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BIG EAST CONFERENCE MEN'S TOURNAMENTMarch 12, 2009Jim BoeheimJonny FlynnPaul HarrisNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK Syracuse 127 COACH JIM BOEHEIM: I've got no words to even try to describe it. I've never been prouder of any team I've ever coached. We lost our guys, big guys first and they had some in there, still, and somehow we survived and I think the strategy was just to try to get them into overtime far enough so we could get all their guys out, too and just play them -- Paul finally got a little guy on them he could get to the basket with. Andy made shots. You can't even talk about the plays in this game. When we were 6 down in the one overtime, whichever one that was, I don't know how we got out of that one. We did have a couple opportunities in overtime, one or two of them to win a couple times where they could have won the game, too, but, you know, would have been a lot better if they just counted Eric's shot and we could have gone home two hours ago laughter. I'm just proud of these guys for hanging in there and especially Paul because Paul was just, I can't describe how awful he was for most of the part of that game. For him to come up and make some of the plays he made finally, he was even smart enough to miss the dunk so he could get a 3-point play (laughter). How much smarter can you be than that? This was just two teams going at it. A.J. Price was unbelievable but just an unbelievable effort from both teams and I can't imagine being involved in a better basketball game. JOHN PAQUETTE: We are joined by Jonny Flynn and Paul Harris. Q. Jim, you coached the triple-overtime game in 1981; did you ever think you would approach that one again? COACH JIM BOEHEIM: We wouldn't if Leo's (Rautins) son (Andy Rautins) hadn't made the three coming off the screen there. You just don't think about games going more than one or two in overtime. I know in one of the overtimes I told them we were undefeated in overtime so we should be able to keep that streak going. I forgot when that was. I think that was around 12:30, 1:00 (laughter). You know, just -- I can't really describe fully my emotions about this team in that game. Q. Coach, before tonight, what was the most unique experience before tonight that you've had? COACH JIM BOEHEIM: Before time -- Q. Professional career. COACH JIM BOEHEIM: On the court or off the court (laughter)? Q. On the court. COACH JIM BOEHEIM: This game. I don't think there's anyway to describe -- triple overtime game with Villanova was unbelievable, an unbelievable game. You get involved after 30 some years and thousands of games, there's a lot of games in there that are pretty memorable, but I don't think I can -- I think it would be hard to top this game. Q. Coach, was it a relief when Rick and Arinze fouled out to see Hasheem (Thabeet) go not soon after? COACH JIM BOEHEIM: I don't remember when it happened exactly but certainly when he went out, that helps ultimately -- we were attacking him better tonight than we have ever. He's going to block shots. We were going at him. Ricky (Jackson) went at him a couple times, Jonny went at him. He's a tremendous shot blocker. I said many times he's the best shot blocker I've seen in this league and, you know, obviously when he goes out, that's a big weapon, but we already lost two, three guys by then and, you know, (A.J.) Price was the guy, he was just unbelievable. I thought Kris Joseph went in and played for whatever it was. He's never played center, never been in that position. He drew a charge, he scraped in there. J.T. (Justin Thomas) has never been in a big game. He got in there and had a rebound. He stayed in front of Price. He's a senior. He did a tremendous job out there for us. I really can't say enough about those two guys who were hanging in there against this team. Q. For the players, Johnny and Paul, can you tell us how does your body feel right now and what are you thinking about playing tomorrow night as far as mental mindset and physically. JONNY FLYNN: I can't even feel my legs right now. We battled it out. It's great we got the victory but we got to turn around today and get a big win over West Virginia; a scrappy team we beat before who showed a great performance tonight versus West Virginia (Pittsburgh). COACH JIM BOEHEIM: West Virginia was unbelievable tonight. Pittsburgh has been a tremendous team all year and for West Virginia to play the way they were, they were absolutely spectacular tonight. Q. Paul, I mean everybody looked like the legs were gone. You looked like you had a little extra left in that 6th overtime. Did you feel a little extra? PAUL HARRIS: Coach kind of rested me before the first game (laughter). I'll have my legs a little bit. Kept blowing layups at the end of the game. I was asking God, please let me make some kind of great play. I thank God we won this game. COACH JIM BOEHEIM: The free throw shooting was absolutely unbelievable tonight. We had to make two free throws at least seven, eight times. It was Johnny most of the time but Paul a couple times, Andy. We must have made 16 straight free throws that had to be made just to stay in the game, and that's hard to do. That's hard to do. They missed a couple for us to give us a chance to stay in the game, too. Q. Jonny, when did you start to kind of, I mean, feel your legs kind of go. It looked like you were cramping up there and dying. Do you remember? JONNY FLYNN: It had to be between the second and the fourth overtime, right around that time. COACH JIM BOEHEIM: Around 1:00. JONNY FLYNN: The feeling started setting in. Paul Harris and other guys kept saying we fought this long, we can't give this game away right now. The players, the bench players, all the coaches and everybody really picked us up and carried us through this game for us to withstand an onslaught from Connecticut. Q. Paul and Johnny, were you guys concerned at any point during the overtimes about your own stamina and being able this -- if this game kept going? PAUL HARRIS: I got to give a big go to our strength and conditioning coach. He worked us so hard in the off-season. He prepared us for a 40-minute game. Not one like this. Our legs were there. We're glad we just got the victory. Q. Jonny, why did you lose the head band in the last overtime? JONNY FLYNN: I just wanted to get the game over with. For a second I'm just thinking, Lord, let's just get this game over, go home. Whoever wins, wins the game. It was getting near that time. COACH JIM BOEHEIM: It was getting to the point that -- it's a lot better winning the greatest game that ever played. It was almost time to like let's go home. PAUL HARRIS: I think that was because I missed that lay up. COACH JIM BOEHEIM: Which one? (Laughter.) I can't even tell you how much -- you missed four in a row at one time. Q. Jim, you were behind for most of the overtimes. How big was to it get Andy's three at the start of the 6th? COACH JIM BOEHEIM: It was the first tip we got, I think. Paul got it. PAUL HARRIS: We lost every tip. Jonny Flynn said we need to get one tip. COACH JIM BOEHEIM: Sure enough we got -- set the play. We had Andy coming off that screen and boom, he made it. That was pretty big. JOHN PAQUETTE: All right, Syracuse. Thank you. COACH JIM BOEHEIM: Thank you guys. End of FastScripts |
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