St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John??' vs. DePaul
1/2/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Head Coach Norm Roberts
On DePaul:
???They are a very good team and they are very, very good at home, but they also had a big win on the road against Rhode Island were they played really well. The key about DePaul is they can all score. They???ll play different lineups and they do some unconventional things with their players because they are so versatile. They are shooting the ball a lot better than they did last year, so we really have to guard out past the 3-point line.???
On the BIG EAST:
???It is a long season and with this year???s BIG EAST, it is going to be a year where there are going to be some big teams that people didn???t expect to win and there are going to be some teams that will lose in the eyes of some people were not suppose to lose. You just have to bring energy every night because every game is going to be a war.???
On the newcomers adjusting to BIG EAST play:
???Our older guys need to help our younger guys in this situation. We???ve talked about this as a team. They???ve never been through the BIG EAST. We talked about our older guys letting those younger guys know that they have to bring it, that every possession is a valuable possession and we have to take care of business that way.???
On his confidence of the team heading into BIG EAST play:
???I think we are deeper than we were a year ago in every aspect. It is just going to be one of those years when we just have to bring it when we get out there. You can???t tell a guy how intense it is going to be until they are actually in it and we???re starting off playing a really good team.???
On the team???s level of play:
???I hoped we would be playing a little bit better than we are right now, but I do know that things can turn on the dime. They can turn quickly with confidence and execution. What we need to do is just move on to the next game. It is 0-0 for everyone right now. It???s a whole new season for everyone. So we have to focus in on this season because the early season schedule is over with.???
Senior Forward Lamont Hamilton
On this year???s team compared to last year:
???We are definitely farther along that last year. We just need to get back to that toughness that we had last season. We are still a tough team, we just need to be tough enough to execute down the stretch.???
On what he has told the new players before heading into BIG EAST action:
???I???ve told them to stay focused and to remember that we are all in this together, so don???t ever put your head down.???
On what he would tell fans before going into the BIG EAST season:
???I would tell them to continue to believe in us because we believe in ourselves.???
On the loss to Hofstra in the Aeropostale Holiday Festival:
???The Hofstra game was a tough one to lose, but we have to stay focused and prepare for the DePaul game tomorrow.???
Junior Guard Eugene Lawrence
On the game against DePaul:
???We are going to look at this game like every other game. We are going to come in and play hard, play together and try and win the game. We did lose to them last year, so some players might have a little more vengeance to beat them. We have to be the first team out there diving for the loose balls and get all the little plays that will help us in the end.???
On BIG EAST games compared to non-conference games:
???Each game, no matter if it???s BIG EAST or non-conference, is going to be a tough game. But the BIG EAST is a really good league. All of the players are much more athletic. Certain games in non-conference play you have to key in on just one or two players, but in the BIG EAST you have to worry about each player on the court and players coming off the bench. Players are just that talented. You have to know their tendencies and what they like to do.???
On the loss to Hofstra in the Aeropostale Holiday Festival:
???We???ve watched tape and seen the mistakes we made during the game, and now we just have to work on that stuff during practice. I think it???s helpful to keep the game still in our head when we play DePaul tomorrow because you have to learn from your mistakes. While we???re playing against DePaul, the same scenario might occur but if we think about the Hofstra game and what we did wrong, we could probably change it.???
