COACH BOEHEIM
(I re-arranged the order of some of the comments based on the subject.)
Matt congratulated the coach on the win over Eastern Michigan. JB: ”It was a real good game for us. We don’t see too much zone and we didn’t attack it well. It’s a good defense- that’s why we use it. The press bailed us out.”
Matt said it was good to see Trevor Cooney finally make some shots. JB: “You have to develop the younger players in the non-conference games. You play your veterans in the conference games. You have to develop player so that when you loose veterans you have guys good enough to replace them.”
I called in my comments, (above). First I joshed the Coach about winning a game with the press, which is not a strategy he prefers to employ. I told him that I dubbed his press “35 Minutes of Heck”. He averred that it’s more like “5 minutes of heck”. I told him that somewhere, Fred Lewis, (the coach when JB was a player), was smiling somewhere. Jim acknowledged that “He used to press all the time- the whole game!” He had earlier had an interview with Brent Axe in which he explains he doesn’t like to press because a good team will get too many open shots at the other end and used James Southerland’s outburst vs. Arkansas as an example.
Regarding my comments: “You can be good enough to win non-conference games but still not good enough to win in the conference. You can even improve some and still not be good enough to win the conference. Sometimes you can’t get good enough. You may not be quite good enough. Maybe you had an injury. A guy that has been shooting well suddenly can’t make shots. I agree that you don’t win the NCAAs in November. One year we beat Wake Forest and Michigan State early in the year and didn’t even make the tournament.” I reminded him that that year we had a chance to do something most teams don’t have a chance to do: win the NIT twice in one year. He laughed and said “That’s not necessarily a good thing.”
Matt started to talk about peaking in March. JB: “It’s easy to say that but sometimes it doesn’t happen. Something changes in the team. Sometimes you play poorly and get it together. You are the same coach. You try to work hard and keep things consistent. You work hard on the things that make you better. You know when we are not doing the things we need to do. The 2010 and 2012 teams were loaded with experienced and ready to do. We didn’t talk about expectations them. When we had Derrick Coleman and Billy Owens coming back, we weren’t worried about the season. That’s why a coach is here. The fans expect to win every game. Last year surprised everyone- including me. Every shot that needed to go in did. We got every break.” (Did we?)
A caller named Jim expressed admiration for Trevor Cooney’s work ethic. JB: “He works as hard as anybody. Sometimes it’s not in the right direction. Last year he couldn’t play in games. Michael did. Trevor’s just getting his feet wet. He played considerably- I think maybe 14 minutes- in a real tough atmosphere at Arkansas. He just needed to make a couple and he’ll be fine.”
Matt talked about he schedule being played by the next opponent, Long Beach State, which includes USC, UNC, Arizona, Syracuse, Ohio State and UCLA. “they don’t back down”. JB: They get a lot of money and they won’t play anyone tougher in their conference.”
Mike in Syracuse wanted to praise Matt, saying “He brings it every time” and the “the guys on the radio know what‘s going on“, etc., etc.. This started a humorous series of jibes. Coach wanted to know what Matt had promised the guy for saying that. Matt said that the coach’s name was on the show and if Mike didn’t have a question for him, he’s leaving. Coach said “I’m still here but if somebody says Gomez does a good job, I’m leaving.” He added that “Gomez is pretty worthless but at least he’s consistent.” (Gomez, a local radio host, used to host a second hour of the show but so far this year they haven’t had one. Why he was there tonight, I don’t know.) Matt said that “If you’d like to tell anybody other than the coach how great they are, please call in. JB: “Let’s get some normal people in here.” He suggested that Mike “might be one of Gomez’s two fans.”
Mike finally was persuaded to ask a question. He knew the coach was Bruce Springsteen fan. What was his favorite Springsteen song? JB: “I’m an old, old guy. I like his early tunes. Dancing in the Dark is my favorite tune ever.”
Getting things back on track, Matt noted that King Rice was now the coach at Monmouth, which Syracuse plays on the 15th. JB: “A really good point guard. Tough, strong, physical point guard. He’ll be a very good coach.”
