University of Connecticut Athletics
Connecticut vs. Syracuse: Post Game Quotes
3/19/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 11, 2009
STORRS, Conn. -
Post Game Quotes
UConn Head Coach Jim Calhoun
Jim's team came in here, as we thought they might, very hungry. They did a terrific job in the zone, in the first half, of matching up to us. He's seen all this 'stuff' - our offense - before. In the second half, we were fortunate to make some adjustments, and run a little bit of man stuff and try to get some movement in our offense.
We were able to get some isolation of Hasheem in the post. Once we did that, we basically used him as a wheel in which we could kick the ball back out, and either got penetration off that or make threes.
With Jerome going down....Craig and Sticks stepped up and did a great job. I thought we did a good job on Rautins. That was a big, big key. I was really scared.
On Hasheem Thabeet
Hasheem continues to prove that there aren't many forces like him in America....When you watch the game, and guys are traveling, and guys are sitting in there five, six seconds, trying to decide what the heck to do. He poses that problem. And he's becoming better offensively, particularly as a passer. It allows us to use him so much more. He's going to be a special, special player, we hope, for the rest of the season as he continues to develop, and hopefully can carry us. He's the difference-maker in so many games.
On Kemba Walker
He's our spark plug, defensively....Kemba's one of the few players that can take charges on (Jonny Flynn), and get into him, and get under him. He gets under him, and that's what he does. He was also our second leading rebounder tonight....He's a pretty special player and I think he's going to have a great career here. This is a great win for us. I have always had great respect for Jimmy, and for their program. They needed this win, they played that way - they were willing to play the way we try to play - a controlled game...We still got almost our points. The biggest thing is that we held them to 49.
Jeff Adrien
We know how to win now. In the beginning of the BIG EAST in (my) junior year, we didn't know how to win the close ones. Now that we're so much more experienced, we know what to do down the stretch.
The team is very balanced. We have a different leading scorer ever game. Last game was Jerome [Dyson]. Today it was A.J. [Price]. In Louisville, it was me. We all click great with each other. On different nights, guys are going to give us different things.
A.J. Price
The defense was the key for us tonight.
Was it a little chippy out there tonight?
That's typical for Big East basketball. You have to expect that when you get a rivalry game like this. With UConn-Syracuse, those things are going to happen out there. I think we did a great job of not taking it overboard and keeping our cool.
Is this the best stretch of basketball since you've been at UConn?
I think so. In the three years this team has been together the 13 game win streak is the best we've been playing. Number 1 and everything, those are great accolades to have, but we're just playing good basketball right now and we're winning games with defense.
On seeing Jerome go down
When I saw him go down, and not able to get up under his own power, I was very scared for him. Knowing how tough Jerome Dyson is as a person, what he brings to this team, and what he gives us every single day, so when I saw him on the floor and he couldn't get up, my heart did skip a beat for him. I'm glad to see him able to be mobile now
Hasheem Thabeet
We knew they were going to penetrate a lot and shoot a lot of shots in transition. I was there just to help my teammates. I was trying to eliminate anything from scoring in the paint. We played pretty good team defense today. We were helping each other. We talked through the whole game.
Can you sense when a player is distracted by your presence in the lane?
I was challenging everything today. We got their Bigs shooting floaters, so we were happy with the whole team defense today. A couple times I got beat my teammates were there. And when they got beat I was there for them. So the team defense keeps us in the game. We didn't score that much in the first half. So we said, `we're going to play defense and they're not going to score either.'
Craig Austrie
On solving the Syracuse zone in the 2nd half
We were just patient. They wanted us to speed the game up and take quick shots. But we needed to be patient, poised and run our offense. We knew what we had to do out there - penetrate and get into the seams.
Were you satisfied with the way you contained their fastbreak?
Somewhat. You can never be satisfied, though, because we could have held them to zero. That's what we want. But we'll take 11 and the W.
On Hasheem Thabeet and Kemba Walker
Hasheem is a dominant force down there. Without him, who knows where we'd be. He's such a great player and he changes the game. As far as Kemba, his energy out there is great. That steal he got before the half really put us over the edge in the first half.
Kemba Walker
Did Jerome Dyson leaving the game change your approach at all?
When Jerome leaves the game, I felt like I have to step my game up because Jerome is a big part of what we do on offense and defense.
Everybody is on the same page right now. Everybody is hungry to win. Everybody thinks this is our chance to go far.
On the Big East Conference
I think we have the best conference in the country. Every night is going to be war and my team is ready for that.
Syracuse Head Coach Jim Boeheim
I think, in the first half, we did as good of a job defensively as we have in a long time. We were active. I think we just didn't convert offensively. When you're playing a team as good as Connecticut is, and they're a tremendous basketball team, you have to be able to convert opportunities.
Thabeet is a tremendous defensive player. I've said many times, I think he's as good, or better, than anyone who's ever been in the league.
We do depend on scoring inside. We're not a great perimeter team. Our game is to try to get to the basket. (Thabeet) takes that away from you.
We did get to the basket. We did get some offensive rebound opportunities, and we just weren't quick enough when we had the opportunity.
Your defense can only go so long. Sooner or later you've got to make some plays on offense.
