Marsh01
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A Few Minutes With ... Syracuse Coach Jim Boeheim
SI.com: James Southerland had 35 points coming off the bench in the win at Arkansas. Why isn't he good enough to start?
Jim Boeheim: He is good enough to start, but I like to have that weapon off the bench. We learned a couple of years ago, first with Kris Joseph and then with Dion Waiters, what kind of boost you get from somebody like that coming off the bench. He plays starter's minutes, so that's what matters the most.
SI: Can you look at your roster and say one guy is your best player?
JB: Michael Carter-Williams is good -- he's real good -- but we've got good balance. Triche is good. C.J. Fair is solid. We just have a lot of solid players. We're similar to where we were last year depth wise, but we don't have a shot blocker like Fab Melo.
SI: If you could pick one area that needs to improve, what would it be?
JB: Our interior defense has to get better. We're allowing too much inside. Right now that's a weak spot. We also have to develop our depth by getting some of our freshmen to play better.
SI: Speaking of freshmen, what's up with DaJuan Coleman? He doesn't seem to be doing much.
JB: He's doing all right. It's just a matter of getting up and down the court. That game against Arkansas was so fast, it was hard for him, but he still had six points and five rebounds in 12 minutes, and he missed two layups.
SI: Unlike most coaches, you actually channel surf and watch a lot of games. Who has impressed you?
JB: I'm shocked at how well some teams are playing. I thought Xavier lost everybody, and they're pretty good. Mississippi is playing pretty well. I was surprised at how good Arizona State looked when I watched them play. Gonzaga might have the best team I've seen [Mark Few] have in a while. College basketball has come all the way to where there are just so many good teams. But there are no great teams out there that I can see.
SI: What do you think of this latest wave of conference realignment?
JB: They're just going to keep doing this for 10 years, so we'll have to sit back and wait for the next move. I just don't understand. Is it really worth some extra money when you've got to take your team and go play someplace far away? Is it worth it when you're competitive in one league, and then you switch to another one and you're not winning? Somebody will say we're getting all this money, but you're doing all this travel and you're not winning. Is that what you want? Do the kids at Maryland want to go play at Iowa and those places? I don't know. Time will tell whether that was a good move or not.
SI: When you talk to Jim Calhoun, does it make you wish you were retired, or does it make you glad you're not?
JB: How about that president gave him six million dollars to retire. I wish somebody would do that to me. What was she thinking? I know he still goes to practice every day. But I don't think about it. I have a lot to do. I have a lot of kids -- my own kids, not my players. I feel probably as good as I've ever felt right now. If we lose a couple of games, I might not feel so good.
SI.com: James Southerland had 35 points coming off the bench in the win at Arkansas. Why isn't he good enough to start?
Jim Boeheim: He is good enough to start, but I like to have that weapon off the bench. We learned a couple of years ago, first with Kris Joseph and then with Dion Waiters, what kind of boost you get from somebody like that coming off the bench. He plays starter's minutes, so that's what matters the most.
SI: Can you look at your roster and say one guy is your best player?
JB: Michael Carter-Williams is good -- he's real good -- but we've got good balance. Triche is good. C.J. Fair is solid. We just have a lot of solid players. We're similar to where we were last year depth wise, but we don't have a shot blocker like Fab Melo.
SI: If you could pick one area that needs to improve, what would it be?
JB: Our interior defense has to get better. We're allowing too much inside. Right now that's a weak spot. We also have to develop our depth by getting some of our freshmen to play better.
SI: Speaking of freshmen, what's up with DaJuan Coleman? He doesn't seem to be doing much.
JB: He's doing all right. It's just a matter of getting up and down the court. That game against Arkansas was so fast, it was hard for him, but he still had six points and five rebounds in 12 minutes, and he missed two layups.
SI: Unlike most coaches, you actually channel surf and watch a lot of games. Who has impressed you?
JB: I'm shocked at how well some teams are playing. I thought Xavier lost everybody, and they're pretty good. Mississippi is playing pretty well. I was surprised at how good Arizona State looked when I watched them play. Gonzaga might have the best team I've seen [Mark Few] have in a while. College basketball has come all the way to where there are just so many good teams. But there are no great teams out there that I can see.
SI: What do you think of this latest wave of conference realignment?
JB: They're just going to keep doing this for 10 years, so we'll have to sit back and wait for the next move. I just don't understand. Is it really worth some extra money when you've got to take your team and go play someplace far away? Is it worth it when you're competitive in one league, and then you switch to another one and you're not winning? Somebody will say we're getting all this money, but you're doing all this travel and you're not winning. Is that what you want? Do the kids at Maryland want to go play at Iowa and those places? I don't know. Time will tell whether that was a good move or not.
SI: When you talk to Jim Calhoun, does it make you wish you were retired, or does it make you glad you're not?
JB: How about that president gave him six million dollars to retire. I wish somebody would do that to me. What was she thinking? I know he still goes to practice every day. But I don't think about it. I have a lot to do. I have a lot of kids -- my own kids, not my players. I feel probably as good as I've ever felt right now. If we lose a couple of games, I might not feel so good.
