SWC75
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Jim Boeheim’s radio show is on Thursdays from 7-8 or 9PM on ESPN Radio in Syracuse, which is AM1200 or FM 97.7 on the dial. The show originates from Carrabba's Italian Grill in Fayetteville. The first hour, hosted by Matt Park, the Voice of the Orange, is on their general network. The second hour, which begins with the conference season, is hosted by Gomez, a local radio personality.
You can call into the show locally at 315-424-8599 or nationally at 1-888-746-2873. For Gomez’s portion, use 315-424-8599. Or you can submit questions from this page:
Submit a Question! - Syracuse University Athletics
Or on Twitter at mattpark1 or “askBoeheim”.
The show can be heard in Syracuse on FM 99.5. It’s sometime simulcast on AM 1200 or FM 97.7. You can also get it on: TuneIn | Free Internet Radio | NFL, Sports, Podcasts, Music & News
I will be posting my rough transcript the night of the broadcast focusing on my questions, the team and their last and next games and then a second post the next day on other things that were discussed.
MY QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
First Hour:
“Coach, you have three centers. Each of them have different qualities. What are the situations when we are likely to see Chukwu, Sidibe or Dolezaj out there?”
Second Hour:
“Coach, there is talk that the NCAA Tournament committee will consider that Frank Howard was injured to start the season and that Oregon had Bol Bol when we played them. Do we really have any idea what the committee will consider?”
COACH BOEHEIM
(I have, in some instances, put together statements from different parts of the broadcast on the same subject. The quotes may not be verbatim –they are from my scribbled notes. I have not knowingly changed the meaning. In recent years they have started out doing one hour shows and then shifted to two hour shows in January. When they do two hour shows. I will do two posts: one on the night of the broadcast on the issues directly relating to the team on the other the next days on other things that were talked about.)
(This is the first two hour show of the season.)
Matt Park: “Are you pleased with how the team is developing through this four game winning streak? “
(A coach…pleased?) JB: “The results have been good. I don’t know about anything else. We’re just not playing at the level we need to compete with the elite teams of the ACC. Shooting like that, (the Clemson game), would have lost us the Notre Dame game. Paschal has to give us solid minutes against the bigger teams. Clemson was small so Marek could play center. He makes their center come away from the basket. Frank is getting better. “
Marty in Ithaca said that we are shooting better and wondered what our chances were vs. Virginia Tech. JB said he was worrying about Georgia Tech first, since that’s who we play next. “Elijah has been good from the perimeter. He’s also rebounded and played very consistently.” Matt noted that Hughes had scored at least 14 points in all but two games. Marek’s passing and shooting helps with our spacing. Clemson is very good defensively and their big guy gets in the way of drives. Our driving and getting to the line was a big key, too.”
I called in my question, adding: “Is it based on strategy or on how the three players are playing?” JB: Both. Marek can get the center away from the basket avoids mismatches. Oshae had two lay-ups and a one and one. Tyus got to the basket. Marek his some threes. He’s a good passer and we get back door plays. He also covered on defense pretty well. Paschal’s defense is definitely not as good as it was last year. Bourama has been better in practice and in the Notre Dame game. Marek hasn’t taken a lot of threes but he’s shooting a good percentage.” Matt said it was 50%: 6 of 12. JB: “40% would be good. When he is at forward they will play him better than when he’s at center. Virginia won’t let him do that. Then there’s foul trouble. I haven’t given up on anybody yet.”
On the guards: “Jalen Carey can still help us. Frank missed time working out and practicing. He still lacks stamina. Towards the end of the game he wasn’t pushing the ball or getting back as well on defense. He needs more rest.”
Back to the centers: You have to look at the total positon. Against Notre Dame we had 2 points and 15 rebounds from the centers. The two points didn’t matter: we have guys who can score. We need them to rebound and defend. Against Clemson Marek and Bourama had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Bourama had 4 points 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in 16 minutes. Multiply that by two.” Matt asked if he could play 32 minutes. “He can go more but not right away: he’s not used to it. We can build him into it. He has a quick more. He gets in trouble when he tries to go over somebody.”
