Sports fans are well versed in the lexicon of their favorite athletes and coaches, as their one-liners can be equally inspiring as they are perplexing. Whether it’s Kevin Garnett screaming, “Anything is possible” into TD Garden’s balcony or Allen Iverson sharing his thoughts on practice, quotes are part of the ultimate fan experience.
Here are some of The Daily Free Press’ favorite quotes from Boston University’s 2015-16 athletics programs.
1. “He’s a great kid. He’s a kid that you’d want your daughter to marry, to be honest with you. He’s that good of a person.” – BU men’s basketball head coach Joe Jones on senior guard John Papale after he hit a game-winning shot against Lehigh University on Jan. 31
2. “What I learned from Clare is that there is a beauty side of the game. I’m kind of a meat-and-potatoes type person, and she showed me the spice.” – BU women’s soccer head coach Nancy Feldman on senior midfielder Clare Pleuler
3. “Just trying to stay in it, bopping to the music. I don’t know. [Matthews Arena] was playing some pretty good tracks.” – BU men’s ice hockey sophomore goaltender Connor LaCouvee on how he kept focus while seeing just two shots on goal during the first period against Northeastern University on Nov. 7
4. “Graduating would be good too. Somewhere along the way, I’ll do that. That would be clutch.” – BU women’s softball freshman catcher Alex Heinen
5. “I’m always checking the rebounding stats. Honestly, if I don’t have 10 rebounds in a game, I beat myself up about it.” – BU men’s basketball sophomore forward Nick Havener
6. “After those penalties, we knew we would get one back. We knew that the hockey gods would just give us one goal.” – BU men’s ice hockey senior forward Ahti Oksanen after scoring a goal with 1:29 remaining in BU’s 1-1 tie with Providence College on Nov. 13
7. “To be honest, when I started playing sports, I never thought I was going to stop playing sports. But I never pictured it to this degree, and it’s just been an awesome ride so far.” – BU men’s lacrosse junior attack Pat Myers
8. “He’ll be one of those kids who, when you see him 10 years from now, he’ll always put a smile on your face. His teammates will say the same thing, whether it’s in an airport or at a reunion.” – BU men’s soccer head coach Neil Roberts on senior center back Jeroen Blugh
9. “I just was lucky enough that the stars happened to align one day and I was able to go to nationals and compete and represent my school.” – BU men’s track and field junior sprinter Cameron Williams on his NCAA and Patriot League success
10. “It might sound cliché, but I really do think there’s something special about Boston University and our hockey team in terms of us being a family.” – BU women’s ice hockey senior wing Rebecca Russo
Nick Frazier contributed to the reporting of this article
Jonathan's a New Englander who writes about sports, features and politics. He currently covers men's hockey at BU, worked as Sports Editor during the spring 2016 semester and is on the FreeP's Board of Directors. Toss him a follow on Twitter at @jonathansigal.
This is a great way to wrap up the year