Head Coach Jim Boeheim Quotes
Syracuse Men's Basketball
Syracuse vs. Georgia Tech
February 22, 2020
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim
Opening Statement:
“I thought we made a lot of mistakes in the first half. We had a lot of bad turnovers and we didn’t come out on the three-point shooters twice. In the second half, we went with the five guys who played the best and most consistent defense, and it was the first game we had all five guys at the end. If we didn’t have those five guys at the end, we wouldn’t have won. Having those guys at the end gave us a chance to win the game. We shot 64 percent in the second half. We had better movement and took better shots. All five of our guys were tremendous.
“We had trouble with (Moses) Wright, but we got just enough stops down there. He was really good. He missed three shots, and they got to the foul line. We did a better job in the second half on (Jose) Alvarado and (Michael) DeVoe. DeVoe had nothing in the second half. Tech was going to go inside, and we had to contain that. We can give up points inside, but we can’t give up the inside and the outside. In the first half, we gave up four three pointers. In the second half, we gave up just two, and one of those was at the end.
“This was a hard game to win, especially the way Georgia Tech has been playing. They won here last year. This was always going to be a hard game and when we got off to a bad first half it was really hard. I’m really proud of the way those five guys battled in there. This is what Bourama (Sidibe) can do. It may not look like much: 10 rebounds, six points, three steals. He can do that more consistently. He missed his free throws, he missed a layup, he got one blocked. He’s very capable of performing like that, and he makes us different.
“This is one of the best second halves we’ve ever played. We’ve struggled at the end of the last few games, but I don’t think anyone was tired today. This was a tremendous win. We were down at the half, and the key was getting off to a good start in the second half. We got back in it quick and we just kept battling.”
Was there anything you said to the players at the half to create that spark?
“We just have to compete. Marek (Dolezaj) and Bourama (Sidibe) have to stay out of foul trouble. There were a couple of sets we wanted to run and we got those right away. The end of the game, we went with Marek, and he was tremendous. He had four or five plays in a row and made his free throws. When he plays like this we’re a different team offensively and defensively. If he and Bourama are in foul trouble, we can’t win. We can compete, but we can’t win. They just have to stay out of foul trouble and Marek needs to do what he did today. He may not always score 20, but he has to take advantage of match ups. They had no one to guard him for a while, and that’s why we went to him. Tech played Buddy (Boeheim) hard, but he got in there and made some things happen. Joe (Girard III) is right there on the verge.”
What made Marek (Dolezaj) such a good option in the last few minutes?
“He had a good match up. Tech had a big guy on him that couldn’t defend him. Then, when they put a smaller guy on him he already had the confidence, so we still went to him and he made plays.”
How was Buddy (Boeheim’s) leadership tonight and what have you seen from the veterans on this team?
“I think everyone is leading. We have a lot of guys trying to do the right things. Elijah (Hughes) has been really good at talking. Buddy and Joe (Girard III) were playing against two really good players who have played a lot of games.”
In the second half, how were you guys able to get out in transition as much as you did?
“We got a lot of deflections and steals. That’s how we get out. It’s hard for us to get it off the glass. We don’t get too many clean rebounds.”
You mentioned the stats don’t always show the value of Bourama (Sidibe). What is it that makes him stand out?
“The shots Tech missed down low, he was defending and bothering it. He’s the only guy in the center spot, so he can get 10 rebounds, he can block a shot and maybe get a steal. He’s better than how he’s been playing.”
Syracuse vs. Georgia Tech
February 22, 2020
Carrier Dome, Syracuse, N.Y.
Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim
Opening Statement:
“I thought we made a lot of mistakes in the first half. We had a lot of bad turnovers and we didn’t come out on the three-point shooters twice. In the second half, we went with the five guys who played the best and most consistent defense, and it was the first game we had all five guys at the end. If we didn’t have those five guys at the end, we wouldn’t have won. Having those guys at the end gave us a chance to win the game. We shot 64 percent in the second half. We had better movement and took better shots. All five of our guys were tremendous.
“We had trouble with (Moses) Wright, but we got just enough stops down there. He was really good. He missed three shots, and they got to the foul line. We did a better job in the second half on (Jose) Alvarado and (Michael) DeVoe. DeVoe had nothing in the second half. Tech was going to go inside, and we had to contain that. We can give up points inside, but we can’t give up the inside and the outside. In the first half, we gave up four three pointers. In the second half, we gave up just two, and one of those was at the end.
“This was a hard game to win, especially the way Georgia Tech has been playing. They won here last year. This was always going to be a hard game and when we got off to a bad first half it was really hard. I’m really proud of the way those five guys battled in there. This is what Bourama (Sidibe) can do. It may not look like much: 10 rebounds, six points, three steals. He can do that more consistently. He missed his free throws, he missed a layup, he got one blocked. He’s very capable of performing like that, and he makes us different.
“This is one of the best second halves we’ve ever played. We’ve struggled at the end of the last few games, but I don’t think anyone was tired today. This was a tremendous win. We were down at the half, and the key was getting off to a good start in the second half. We got back in it quick and we just kept battling.”
Was there anything you said to the players at the half to create that spark?
“We just have to compete. Marek (Dolezaj) and Bourama (Sidibe) have to stay out of foul trouble. There were a couple of sets we wanted to run and we got those right away. The end of the game, we went with Marek, and he was tremendous. He had four or five plays in a row and made his free throws. When he plays like this we’re a different team offensively and defensively. If he and Bourama are in foul trouble, we can’t win. We can compete, but we can’t win. They just have to stay out of foul trouble and Marek needs to do what he did today. He may not always score 20, but he has to take advantage of match ups. They had no one to guard him for a while, and that’s why we went to him. Tech played Buddy (Boeheim) hard, but he got in there and made some things happen. Joe (Girard III) is right there on the verge.”
What made Marek (Dolezaj) such a good option in the last few minutes?
“He had a good match up. Tech had a big guy on him that couldn’t defend him. Then, when they put a smaller guy on him he already had the confidence, so we still went to him and he made plays.”
How was Buddy (Boeheim’s) leadership tonight and what have you seen from the veterans on this team?
“I think everyone is leading. We have a lot of guys trying to do the right things. Elijah (Hughes) has been really good at talking. Buddy and Joe (Girard III) were playing against two really good players who have played a lot of games.”
In the second half, how were you guys able to get out in transition as much as you did?
“We got a lot of deflections and steals. That’s how we get out. It’s hard for us to get it off the glass. We don’t get too many clean rebounds.”
You mentioned the stats don’t always show the value of Bourama (Sidibe). What is it that makes him stand out?
“The shots Tech missed down low, he was defending and bothering it. He’s the only guy in the center spot, so he can get 10 rebounds, he can block a shot and maybe get a steal. He’s better than how he’s been playing.”
