St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's vs. Rutgers
3/4/2006 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 4, 2006
Head coach Norm Roberts
On the team's excitement for Sunday's game:
"I think there's an excitement about the game and an excitement about our players. They know it's a great opportunity. But we get excited about playing Louisville, we get excited about playing UConn or Pittsburgh or South Florida. We get excited about all of those games, but obviously the situation that we're in, if we win, we're in [the BIG EAST Tournament].
On the atmosphere at Carnesecca Arena:
"We need to have a very good homecourt atmosphere here, the kids need to feel it. But I also wanted that for our seniors. They need to go off with a bang, they need to feel good about themselves. They've in a lot of hard work to our program."
On the effect of a homecourt atmosphere:
"You never know how 18 to 22 year olds are going to respond. You hope it's a positive. But you've got to be able to play in the atmosphere, you've got to be able to play how you normally play. If you try and change on the fly, no matter how big the game is, you're going to end up not playing well."
On fan support:
"I think we need great support when we come in here and play, but it's going to be the guys out on the floor that get it done. We've got to get it done. Fans can help you in a lot of ways, with energy and those things, but we have to go out there perform to the best of our ability."
Sophomore guard Eugene Lawrence
On the magnitude of Sunday's game:
"This game could determine if we make it to the BIG EAST Tournament. It could be our seniors' last game, so it's a big game. We're trying not to make it Ryan [Williams] or Phil's [Missere] last game.
On his role in the game:
"I'm just going to come out and play. I'm not going to try and do too much. I want to try and get my teammates in the game, and if I have chances to create or chances to score, then I'm going to take those opportunities."
Junior forward Lamont Hamilton
On keys to Sunday's game:
"We know that it's a big game, and there's a chance that it could be our last game. We have to go out and play defense and control the ball."
On his play against Rutgers:
"I'm trying to go out and have the best game I can have. I'm just going to go out and rebound and do whatever my team needs me to do."
Senior forward Ryan Williams
On the atmosphere at Carnesecca Arena:
"Hopefully there will a lot of people in here. I'm going to have a lot of my family members in here, and hopefully we can come out with a 'W'. The place is going to be amped up, the players are going to be amped up, it's going to be a good atmosphere."
On Senior Day:
"In the beginning, I'm going to just try and take it like any other game. I know there's going to be some emotions. My whole family's proud of me, I've got about 40-50 people coming tomorrow."
