St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes: St. John's 79, Howard 44
11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Nov. 22, 2008
Head Coach Norm Roberts
Opening statement:
"Defensively, we started out well. We did a good job moving the ball, containing it and keeping it out of the lane. Howard was missing a couple of players, their two talented guards. But our guys kept the pressure on them and we shot the ball well. One of the reasons why we shot the ball well is because we played the inside-out and we passed the ball when we needed to."
On Paris Horne stepping up:
"Paris plays with unbelievable energy and was a great spot-up shooter for us. He is going to contribute in every game. Paris did well. He played within himself and was very steady. He gives you the same thing every day. You never have to worry about his focus; it is there all the time."
On making the loss of Mason Jr. a positive situation:
"We try to focus on the positives even though it is a negative situation. He will have a year to redshirt and get stronger by putting more weight on him and he will have another season with us. They guys are excited about that. I told our team to stay positive because now everyone will have a chance to play and they have to be ready for that when we need them.
Sophomore Guard Paris Horne
On stepping up into his new role after Anthony Mason Jr.'s injury:
"I know I have to step it up. I played the starting role just like I play coming off the bench. I just keep the energy up and go out and play hard. Coach always prepares us in case one of us gets hurt. So my mindset was basically the same, just go in, play hard, play defense and score. With the help of my teammates I can fill that role."
On getting off to an early lead against Howard:
"We just came out with the mindset of playing hard and not taking teams for granted. You can't take any team for granted."
Sophomore Forward Justin Burrell
On stepping up into his new role after Anthony Mason Jr.'s injury:
"Mason was our go-to guy and a lot of the plays were called for him. With him out I need to step up and be the guy we can go to when the game begins. We were down when we first heard, but we came together to move on."
On the sophomore class being ready to take on the BIG EAST:
"I believe we are ready and we have great guys on our team. Sometimes we can be a little timid or a little shy to step-up but as the season goes on we keep learning how to take over when we need to."
Senior forward Anthony Mason Jr.
On having to watch the rest of the season from the bench:
"It wasn't tough watching from the bench because I know I'm out for the season. I was just happy we got the win. It's disappointing not to play in my senior year but I have to take the good that I can come back a year later and be with my team and just try to keep improving."
On his season-ending injury
"I knew something was wrong a couple games ago but I played through. The first time it happened was about a week ago and then it hit again against Cornell. Since we were on the road I just played through it. It is an injury you can play through, but as you do it gets worse and worse. I have to take time to get surgery, get healthy and come back stronger.
Howard Head Coach Gil Jackson
Opening Statement:
"I think we didn't have enough confidence to start the game and we knew that once St. John's got into their comfort level it was going to be tough. They're a BIG EAST team who plays the BIG EAST style of basketball. They played a little rougher than what we're used to. We got off to a slow start and we couldn't recover from it."
On the outlook of his team:
"We play UIC on Tuesday so we have a chance to play right away. We have to be tougher mentally and have to believe in ourselves a little bit more."
On St. John's:
"D.J. Kennedy is a good player. I've been watching him on TV. He's tough and he gets it done. I thought St. John's inside players played well too. You can't give a team like St. John's that kind of lead in their gym. You have to come out and make some early shots and let everybody know that you can play with them. That didn't happen."