They took inquiries from the restaurant. Kim wanted to know how we’re going to play against Zion Williamson. “We’ll try to force him outside. He can shoot it but he’s one of the better big guy athletes to come along in a long time. He’s a bigger Charles Barkley. Nobody’s stopped him yet.” Matt noted that Williamson had scored at least 13 points in every game.
Then Pat called in. he commented on the different line-ups JB had been using and complimented Marek for his great game. He said he was a big Oshae Brissett fan but that Oshae did not have a good game. “We went on a roll when he went out of the game.” He suggested that Coach should play Bourama and Marek at the same time. JB jumped on that. “That’s what I did when I took Oshae our early in the game. I’ll do it again. But Oshae is a very good rebounder and one our best defenders. Do you want him out of the game for 10 minutes?” Pat said “Yes!” and that’s the last thing he got to say in the call. JB: “That’s why you’re watching and I’m coaching. He had a big game against Notre dame. He will make mistakes but I’m not leaving him on the bench for very long. He’s our best rebounder, defender and inside scorer. He won’t be out for a long time. Tyus was 0 for 6, (from three). Should we take him out and play an untested player? A good player can struggle and then make 8 in a row. You go with your best players. They get a longer leash. They’re not going to be out long unless they rally struggle. Their bad is not as bad as it looks. If they have an extended bad streak of 3-4 games and somebody else is playing well over a period of time….when good players are comfortable they make good plays. Frank’s floor game has been pretty good and his defense is under-rated. He’s gotten us into pretty good sets and is a good shooter. We’ve got to get him to where he’s making 6-7 shots and 3-4 threes. That would make a huge difference. Jalen was the only guy on the team with a ‘minus’ on the +/- stat vs. Notre Dame. We don’t keep that stat. You could have Michael Jordan out there and you’d get a plus because you were playing with him. Bourama made a couple plays not on the stat sheet that probably won us that game, including taking a charge. “
Georgia Tech held Virginia Tech 30 point sunder their scoring average. “Georgia Tech had a wide open shot to win. Virginia Tech was 5 for 27 from three.”
They talked about how our recruits were doing. Joe Girard was named NYS Player of the year – in football. “He’s a great athlete, a good shooter and a tough competitor. He’s scored a lot because he’s in a weak league. He’s not Gerry McNamara but he’s that kind of player. Brycen Goodine is a point guard and really good player. John Bol Ajak is 6-9 and 230 pounds. He’s playing on a really good team. Quincy Guerrier is a bigger Elijah Hughes.”
Later Marcus asked for a more specific comparison between Girard and GMAC. “He’s a lot like Gerry, a special, one of a kind player, a tough competitor, a fighter, a battler. He won’t score 60 points a game for us although I wish he could. Gerry averaged about 30 but was in a stronger league. He could have averaged 50 in a weaker league. Very few freshmen can play well immediately. Joe needs ball screens. We’ll have four good young guards, two who can handle the ball, (Carey and Goodine) and two who can really shoot it, (Boeheim and Girard).” Marcus asked if Quincy was on campus and could play this year, (?!?). “He won’t be on campus until next fall unless something changes rapidly. We won’t use him this year. We need time to teach him everything, including the zone. I anticipate losing some people like we do every year.”
Jake said that Tyus “Was doing the Hokey Pokey from the three point line.” JB was amused by the description. “He’s not quite as comfortable form the three point line. He’s 60% on pull-up jumpers form 15-16 feet. He works every day on his shooting. He’s as hard working as any player we have had. He needs to get his three point percentage up. If he does he could be as good as any player in the league.”
Later Gomez asked about the Clemson game. JB: “Our defense was good. We got a little out of the press. We had 15 turnovers of our own – about 5 more than we should have. Marek expanded our defense but we’re not getting a lot inside. Clemson is a little like Virginia – we need to make shots against them.”
