Syracuse vs. St. Bonaventure
December 31, 2007
Syracuse, N.Y. - Carrier Dome
"I want to start off by saying that I am extremely happy with our non-league record. Going into the BIG EAST conference is a remarkable feat for us. I am so happy for our kids and for what we have done as a staff and as a team. It is just remarkable to be 12-1 right now. Our kids come everyday to compete. We are tough on them everyday at practice. We don't have any soft practices. I am extremely happy for them. I'm happy for this university that we can put a product on the floor that represents Syracuse University. Dr. Daryl Gross, Dr. Nancy Cantor and this community can be proud of this team. We try to put a respectable product on the floor and continue to compete and continue to win games."
Coach Hillsman asked about if being 12-1 is intimidating:
"It is hard to say. For us, we prepare for everyone like it is Connecticut. Right now Connecticut is the No. 1 team in the country, so we prepare for every team like it is Connecticut. We don't do anything different. For other teams, though, I think it is serving notice that we are a legitimate team. This is not a fluke. St. Bonaventure came in here with a pretty good record. They didn't come in here as slouches. They have played some people and they have beaten some people. They are a good team. They have a very good post player who averages about 20 a game and today we held her to 10. I think it shows we can shut down team's top players."
On the production of his guards:
"It was big. Tasha (Harris) sent me a message. It was very inspiring. It touched me. You always wait for a player to, what we say, "get it." She got it, it was one o'clock in the morning, but she got it. Honestly, she came out with a different attitude and was aggressive. That's why at the end of the half I put the ball in her hand and had her go make a play. I know what kind of player she is. I know what kind of player I recruit. I recruited one of the best play makers in the country, and I believe that. She is going to be a very good point guard for us. Erica (Morrow), she and I had a very nice talk before the game. I told her to just be aggressive and just be Erica. She did that and played great and I am really happy with her. They are great guards. Tasha is a great floor general, and I am happy she is here and starting to figure it out. Her and I had a rough time, and she is finally getting it. I was not going to let her be a mediocre player because I know she can be great."
On asked if this team should be in the top 25 in next week's rankings.
"It is one of those things where I think we did all we could do. All we can do is win. We lost once and it was to the No. 4 team in the country. If you are going to lose one, lose to number four. We took care of our business. Whether we are or we aren't, I am really happy with our non-league record. I am excited for our community, for our team."
Coach on junior college transfers:
"They know they better come in and start playing right away. Fantasia (Goodwin) did it last year, Chandrea (Jones) is doing it this year as a force. That is what you want when you get these players. You recruit impact players, and that is what they have been. They have shown great leadership and when you think about it, Fantasia - national champion, Chandrea - national champion. So they are winners. We have a lot of champions on our team, and that is the attitude they have. We recruit winners. We went out and tried to get the best players, and I think we have done that."
On the hot shooting of St. Bonaventure from three in the first half:
"We don't try to weather the storm, I don't believe in that. It's hard. They had shooters who got the ball out of their hands really quickly. We didn't help out on #24 or #22 a couple of times and they hurt us. The adjustment we made was to guard the ball with our post players instead of with our guards for extra help. We made a pretty good adjustment seeing how they only made two three's in the second half."