New Jersey point guard Tyus Battle spoke with the Fizz ahead of Syracuse’s Final Four matchup against North Carolina. He said he wasn’t surprised to see the Orange make it to this stage.
“I had Syracuse winning the whole thing. I told my friends before the tournament even started.”
Jim Boeheim’s future has been a hot topic in Houston. Battle thinks Boeheim could stay longer than his current contract allots.
“Good things seem to be happening right now…I think if this keeps on happening maybe he might decide to stay longer.”
Growing up in New Jersey, Battle has developed relationships with some SU players despite not yet playing a game inside the Dome.
“Malachi, I used to play AAU with back in 8th grade with Team Final. I played with him for the entire year, we had a pretty good team too. I know Malachi pretty well and Tyler [Roberson], I used to work out with him when he played for the Road Runners. I used to go to a lot of workouts with Tyler. They’re both really hard workers and it’s going to be a lot of fun next year.”
SU’s other 2017 commit Matthew Moyer compared himself to Paul Pierce. As a kid, Battle idolized Kobe Bryant.
“My favorite player growing up was definitely Kobe without a doubt. The way he approaches the game, the way he works off the court, on the court. His competitive edge, I’ve never seen anything like that. I’d say my game is at times like Kobe, I definitely don’t shoot as much as Kobe, he shoots a good amount. Kobe’s definitely my favorite player of all-time, but I don’t know who my game models after.”
Listen to the full Battle interview here. (Second segment)
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Posted: Connor Morrissette
