St. John's University Athletics
Post-Game Quotes: St. John's vs. Rutgers
2/15/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
St. John???s Head Coach Norm Roberts
Opening Statement:
???Give Rutgers credit. They really played hard. They did some really good things to kind of disrupt us early on. We didn???t shoot the ball well, we had some open looks and didn???t make them; but our guys did a really good job of staying tough in the second half. We made plays when we needed to. Monty made them inside, Qa???rraan made free throws and putbacks and Eugene stayed steady throughout the whole game and we were able to get Avery the ball and he was able to get some open shots.???
On rebuilding the St. John???s program:
???In order to rebuild a program, there are some things you have to get through and we talked about this as a staff. We???ve been in some situations as a team where we have been so-called favorites in the game and the pressure is on us to win. And we???ve come up short a couple times. Tonight we knew it wasn???t going to be easy and we were able to overcome the hurdle and prove that we can win when the pressure is all on us. The guys did that and the guys made big plays, with Eugene making the big shot and Monty making the big put-back, he could stayed there after making the first shot, but he went a second time, Qa???arran making free throws. Mason didn???t have a great night tonight but he did a great job of getting us some extra shots at the end of the game and getting to the offensive glass and running down lose balls. All those things are very important to be good and successful. I was very happy to be getting over this type of hurdle. Hopefully, in the guys??? hearts they realize that they can win at any time, any place and any where and just go out there and give it their best.???
On their BIG EAST Tournament hopes:
???There are a lot of goals that we are trying to achieve. The BIG EAST Tournament is a huge goal but there are a lot of things we are trying to achieve. We want to win more games than we did before. We want to improve our abilities on the court, improve our talent level. There are a lot of goals we are trying to get to and this is just one of them. I know how important this win is, but I think there a lot of good things going on that don???t get talked about. I???m excited about this but I am also excited that hopefully our guys will know that if we go and we compete and we play like we are playing we have a chance to beat anybody.???
On Eugene???s last minute three-point shot:
???We run that set all the time and Eugene is playing much more confidence and he is really shooting the ball well. He is really working at it. When a kid is confident, he just raises up and he feels like its going in and a lot of times it will go in. He felt like it was going in and I want the ball in his hands just like I want the ball in Mason???s hands, Avery Patterson???s hands. I want our guys to feel confident.???
Lamont Hamilton:
On this game???s impact on making the BIG EAST Tournament:
???This was sort of like a hump we had to get over. Everyone played strong and stayed together and we got that victory.???
On possibly playing his last game at Carnesecca Arena:
???It definitely means a whole lot. I love St. John???s and I???ll always love St. John???s.???
On stepping up after shooting 0-for-7 in the first half:
???I was a little down but I made sure I kept my head up and the players and the coaching staff all believed in me and told me to keep going. I kept missing close shots and shots I normally make. So I just kept my head up and kept playing.???
Eugene Lawrence
On this game???s impact on making the BIG EAST Tournament:
???It???s a game we definitely wanted to win. Especially since last year they beat us.???
On his last minute three-point shot:
???Coach Roberts preached to us that key players have to make big plays throughout the game. At that particular time, I think it was Courtney Nelson who caught me on the screen and I had an open look and I just stepped back and took a shot.???
???I saw myself making the shot and that made it easier to shoot???
On rebuilding the St. John???s program:
???I think it is big seeing what St. John???s has been through in the past. How the coaching staff has been going in the right direction each year since we???ve been here we???ve progressed. This year we might have an opportunity to play in the BIG EAST Tournament at the end and that will be really big for the program.???
On earning their sixth win:
???That???s just BIG EAST basketball. Every day is going to be a hard game. You have to stick it out until the end. You never know who is going to come out with the victory. You just have to pay attention and give it a lot of effort.???
Rutgers Head Coach Fred Hill:
On what stat jumps out at you the most:
???The biggest thing that stands out when I look at these very quickly is the three-point shooting. The fact that St. John???s made nine and we made three is a six point differential which means you have to go down and score that many baskets and you have to shoot at a higher percentage. With good teams that don???t particularly shoot the ball well that???s tough to overcome.???
On the St. John???s ??? Rutgers Rivalry:
???I think this is a great team. And I???ve said it numerous times. This could be a great rivalry. There are three metropolitan area teams that I think will be unbelievable for metropolitan area basketball in St. John???s, Seton Hall and Rutgers. When the three programs get to the level that they all want to be at it???s going to be as good as any place in the country. You go on the road, you come here to Carnesecca Arena, one minute to go it???s a tie game. You have to make plays down the stretch. They made plays tonight and we didn???t, but when we all get to the level where we want to be at, not only will we be a tough hard-core team, it will be a lot of fun for the fans and the media in the metropolitan area to cover.???
On their BIG EAST Tournament chances:
???Our whole goal this year was to get better each and every game. We go into practice and get better at each and every practice. We???ve never talked about the BIG EAST Tournament or making the postseason. If you don???t get ahead of yourself and you build your program and build a foundation in the process, that success will follow. I never try to look ahead before we have to put A and B in place before you have to get to C. We???ve never even discussed that.
