Head Coach Jim Boeheim Quotes - Georgia Tech
Syracuse Men’s Basketball
Syracuse vs. Georgia Tech
March 4, 2017
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim
Opening Statement:
“We started shooting the ball from the beginning, Tyus (Battle) hit those threes early, we had good ball movement and our defense was really good. We hit a dead spot starting off the second half, but, I thought that Tyler Lydon hit a big three to give us a little separation and we got the ball to Andrew (White III), and he just got going and didn’t miss anything. It was one of the best shooting performances that I’ve seen. He just made everything and they did a really good job. Tyus Battle, Tyler (Roberson), Lydon, and John (Gillion) found him, they all looked for him and he made some shots.
“I think our defense was better than it’s been. Obviously, when you shoot the ball like that from the three it is hard to beat that.”
Does it say anything about the guys when they lose a 16-point lead and it gets down to three?
“A 16-point lead really doesn’t mean anything when it is in the first five minutes. The game is just starting. We started really poorly in the second half, and that was a real key. We missed a layup inside, two guys had an opportunity to get one and we didn’t get it. We had a loose ball on the other end and they got it and made a layup. It was just a combination of things.
“Georgia Tech is a very good defensive team. They change up and we handled it really well. We did a good job with getting the right positions, getting the ball in the right places and finishing. When anybody shoots the ball like that you’re going to win a lot of games. We shot well from start to finish.”
Is this the kind of season you expected to get from Andrew White III?
“You don’t know what you’re going to get from a guy you’ve never seen play before. He’s never been in our system. I think he’s been our most consistent player all year. The teams that have been face guarding him have kept him from getting his. But, when people play any kind of normal defense, he’s getting his shots. He’s gotten better at going to the basket. I think that’s been a really big improvement in his game.
“Him and Tyus (Battle) both – I think Tyus has improved tremendously from the beginning to now. He’s putting up the ball, making plays, and making good defensive plays.I think John (Gillion) has figured out what we need to do and what we need from him. I think we’ve got to get Tyler Lydon and Taurean (Thompson) to play a little bit better moving forward this week. I think Tyler Roberson has given us some good stuff. He can do more. We’ll see what happens.”
Was it a committed effort to trapping Ben (Lammers) in the corner?
“We always want to trap a short corner. We did better tonight. We didn’t do it very well. They didn’t throw it as much in the short corner. We rotated better and had the steals going across. That was the difference.
“Ben (Lammers) is a really good player. He made some really good blocks today. He’s easily, to me, the most improved player in our league. He’s really come a long way.
I think their team has done a great job, they play with a purpose and they know exactly what they are doing. They are a very difficult team to play against. This team beat North Carolina, Florida State and Notre Dame. Those are three top 15, top 20 teams. Josh (Coach Pastner) has done a good job with that team and they play really well together. But, when we shoot like that we are going to beat anybody.”
Can you talk about Dajuan Coleman’s career?
“He’s a great kid, he’s as good as any kid that we’ve had in the program. I think that he could have been a really good player but not with those knees. When it happened, they told me that he would not be able to come back to play. He worked really hard. He somehow played through this just on sheer will and determination, because when you see him now he can’t move in practice. It’s sad to see. He’s an unbelievable kid. He worked two years to be able to play at all and he made a contribution. But, this year it has gone the other way. He will never admit it but he just can’t move out there.
“Our fans have been great all year, this was another example of the unbelievable support that we’ve had. We’ve been great at home. We get one call against Louisville at the end of the game, and we would have gone undefeated at home (in ACC play). Our fans have given us a huge lift. They’ve been a lot better than normal. They’re always good, but they are even better this year.
How valuable has John Gillon been to the improvement of the team overall?
“He’s the key for us. John has to be there. He has to be get in the lane, make plays and make shots when they’re there. He’s been the difference. We started out 8-6 and 0-1 in the league. We got whipped up at Boston College coming off the St. John’s game. From that moment on, we’ve been 10-7 in the toughest league in the country.
“People talk about road wins and we’ve had two. Every other team in the league has had three. There are four teams right above us that have had three road wins in our league. Today, there was one team with a winning record on the road in our league. I think they were 5-4. Every other team has three or four wins on the road. It’s very hard to get wins on the road in this league.
“It’s also very hard to get 10 wins in this league. Not only that, but to beat top 10 teams. We beat three top-10 teams this year, whether they’re rated there (now) or not, that’s where they were. Miami has moved up into the top 20-some. So we’ve got six or seven wins against the top 25 to 50 teams and three or four after that.
After the start we had, I think it was mostly thought that we wouldn’t quite make the NIT. To come back from that start with all new players --we had to change and put Taurean Thompson in there and made John the point guard--those were risky moves, but they had to be made. John stepped up, Taurean stepped up and Tyler Roberson has responded pretty well off the bench. The continued improvement from Tyus (Battle) has also made up a pretty solid basketball team.”
Can you talk about the careers of the seniors?
