Orangeyes
R.I.P Dan
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- Syracuse Orangemen
His thoughts as he was starting out in coaching & Adolph Rupp
"I remember when he had the 876 wins and I had about 40," Boeheim said after watching his club repel the Panthers time and again. "And I thought to myself, ‘I’ve got to win 20 games a year for 40 years to catch him. And I can’t do that.’ I mean, come on. Adolph Rupp was a legend."
Thought's on tying Rupp
"I really don’t have anything to say," Jim offered. "I think you have to focus on this team here. I think you have to play this year. I don’t think you can think about records. I don’t look at those things. I really don’t. I know you don’t believe me. When you get done and you’re sitting at home, that’s when you think about it. But not now."
"The only thing I care about is this year, about what we're doing this year," he said. "Everything else is for when you get real old."
"No significance," Boeheim, the Syracuse head coach, said. "None whatsoever"
On Rupp in Syracuse
"It was one of my first years coaching," recollected Boeheim, smiling at the thought before shortly thereafter breaking into a kind of Kentucky twang. "I think he’d just retired, and he was great. He did a great job. He was funny. Hysterical. He really was.
"I remember him talking about what he called ‘fancy scoreboards.’ I remember him saying, ‘Yeah, Coach, they don’t put those fancy scoreboards up there for no reason. The score is important.’ I didn’t think he’d be funny. But he was. He was very, very funny."
On the three situation
"We haven't been making many perimeter shots," Boeheim said. "I think that's something that's been a little bit of a concern. But we made those two when we really needed them tonight, and that’s a sign of how we can make plays when we absolutely have to.”
On Scoop
“He’s a key guy,” Boeheim said. “Most people in this town can’t quite figure that out. Maybe they will, but I seriously doubt it.”
“He’s the only leader on the team—he is the leader of this team. He is the only vocal leader. He is a guy who will make plays and is not afraid to make plays—good plays. When he shoots the ball well he is one of the best point guards in the league, if not the best point guard in the league. He would lead the league in assists if he was playing the minutes that the other point guards are playing. He is playing 20 minutes a game—but he is as good as anybody and he shoots the ball well."
On Fab
“He was good tonight,’’ SU coach Jim Boeheim said. “He played big. I thought he did a great job. He had a couple opportunities, catching the ball down low. He just didn’t quite catch it and finish. He can. He will. He’s improving.’’
On our defense
"I think our defense was really good early in the first half again," Boeheim said. "I don't think we're — we're not able to sustain our defense as well as we can play in the first half the last two or three basketball games, which is a concern."
On the game
“It’s not always good to get into these games, but when you do you have to make some plays and make your free throws.”
On being off until Saturday
“It’s been a long stretch,” he said. “We’ve played or practiced every day since Dec. 25, and it’s wearing on the players. But they’ve done a great job of hanging in there and playing so hard.” I’m sure we’ve had the most games of anybody in the league at this stage. They’ve done a good job.’’
On Pitt
“Pittsburgh is a good team,’’ Boeheim said. “I don’t care what their record is.’’
JB's Quotes From SUA
Scoop Jardine
On his game plan for Fab
“There will be times, if we run a pick and roll, I know where the defense helps so much because I watch a lot of film,” he said. “Pitt is really not as good as they were last year. They don’t really have bigs who can stay with me off the pick. So tonight I told Fab, ‘Roll to the basket and I’ll lob it to you.’”
On his busting CJ's chops (see CJ) & his true feelings on CJ
"Yep that was me. It still wasn't as good as he can do it, though" Scoop Jardine said after the game as the one giving C.J. the hard time. "But I'll tell you, I'm going to always be on him, because that is my guy right there. I think I am harder on him than anybody here because I know what he can do and what he brings to our team."
On breaking the record & against Pitt
"It's great," senior Scoop Jardine said. "It's great because it's the best start in school history and also, it's against Pittsburgh. That's two great things for me right there. "I have been downplaying it a little bit, but is special. It is really special for us."
"Beating Pitt to set the record is extra special,”
“They’ve really had our number in my time here, so it feels good. To be a part of history like this is why I came to Syracuse.”
On his team goals and why he came back for his senior season
“I’m doing whatever it takes to win a national championship,” he said. “If they need me to play 25-30 minutes, I’m there for them. If they need me to play 15 a night, I’m there for them. Play the best 15 minutes I can possibly play. And if I do that, it’s easier for the younger guys to do that. That’s leading. That’s leading by example. That’s the thing: I came back for this team.”