Gomez reported that Pat had bene tweeting that he was cut off. Jim said “We didn’t cut him off. He just didn’t like my answer. I don’t like some questions….I thought Paschal would play 25 minutes a game this year. It hasn’t worked out. That’s why you play the games. …Those 6 minutes are the longest Oshae has bene out of a game since he came here.”
I called in my second question about what the NCAA committee will consider. JB: “They’ll consider injuries. But the main things are: How did the team play on the road? …Even though the NCAAs are not true road games….Who did you play in the non-conference games? Georgetown could have been 13-2 right now. Not many people will have a better non-conference road win than Ohio State. Buffalo is not a bad loss. There will be a ton of teams with 9-10 losses in the tournament. We’ll play Duke twice, Clemson twice, Pitt, who had played well, twice4 and Boston College, who can be tough twice. With Duke, Virginia and Virginia Tech that’s four games against top ten teams. North Carolina could be top ten as well and NC State could be Top 15. I’m not going to worry about the tournament for another 12-14 games.”
Pat called back. Jim said “I hope you’re not mad”. He wasn’t and told an anecdote about a previous time he had called in and JB had said that he’d rather t6alk to Pat than Gomez, (who Jim is always kidding on the air). Jim laughed and said he realizes that Pat is “a big fan and knows about basketball.” Then he described himself. “I’ve bene a big SU football fan since 1956. But I never tell Coach Babers what to do. That’s why we’re good friends….I was upset with Oshae’s two bad turnovers. Fans say that if he missed a few shots he needs to drive. If he then has a couple of turnovers, they want him out of the game. You can’t listen to the fans. I’ve lived the game for 56 years. I will go with the best players. Somebody might have a good 4-5 minutes. We’re still going with the best players. Buddy can hit a couple of shots but I’m still going with Tyus Battle. I’m no different from any other coach.”
Stephan in Utica asked if Coach was already thinking about Duke or just taking ‘em one game at a time. Jim at first said he wasn’t then admitted that Duke was “in the back of my mind. But the players are focusing on Georgia Tech.” he added that the Duke game counts as one game, just like the Clemson game does.
You can call into the show locally at 315-424-8599 or nationally at 1-888-746-2873. For Gomez’s portion, use 315-424-8599. Or you can submit questions from this page:
Submit a Question! - Syracuse University Athletics
Or on Twitter at mattpark1 or “askBoeheim”.
The show can be heard in Syracuse on FM 99.5. It’s sometime simulcast on AM 1200 or FM 97.7. You can also get it on: TuneIn | Free Internet Radio | NFL, Sports, Podcasts, Music & News
I will be posting my rough transcript the night of the broadcast focusing on my questions, the team and their last and next games and then a second post the next day on other things that were discussed.
MY QUESTIONS/COMMENTS
First Hour:
“Coach, you have three centers. Each of them have different qualities. What are the situations when we are likely to see Chukwu, Sidibe or Dolezaj out there?”
Second Hour:
“Coach, there is talk that the NCAA Tournament committee will consider that Frank Howard was injured to start the season and that Oregon had Bol Bol when we played them. Do we really have any idea what the committee will consider?”
COACH BOEHEIM
(I have, in some instances, put together statements from different parts of the broadcast on the same subject. The quotes may not be verbatim –they are from my scribbled notes. I have not knowingly changed the meaning. In recent years they have started out doing one hour shows and then shifted to two hour shows in January. When they do two hour shows. I will do two posts: one on the night of the broadcast on the issues directly relating to the team on the other the next days on other things that were talked about.)
(This is the first two hour show of the season.)