Tyler (Roberson) and DaJuan (Coleman) have done everything they could here to compete and to get better. With Tyler Roberson, the sad thing is, if he could shoot, he’d be a really good college player. He can’t make a foul shot or a 15-foot shot. When he gets the ball in those positions where guys would score, he has to dribble out and pass it out and then we have to start all over again. It affects our offense. People know that he’s going to try to rebound so they keep him off the boards. He hasn’t been able to get there like he had a few times last year. He just struggles to shoot the basketball and its tough to play this game when you can’t shoot the basketball. He’s going to graduate and he’s given us four years, he’s played as hard as he could.
“It’s the same thing with DaJuan, he’s going to get his Master’s and he’s played as hard as he could. That’s all you can ask of a player and that’s what I’ll remember. It’s not always what he did. It’s the effort. When Trevor Cooney graduated, I felt like he gave us everything he could everyday, plus something. That’s what I remember. It’s not necessarily how good you are. It’s what you did to get yourself to be the best you could be. Did you compete and did you try as hard as you could? That’s all I ask of my players. If you don’t get better at shooting or you’re not a good ball handler, it’s just something that there’s nothing you can do about. Both of our seniors have done everything that we’ve asked them to do.
“Doyin ((Akintobi-Adeyeye) has been a great guy, great practice player. He’s improved more than anybody on our team. He’s not bad now.
"The two fifth-year guys came in not knowing what we’re doing. It’s much more difficult to do that, especially for a point guard. It’s very difficult. John has really shown some big strides this year. I talked to his mother and said, ‘I wish I had John for one more year because if I did, he’d be an all-league player.’ It’s hard when you have one year to change habits.”
What was it like to play Georgia Tech a second time?
“I think they’re very good defensively. They either do the match up or they switch and play man. They’re obviously better at the match up. It’s hard to play a good match up. A good match up is the hardest defense to play against. I think Georgia Tech has done a fantastic job with their defense. They’ve won eight games in this league. They deserve a lot of credit.”
Is this the most teaching you’ve had to do with a team in a while?
“We try to teach every year. Sometimes it might work better than other years. Like I said, when we were 8-6, we were thinking a little bit about if we could get to .500. We were 8-6 and we had Pittsburgh coming in. They had just beaten Virginia in overtime and we hadn’t beat Pittsburgh in about 10 years. Whenever you’re playing four new players — four first-year players and a sophomore — it’s not easy. We have the least experienced team in this league with four first-year players and one sophomore. They’ve come a long ways. I think we’re a pretty good team and when we’re shooting the ball, we’re a real good basketball team.”
Syracuse vs. Georgia Tech
March 4, 2017
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Syracuse head coach Jim Boeheim
Opening Statement:
“We started shooting the ball from the beginning, Tyus (Battle) hit those threes early, we had good ball movement and our defense was really good. We hit a dead spot starting off the second half, but, I thought that Tyler Lydon hit a big three to give us a little separation and we got the ball to Andrew (White III), and he just got going and didn’t miss anything. It was one of the best shooting performances that I’ve seen. He just made everything and they did a really good job. Tyus Battle, Tyler (Roberson), Lydon, and John (Gillion) found him, they all looked for him and he made some shots.
“I think our defense was better than it’s been. Obviously, when you shoot the ball like that from the three it is hard to beat that.”
Does it say anything about the guys when they lose a 16-point lead and it gets down to three?
“A 16-point lead really doesn’t mean anything when it is in the first five minutes. The game is just starting. We started really poorly in the second half, and that was a real key. We missed a layup inside, two guys had an opportunity to get one and we didn’t get it. We had a loose ball on the other end and they got it and made a layup. It was just a combination of things.
“Georgia Tech is a very good defensive team. They change up and we handled it really well. We did a good job with getting the right positions, getting the ball in the right places and finishing. When anybody shoots the ball like that you’re going to win a lot of games. We shot well from start to finish.”
Is this the kind of season you expected to get from Andrew White III?
“You don’t know what you’re going to get from a guy you’ve never seen play before. He’s never been in our system. I think he’s been our most consistent player all year. The teams that have been face guarding him have kept him from getting his. But, when people play any kind of normal defense, he’s getting his shots. He’s gotten better at going to the basket. I think that’s been a really big improvement in his game.
“Him and Tyus (Battle) both – I think Tyus has improved tremendously from the beginning to now. He’s putting up the ball, making plays, and making good defensive plays.I think John (Gillion) has figured out what we need to do and what we need from him. I think we’ve got to get Tyler Lydon and Taurean (Thompson) to play a little bit better moving forward this week. I think Tyler Roberson has given us some good stuff. He can do more. We’ll see what happens.”
Was it a committed effort to trapping Ben (Lammers) in the corner?
“We always want to trap a short corner. We did better tonight. We didn’t do it very well. They didn’t throw it as much in the short corner. We rotated better and had the steals going across. That was the difference.
“Ben (Lammers) is a really good player. He made some really good blocks today. He’s easily, to me, the most improved player in our league. He’s really come a long way.