"But most important is it don't stop here. We're trying to win every game. That's the focus. Coach (Jim Boeheim) isn't going to let up on us and I'm not going to let up on my teammates.""The only reason I'm here is to win a national championship."
Kris Joseph
On Scoop
“He’s a point guard and he can score the basketball." said Kris Joseph. "He makes good decisions for us and with him generating our offense, being the floor general, it’s a great thing.”
On finally beating Pitt
"It feels good," senior Kris Joseph said. "I always wanted to beat Pitt. I didn't get a chance to play them last year due to that head injury. It was a good thing for me to come out tonight and be able to beat them."
On focusing on the larger goal
“People have been talking about it for a few games now,’’ Syracuse senior forward Kris Joseph said. “We want to continue winning, but that’s all we’ve been trying to do is win basketball games. We weren’t focused on the fact that we were on our way to making school history. We just wanted to win basketball games and we did that.’’
On why his his shot has been off
"I'm drifting a bit, yes, but I'm also rushing it and thinking about the missed shots, which I can't do. That's why I cleared my mind of all the garbage and hit that shot at the end."
On his clutch three at 8:37 with the score 53-49
“It was a play set up where there was a lot of options and I was just one of them,’’ Joseph said. “ I got myself open, I got the ball. I was ready to shoot. It was a rough night for me from beyond the arc,(1-for-6 on 3-pointers) but I stuck with it and I made that shot, I knew I had to have that one.”.’’
On the records
“It’s the first time we’ve beaten Pitt in a while and we got Coach’s win to put him up in the ranks,” senior forward Kris Joseph said. “It was a great night for us. That’s big-time (tying Rupp).”
Dion Waiter's
On what he said to Scoop before the game
"I told him we’re definitely going to get this win for him.”
On Scoops play of late
"“That’s what we expect from him. I expect him to come out and do that every game. I think he is finding his niche and he’s getting a lot of guys the ball. He’s going to find you. No matter where you are, you have to be ready to knock down the shot. He’s been playing tremendously. Getting the ball to everybody and you can’t ask for anything else out of a point guard.”
On finally beating Pitt
"I've been hearing that coach hasn't won in like five years," sophomore Dion Waiters said. "It was just good to get that monkey off coach's back."
“You’re not going to make every shot, but you need to make the ones that count. That’s what we did tonight. Pitt is still a good team, and we knew they would battle us hard.”
On hitting that three which made the score 59-49
“I just tried to take what they give me,’’ Waiters said. “I’d just hit a jump shot so I knew they would try to get out of me the next time, so my whole thing was just penetrate and dish. Jo hit the big-time shot.’’
On what JB said in the huddle before KJ's then Dion's clutch three's
"Coach told me, ‘Let's go ‘D,''" Waiters said. "That's all I needed to hear." "I just tried to pick it up," Waiters said. "I had a lack of energy in the first half because I'm still getting over a cold. I just couldn't find it in the first half. But once (Boeheim) told me that, I just blocked the cold out and everything and just picked it up."
On what his thought's were on getting the ball to Kris
"I just try to take what they give me," said Waiters, the sophomore guard who has hit double figures in eight straight games. "I knew the next time they were going to try to come out and get me. My whole thing was penetrate and dish and (Joseph) hit a big-time shot."
On how it feels to have been part of the record
“It’s always good to be a part of history,’’ Syracuse guard Dion Waiters said. “I’m going to soak every minute of it up and continue to get back in the gym and get better.’’
On the teams future
"We're still getting better," Waiters said. "We're still progressing. When that Big East tournament comes around, when that NCAA Tournament comes around, I think we're going to be much better than we are right now."
What he'll do with his day off
Waiters said he’s going to sit in the hot tub “all day” today, and not think about anything. “Then I’ll be ready to get right back at it and keep this thing going.”
Brandon Triche
On SU's hot start
"We just came out with a lot of energy and knocked down shots," Triche said. "We turned them over a little bit more than we usually do in the beginning of games and got some transition points."
On Pitt's toughness
"Most physical team that we're going to play," Brandon Triche said. "Pittsburgh is physical every year. They outrebounded us by 12 on the backboard, so that kind of tells you how physical they are."
On Scoop
“He’s the ultimate leader,” SU guard Brandon Triche said. “When guys are down, you’ll see him a lot of times going over to talk to him just to keep your head in the game. A guy like that, you need.”
On being part of the team that broke the record
"It's cool just to be in the history books," junior guard Brandon Triche said. "Your name is going to be part of the team. That's the great part about it."
