Head Coach Jim Boeheim Quotes - Northeastern
Syracuse Men’s Basketball
Syracuse vs. Northeastern
Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Jim Boeheim
Opening Statement:
“I thought we really started well against their zone – very good movement on our part. We got the ball where we needed to and landed a couple of shots, but they also hit a couple of long ones. They are a pretty good shooting team. I felt that the last 10 minutes of the first half we didn’t give them many shots and were playing good defense. I thought the second group played better defense than the first group was. We really changed the mood around with our defense. We never really shot the ball well. We made some and missed some of the ones I think we are capable of making.
“Oshae (Brissett) was drilling us inside, rebounding. Our big guys still need to do more and the games will go better.
“Frank (Howard) can’t seem to get his legs going. His legs die and he struggles to get his jump shot up there. He’s moving the ball and making plays but he’s not back fully shooting the ball, which is something we’ve got to work on. It will improve with time.
“I thought Elijah (Hughes) was aggressive tonight, which is very important. Tyus (Battle) has had three straight great games and tonight (he) seemed to miss a couple. He never could quite get into the rhythm tonight and nothing was going for him. Numbers show we moved the ball well against the zone and I thought Paschal (Chukwu) did some good things down low.
“Overall, our defense wasn’t good in the second half, they just missed shots. Every once in a while that happens but we can’t count on that. Ultimately we need to do better.”
Could you expand on Oshae Brissett’s growth, specifically inside?
“I thought he was really good in there, especially against the zone. He’s good inside and gets into position. He’s able to get up quick and get it. We’ve got to do more of that with our big guys.”
How important is it that this team can still score over 70 points when Tyus [Battle] has an off-game like tonight?
“Tyus has really carried us over the past three games—he has been tremendous. For a three-game stretch, he had high shooting percentages and has made great plays for us in key spots. He always makes that shot when you need it. He made that shot in the Ohio State game to win the game, then he made the key shot against Cornell to get the lead back. However, Tyus really didn’t have a good game [today] against [Northeastern’s] zone, and that’s going to happen sometimes, but the guys really did a good job picking things up.
"I think Jalen [Carey] did a good job, made some really good passes in the middle, rebounded it well, and hustled back to make a really good block. It was a good game for him.”
What is the emphasis for this team as you head into Georgetown this weekend?
“We just have to get better. We are a long way away from where we need to be for multiple reasons, mostly because of our guards missing so much time. We definitely have to overcome that and get more technically sound. We have a lot of work to do and we have a long way to where we want to be right now—we are not even close to where we want to be, and it shows.”
Is the buzz still there for you guys to play Georgetown?
"It's different when you're not in the same league, but it should be a good game. It's an important game. Once you're not in the same league, and you're not playing all the time, it's a different game."
Syracuse vs. Northeastern
Tuesday, Dec. 4, 2018
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Jim Boeheim
Opening Statement:
“I thought we really started well against their zone – very good movement on our part. We got the ball where we needed to and landed a couple of shots, but they also hit a couple of long ones. They are a pretty good shooting team. I felt that the last 10 minutes of the first half we didn’t give them many shots and were playing good defense. I thought the second group played better defense than the first group was. We really changed the mood around with our defense. We never really shot the ball well. We made some and missed some of the ones I think we are capable of making.
“Oshae (Brissett) was drilling us inside, rebounding. Our big guys still need to do more and the games will go better.
“Frank (Howard) can’t seem to get his legs going. His legs die and he struggles to get his jump shot up there. He’s moving the ball and making plays but he’s not back fully shooting the ball, which is something we’ve got to work on. It will improve with time.
“I thought Elijah (Hughes) was aggressive tonight, which is very important. Tyus (Battle) has had three straight great games and tonight (he) seemed to miss a couple. He never could quite get into the rhythm tonight and nothing was going for him. Numbers show we moved the ball well against the zone and I thought Paschal (Chukwu) did some good things down low.
“Overall, our defense wasn’t good in the second half, they just missed shots. Every once in a while that happens but we can’t count on that. Ultimately we need to do better.”
Could you expand on Oshae Brissett’s growth, specifically inside?
“I thought he was really good in there, especially against the zone. He’s good inside and gets into position. He’s able to get up quick and get it. We’ve got to do more of that with our big guys.”
How important is it that this team can still score over 70 points when Tyus [Battle] has an off-game like tonight?
“Tyus has really carried us over the past three games—he has been tremendous. For a three-game stretch, he had high shooting percentages and has made great plays for us in key spots. He always makes that shot when you need it. He made that shot in the Ohio State game to win the game, then he made the key shot against Cornell to get the lead back. However, Tyus really didn’t have a good game [today] against [Northeastern’s] zone, and that’s going to happen sometimes, but the guys really did a good job picking things up.
"I think Jalen [Carey] did a good job, made some really good passes in the middle, rebounded it well, and hustled back to make a really good block. It was a good game for him.”
What is the emphasis for this team as you head into Georgetown this weekend?
“We just have to get better. We are a long way away from where we need to be for multiple reasons, mostly because of our guards missing so much time. We definitely have to overcome that and get more technically sound. We have a lot of work to do and we have a long way to where we want to be right now—we are not even close to where we want to be, and it shows.”
Is the buzz still there for you guys to play Georgetown?
"It's different when you're not in the same league, but it should be a good game. It's an important game. Once you're not in the same league, and you're not playing all the time, it's a different game."
