St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's vs. Syracuse, Feb. 11, 2007
2/9/2007 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Head Coach Norm Roberts
On St. John???s victory over Syracuse on Jan. 21:
???When we beat them here [Syracuse], I think we did a lot of the little things and the toughness things. We got to loose balls, made some big plays and big shots and rebounded the ball much better than we had in previous games. We???re doing that more and more with the games we???ve played after [Syracuse] so we???ve got to continue that and probably raise that level since we???re playing on the road. Everything is magnified more when you???re on the road. We???re going to have to be very focused.???
On Syracuse:
???I think they are always focused and intense. Coach Boeheim is a great coach and his team is always well prepared. I know it will be a big game. At this time of the year, it???s coming down to the last five or six games so everyone is focused. Everyone knows what is at stake and everybody is trying to be as successful as possible. They???ll be fired up and they will be ready to play. We will as well.???
More on Syracuse:
???With young people, they only think about what happened recently. They don???t think about what has happened in the past. They are probably feeling good about themselves right now. They got a big win over DePaul which is a very tough team to play and they have had some time to practice. They are going to be very good.???
On what his team needs to do to be successful:
???We have to shoot the ball well. We have to defend and limit our turnovers. We can???t give them easy baskets in transition and we really have to limit them to one shot or less. We really have to defend and rebound the ball because they are one of the best rebounding teams in the league and one of the better shooting teams. They are not going to miss any open shots, so if they are open, they are going to make them. We???re really going to have to guard hard and rebound the ball.???
On the importance of Sunday???s game:
???We???re looking at things as we just have to take one game at a time. We???re focusing on this game and we want to try to get this victory. Then the next time, we want to try to get that victory. I???m sure my guys look at standings and that stuff but we are not concentrating on that. We have to concentrate on the opponent in front of us and what we have to do to be successful.???
Junior Guard Eugene Lawrence
On playing in the Carrier Dome:
???I???ll tell my teammates that it is going to be a tough environment to play in. The fans really get into the game and any little mistake is going to be magnified because of the atmosphere we???re in and because we???re on the road. We???re going to have to try our best to block them out and stay focused on the game.???
On Syracuse:
???I think it???s going to be a really exciting game. Syracuse is a good team and everyone is just trying to make their way to postseason play. It???s going to be a really intense game. It???s a big game for us because we want to try and get up as high as we can before BIG EAST play is over.???
On the team???s confidence playing on the road:
???We got a road win in Cincinnati and I think that helped us. The way we came out and played and stuck together as a team, I think some of things we did in that game can help us in the game against Syracuse.???
Freshman Guard Larry Wright
On Syracuse:
???We have to come out the same way we did last time and play with energy, have a defensive mindset, play together as a team and execute. If we can do those things, we should be good. Every game is important. We???re trying to make the BIG EAST Tournament so we have to take one game at time and hopefully come out with a win.???