Matt Park: “Are you pleased with how the team is developing through this four game winning streak? “
(A coach…pleased?) JB: “The results have been good. I don’t know about anything else. We’re just not playing at the level we need to compete with the elite teams of the ACC. Shooting like that, (the Clemson game), would have lost us the Notre Dame game. Paschal has to give us solid minutes against the bigger teams. Clemson was small so Marek could play center. He makes their center come away from the basket. Frank is getting better. “
Marty in Ithaca said that we are shooting better and wondered what our chances were vs. Virginia Tech. JB said he was worrying about Georgia Tech first, since that’s who we play next. “Elijah has been good from the perimeter. He’s also rebounded and played very consistently.” Matt noted that Hughes had scored at least 14 points in all but two games. Marek’s passing and shooting helps with our spacing. Clemson is very good defensively and their big guy gets in the way of drives. Our driving and getting to the line was a big key, too.”
I called in my question, adding: “Is it based on strategy or on how the three players are playing?” JB: Both. Marek can get the center away from the basket avoids mismatches. Oshae had two lay-ups and a one and one. Tyus got to the basket. Marek his some threes. He’s a good passer and we get back door plays. He also covered on defense pretty well. Paschal’s defense is definitely not as good as it was last year. Bourama has been better in practice and in the Notre Dame game. Marek hasn’t taken a lot of threes but he’s shooting a good percentage.” Matt said it was 50%: 6 of 12. JB: “40% would be good. When he is at forward they will play him better than when he’s at center. Virginia won’t let him do that. Then there’s foul trouble. I haven’t given up on anybody yet.”
On the guards: “Jalen Carey can still help us. Frank missed time working out and practicing. He still lacks stamina. Towards the end of the game he wasn’t pushing the ball or getting back as well on defense. He needs more rest.”
Back to the centers: You have to look at the total positon. Against Notre Dame we had 2 points and 15 rebounds from the centers. The two points didn’t matter: we have guys who can score. We need them to rebound and defend. Against Clemson Marek and Bourama had 14 points, 8 rebounds and 5 blocks. Bourama had 4 points 4 rebounds and 3 blocks in 16 minutes. Multiply that by two.” Matt asked if he could play 32 minutes. “He can go more but not right away: he’s not used to it. We can build him into it. He has a quick more. He gets in trouble when he tries to go over somebody.”
They took inquiries from the restaurant. Kim wanted to know how we’re going to play against Zion Williamson. “We’ll try to force him outside. He can shoot it but he’s one of the better big guy athletes to come along in a long time. He’s a bigger Charles Barkley. Nobody’s stopped him yet.” Matt noted that Williamson had scored at least 13 points in every game.
Then Pat called in. he commented on the different line-ups JB had been using and complimented Marek for his great game. He said he was a big Oshae Brissett fan but that Oshae did not have a good game. “We went on a roll when he went out of the game.” He suggested that Coach should play Bourama and Marek at the same time. JB jumped on that. “That’s what I did when I took Oshae our early in the game. I’ll do it again. But Oshae is a very good rebounder and one our best defenders. Do you want him out of the game for 10 minutes?” Pat said “Yes!” and that’s the last thing he got to say in the call. JB: “That’s why you’re watching and I’m coaching. He had a big game against Notre dame. He will make mistakes but I’m not leaving him on the bench for very long. He’s our best rebounder, defender and inside scorer. He won’t be out for a long time. Tyus was 0 for 6, (from three). Should we take him out and play an untested player? A good player can struggle and then make 8 in a row. You go with your best players. They get a longer leash. They’re not going to be out long unless they rally struggle. Their bad is not as bad as it looks. If they have an extended bad streak of 3-4 games and somebody else is playing well over a period of time….when good players are comfortable they make good plays. Frank’s floor game has been pretty good and his defense is under-rated. He’s gotten us into pretty good sets and is a good shooter. We’ve got to get him to where he’s making 6-7 shots and 3-4 threes. That would make a huge difference. Jalen was the only guy on the team with a ‘minus’ on the +/- stat vs. Notre Dame. We don’t keep that stat. You could have Michael Jordan out there and you’d get a plus because you were playing with him. Bourama made a couple plays not on the stat sheet that probably won us that game, including taking a charge. “
Georgia Tech held Virginia Tech 30 point sunder their scoring average. “Georgia Tech had a wide open shot to win. Virginia Tech was 5 for 27 from three.”
