Quote Center: St. John's Postgame vs. Sacred Heart
COURTESY OF ST. JOHN’S RED STORM ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS OFFICE
St. John’s Head Coach Chris Mullin…
On the team’s focus and energy:
“I thought we came out and played really solid defense, shared the ball well. I believe we went up fourteen to zero, so it is always hard to maintain that. We made some substitutions. [Sacred Heart] is one of the fastest teams pace wise in college basketball, so they are going to get the ball up and down and score their points. I liked the ball movement offensively, 28 assists total. I think there was really crisp ball movement. We did get a little over aggressive defensively, we let people get into the middle, and I thought we had to maintain that pace. It was a pretty good effort tonight. I’ll take 28 assists on 38 made baskets.”
On the team’s readiness for BIG EAST play:
“December 29th, we play Seton Hall, so we will be ready. Everything that has happened up to this point is in the past now. We will take a few days off for Christmas and then get ready to play.”
On the team’s upcoming competition:
“Everything we do is geared towards progression and improvement, and a lot is geared towards what we do. As those teams come along, we will prepare for them and the scouting report. We will get our game plan together. BIG EAST Conference play is always exciting.”
On what the team must do to reach its full potential:
“I think each day, like tonight, we had great ball movement, and shot the three ball really well. Our defense poor was in spots and that’s something we definitely can improve on. Last game [vs. St. Francis Brooklyn], our defense was really solid, sometimes our shot selection isn’t as good. Those things will vary, but I believe our overall game is in good shape; our offense and defense are in good shape. When you have players, aged 18 to 23, you must think you can get better, if not, why would you show up. I do think there is a lot of improvement individually; each guy can get a little bit better. I believe it is more small detail things then major things we are going to change or things we need to overhaul. Being sharp, being locked in defensively, position wise when you are on the ball, knowing whom you are playing from a gameplay, personal standpoint. Offensively, I think we are getting there. Like I said, we are going to be taking a few days off and prepare for Seton Hall.”
Junior guard Shamorie Ponds…
On his no-look, between-the-legs pass:
“I saw him running from the corner of my eye and I just wanted to get it to him quick. That was my best way of getting it to him. I planned it out, when I saw the ball coming to me I saw LJ running and I just put it between my legs.”
On playing against his friend Myles Powell in the BIG EAST opener at Seton Hall:
“It will definitely be fun. We haven’t had a conversation about the game yet, but I am pretty sure the next few days the buzz will be growing and he is probably going to hit me up and talk trash. It’s brotherly love.”
On his offensive adjustments this season:
“I definitely try to let the game come to me and try not to force anything. We got out to a hot start so why not keep feeding it to him [Marvin].”
On schedule criticism and 12-0 start to the season:
“We can’t control what they say. They are going to say what they are going to say. We can only control what we can control. As for getting wins, we may not be playing the top competition but 12-0 is 12-0. We just have to continue to push and bring out a couple more wins.”
Redshirt Senior forward Marvin Clark II…
On his first half scoring streak:
“I just felt good, my teammates did a great job of putting me in positions to catch and shoot open shots. I just felt great and shot it with confidence.”
On what being 12-0 means to the team:
“It is something to build on. It was a great non-conference performance for our university, for our team, and for our program. Next step is BIG EAST play. That’s when it really matters. That’s what we are looking most forward to.”
On if the team has something to prove to the nation:
“We definitely have a lot to prove. We are 12-0, but at the end of the day we haven’t done anything yet. We haven’t played well in BIG EAST play in the past so we definitely have something to prove. If we go out every game with something to prove with a chip on our shoulder, we will definitely be ready for BIG EAST play.”
On how excited the team is to play BIG EAST games:
“It’s exciting, but what I am most excited for is to see my family. I haven’t seen them since the summer and I’m just ready to spend three days with them and enjoy Christmas.”
Sacred Heart Head Coach Anthony Latina:
On tonight’s game vs. St. John’s:
“We turned it over a ton. I think we had five turnovers in the first four minutes and got down fourteen to nothing. So that was a problem. Once we settled down and the game settled in, we had a little more success. But against a team as explosive as St. John’s, you can’t spot a team sixteen points. In the second half, we cut it to eight or nine and then we had a turnover spree. And they’re so explosive in turning turnovers into easy baskets. I don’t know what they shot from three but it looked like they made every shot. So they’re a tough matchup team. They put four guys on the court that can all score, can all make a three.”