Richard in North Syracuse asked what JB had said to Trevor Cooney in the TV time out before he finally made a three pointer. “I gave him the ’magic words’: Keep shooting and you’ll make some.”
Matt contrasted James Southerland’s shooting in the Arkansas game, where he made 9 threes, to his shooting vs. EMU, where he was 0 for 5. JB: “Those scouting reports come through pretty quickly these days. They really moved up on him. He was a little over-confident and rushed a couple of shots. They left him so open in Fayetteville. They left him too much time to get his rhythm. They don’t automatically go in.”
Matt listed the things the team has done well: They’ve out-rebounded every opponent so far. They’ve found different ways to win. MCW is fun to watch. JB: “We aren’t playing at a hot high level. We’re doing some things well but we aren’t shooting well.” (I hope we are playing at a “hot high level” in March.)
They did along segment on the late Rick Majerus, who was a close friend of Coach Boeheim’s. “He was a really good friend over along period. We had dinner at the Final Fours. He sent Christmas cards. He was abit eccentric - if you were going to work for Al McGuire, you had to be. Rick always stayed at hotels where they had 24 hour service in case he wanted a pizza or something. I remember one time in Indianapolis when we ate at an Italian restaurant- great food. Rick sat with plenty of space around him and order five entrees. They were placed in a semi-circle around him and he went from one to the other. And that wasn’t enough. If other people didn’t finish what they ate, Rick finished it. He had a great team of doctors. They got him on a program of swimming to reduce his weight. But he’d get out of the poll and have 4 diners. He lived as hard a life as you can live. He loved food and was never cheated in that area. I didn’t think it was this bad. Obviously, if he wasn’t coaching anymore…I was hopeful something could be done.”
Dave in Liverpool wondered if the coach had a “favorite game” in his career. “When I get to day dreaming I think about a game at New Mexico long ago. They had a tremendous team and we came back to win it 99-93.” Actually, coach it was 96-91 on December 30, 1977. SU had fallen behind by double digits in the second half and it looked as if the altitude was getting to them. But they sucked it up and rallied to win. New Mexico actually started the “Clap Until They Score” tradition and SU picked it up from them.
Dave also said that it must be fulfilling to see all the former players who had success in the NBA- and in life. “There are so many guys who came where and became great citizens and had great families- guys who never played basketball again. Just to be a small part of that is wonderful. I have tremendous respect for them as people.”
RJ in Syracuse said the best two three zone he’d ever seen, (he admitted he was only 27), was the one with Wes Johnson and Johnny Flynn but that this one might be better because Michael Carter- Williams is taller than Jonny was.” JB: “Length bothers some teams and it helps with rebounding. But a smaller guy can be quicker, although Michael doesn’t have a problem in that department. Michael is a better defender than Jonny. Last year we had Fab in the middle as a shot-blocker. We’re OK at blocking shots but we don’t have a guy like that.” (I’ll let the reader tell me what was wrong in that exchange.)
Matt asked if JB had ever seen somebody chance a ball 14 rows up like Michael did at Arkansas. “That’s pretty far. But Michael showed a lot of hustle to get back into it. He expended a lot of energy in that game. They push more than anybody we’ve played. But Michael still made some good plays at the end.” Matt said he remember James Southerland “bouncing up and down” in the plane ride home, listening to his music. JB: “I don’t think James stops for anything.”
They went over what some of the Big East teams have been doing. Georgetown beat Texas decisively. “Georgetown has athletes. They are a really good team. I’m not surprised. They have good players who know how to play the game. The Top six are better than people thought they’d be. St. John’s is off to a good start. UCONN is beating people. Marquette had a tough game vs. Florida. Florida is very tough this year”
Matt asked about high school players re-classifying in increasing numbers. “You just have to adjust as best you can. These days everybody goes to prep school or summer school. They take extra classes and suddenly they are announcing they are coming out a year early. It’s not like in football where they come a semester early and they can get extra preparation for their first season. In basketball they are coming out a whole year early. It just means you’ve got more young guys.”
Rick Beardsley tweeted, asking the coach if he thinks the lacrosse team will rebound this year. “I love lacrosse and this program. They will be bouncing back this year.”
