St. John's University Athletics
Pregame Quotes: St. John's Vs. Cincinnati
1/12/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 12, 2010
QUEENS, N.Y. - St. John's Head Coach Norm Roberts
On the significance of the Cincinnati game and the BIG EAST:
"There's no more importance to me than any other BIG EAST game. You want to get a win in the BIG EAST, no matter who you're playing. It could be Cincinnati, it could be Connecticut, it could be Seton Hall, it could be Rutgers, it doesn't matter who it is. In this league you know that you want to get wins. We've come up short a couple of times. We came up short one game and we didn't play very well at all, but in this league, that's going to happen. You don't want it to happen, but it's going to happen and you've got to fight your way out of it. And that's what our guys understand. We've got to fight, we've got to play well for 40 minutes, get yourself a win, and move on to the next game."
On the difference between this year and last year for Cincinnati:
"They're bigger, deeper, probably have better ball handling than they've had in the past with Cashmere [Wright], and Lance [Stephenson]. They can score from a couple of other positions now that maybe they didn't before. But they've got a lot of depth and they can beat you up physically because they're big and they can beat you with quickness because they can go and play small too if they need to. So they're a very versatile team, just like many of the teams in our league are."
On the leadership of the team:
"We have very good leaders. We have good guys on our team and they realize that and they realize they hold each other accountable. But with every team, there's always the voice of the coach and there has to be the voice of the players. They have to have their own voice and rally each other when they need to because coaches aren't out there on the floor with them. They're out there and they've got to make it happen and we've got good leadership with D.J. [Kennedy] and Paris [Horne] and Malik [Boothe] and [Anthony] Mason, and different guys on the team, Sean [Evans], you know, [Justin] Burrell's a leader at times. We've got a lot of guys that have been here and they're older now and they want to play better, they want to do better."
Junior Forward Sean Evans
On if there is any extra motivation to win against Cincinnati:
"I think we want to win every game. There are a lot of players that we recruited that we don't get that we play against. It's no difference. We're going to go out there the same way and try to win the game."
On the importance of this BIG EAST game at Madison Square Garden:
"I think it could be the beginning of something that we really need. The first win can always spark your team and I think this win could help us out a lot for the season."
On the atmosphere in the locker room after the Louisville game:
"I think it was more upset than angry because you know everyone's giving everything they've got. And you're just disappointed that you lost the game and you know the little mistakes that you could have prevented. So its more upset than anything."
Junior Forward Justin Burrell
On head coach Norm Roberts:
"I've developed a lot and have learned a lot of things from Coach Roberts. He's taught me a lot off of the court, as well... I always believe in Norm. I love that guy. He's one of the best."
On the mindset of the team:
"I believe everyone's pulling the oar in the same direction. Of course we're going to get frustrated in losses and things like that, but we try to figure out what the problems are. In the end, it's all of us. We're all out there together. If we make one mistake, its not you making the mistake, its St. John's making the mistake."
Junior Guard Paris Horne
On practice this week:
"We go real hard at practice. We execute in practice but we also mess up in practice and it was the same yesterday. I can't say there was more intensity because I think our intensity is always there. It's just that we've got to get a better focus in executing. That's what it comes down to. And in the last couple of games, it has been executing and just bringing that energy every day and getting the 50/50 plays."
On the upcoming Cincinnati game and BIG EAST play:
"It's very important. Every game is important, but we've lost three right now and we're just trying to get our first one and then if we get the first one, then we'll try to get the second one and we'll just go from there."