They talked about how our recruits were doing. Joe Girard was named NYS Player of the year – in football. “He’s a great athlete, a good shooter and a tough competitor. He’s scored a lot because he’s in a weak league. He’s not Gerry McNamara but he’s that kind of player. Brycen Goodine is a point guard and really good player. John Bol Ajak is 6-9 and 230 pounds. He’s playing on a really good team. Quincy Guerrier is a bigger Elijah Hughes.”
Later Marcus asked for a more specific comparison between Girard and GMAC. “He’s a lot like Gerry, a special, one of a kind player, a tough competitor, a fighter, a battler. He won’t score 60 points a game for us although I wish he could. Gerry averaged about 30 but was in a stronger league. He could have averaged 50 in a weaker league. Very few freshmen can play well immediately. Joe needs ball screens. We’ll have four good young guards, two who can handle the ball, (Carey and Goodine) and two who can really shoot it, (Boeheim and Girard).” Marcus asked if Quincy was on campus and could play this year, (?!?). “He won’t be on campus until next fall unless something changes rapidly. We won’t use him this year. We need time to teach him everything, including the zone. I anticipate losing some people like we do every year.”
Jake said that Tyus “Was doing the Hokey Pokey from the three point line.” JB was amused by the description. “He’s not quite as comfortable form the three point line. He’s 60% on pull-up jumpers form 15-16 feet. He works every day on his shooting. He’s as hard working as any player we have had. He needs to get his three point percentage up. If he does he could be as good as any player in the league.”
Later Gomez asked about the Clemson game. JB: “Our defense was good. We got a little out of the press. We had 15 turnovers of our own – about 5 more than we should have. Marek expanded our defense but we’re not getting a lot inside. Clemson is a little like Virginia – we need to make shots against them.”
Gomez reported that Pat had bene tweeting that he was cut off. Jim said “We didn’t cut him off. He just didn’t like my answer. I don’t like some questions….I thought Paschal would play 25 minutes a game this year. It hasn’t worked out. That’s why you play the games. …Those 6 minutes are the longest Oshae has bene out of a game since he came here.”
I called in my second question about what the NCAA committee will consider. JB: “They’ll consider injuries. But the main things are: How did the team play on the road? …Even though the NCAAs are not true road games….Who did you play in the non-conference games? Georgetown could have been 13-2 right now. Not many people will have a better non-conference road win than Ohio State. Buffalo is not a bad loss. There will be a ton of teams with 9-10 losses in the tournament. We’ll play Duke twice, Clemson twice, Pitt, who had played well, twice4 and Boston College, who can be tough twice. With Duke, Virginia and Virginia Tech that’s four games against top ten teams. North Carolina could be top ten as well and NC State could be Top 15. I’m not going to worry about the tournament for another 12-14 games.”
Pat called back. Jim said “I hope you’re not mad”. He wasn’t and told an anecdote about a previous time he had called in and JB had said that he’d rather t6alk to Pat than Gomez, (who Jim is always kidding on the air). Jim laughed and said he realizes that Pat is “a big fan and knows about basketball.” Then he described himself. “I’ve bene a big SU football fan since 1956. But I never tell Coach Babers what to do. That’s why we’re good friends….I was upset with Oshae’s two bad turnovers. Fans say that if he missed a few shots he needs to drive. If he then has a couple of turnovers, they want him out of the game. You can’t listen to the fans. I’ve lived the game for 56 years. I will go with the best players. Somebody might have a good 4-5 minutes. We’re still going with the best players. Buddy can hit a couple of shots but I’m still going with Tyus Battle. I’m no different from any other coach.”
Stephan in Utica asked if Coach was already thinking about Duke or just taking ‘em one game at a time. Jim at first said he wasn’t then admitted that Duke was “in the back of my mind. But the players are focusing on Georgia Tech.” he added that the Duke game counts as one game, just like the Clemson game does.