Jesse Edwards Postgame Transcript: Wake Forest

Syracuse basketball's starting center discusses loss at Wake Forest.

Syracuse fell 77-74 in overtime at Wake Forest. After the game, Syracuse center Jesse Edwards spoke to the media about the loss. 

Q: The team today tied a season high with 20 fouls in regulation. How important are those fouls?

Edwards: "It was game changing for us. It's something, obviously, I played a big part in. I got too many too quick. It's something that's been going better the last couple games and now I had a rough time staying out of foul trouble. Something I can't be doing anymore. It obviously hurt us. Something I'll have to keep working on." 

Q: When the guards are struggling to shoot, is there something you and the rest of the forwards are trying to do to get them more open looks?

Edwards: "We have a bunch of great shooters and every shooter will have an off game or two. It's something everybody goes through I guess. I always trust in them to keep shooting whether it's a bad game or a good game. Because they're all great shooters and they will get back in great shape. I believe that. Whether there's a different game plan or anything like that, we trust in them like they trust in me. We will keep running the same plays. Obviously not the same exact plays, we will try to tweak a little bit for improvement. But they're great shooters and they'll get back." 

Q: On your fifth foul, was there any opportunity to think to yourself, 'maybe I should just let him score?' 

Edwards: "I haven't played that long so I never really had the real position I have now that I have to really maybe let plays like that go. Let something like that slide. When I think back it's something that could help us for sure if I just let that go or put my hands up and not jump. But in that moment, my instinct is to jump, go, contest it. It was just my instinct, I guess." 

Q: What are your coaches telling you in practice about how to avoid those foul calls?

Edwards: "What we've been working on has been going pretty well the last couple games until this one. The little fouls, like I had two stupid ones. Over the back, just ticky tack fouls where I could avoid those. They won't help the team as much as contesting a shot when they're driving into the basket. Those are good fouls. Just eliminating any stupid, ticky tack, over the back type of fouls. That's the main focus." 

Q: Can you take me through the last play in overtime? What was the game plan there? Was it to get Buddy a shot or was someone else supposed to?

Edwards: "I think it was the idea for either Buddy or Joe or one of the shooters to get, obviously, a three pointer. It was a play for either of them."