I think their team has done a great job, they play with a purpose and they know exactly what they are doing. They are a very difficult team to play against. This team beat North Carolina, Florida State and Notre Dame. Those are three top 15, top 20 teams. Josh (Coach Pastner) has done a good job with that team and they play really well together. But, when we shoot like that we are going to beat anybody.”
Can you talk about Dajuan Coleman’s career?
“He’s a great kid, he’s as good as any kid that we’ve had in the program. I think that he could have been a really good player but not with those knees. When it happened, they told me that he would not be able to come back to play. He worked really hard. He somehow played through this just on sheer will and determination, because when you see him now he can’t move in practice. It’s sad to see. He’s an unbelievable kid. He worked two years to be able to play at all and he made a contribution. But, this year it has gone the other way. He will never admit it but he just can’t move out there.
“Our fans have been great all year, this was another example of the unbelievable support that we’ve had. We’ve been great at home. We get one call against Louisville at the end of the game, and we would have gone undefeated at home (in ACC play). Our fans have given us a huge lift. They’ve been a lot better than normal. They’re always good, but they are even better this year.
How valuable has John Gillon been to the improvement of the team overall?
“He’s the key for us. John has to be there. He has to be get in the lane, make plays and make shots when they’re there. He’s been the difference. We started out 8-6 and 0-1 in the league. We got whipped up at Boston College coming off the St. John’s game. From that moment on, we’ve been 10-7 in the toughest league in the country.
“People talk about road wins and we’ve had two. Every other team in the league has had three. There are four teams right above us that have had three road wins in our league. Today, there was one team with a winning record on the road in our league. I think they were 5-4. Every other team has three or four wins on the road. It’s very hard to get wins on the road in this league.
“It’s also very hard to get 10 wins in this league. Not only that, but to beat top 10 teams. We beat three top-10 teams this year, whether they’re rated there (now) or not, that’s where they were. Miami has moved up into the top 20-some. So we’ve got six or seven wins against the top 25 to 50 teams and three or four after that.
After the start we had, I think it was mostly thought that we wouldn’t quite make the NIT. To come back from that start with all new players --we had to change and put Taurean Thompson in there and made John the point guard--those were risky moves, but they had to be made. John stepped up, Taurean stepped up and Tyler Roberson has responded pretty well off the bench. The continued improvement from Tyus (Battle) has also made up a pretty solid basketball team.”
Can you talk about the careers of the seniors?
Tyler (Roberson) and DaJuan (Coleman) have done everything they could here to compete and to get better. With Tyler Roberson, the sad thing is, if he could shoot, he’d be a really good college player. He can’t make a foul shot or a 15-foot shot. When he gets the ball in those positions where guys would score, he has to dribble out and pass it out and then we have to start all over again. It affects our offense. People know that he’s going to try to rebound so they keep him off the boards. He hasn’t been able to get there like he had a few times last year. He just struggles to shoot the basketball and its tough to play this game when you can’t shoot the basketball. He’s going to graduate and he’s given us four years, he’s played as hard as he could.
“It’s the same thing with DaJuan, he’s going to get his Master’s and he’s played as hard as he could. That’s all you can ask of a player and that’s what I’ll remember. It’s not always what he did. It’s the effort. When Trevor Cooney graduated, I felt like he gave us everything he could everyday, plus something. That’s what I remember. It’s not necessarily how good you are. It’s what you did to get yourself to be the best you could be. Did you compete and did you try as hard as you could? That’s all I ask of my players. If you don’t get better at shooting or you’re not a good ball handler, it’s just something that there’s nothing you can do about. Both of our seniors have done everything that we’ve asked them to do.
“Doyin ((Akintobi-Adeyeye) has been a great guy, great practice player. He’s improved more than anybody on our team. He’s not bad now.
"The two fifth-year guys came in not knowing what we’re doing. It’s much more difficult to do that, especially for a point guard. It’s very difficult. John has really shown some big strides this year. I talked to his mother and said, ‘I wish I had John for one more year because if I did, he’d be an all-league player.’ It’s hard when you have one year to change habits.”
What was it like to play Georgia Tech a second time?
“I think they’re very good defensively. They either do the match up or they switch and play man. They’re obviously better at the match up. It’s hard to play a good match up. A good match up is the hardest defense to play against. I think Georgia Tech has done a fantastic job with their defense. They’ve won eight games in this league. They deserve a lot of credit.”
Is this the most teaching you’ve had to do with a team in a while?
“We try to teach every year. Sometimes it might work better than other years. Like I said, when we were 8-6, we were thinking a little bit about if we could get to .500. We were 8-6 and we had Pittsburgh coming in. They had just beaten Virginia in overtime and we hadn’t beat Pittsburgh in about 10 years. Whenever you’re playing four new players — four first-year players and a sophomore — it’s not easy. We have the least experienced team in this league with four first-year players and one sophomore. They’ve come a long ways. I think we’re a pretty good team and when we’re shooting the ball, we’re a real good basketball team.”
