St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's vs. No. 4/4 Villanova
2/28/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 28, 2006
Norm Roberts
Head Coach, St. John's
On Villanova's Kyle Lowry:
"Explosive and toughness are the first things that come to mind. He fits what they do perfectly as a point guard. He is a guy who can set up his teammates and give them shots, but he's a guy who looks to score the ball."
On Villanova:
"They are a tough team that wants to pressure you and take you out of your comfort zone. They can drive and attack or shoot the ball from deep. The thing that Villanova has done a good job of is being patient. They allowed their athletes to grow, go through tough times and get better."
On Ricky Torres:
"He's gotten better and better. He had to adjust to the college game as far as the speed and intensity. He is going to get better with time. His experience this year is only going to show him what he needs to do more of in the future."
On the BIG EAST Tournament:
"The way the league has come down this final week is what was expected. There would be a bunch of teams, wrapped up together trying to get that win at the end and get into the tournament."
On the importance of earning a BIG EAST tournament berth:
"It is important because it is our home city, but it is more important for us to make it to show the growth of our program. Our athletes have worked hard all year and they deserve the opportunity to play in that tournament. Not many teams have lost their best players, but we have. We have had some things that have given us bumps in the road, but we have to continue to fight through them and be tough."
On the development of the team over the course of the season:
"We try to work hard every day. They understand the margin of error is very small. We're playing on their home court, on their senior night. It's going to be tough, but we just have to continue to play our game and not out of character. We have to play to our strengths and that is to defend, rebound, execute and get the ball in the guy's hands that are most effective."
Eugene Lawrence
Sophomore Guard
On the week off between games:
"I think it's helped. A lot of people have been logging a lot of minutes due to injuries so I feel that it has given us time to recoup and rest."
On the remaining games:
"We have to look at it like it is a new season. You're only playing two games, and you have to win those games. To have our own destiny of making it to the BIG EAST Tournament in our hands is nice. I like those odds."
On the importance of earning a BIG EAST Tournament berth:
"It is really important for us to make the tournament because we are the home team, and it is being played on our home court."
On Kyle Lowry:
"I played against him in high school and in AAU. He is a tremendous player, one of the best athletes in the BIG EAST. He is a tough competitor. I have the utmost respect for him. It is going to be a real good game."
