St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's vs. Georgetown
3/9/2009 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
March 9, 2009
QUEENS, N.Y. -
Sophomore Guard Malik Boothe
On the possibility of being the first Red Storm team to win a BIG EAST Tournament game since 2003:
"I'm very excited about that. The program hasn't had a win in a BIG EAST Tournament in a long time. It's great to have the opportunity to achieve that. It will very big for the program. For us to beat Georgetown two times in one year, maybe it'll bring back the days of the old St. John's-Georgetown rivalry."
On Georgetown's reaction to the overtime loss last week:
"It'll be more than just revenge. Georgetown will just be more motivated to win this game. They took a hit last week when they lost to us, especially their NCAA Tournament hopes. I feel they just want to redeem themselves and get a win."
On what St. John's needs to do to win:
"We need to make the same plays we made the last 10 minutes of the previous Georgetown game. We need to get all the 50/50 balls, defend, rebound and just play with energy."
On what it does for the team knowing they can stick around with the good teams:
"It will help us, especially in the tournament atmosphere. It gives us confidence when we know that we can be in tight situations with the good teams and pull away with the victory."
On the players' nerves going into their first BIG EAST Tournament:
"I think there will be a little bit of jitters, but I think once the ball gets thrown up we'll all be fine."
Sophomore Forward Sean Evans
On this being most of the team's first BIG EAST Tournament:
"It's real exciting. We want to take this opportunity in full stride and try to make as much noise as we can. We're looking forward to the game."
On how big of an opportunity a win would be:
"It's a real big opportunity. We know that we beat Georgetown before and it can happen again. We just have to stay focused, execute like we did in that game and keep a defensive mindset and try to come out with another win."
On Georgetown seeking revenge:
"Yes, they'll definitely be seeking revenge. Any team that loses to one team will come into the next game against them trying to get that kind of revenge or that kind of payback."
On the strength of the BIG EAST coming into the tournament:
"I think, with the way our Conference is, it's wide open. There are a lot of good teams. I think anyone can beat any team. It will come down to who wants it more that day."
Head Coach Norm Roberts
On bringing a young team into the BIG EAST Tournament:
"I think the guys are all excited to be playing in the tournament. However, they understand that it's a one-and-done deal. You have to come in and be focused. You have to play well."
On first round opponent Georgetown:
"Georgetown has been confident all year long. They feel like they can play with anybody. The bottom line is you have to come and compete. You have to make plays when you have opportunities to. Obviously, we made some plays at the end of the Georgetown game that helped us win, which is great, but you also don't want to get yourself down by 15 points against a good team. We're going to need to play a lot better. It will not be the same type of game as the other night. It's a different scenario. We have to be ready to compete."
On how Georgetown is feeling coming into the tournament:
"I don't expect (Georgetown) to be any more pumped up than what they already are. Every team is pumped up coming in. It's not an individual thing. It's trying to win and get to the finals. There's no added motivation, it's simply just survive and advance. That is the biggest thing."
On what a win would mean to this team:
"It's big to win any game. It would be a great deal for our guys to get to the next round in the tournament. It would just be another step in our maturation process. But in order to do that, we're going to have to play really well and defend well. We're going to have to make plays to make that happen."
On the keys to winning this game:
"We've got to be aggressive against their zone, if that's what they're playing. We've got to be able to get baskets in transition. We have to be able to defend and rebound. We did a good job of rebounding last time we played them and that will be a big key. We don't want them to get easy looks. We can't let them get into a rhythm. They're a rhythm team and if they get into a rhythm they're very hard to stop."
