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ATLANTIC COAST CONFERENCE OPERATION BASKETBALL

October 26, 2016

Charlotte, North Carolina

THE MODERATOR: Questions for Tyler Roberson.

Q. Just what you can say about DaJuan, watching him and what he's become for this team?
TYLER ROBERSON: I mean, he's always been a really good player to me when I first came to school. He's just improved every year since I've been here. It's just been fun watching his progression as a player, and I'm looking forward to continue doing that this year.

Q. This is a basketball team with a lot of expectations coming off a Final Four run. What are the expectations on yourself?
TYLER ROBERSON: Just to improve every year. I think I've been doing that since I've been coming here. And I want to continue doing that this year. I worked hard all summer and I'm looking forward to proving that I've become a better player.

Q. Just looking at the new recruits and all of these guys that are on the floor that we haven't seen before, what have you seen from guys like Battle and Andrew white? Just, what elements do they add to this team that's already been so dangerous over the years?
TYLER ROBERSON: We lost a couple guys or a few guys last year, and Andrew and Tyus and everybody that came in are really talented. They'll do a really good job of replacing them. They've been showing that in practice. I know they'll do the same thing in the games. I have a lot of fun playing with them, and I know I will all year, also.

Q. How deep can this year's team be, in your opinion?
TYLER ROBERSON: I think we can play. I think all ten guys can play. I think everybody brings something new to the table or something different. I think when they do get in, it will throw teams off because we haven't had probably this much depth in the past years. So it's something new. But I think we definitely can use it to our advantage.

Q. How can you use last year's run to the Final Four as motivation to get back there this year with pretty much almost the whole new cast of characters?
TYLER ROBERSON: We can use it as a ton of motivation. It shows that we're capable of getting there. We think we're just as good as last year if not better. So I think we feel like we have an even better chance of getting back there. We have some guys on the team back from last year that have been to the Final Four, so we know what it takes to get there, and we can maybe guide some of the younger players or new players that don't know as much about the system or the team throughout the season.

Q. Just thoughts on the ACC Tournament, getting a move to the Barclays Center, and just for you guys having that New York, college team home-court advantage?
TYLER ROBERSON: It's definitely to our advantage. We have a lot of fans upstate New York and in the city. We can definitely use that momentum in the games. When they cheer us on, it's always a huge help.

Q. Six years, six different ACC champions. How difficult is this conference?
TYLER ROBERSON: Every team in the ACC is good. You can't take any nights off. If you do, you'll most likely lose. You have to bring your "A" game. That's something I've definitely learned from my past years playing in the ACC. I'm looking forward to competeing and knowing that I have to bring my "A" game every game this year, also.

Q. Tyler, you and DaJuan are the leaders of the program. Do you guys talk about being leaders? Is there a strategy to being good leaders?
TYLER ROBERSON: We talk a little bit about it. But we know what we have to do, and we have to take care of business. If anybody, or the younger guys have a question, we help them out as much as possible. But it's not something that we focus too much on. We've been here for a while, so it's more of us knowing what we have to do type of thing. We kind of know what we need to do in that regard.

Q. You've made your reputation as a rebounder. When you get 17 rebounds in a game, people take notice. Do you see yourself being more assertive on offense this year?
TYLER ROBERSON: Definitely. We lost some guys, but we brought some guys in, also. So I want to be more assertive on offense, and I worked all summer on improving my offensive game. I'm looking forward to showing it. I think I've been doing a pretty good job of that in practice, and I want to carry that over into games.

Q. Tyler, over the last few years there's been that cloud hanging over this SU basketball program that everything's going on with Coach and the sanctions and stuff. Do you feel that's kind of lifted now and it's time to get down to play SU basketball?
TYLER ROBERSON: Definitely. I think everybody's over all that stuff, and we just want to play basketball and win games. That's something we've been trying to do in the past. That's something nobody is really worried about because it's been a while. We definitely want to get down to business and win games.

THE MODERATOR: Questions for DaJuan Coleman.

Q. DaJuan, describe Tyler Roberson in one word.
DaJUAN COLEMAN: Hard worker.

Q. Why do you pick "hard worker" as opposed to something else?
DaJUAN COLEMAN: Because every time he's on the floor, he takes a lot of load off of my part, and he's a great defensive and offensive rebounder. He just overall is a hard worker.

Q. Just what you can say about Tyler Roberson from day one to where he is right now, how he's grown, and what you can say about what he can be this year?
DaJUAN COLEMAN: I enjoy watching Robe throughout the years and watching his improvement throughout the years. He actually got a lot better since he's been here, and it's a lot of fun watching him.

Q. You've had to overcome a lot of adversity over these last couple of years. What's it like now to be on that center stage and to hope to get SU back to the Final Four this year?
DaJUAN COLEMAN: It's real fun, just coming back from the injuries and knowing all the hard work I've put in throughout the years. Actually being able to play throughout a full season at 100%, it means a whole lot to me. And I'm just ready to start this year off right and hopefully we make it back to the Final Four.

Q. When you look at all of these new faces that we're going to be seeing this season, Battle and White, what do you see from those guys? And what can the fans expect to see in terms of the speed and the pacing and what they're going to see on a weekly basis?
DaJUAN COLEMAN: We have a lot of good players that came in to join our experienced players and the new players, they're really competitive. They bring it every day in practice. It will be really fun to watch them over the season.

Q. You said a minute ago you hope you can get back to the Final Four. What can you say about this year's team and how deep they are, and what your takeaways are that make you believe you can get there?
DaJUAN COLEMAN: This year's team, we are very deep this year. We lost two key players in Mike and Trevor last year, but we have five new players coming in to take their spot, and I think we should be overall good, if not better than last year.

Q. This is an ACC conference that's had six different champions over the last six years. What's it like playing day-in and day-out in this conference?
DaJUAN COLEMAN: Day-in and day-out is a grind. Every team in this conference is good, well-coached. If you don't bring it one day, you might lose. So I think it's an overall grind, and you have to bring your "A" game every day.

Q. Just thoughts on the tournament being at the Barclays Center for you guys, and having that home-court feel, the New York college team, and the fan environment that you're expecting to see?
DaJUAN COLEMAN: Playing in New York City I think will be fun. Every time we play in the city, we have a good turnout with fans. I think that will be our advantage, and we're looking forward to it.

Q. There's been a move in basketball at every level to small ball. For a guy like yourself, does that make you lick your chops when you see a bunch of 6'8", 200 pound guys who mostly shoot threes out there? Does that make you excited?
DaJUAN COLEMAN: Definitely. Every time I have a smaller opponent, I just want to take advantage of the opportunity, get an easy bucket inside or pass it on. Get my teammates open or get an easy bucket.

FastScripts Transcript by ASAP Sports

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