St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes
2/13/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Feb. 13, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. - Head Coach Norm Roberts
On Marquette:
"Marquette plays extremely hard. They play hard on every possession. Getting loose balls and rebounds will be big keys to this game."
On Rob Thomas' health:
"I think he has been moving well. He was able to practice most of our practice yesterday, so hopefully he can continue to get stronger."
On St. John's player matchup vs. Marquette:
"Malik Boothe will start on Dominic James. D.J. Kennedy will be matched up against Wesley Matthews. And guarding Jerel McNeal will probably be Paris Horne."
On the present state of Marquette's season:
"They're a great team. They are just playing the tough part of their schedule like everybody else. The league and travel wears on you. All the games are tough and every single night you have to come ready to play or you will get beat."
On Marquette's veteran experience:
"Well that is the key, experience, and they have experience. They have guys who have been through the wars and guys that can make plays like McNeal, Wesley, Matthews, James, and Haywood. Their role players play with a ton of energy and that's a big key."
On stopping Marquette's guard-oriented offense:
"You have to stop the dribble penetration because it's all predicated on that. They're going to drive to the basket and they'll try to push it in transition. You can't give them the easy looks."
On playing games on the road:
"They're all tough. Every event is a tough venue to play in and Marquette is one of the best venues in the league and everybody feels more comfortable playing at home. It's hard, but you have to battle though it, you have to be tough. There are different styles of play, so when you have the opportunities to get those wins, you got to get them."
