such a difference.They would have had four or five layups in the second half when we were struggling offensively. So the game would have been four (points) or two (points), instead it was still at 12. We couldn’t even convert the fast breaks we were getting. But, because his defense was so good inside – he just changed the whole game. He got some offensive things tonight. We looked for him a little bit better.
“Bourama’s (Sidibe) knee is still a little sore so we tried to rest him in the second half if we could. I thought Frank (Howard) made a big difference in the second half. He started to get to the basket. Tyus (Battle) carried us the first half, and then I think Frank made some big plays. Oshae (Brissett) was more aggressive getting to the basket.
“We missed a lot of free throws. We can’t do that. Oakland – we got them into some spaces where they weren’t comfortable and they missed their shots. We’re rebounding the ball better. We still have a lot of work to do. Toledo coming in on Wednesday – they are a very, very good basketball team. So, these games will help you get better and you have to focus on what you are doing. You get better playing these games.”
Through the first four games, what has pleased you about this team?
“I think our defense has been good. Tyus (Battle) and Frank (Howard) have stepped up and I think that Marek (Dolezaj) has done a really good job off the bench and our centers have done a really good job.
“Paschal (Chukwu) was able to get a few more minutes to get something done and he did it today. He was very good. I think Oshae (Brissett) is trying to figure out his way, but he’s getting better.”
Where do you think Frank Howard has improved as a player?
“He’s a good player. He’s a year older, he’s smarter, he’s shooting better, he understands the game better. He’s playing very well.”
How would you assess Oshae Brissett’s decision making through four games?
“He went to the basket better tonight, he didn’t take any threes. He missed two or three shots at the basket that he will make.
“You look at his numbers, he had 11 points and nine rebounds but he missed four foul shots, which he won’t, and missed two layups, which he won’t. So if you take those out of the equation he has about 18 points and nine rebounds, so that’s pretty good. I’m pretty happy with that.”
How is this team different this year defensively?
“We’re bigger at the guard spot. We’re moving up on the shooters better that we did last year.
“Last year was one of the worst three-point defensive teams we’ve ever had. As bad as our defense was last year, we were still only about ninth in the league. It looked like we were 15th in the league, because we were used to being better than that. We let people shoot high percentages from the perimeter and that’s never a good thing.”
What are some of the challenges of playing three games in six days?
“It’s too many games, but sometimes your schedule works that way. If you play in a tournament on the road, you play three games in three days. We just have to deal with it as best we can.”
When Tyus (Battle) is playing as well as he has been, how good could this team be?
“Well he’s important, but we have to have everybody playing well. He started well, but in the second half they did a good job on him and he missed a couple that he usually makes but other guys, Frank (Howard), made plays and Paschal (Chukwu) got two rebounds big rebounds and he put them back in.
“We missed a lot of layups tonight, we missed a lot of free throws, but yet we were still able to control the game, so that’s a good thing.”
Syracuse vs. Oakland
November 20, 2017
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Jim Boeheim
Opening Statement:
“This is what we missed last year. Paschal (Chukwu) can control the middle of the court like that – it’s just such a difference.They would have had four or five layups in the second half when we were struggling offensively. So the game would have been four (points) or two (points), instead it was still at 12. We couldn’t even convert the fast breaks we were getting. But, because his defense was so good inside – he just changed the whole game. He got some offensive things tonight. We looked for him a little bit better.
“Bourama’s (Sidibe) knee is still a little sore so we tried to rest him in the second half if we could. I thought Frank (Howard) made a big difference in the second half. He started to get to the basket. Tyus (Battle) carried us the first half, and then I think Frank made some big plays. Oshae (Brissett) was more aggressive getting to the basket.
“We missed a lot of free throws. We can’t do that. Oakland – we got them into some spaces where they weren’t comfortable and they missed their shots. We’re rebounding the ball better. We still have a lot of work to do. Toledo coming in on Wednesday – they are a very, very good basketball team. So, these games will help you get better and you have to focus on what you are doing. You get better playing these games.”
Through the first four games, what has pleased you about this team?
“I think our defense has been good. Tyus (Battle) and Frank (Howard) have stepped up and I think that Marek (Dolezaj) has done a really good job off the bench and our centers have done a really good job.
“Paschal (Chukwu) was able to get a few more minutes to get something done and he did it today. He was very good. I think Oshae (Brissett) is trying to figure out his way, but he’s getting better.”
Where do you think Frank Howard has improved as a player?
“He’s a good player. He’s a year older, he’s smarter, he’s shooting better, he understands the game better. He’s playing very well.”
How would you assess Oshae Brissett’s decision making through four games?
“He went to the basket better tonight, he didn’t take any threes. He missed two or three shots at the basket that he will make.
“You look at his numbers, he had 11 points and nine rebounds but he missed four foul shots, which he won’t, and missed two layups, which he won’t. So if you take those out of the equation he has about 18 points and nine rebounds, so that’s pretty good. I’m pretty happy with that.”
How is this team different this year defensively?
“We’re bigger at the guard spot. We’re moving up on the shooters better that we did last year.
“Last year was one of the worst three-point defensive teams we’ve ever had. As bad as our defense was last year, we were still only about ninth in the league. It looked like we were 15th in the league, because we were used to being better than that. We let people shoot high percentages from the perimeter and that’s never a good thing.”
What are some of the challenges of playing three games in six days?
“It’s too many games, but sometimes your schedule works that way. If you play in a tournament on the road, you play three games in three days. We just have to deal with it as best we can.”
When Tyus (Battle) is playing as well as he has been, how good could this team be?
“Well he’s important, but we have to have everybody playing well. He started well, but in the second half they did a good job on him and he missed a couple that he usually makes but other guys, Frank (Howard), made plays and Paschal (Chukwu) got two rebounds big rebounds and he put them back in.
“We missed a lot of layups tonight, we missed a lot of free throws, but yet we were still able to control the game, so that’s a good thing.”
