St. John's University Athletics
Postgame Quotes
1/17/2010 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Jan. 17, 2010
Head Coach Norm Roberts
Opening Statement:
"I thought our guys played hard defensively. We were very unselfish and may have over-passed at times. We played with good energy, moved our feet well and played good ball screen defense."
On Anthony Mason Jr.'s comeback:
"Mason isn't trying to do too much. He is open a lot, but he's rebounding for us and moving with energy. He has to get his timing down and it is tough now to have to go out and play at a high level right away. All he wants to do is win and help the team in the utmost way."
On free throw shooting:
"We talk about it everyday. We have to step it up and make them. We have to get better at doing that."
On growth of the team since last season:
"We have persevered and stayed tough after a few losses. These guys are juniors now and they understand that we have to try to keep good weeks going. They understand that they have to have a hunger to keep winning."
Senior Guard Anthony Mason Jr.
On what it feels like to be back:
"It feels good being out there with my team. It's exciting. We got the "W" and that is all that matters."
On team free throw shooting woes:
"You miss free throws and you have to pick it up in other areas, like defense and rebounding. We are getting better at doing that."
On team outlook since back-to-back BIG EAST wins:
"Our outlook never changed. We have to stay positive and keep working to get where we want to be. We have to keep our heads up and prepare for the next game. We can't have a negative attitude. We came in today with focus against DePaul and got the win."
On his offensive attitude:
"I am rusty, but I am getting back into the offense. I don't force anything. I have to let the game come to me and continue to create for others. I am still trying to get up to game speed."
Junior Forward Justin Burrell
On team energy against DePaul:
"Our energy wasn't as good in the first half, but we came out in the second half and woke up. We were pressuring and made them do things they weren't comfortable with."
On his game mentality:
"I have never been a scorer. I like to score, but I like to do other things, like hustle and toughness plays. I will help my team in whatever way I can and as long as we win, I am happy."
On celebrating two BIG EAST wins:
"This is why our coaches are so great. They let us celebrate a win for five minutes. We will spend days learning from losses. We can't let the wins stick with us. We have to continue to learn."
DePaul Interim Head Coach Tracy Webster
Opening Statement:
"That was a tough game offensively for us. I think that in order to win games, you have to score points. That's something that we have to work on. And when you aren't making shots, your defense collapses and you lose a little bit of your drive. We stopped going after loose balls and things like that. We just have to get better. We have a tough game coming up against Marquette. And we have to take it one game at a time. You have to give St. John's credit, though. They did a great job of defending us."
On the St. John's defense:
"They are tough. They are quick. They have players that they can switch one through four. So that makes it a little tougher on us as well. They have some good athleticism and they are long. Overall, they are a decent defensive team."