On what kind of team this is
“I think it is pretty tough anytime you’re playing in the Big East,’’ Triche said. “We stuck together as a team. The best part of today’s win was we didn’t shoot it well from the 3-point line. We got a lot of open shots that we could’ve made and we still stuck it out. So that shows what kind of team we are.’’
"Any games where you can show your experience, your leaders step up, are character games," Triche said. "Again and again guys stepped up."
CJ Fair
On Scoop
“He is the leader of this team. He’s a vocal leader,” SU coach Jim Boeheim said. “He’s a guy who will make plays. He’s not afraid to make plays. He can make plays and he does make plays. And when he shoots the ball good, he’s one of the best point guards in the league.”
On Pitt's rebounding
“They’re a real good, fundamental, box-out rebounding team,” said SU forward C.J. Fair (5 boards). “They make sure they don’t give up too many offensive rebounding opportunities.”
On Syracuse's interior D
"We stopped the high-low in the beginning," Syracuse forward C.J. Fair said. "Then in the second half, we got a little greedy because we knew the 3s were about to start coming. So we just tried to anticipate. We thought they were going to throw it to the shooters, but they were dumping it down low. They got us off-tilt a little bit."
On the new record
"It means a lot," Fair said. "We set history here. We broke the record, and we're just trying to stretch the thing as far as we can take it."
On that dunk
"I remember I circled around from the high post. I took one dribble and I just rose on the guy,” Fair said. “It was a good play because throughout the whole season Scoop has been giving me a hard time, saying I lost my leaping abilities. So this is a good play to show him I still got it.”
James Southerland
On his two game slump
"Shooters go through slumps. I went 1-9 last game, 1-3 this game. It happens. I'll be back."
Player Quotes From SUA
Pittsburgh Panthers
Jamie Dixon Quotes
On JB
“He’s earned our respect,’’ Dixon said. “He’s earned everybody in the business’ respect. It’s amazing what he’s done. He’s done so much for the community. More than the wins, that’s what stands out to me.’’
On this Syracuse team
"Obviously they're ranked where they are because of how good a team they are, how deep they are and how experienced they are," Dixon said. "A very good team."
"They've got a lot of size," Dixon said. "Their big guys are going to be around the basket. We've got to make those plays. We've got to finish."
On his team's play
"We got the ball inside and attacked it well," "I thought we attacked the zone pretty well, but some missed layups I think really hurt us early," Dixon said. "And the free-throw line, we could have shot it better from the free-throw line and that would have put us in position."
"You can't miss layups and some free throws, too," Dixon said. "I felt like we had some three-point plays that we ended up getting maybe one or none out of the points that should have been on the play."
“We didn’t finish in the first half,” Pitt coach Jamie Dixon said. “In the second half, we finished a little better. We attacked it pretty well, maybe some more penetration out front would have been good for us, but we’re still trying to get better in that area. It seemed like we were getting inside touches. We maybe took a few too many 3s, but for the most part we did not settle for 3s.”
Ashton Gibbs
On Scoop Jardine
“He was one of the reasons his team won the game today,” Pitt guard Ashton Gibbs said. “He really penetrated and kicked well. He did a great job of leading his team to a victory.”
On his teams play
"We let them get too much penetration, and they took advantage of what we gave them -- penetrating and kicking to the open man, and they made shots," Gibbs said.
“But we also left a lot of points out there on easy shots and free throws (12-for-23),” said Pittsburgh senior guard Ashton Gibbs, one of three Panthers to score 10 points. “You can’t do that against a team like SU that can score so easily.”
“We responded well,” said Ashton Gibbs, who finished with 10 points on 4-of-12 shooting. “Missing 13 layups isn’t acceptable at all. We missed 11 free throws and we lost by eight. I think that was the difference. We make layups and make free throws, we win the game."
“We were right there,” Gibbs said. “Just those little things are separating us. It’s obvious that we’re close. We were right there against one of the best teams in the country.”
A Few Notes
*All of the quotes in this post were taken from stories in the Post Standard and the national news services. Some were compressed from two or more sources to complete thoughts or sentences.
Your feed back has been tremendous. I think by putting these up in one place you can get a better feel for the team. You get to know who the leaders are and how the players interact and feel about each other. It's like taking you into the locker room without having to trip over the jocks.
This is a special season and deserves the special treatment.
Congratulations to the team for setting a school record 20 wins and to JB for accomplishing another historic feat in tying Adolph Rupp's record for victories.
