St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: St. John's 77, UMES 40
11/19/2005 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 19, 2005
St. John's Head Coach Norm Roberts
On his team's performance:
"We played very, very hard. We were sloppy at times but we did try to play unselfishly. We weren't as aggressive as I would like us to be but we will get better. We had a lot of open looks and I felt confident in the guys that were shooting. Overall, our intensity was good. We did a good job of rebounding the basketball and contesting shots. So if we continue to do that, we have a chance to be successful."
On the fact that it was the first game of the season:
"I thought early on we had some guys with jitters who maybe tried to make some plays that weren't there. It happens when it's your first game. Our guys will get more comfortable and will take better care of the basketball. Guys saw things open early and then they wanted to try to take advantage of it so fast that we ended up having turnovers."
On the team's depth:
"We have seven starters and I told the team that earlier today. Some games we may go small and some games we may go big. And that's good for our team."
On his team's defensive pressure:
"We contested shots and got in the passing lanes and made it difficult for them to run their offense. Our perimeter guys did a good job of pressuring their guards so they couldn't feed the post."
On the difference between this year's team and last year's team:
"[The newcomers] performed fine. They might not be happy with their stats, but you can see our team is different than last year. We're deeper, we're stronger. Lamont Hamilton doesn't have to battle three guys every time. Dexter Gray is much bigger and much better player than last year. Cedric Jackson is more creative with his dribble than he was last year. Anthony Mason Jr., adds athletic ability as well as shooting ability. And all that frees up Daryll Hill because now teams can't throw three guys at him. Now it's one-on-one. And there are not a lot of people who can keep Daryll in front of them one-on-one."
Freshman Forward Anthony Mason Jr.
On his first collegiate game:
"It was my first game so I had some butterflies in my stomach. As the game progressed and I was missing some shots, I guess as a freshman I wanted to make those shots. But Coach Roberts told me they were good shots and to keep on shooting. So that gave me extra confidence."
Junior Guard Daryll Hill
On the game:
"We made some mistakes that we probably shouldn't be making, but I know that came from people being nervous because it's the first game. Right now, I like the way it's going because everybody's playing hard and playing good defense. The shots will come and will start falling."
UMES Head Coach Larry Lessett
On his team's performance:
"I'm really not disappointed with my team. We have eight freshmen and we have some talent but we had some issues that I had to address today and I would rather address them now then in January or February. We didn't give up though; we've played four games this week and beat Utah Valley State after being down by a 14 point deficit so at half time we didn't think we were out of it."
On his season outlook:
"Come February and March, I think we'll have a legitimate shot to go The Dance. This is a process, and the guys that did start tonight did a great job. There are some things we need to work on but we'll get there."
On playing St. John's:
"Playing at this university was a great experience for my team, with the rich tradition. You have to give credit to St. John's. They are very well coached and their kids played very hard. I think you'll see a jump this year in the BIG EAST as far as where St. John's finishes. Their team looked really good tonight."
--Red Storm--
