Head Coach Jim Boeheim Quotes - Pittsburgh
Syracuse Men’s Basketball
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh
January 25, 2020
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Jim Boeheim
Opening statement
“There was never a comfort zone in this game at any time. Our defense was good – that kept us in there -- but I didn’t know if we could survive when Elijah (Hughes) and Joe (Girard) both had bad games. But we did. Marek (Dolezaj) was huge and Buddy (Boeheim) had a really good first half. Second half we really couldn’t get him a shot over there. They started face guarding him but that makes the lanes open and Elijah finally got in there and got to the basket and hit Marek. And Quincy (Guerrier) got a couple.
“Our defense was good. We really did a good job guarding the 3-point line. Pitt is a good team. They’re physical, they’re tough. There is no such thing as an easy game. Every game is like this every night that we go out to play. I thought the big key was Elijah’s drive, and when he got it all the way there and missed but Marek was right there because his man was helping and he got it and put it back in. Big plays.
It hurts us when Bourama (Sidibe) goes out, it hurts our inside defense. He was good tonight defensively, and when he goes out it does hurt is in there. They’re a good team, good defensive team, and it’s not easy to score. We are fortunate that Buddy got it going early to get us the lead. That enabled us to kind of hang in there at the end. It’s a good win and now we have another tough game in just a couple days so we’ll see.”
Can you talk about Quincy Guerrier tonight?
“When he’s in there and we’re driving, his man is helping so he’s going to get some opportunities there, and he’s been good there. He’s got to rebound better on the defensive end. He can’t take the ball out of bounds when he’s not supposed to. He gets down there and didn’t know where to go with it. We’re fortunate that Marek is really good there. He waited and waited on Elijah and then we got the long pass. That’s what we were looking for there. Again, this was a tough win.
"I don’t think Elijah or Joe made a three probably, except Joe made that one. That was a big shot, actually. He hadn’t had anything and then he sticks that one, so that was good. We survived those two having a bad game, which is good, a good thing for this team. Howard’s (Washington) still hurt and I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
Is this a game you could have won a month ago?
“We could have won this. Our defense was better tonight but Pittsburgh is not a great 3-point shooting team. Along the way you’re going to play a mixture of teams and you’re going to play some teams that shoot really good like Notre Dame, and we’re going to play some teams that don’t shoot so good. So, it’s a little bit of an advantage. I thought our rebounding was good tonight, our offensive rebounding especially, but when we get those isolations and Elijah drives they have to help. That gives us a really good opportunity to get an offensive rebound in that situation. Marek was really good tonight. He’s a really key player for us to be successful.”
How many guys have you coached that can play like Marek Dolezaj?
“He’s good at the four. It’s good to have a versatile guy there. We’ve had a few guys that can do some of those things, but he’s a really versatile player. He plays center, he plays forward, he handles the ball, he takes it out. He’s a huge key to what we do.”
What has Buddy Boeheim done to be able to drive the ball better and expand beyond just a 3-point shooter?
“He’s gotten better with the ball. He works hard, not just as a shooter. He’s worked hard on getting in the lane and making plays and I think he works so hard that he’s even got another level to go up. He’s ahead of schedule because he works out four hours a day. He works out every day. Sunday he comes in and does yoga and then he shoots or lifts, and he just does that. Days off he just does that. That’s why he’s gotten better. He works hard at the game and he’s getting better. He has to work on his free-throw shooting.”
Syracuse vs. Pittsburgh
January 25, 2020
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Head Coach Jim Boeheim
Opening statement
“There was never a comfort zone in this game at any time. Our defense was good – that kept us in there -- but I didn’t know if we could survive when Elijah (Hughes) and Joe (Girard) both had bad games. But we did. Marek (Dolezaj) was huge and Buddy (Boeheim) had a really good first half. Second half we really couldn’t get him a shot over there. They started face guarding him but that makes the lanes open and Elijah finally got in there and got to the basket and hit Marek. And Quincy (Guerrier) got a couple.
“Our defense was good. We really did a good job guarding the 3-point line. Pitt is a good team. They’re physical, they’re tough. There is no such thing as an easy game. Every game is like this every night that we go out to play. I thought the big key was Elijah’s drive, and when he got it all the way there and missed but Marek was right there because his man was helping and he got it and put it back in. Big plays.
It hurts us when Bourama (Sidibe) goes out, it hurts our inside defense. He was good tonight defensively, and when he goes out it does hurt is in there. They’re a good team, good defensive team, and it’s not easy to score. We are fortunate that Buddy got it going early to get us the lead. That enabled us to kind of hang in there at the end. It’s a good win and now we have another tough game in just a couple days so we’ll see.”
Can you talk about Quincy Guerrier tonight?
“When he’s in there and we’re driving, his man is helping so he’s going to get some opportunities there, and he’s been good there. He’s got to rebound better on the defensive end. He can’t take the ball out of bounds when he’s not supposed to. He gets down there and didn’t know where to go with it. We’re fortunate that Marek is really good there. He waited and waited on Elijah and then we got the long pass. That’s what we were looking for there. Again, this was a tough win.
"I don’t think Elijah or Joe made a three probably, except Joe made that one. That was a big shot, actually. He hadn’t had anything and then he sticks that one, so that was good. We survived those two having a bad game, which is good, a good thing for this team. Howard’s (Washington) still hurt and I don’t know when he’ll be back.”
Is this a game you could have won a month ago?
“We could have won this. Our defense was better tonight but Pittsburgh is not a great 3-point shooting team. Along the way you’re going to play a mixture of teams and you’re going to play some teams that shoot really good like Notre Dame, and we’re going to play some teams that don’t shoot so good. So, it’s a little bit of an advantage. I thought our rebounding was good tonight, our offensive rebounding especially, but when we get those isolations and Elijah drives they have to help. That gives us a really good opportunity to get an offensive rebound in that situation. Marek was really good tonight. He’s a really key player for us to be successful.”
How many guys have you coached that can play like Marek Dolezaj?
“He’s good at the four. It’s good to have a versatile guy there. We’ve had a few guys that can do some of those things, but he’s a really versatile player. He plays center, he plays forward, he handles the ball, he takes it out. He’s a huge key to what we do.”
What has Buddy Boeheim done to be able to drive the ball better and expand beyond just a 3-point shooter?
“He’s gotten better with the ball. He works hard, not just as a shooter. He’s worked hard on getting in the lane and making plays and I think he works so hard that he’s even got another level to go up. He’s ahead of schedule because he works out four hours a day. He works out every day. Sunday he comes in and does yoga and then he shoots or lifts, and he just does that. Days off he just does that. That’s why he’s gotten better. He works hard at the game and he’s getting better. He has to work on his free-throw shooting.”
